Sustainability Focus of Student Contest
February 05, 2010 - Campus Bulletin
The U of G chapter of Net Impact, an international network committed to making business a force for positive social and environmental change, is inviting students to take part in a competition to help tackle sustainability issues on campus.
"The competition is unique because it uses cases from real, ongoing campus services," says Marena Brinkhurst, an environmental economics student and member of Net Impact.
Teams of up to five students will be given a case from one of three campus organizations on a sustainability-focused product or service. The students then use creative problem-solving, communications or marketing skills to come up with solutions, promotions and ideas for improving services.
“Students have the opportunity to gain valuable project management experience, connect to campus organizations, and apply their formal learning to a project that directly makes a difference on campus,” Brinkhurst says.
She adds that the case packages contain contextual information to get teams started, “but the creative process teams follow is up to them.”
The student submissions provide the campus organizations with useful feedback and ideas, she says. Participating groups are Hospitality Services, the Sustainability Office and Guelph Students for Environmental Change.
Teams have three weeks to complete the project, although the competition is designed so cases should take only a week to finish. Submissions will be judged by a panel and the finalists announced in March.
Students may sign up as a team or as individuals looking to join a team. Email Net Impact at ni@uoguelph.ca by Feb. 12. The competitions runs until March 8. More information is available online.
