• by Tanya Gazdik , January 3, 2011

Marcal Small Steps paper products is hosting a contest to honor "heroes" who are making environmental differences in their communities.

It's no coincidence that the inaugural "Small Steps for Big Change Awards" coincides with the New Year, when many Americans are resolving to be more eco-friendly. According to a survey by Opinion Research, 80% of Americans are planning to be greener in 2011, as 67% say they want to recycle more, 56% want to use more green products such as recycled paper or natural cleaning solutions, and 51% plan to make their home more energy efficient.

Through Feb. 25, people can nominate themselves or someone else by visiting www.marcalsmallsteps.com/heroes. Five winners will be announced in April in honor of Earth Month, receiving a total of $10,000 in donations to be made in their names to environmental charities.

The Marcal Small Steps brand is based on the philosophy that small actions can make a major environmental impact, says MJ Jolda, senior vice president of marketing at Marcal Small Steps. "It may seem insignificant, but even the everyday decision of choosing a recycled brand of toilet paper or paper towel is actually very important," Jolda tells Marketing Daily. "We hope that by honoring everyday environmental heroes making a difference in their local communities, we can connect even further with households across America."

Winners will be selected based on the creativity of their "small steps" for improving the environment, the impact of their actions and the ability to inspire other individuals to improve the environment. A grand prize winner will be able to select a charity to receive $5,000 in his/her name. The first prize winner gets $2,500 to the charity of their choice, and one second prize winner get $1,500 to the charity of his/her choice. Third and fourth prize winners each can select a charity to receive $500 in his/her name.

In addition, each winner and his/her nominator will receive Marcal Small Steps paper products, which are available at Staples, OfficeMax and Office Depot, as well as other retail stores.

Marcal ran a newspaper insert ad Jan. 2 announcing the contest and is also getting the word out via social media including Twitter and Facebook.

The company previously hosted a contest via its Facebook page in the fall themed around fall foliage. Marcal invited consumers to send in their favorite fall foliage photos to win a Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR camera.

Judges for this contest include Jose Duarte, chef and owner of a green restaurant focused on sustainability in Boston, and Allison Shaewitz, whose blog, "Chicago Green Girl," offers readers tips on how to help the environment.