Contest searches for ‘greenest’ U.S. campus

From hybrid car commercials to eco-friendly cleaning products, the going green theme is everywhere.

The latest environmentally friendly initiative is the America's Greenest Campus contest from ClimateCulture.com.

The first nationwide contest of its kind, which launched in March, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and is awarding prizes totaling $20,000.

College communities have the chance to win funds for their existing Earth friendly programs in three different categories. The first prize, for $5,000, will go to the school that signs up the most participants to reduce their carbon footprint.

The second prize, for $5,000, will go to the school with the largest percentage of total carbon emissions reduced. The final prize, for $10,000, will be awarded to the school that submits the winning 30-second video for the SmartPower Energy Smart Ad Challenge.

Climate Culture is promoting their message on college campuses across the United States.

"College students are the prime demographic for our platform," said Adam Sandler, vice president of online marketing for Climate Culture. "Younger people are the most savvy in dealing with environmental issues."

All members of college communities are encouraged to join the contest and help their college campus reduce carbon including students, alumni, faculty and staff.

"The environment doesn't discriminate so we don't either," Sandler said.

UCF is currently ranked 142nd out of 448 schools with .18 percent of carbon emissions reduced.

"We've reduced 7.5 million pounds of carbon as a group," Sandler said. "When you have a lot of people doing small things it adds up."

AGC is building awareness in addition to participation.

"A lot of times we are so busy living our lives that we forget the impact that we have on our environment,"  UCF civil engineering alumnus Ricky Ly said. "Climate Culture is such a great idea because it makes a point to award students by being more aware and making simple changes to better our environment."

The Web site helps members reduce the carbon emissions with more than 400 simple reductions including riding a bike, using a lid when cooking and washing clothes in cold water instead of hot.

"We are enabling college students to take their lifestyle and live greener," Sandler said.

AGS is becoming popular through Climate Culture's support of the college communities involved.

"We haven't had to advertise," Sandler said. "If we are going to spend money we are going to help students directly."

The staff of 14 promotes the contest through social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. By posting videos, messages and blogs Climate Culture can inform and engage contest participants.

"I like the video. It was very visually pleasing and not to much information at once,"  said Bethany Bourque, a senior communication sciences and disorders major.

They also cold call college campuses to notify them of the contest.

"AGC complements existing programs on campus," Sandler said.

Although ranked fairly high on the list of schools that are signed up, UCF has yet to build a strong relationship with Climate Culture.

"We help in any way we can to enable schools to get participants," Sandler said.

"I would love to make that connection with UCF and be there for them to help raise awareness and gain participants."

The contest ends on October 5.