Here are some possible ideas for ideas that Action Teams could tackle. The ideas are limited by your imagination. Do you have a new suggestion? Please e-mail it to moc.trey|kram#moc.trey|kram and we'll put it up right away!

• Municipal LED traffic Light Installation

The CCC approached a municipality to ask them to retrofit their traffic lights with LED lights. The municipality had an estimate prepared for the work and the CCC connected them to the federal stimulus money and existing loan programs. There will be no upfront money required by the municipality and they will decrease energy use in the traffic lights by 75 - 90 percent, saving them thousands of dollars.

• CFL Installation at Retirement Home

One of our members approached a retirement home where his mother lives to ask them to install CFLs throughout the facility. He will approach the building manager to inquire how this could be done given that the building received federal funding. If this is accomplished then it might serve as a demo for similar federally funded buildings.
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• Carrot Mob

From an organization that has coined the term 'Carrot Mob' (www.bestfriendsforlife.net), a carrotmob “is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It's the opposite of a boycott.”

One of our actions could be engaging several stores to an energy efficiency practice of some sort. The store that implemented the most sustainable practice would get the carrot mob. We would organize and get many people then to ‘reward’ the store with their business on particular day.

• Tire pressure check

Get permission from a local gas station to allow a group of people to check tire pressure and fill those that are low. Properly inflated tires can significantly increase fuel mileage. Educational material would also be handed out about individual actions to reduce GHG emissions.

• Hallway motion detector lights

Approach a hotel or business and get an agreement that they will switch their hallway lights to motion-detector lighting.

• Curbside composting

There are communities that have started curbside pick-up of food waste that will then be composted. An action team could work with a municipality and a food composting company to start such a program.

• Meatless Mondays

Raising animals for consumption creates an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. Cutting out meat consumption just one day a week significantly reduces those emissions and the demand for meat. John Hopkins University has started a program called Meatless Mondays. An action would be to work with a cafeteria in a school, university, nursing home, large business to start this program.

• Meals on Wheels volunteers to distribute CFLs

• Multi-municipal compacts to buy renewable energy

• Tax free holidays for instantaneous water heaters, Energy Star appliances, programmable thermostats, reel mowers, etc. coinciding with agreement with local hardware stores for sales on these items.

• Tax free holiday for county taxes for fuel efficient cars

• Get an agreement for a business to install green roofs to reduce both energy consumption and combined sewage storm drain overflows

• Obtain an agreement from a builder to install white roofs