Bismarck Tribune

By REBECCA SCHNBy REBECCA SCHNEIDER

You know you're from North Dakota if you measure distance in hours, or so the joke goes.

You know you're from North Dakota if you consider Bismarck and Fargo "big cities."

And sometimes, you know you're from North Dakota when even big cities manage to muster up a little hometown pride.

Bismarck resident Gwyn Ridenhour, founder of the Arlys Saxon Eco-Kids Project, knew she was taking a risk when she entered her project into DisneyFamily.com's "The Great Green Challenge."

She also knew that being from North Dakota means, above all, being part of a community that is equal to the challenge.

The Great Green Challenge encourages project entries in the categories of "At Home," "At Work" and "In the Community" that aim "to reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle and rebuild," according to DisneyFamily.com. The Saxon Project is entered in the "In the Community" category.

Winners of an overall popular vote will be awarded $1,000 toward accomplishing their project. Winners of the Editor's Choice in each of the three categories will receive $5,000.

"I would love to win the $1,000 and get the recognition, but this is also a really good opportunity for people to get behind our kids, our community and what we stand for," Ridenhour said.

"I think we can get some positive feedback for our state."

The Saxon Project has topped the popular vote since the beginning thanks to a grass-roots e-mailing campaign started by Ridenhour. Their only dark moment was the day the second-ranked group briefly passed them up.

The community's response has impressed Ridenhour. But they haven't won yet.

Voters must first register. The process takes less than five minutes, Ridenhour said. Each registered individual may vote once each day. Monday is the last day of voting.

The Arlys Saxon Eco-Kids Project is a nonprofit organization that offers a yearly, competitive grant-writing challenge to elementary school aged kids for projects addressing environmental issues.

"This is a fun, easy way to give back to the community," Ridenhour said.