National Geographic has paired with SunChips to create the Green Effect, an initiative driven towards inspiring folks go green in their local communities.

By making a difference in your community, it just takes one person to result in substantial

change. But combined with the sweet victory of helping the planet, is a $20,000 incentive to get it started.

Yep, $20,000 given to you or your group to make it happen. Simply go to the Green Effect‘s website and submit a description of your idea by June 8th. Ten finalists will be announced on July 7th, then online viewers and a panel of judges will review the entries.

And if you’re among the top five? You’re awarded $20,000 to put your idea for green change into action, along with a profile in National Geographic and a trip Washington, D.C. to share your plan with environmental leaders.

Need a little inspiration? FarmerJoe from Jacksonville, Florida has submitted the idea for creating a community garden across their front lawns. The funds would help build a greenhouse, toolshed, rain barrels and compost bins. Amy_President suggests an Earth Appreciation for Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her idea is based on giving 100 fifth and sixth grade students a Nature Appreciation Kit to help learn about and love the planet. But these aren’t ordinary kits: they include bicycles, among the smaller (but useful) eco-items.

You can view more ideas here.

Check out the Green Effect website for more info. The contest is only open to those in the United States, but either way, these ideas are an excellent way to inspire your own green initiatives in your community.

Image courtesy of national geographic and sunchips

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