Thanks to all of the writers who submitted entries into Green Options' "The Lighter Side of Green" contest. Given the time frame for entries, and our pre-launch status, we were happy with the response we received. Thanks to all of you that took the time (and exercised your patience) in providing your response to the entries: rest assured that we considered your votes when we chose a contest winner.

The winner of the "Lighter Side of Green" is…. drum roll please…

Wendy Laird, author of "There is Nothing Funny About Environmentalism."

Wendy will receive the $100 prize, and a one-month starter contract as Green Options' resident humor writer. We hope that you're looking forward to her contributions as much as we are!

Again, many thanks to all of you who participated in the contest! This was only our first — we'll have many more!

Just a reminder that the entries in our "Lighter Side of Green" humor writing contest are up and ready for your votes. We have had some glitches with the voting system (which our developers are handling), so please make sure to:

• Vote in order
• Vote on every entry

We appreciate your feedback — it will definitely figure into our choice of the contest winner!

The submissions for Green Options' "The Lighter Side of Green" Contest are ready for reading… and voting! We've added a rating feature to each essay so you can tell us what you think.

We'll be deciding on a contest winner this week, and your response will certainly play a role in our decision. The winner will receive not only a $100 cash prize, but also a one-month starter contract as a blog columnist — so let us know which writer you'd like to see come back! We'll announce the winner next Monday.

Many thanks to our entrants — we'll have a tough time with this one!

Wow!  It's the first day of February — only a few days until Green Options goes live in all of its glory.  February 1st is also the last day to submit entries to Green Options' "The Lighter Side of Green" contest.  We've received some great entries (yes, we've been laughing), but we're also guessing that a few procrastinators can still tickle our funny bones.

So, if you're a humor writer who's driven by deadlines, get your motor running — today's the day!  We'll post all entries this weekend, and invite visitors to take a look, and let us know what they like. We'll choose a winner during next week's launch, and announce him or her on February 12th.

Crank up the computer and the coffee pot, and get us your entry — we'll accept them through midnight Pacific Standard Time.  Email them to lighterside@greenoptions.com.

On Monday, we announced the Green Options The Lighter Side of Green contest, and we've been really pleased with the response we've received. Of course, we'd love to see more contest submissions, so if you think you can make us laugh, take your shot at a $100 cash prize and a starter contract as GO's resident funny man or woman.

Having trouble thinking of a topic for your 250-500 word column? That's probably not because there's not enough material out there; rather, there may be too much! Nothing's off limits: our personal habits and quirks, the statements of politicians and/or activists, or even the statements and actions of green critics are all fair game. We're looking for light humor vs. biting satire; poking fun vs. roasting over the coals.

February 1st, the contest deadline, is getting close — one week from today. Send your submissions to lighterside@greenoptions.com.

Let’s face it: those of us living and promoting the green life can be awfully serious. That’s understandable, as we’re dealing with serious issues like climate change, resource depletion and ecological degradation.

At Green Options, though, we know that green can be fun. In fact, we even believe it can be downright hilarious! And we’re pretty certain that some of you also see the lighter side of the green life.

With that in mind, we’re pleased to announce the Green Options A Lighter Side of Green contest. We’re pretty sure that there’s a green Dave Barry or Art Buchwald out there, and we want to find that writer and hire him or her. The contest winner will receive a one-month starter contract to write for Green Options, and $100.If you think you’ve got the goods to tickle our funny bones, write a 250-500 word column that addresses some element of the green life in a humorous manner, and send it to lighterside@greenoptions.com in MS Word or rich text format by February 1st. Feel free to poke fun at your fellow greenies (we can use it occasionally!).

When we launch on February 5th, we’ll publish all of the contest entries, and ask for comments from GO readers. On February 12th, we’ll announce the winning entry (which will be chosen by the Green Options staff). Once we work out details with that writer, we’ll start featuring his or her work in a weekly column.

We’re moving quickly on this one, so don’t wait around – February 1st is the deadline for entries. We’re looking forward to laughing a lot…!