Beautify A Traffic Island, Get An Island Vacation

The title just about says it all. GOOD is hosting a contest for neighborhood visionaries to spruce up their city streets. The winner will get two round trip tickets to the island of Dominica on American Airlines, two nights at Calibishie Lodges, and two nights at Shangri-La Resorts, and two free passes to the Aerial Tram rainforest tour.

Raring to get started? (We never wanted to fix a traffic island until now, either.) Here are the details:

1. Before you start, register online for Good's Islands for Islands project.

2. Pick a really ugly traffic island and take a "before" picture-- Good says "the uglier the better."

3. Give your island a makeover either in Photoshop or in reality. Flowers, sculptures, water features, hey, maybe a hammock you could use in case you don't win the vacation. Capture your handiwork in an "after" photo.

4. Send the pictures, along with your name and a 30-word description to Good, and they'll post your submission online as soon as they receive it. Deadline for entries is Jan. 2, 2010. Check out their site for full details.

Here's a taste of the winnings from the contest site:

Shangri-La Resorts is located in a lush rainforest, one thousand feet above sea level, fifteen minutes from the capital city of Roseau. Amenities include riverside stone tubs that are fed by healing, natural hot water, natural steam sauna, large yoga pavilion, rustic cabins with modern conveniences. Services include massage, mud scrubs, Watsu, early morning Yoga and Qi-gong classes, chiropractic evaluation and treatments.

We're not even sure what Watsu is, but it's got to be great for the back pain you'll doubtless incur while beautifying the drab traffic islands in your neighborhood. Good luck!