What can one family do to protect the environment? Plenty, say the grand-prize winners of the FamilyFun Volunteers Contest: Green Edition. And whether they are collecting recyclables or creating an elementary-school garden, these families have discovered that working on behalf of the planet pays off in personal ways as well. As winner Suzanne Kretschmer says, "It feels good to be helping the environment together." In recognition of their hard work, creativity, and dedication, each of these five families (selected by FamilyFun with help from HandsOn Network and Kim Sams, administrator of the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund) won $5,000 for the charity of their choice from The Walt Disney Company, our corporate parent.
We also invited our readers to share their top green tips for the home -- simple actions they've taken to reduce their impact on the environment that other families could adopt. As you'll see, we received great advice from folks all over the country, but we owe special thanks to Julie Fuerstenberg of Sammamish, Washington, who appears six times on our list. Her family of five has made numerous small changes in their everyday routines to help keep the planet green.
As all of our "ecofamilies" show, small steps -- taken together -- can add up to big benefits for the Earth.
