October 2012: Contests & Funding

Campus RainWorks Challenge Registration Closes October 5

The U.S. EPA’s Office of Water is pleased to announce the Campus RainWorks Challenge for undergraduate and graduate students. Student teams are invited to create an innovative green infrastructure design for a site on their campus showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Winning teams will earn a cash prize, as well as research funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. Find out more here.

Carbon Fund’s New & Improved Application Process

The UC Santa Cruz Carbon Fund is dedicated to reducing UCSC’s greenhouse gas emissions by awarding grants to student, staff, and faculty led GHG reduction projects. This year, the grant application process has been simplified and includes opportunities for applicants to receive feedback and support from the Carbon Fund staff and committee. Make sure to attend the first Carbon Fund workshop in the fall to get details about how to participate! Visit the website and sign up for our mailing list to receive updates about workshop dates and locations, application deadlines, and more!

Measure 43 Speaker Funding Available - Deadline October 10

UCSC undergraduate students are invited to apply for Measure 43 funds to support visiting speakers whose topic is related to food, health and wellness, and who will engage UCSC students. Application deadlines are October 10th, 2012 for Fall or Winter Requests; January 20, 2013 for Winter or Spring Quarter Requests; and April 20, 2013 for Spring Quarter awards. Your request(s) will be reviewed promptly and awarded applicants will be notified one week following each quarter's application deadline. For more information about Measure 43 click here, and click here to apply.

"So Practical, It’s Radical” Video Contest Deadline October 28
The Rainforest Alliance want to know what students are doing on campus that is “So Practical, It’s Radical."  Have you started a recycling program or a community garden?  Have you encouraged your dining halls to source sustainably? Grab your videocameras, iphones, or other filming devices and submit a short video (no more than 2 minutes) about what you’re doing to make your campus more sustainable!  Prizes include a beautiful Renovo bicycle made from lumber that was grown, harvested and milled in the Appalachian region of the US, tickets to the Broadway show Wicked, a Grow Anthology Special Edition Longboard made from Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, Patagonia goodies and Rainforest Alliance gift bags!  Winning videos will also be featured on the Rainforest Alliance website. If you have any questions regarding the contest or would like to help out, please send an e-mail to campus@ra.org.

Project Green Challenge Video Contest Deadline October 30 
Project Green Challenge is a 30-day eco-lifestyle challenge happening world-wide, and UCSC is participating! Find out more about the challenge here. There is a video contest associated with the challenge to tell the back story of how the challenge is unfolding on our campus. If you are interested in participating in the challenge and you have video-making skills, we would love to get in touch with you. You would shoot and edit the video and deliver it on October 30, and you could work with us to get in contact with students who are participating. The film would need to include interviews, footage of challenges, engagement with the campus, and truly tell the story! If the film is judged “best” by the non-profit who is hosting Project Green Challenge, the filmmaker would get the Adobe Creative Suite and an awesome graphic design and editing package valued at $2500. The winning video will premiere at the Opening Dinner of Green University in San Francisco! If you're interested in documenting this challenge at UC Santa Cruz, please contact Melissa as soon as possible.

Third International E-Waste Design Competition - Deadline November 1
Electronic waste, or "e-waste," generated by computers, TVs, cameras, printers, and cell phones, is a growing global issue. Through the Third International E-Waste Design Competition, participants are asked to explore solutions to both remediate the existing e-waste problem and prevent e-waste generation in the future. Registration is now open! Submit your ideas by November 1 for a chance to win cash prizes. Click here to learn more.


Measure 43 Education & Research Funding Available - Deadline December 15
UCSC undergraduate students are invited to apply for Measure 43 funds to support education and research projects whose topic is related to food, health and wellness, and who will engage UCSC students. The application deadline is December 15, 2012. Awarded applicants will be notified the week of January 14, 2013. For more information about Measure 43 click here, and click here to apply.

Heard about other sustainability related contests or funding opportunities around Santa Cruz or the campus? Post in the comments or send us an email!