Tuesday, October 31, 2006

GE and mtvU Challenge College Students to Think Green... and Win

So, if you saw the post on Treehugger about the mtvU-GE ecomagination Challenge, you're a step ahead of me (I do try to keep up with everything there, but damn...). Received email through the Green Blogosphere Lens today pointing me to the Challenge, and you know what a sucker I am for a cool idea to get college students involved. The premise is simple: groups of students need to come up with "innovative, groundbreaking ideas for projects that would make their schools more environmentally responsible." The winning idea receives a $25,000 grant to "bring the plan to life," as well as (you guessed it) an on-campus mtvU concert.

The project website is very thorough -- lots of resources on a wide range of sustainability issues -- as well as very upbeat. According to the "About the Challenge" page,
The environment is one of the most important issues of our time. People of all ages, across the country and around the world, are getting involved in helping to protect the environment. But as tomorrow's leaders, college students have a particularly exciting and important role to play in making the world more sustainable. And many students are finding that a great place to start is right on campus.

The mtvU GE ecomagination Challenge is asking college students from around the country to develop new, creative ways to green their campus. We're looking for innovative and groundbreaking ideas that can have a positive impact at the local level or the global level -- or both. The sky is (literally) the limit.

What's your big idea? Tell us how you propose to green your campus. Get creative. In addition to the official application we encourage you to send us a little extra something, whether it be a video, photos, a game or anything else that tells your team's story and shows why your green campus idea has real potential. Remember, the top ten projects will be featured on mtvU, so the more visual you make your entry, the easier it will be for students to vote for your project.
The competition entry period started on September 1st, but interested students still have until December 1st to submit their ideas. Go for it... I know you've got finals and papers and projects (which you should do, and do well), but you've also got a chance to make a lasting change on your campus. Even more importantly, you've got an opportunity to dig into the broad field of sustainability... not for a grade, but for a better, more sustainable school, country, or world. Now, that's a reward... and it will look good on your resume'. ;-D

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