Environmental Progress - Summer 2005

The fourth annual Green Pays on Green Days program, sponsored by Illinois EPA and Partners for Clean Air, which rewards Chicago area residents for taking voluntary actions to help reduce air pollution was launched at the Brookfield Zoo on June 18, with a Clean Air Fair featuring environmental superhero, Breathe Easy Man.

Breathe Easy Man gives his coloring book to a young fan.

The national award-winning Green Pays on Green Days program has enlisted thousands of citizens to take voluntary steps such as carpooling, taking mass transit or delaying mowing, since it was launched in 2002.

It is part of a multi-faceted approach by Governor Blagojevich's administration and the Illinois EPA to continue the improved air quality in the region and across the state. Other initiatives under Governor Blagojevich include his "Clean School Bus" program that is providing emission controls and cleaner fuels for diesel school buses, and "Green Fleets" and "Green Fuels" incentives to spur the use of environmentally friendly fuels, including making Illinois the nation's leader in the use of biodiesel made from Illinois soybeans.

Through Green Pays on Green Days, area residents can pledge to take "green" actions and be entered into a drawing. The 2005 campaign will reward one individual with an environmentally friendly prize each day the air quality is forecasted to be good or "green" according to the Air Quality Index.

One of this year's new features is an Intermediate Prize featuring an ENERGYSTAR" product valued at no less than $1,000 that will be awarded at the end of June, July and August. The "Green Day" and"Interm-ediate Prize" winners will also have a slot in the Grand Prize drawing for a 2005 Toyota Prius, courtesy of Your Chicagoland/ Northwest Indiana Toyota Dealers.

The green actions recommended to area residents include limiting driving, taking public transport, conserving energy at home and delaying wood burning in stoves or fireplaces on Action Days.

Citizen awareness was enlisted throughout the summer with new educational campaigns, including a radio spot recorded by native Chicagoan Dennis Franz, the actor of "NYPD Blue" fame. New educational spots will also appear on WMAQ-TV/NBC5-Chicago. Environmental Superhero "Breathe Easy Man" also had an expanded presence and made numerous appearances throughout the Chicago region. Those events were listed on the Partners for Clean Air website.

Green Pays on Green Days ran from June 18 to September 6, 2005. After the close of the program, individuals whose names were selected as "Green Day" or "Intermediate Prize" winners will be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for a 2005 Toyota Prius, an ultra low emissions/gas-hybrid vehicle. A live drawing will be held on September 26, 2005 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to choose the Grand Prize winner, and those winners in attendance, but not selected as the Grand Prize winner, will receive a bicycle as a consolation prize.

The Green Pays on Green Days initiative is co-sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Partners for Clean Air, a coalition of businesses, local governments and health advocacy organizations that have pledged to take voluntary actions to reduce air pollution.