Eco-Comedy Video Competition - $1,000 Prize!

Announcing an "Eco-Comedy Video Competition" with a $1,000 Prize!

This contest is open to anyone who prepares a short, funny video for YouTube which communicates a clear message that strongly motivates a specific behavior change (for example: driving a fuel efficient car, turning down thermostats, or donating to a conservation cause). Submissions due March 1, 2010.

Submissions must:

• Be humorous!
• Address a critical environmental issue
• Be an original production
• Reach a broad audience beyond just environmentalists
• Be less than 4 minutes

There will be six judges representing the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, Friends of the Earth, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mill Reef Productions, and EcoSense. The decision of the judges is final. Awards are based on overall merit of the entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant an award. The organizations listed above reserve the right to post submissions on their websites.

Submissions that are not received by March 1, 2010 will not be judged. The winner will be announced at American University on Tuesday, March 23 at the DC Environmental Film Festival.

For more information regarding submission guidelines and contest rules, visit: http://www.environmentalfilm.org. Questions may be addressed to Chris Palmer at palmer@american.edu.

This contest is sponsored by the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, Friends of the Earth, Mill Reef Productions, and EcoSense.

See a Snake? Don't Wait - Report a Pest!

Hawaii residents are urged to use the new pest hotline to promptly report sightings of invasive pests such as snakes, unusually aggressive stinging ants, and illegal or unknown animals.

643-PEST (7378)

Click here for a handy jingle to help you remember the number.

The new Pest Hotline number, 643-PEST (7378), can be dialed from any island in the state, without dialing a “1” or an area code. This Pest Hotline is also the Amnesty Line, where people can turn in illegal animals without fear of prosecution.

The new Pest Hotline relies on a computer program to route calls to the nearest Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) office during normal business hours. On weekends or afterhours, calls are routed automatically to the HDOA office at the Honolulu International Airport, which is staffed 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

The implementation of the new number means that neighbor island callers will NOT incur toll charges as they have in the past when calling the original pest hotline, 586-PEST. The original pest hotline will continue to be operational. An existing HDOA database used to log interceptions of pests at airports and harbors has been modified to also log pest hotline reports.

For more about invasive species and pests in Hawaii, including a guide to high profile invasive species with photos, visit www.HawaiiInvasiveSpecies.org

Click here to watch short videos about pest species and how you can help "Stop the Silent Invasion."

Pictured above, clockwise from top left: Brown Tree snake, Miconia, Coqui frog, and Little Red Fire ant.

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