10-minute Litter Cleanup Challenge Winner!

February 9th, 2014 Posted in cleaning, contest, eco hero | No Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!

Welp, ’twas a close race, ’twas indeed, but the first ever 10-minute Litter Cleanup Challenge is over, and it’s time to name the winner.

* takes several minutes struggling to open envelope to reveal winner *

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages… the winner is none other than the illustrious Peg Downes of Asheville, North Carolina, who sent in this picture of her accomplishment:

Litter picked up by Peg

A hearty congratulations and “kudos” to Peg, who has shown how you can take a tiny sliver of time and make a big difference in your community! I hereby anoint her as an O-fficial Eco Hero.

Her mYsTeRy PrIzE for winning the litter cleanup challenge is a Kitchen Crop Sprouter, which will allow her to grow her own organic, ultra-local, vegan food right in her kitchen! Huzzah! Take a gander at it with your eye-balls!

Kitchen Crop sprouter

Thanks for all the contest participants, and stay tuned for more challenges of various and diverse types. This is EcoJoe, signing out!

10 Minute Litter Cleanup Challenge

February 2nd, 2014 Posted in cleaning, contest | 2 Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!

Do you have what it takes to participate in the 10 Minute Litter Cleanup Challenge? Can you clean up more litter than me, Mr. Eco-freaking-Joe? Will you become an O-fficial Eco Hero? Well bring it on!!

Imagine what would happen if every EcoJoes reader stood up right now and took just 10 minutes to clean up some litter outside their house.

Hey, you’re an EcoJoes reader right now, yeah? How about you scurry outside, pick up some trash, and come back in ten minutes? I’ll go outside, too.

Can you clean up more litter than me? You got ten minutes; go!

* Ten minutes later *

Okay, I’m back! Here’s what I found in just ten minutes in the woods outside mi casa:

Litter from the woods

Bam, most of that’s getting recycled, and some’s getting thrown in the trash. How much did you clean up?

Do You Want to Win?

You have until Sunday, February 9th to send in your picture of what you cleaned up. One contestant will be chosen to receive a special mYsTeRy prize! So hurry up, send your picture (and a sentence or two about what you did) to ecojoe@ecojoes.com!

Hey You! Take the America Recycles Pledge Ahora

November 9th, 2013 Posted in contest, event, recycle | No Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!


Did y’all know that America Recycles Day is right around the corner? I didn’t either, but apparently it’s on November 15!

It’s basically a day to try to get Americans recycling more. The average American generates 4.4 pounds o’ trash every single day. It makes a ‘uge difference if you recycle a chunk of that instead of just sending it to your local landfill to sit in the dirt.

As if THAT isn’t enough incentive to take the “America Recycles Pledge” (which I strongly urge you to do immediately, just go do it), you can win a FREE bench made from recycled plastic! I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to be lounging on my very own recycled bench after I win one.

So head over ahora and take the pledge. To find recycling places near you, check out this handy web-site page.

More recycling, more doing. That’s the power of EcoJoes.

Contest for Free Okabashi Sandals

November 12th, 2011 Posted in contest, free, recycle | No Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!


If you haven’t heard the word about the dandy recycled sandals Okabashi is making, pause for a moment and go check out that splendidly-worded article. I’ll be sitting here, waiting.

Recycled plastic sandals

Back already? Did you even read that? Never mind, no time to argue, for it’s time to announce the

EcoJoes Recycled Sandal Giveaway

“Well what the heck is that?” you’re probably thinking. I’ll tell you what, in this easy-to-read bulleted list (ordered list, mind you).

  1. Make sure you either have a website, blog, a Facebooks, or the Twitters (sorry MySpace)
  2. Ponder what “green” aspect of your life you’re thankful you adopted. This could be an eco-friendly product, something you made yourself, or some environmentally friendly habit you’ve made your own.
  3. Feverishly write why you’re thankful about this “green” part of your life.
  4. Email me (at ecojoe AT this website) to let me know about your submission. That’s it!

All entries must be in by the day after Thanksgiving (November 25).

The winner gets this pair of large, brown Okabashi Messina sandals. Guaranteed to be comfy as heck, and made from recycled plastic.

Hurry up and get those posts coming in! Time’s a ticking…

Take the Arbor Day Tree Survey and Win Free Coffee

August 17th, 2011 Posted in contest, free, plants | 199 Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!


Survey con robot
The good ol’ Arbor Day Foundation©™ is giving away a year’s worth of free coffee to the first 50 people to finish their tree survey! The chance to win is low, but the prize is high. Daddy like those odds.

After you take their survey, you’ll be given an opportunity most people only dream about – the chance to donate your hard-earned money (“skrilla”, as it were). Even ol’ EcoJoe broke a long miserly streak and donated to this worthy cause.

Update: Many people are reporting that this survey no longer rewards you with trees, so buyer beware!

Nissan LEAF Contest is Over: I Have Been Bested

May 11th, 2011 Posted in cars, contest, dang, event | 3 Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!


You might want to sit down before you read this news. Go on, I’ll wait.

Although my hopes were high, someone else’s video won the Raleigh Nissan LEAF event. As full of sorrow as I am, I’ll blink back the tears just enough to put up a link to the winning video.



Winner’s Video

And did I mention it’s fun? Ohmahgod.

Dang. My hat is reluctantly off to him for winning. He must’ve done a good job getting out the vote for that video.

For old times’ sake, here’s my video entry, one last time:



Joe’s Video

Such poise. Such je nais sais quois. As for how that video didn’t win, I shall never know.

Although the final vote may say otherwise, I think we can all count this as an emotional win for my video. Better luck next time.

We Have a Winner

October 5th, 2010 Posted in books, contest | No Comments » Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!



That’s right, that’s right, The Great “Off the Grid” Book Giveaway of 2010 is o-fficially over, and I’m proud to present the winner. Drumroll, por favor…

And the winner, by unanimous decision, is… why, I don’t believe this, it’s none other than Bruce Codere, of http://poterprinciple.blogspot.com/!

Mr. Codere, as soon as I receive the pertinent information as to how to relay this book to you, it shall be sent, straightaway.