If you want to go green, just ask local resident and San Diego Earth Day founder Carolyn Chase. Updating her Pacific Beach home’s front yard with a Cali Bamboo “BamDeck,” this green enthusiast won the company’s February Project of the Month — and $500. “I decided to try and win,” she said, asking friends and family to vote for her new bamboo deck and stairs online, earning her the title prizes and the company’s biggest voter tally in history of 4,000. Chase’s own “BamDeck” project took about a year to complete, and like other Cali Bamboo customers, she was offered a chance to participate in the national competition upon completion. For Chase, going green was a no-brainer. “It’s just one of the ways homeowners can reduce the impact on our planet,” she said. Already the proud owner of a recycled plastic bridge and solar-energy water heaters, she found that bamboo was the easy way to go green but stay stylish and on-budget. Following some research, she chose Cali Bamboo for its use of eco-friendly material that could weather the San Diego storms while still maintaining its beauty. “We looked at all the options, then I started thinking about renewable sources … and it turns out [bamboo] is not only better looking, but cheaper [than recycled plastic],” she said, comparing the deck to her already-existing bridge. This San Diego resident has done much to help sustain the environment — not just to speak of her working with the nation’s largest Earth Day festival, San Diego Earth Day. Already recruiting for 2010 volunteers, she pleads with homeowners looking to make a difference that there are an array of options for going green. “There’s a green alternative for everything these days,” she said, listing everything from kitchen appliances to outdoor equipment. The best part, she added, is that these eco-friendly options “look great,” helping to sustain San Diego’s natural wonders and its local character.