That’s right — if you’ve been too busy getting your political fix (and who hasn’t), you’ll have plenty of time to join in the hunt… and to dig up the ideas and innovations that the next President and Congress will need to consider as they further craft policy related to greening the US’ economic development.

Keep in mind, though, that the deadline is the only thing that’s changed — the rules surrounding the scavenger hunt, and process for getting involved, remain the same. We’re still giving away $1000 and a guest posting opportunity at RG&B to the winner, and a number of other cash prizes. And just because we’ll have a president-elect doesn’t mean that his record still doesn’t deserve scrutiny. But as we move forward as a country, it’ll be even more important to get cutting edge ideas for clean technology development, green job creation, and sustainable business growth out into the open… and our friends at ReframeIt have developed a great tool for doing just that — check out this video for information on how ReframeIt works.

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And, just as some are saying about the presidential race, the Scavenger Hunt is tightening up: we’ve seen big growth in participation. Some of the more interesting finds since our last post:

• There’s an active discussion about a post at Osmosus claiming that affordable fossil fuels are thwarting the development of renewable technologies.
• Another good discussion is happening at CandidAnswers.org, a site that provides an “online voter guide that enables voters to directly ask candidates questions on the environment.”
• And there are some thought-provoking comments surrounding Hillary Clinton’s claim that “America will once again rise from the ashes of the Bushes.”

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Of course, “best” is a qualitative judgment, so we need to have reasonable, rational judges available to take a look at the web pages discovered, comments added, and discussions started.  We’ve put that group together: the folks who will decide who wins the scavenger hunt on November 3rd are (drum roll, please):

• Nick Aster, founder of Triplepundit, media architect of Treehugger, and staffer at Mother Jones.
• Bobby Fishkin, CEO and Founder of ReframeIt
• Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, co-founder of Green Options Media, founder and editor of sustainablog (OK, yeah, that’s me)

Of course, the campaign’s not over, and neither is the scavenger hunt: you simply need to sign up at ReframeIt, join the RG&B group, and start hunting for and posting information on the most promising innovations and ideas related to building a green economy, and Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s readiness to do just that (’cause we want to see them hit the ground running on these issues, also, on January 20th).

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As I’ve noted in previous posts, Red, Green and Blue has teamed up with social media start-up ReframeIt to bring a higher level of transparency on energy and environmental issues to the presidential election. With the recent economic turmoil, though, we quickly realized we needed to connect these ideas with the economic concerns so many Americans now have.  So, we’ve done that… and also added some financial incentives! Now, if you participate in the RG&B/ReframeIt scavenger hunt, you won’t just get a warm feeling from contributing to the stock of knowledge on both presidential candidates and their policy proposals — you’ll also have a shot at a $1000 grand prize, and a guest posting spot at RG&B.

For the latest details, check out yesterday’s post at Red, Green and Blue… and join us as we hunt for the information the next president will need to spur the transition towards a green economy.

Image credit: spaceodissey at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Then the economy went to hell.

Well, OK, actually that’s been brewing for a while, but with the plunge in the stock market and the freezing up of the credit markets in the last couple of weeks, nearly all of us have our eyes on the economy now. With that in mind, we’ve decided to tweak this event to put it more in line with your biggest concerns leading up to the election.

First, we’re going to refocus on the candidates’ plans to build a green economy.

And secondly, we’re going to give away $1200 in prizes. The participant who builds the most impressive body of web finds and comments will receive a $1000 grand prize, the runner-up will receive $100, and we’ll also give away two $50 honorable mentions. Consider it our own little economic stimulus package. In addition, the winner (or, Election Transparency Guru, as we’ll name him/her) will receive a guest posting opportunity on Red, Green and Blue.

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Probably the basics: Obama supports spending $150 billion over ten years to kick-start the “green economy.” Both support cap-and-trade systems to address climate change. McCain’s become a strong proponent of opening up more offshore areas to oil and gas drilling.

Now, what do you know about their records on these issues? Their past statements, writings, and votes?

Probably not nearly as much. The candidates have had ample opportunities to present their proposals, but few media outlets are providing details on how each of these men has approached energy and environmental issues in the past. As these issues are tied directly to the US’ economic health, they’re now front and center in this last month of campaign season.

So, are you willing to wait for the mainstream media to provide such details? If so, good luck.  If you’re not, why not join us in digging for the specifics.

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