‘Greening Your Campus’ Competition Kicks Off

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New York State Pollution Prevention Institute hosts student competition

A new student competition led by New York State Pollution Prevention Institute will provide students the opportunity to green their campus.

As part of its Research and Development Program, NYSP2I has developed a competition for students enrolled at NYSP2I partner universities in which teams must identify a specific activity at their university with a large environmental footprint and define a solution for reducing it.

“This competition will give the student body at our partner universities a chance to get involved and really make a difference locally,” says Anahita Williamson, director of New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. “In addition to improving the environmental performance of their university, the learning opportunities for the students who develop the solutions are immense.”

To be eligible, team members must be undergraduate or graduate students from the four NYSP2I partner universities, which include Clarkson University, RIT, University at Buffalo and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Teams will have two to four members, as well as a faculty or staff team advisor who will provide guidance, support and technical expertise.

Up to 12 teams will be awarded grants to conduct their projects. Additionally, each student team will attend the competition exhibition event in Albany where teams will present and exhibit their projects. The projects will be judged at the event. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded.

The student competition is an eight-month program. Applications are due Nov. 11 and projects will be selected in December. Student teams will begin work in January 2012.

For more information on the contest, including how to apply and the official rules, go to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute website.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, which is funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is a partnership between RIT, Clarkson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University at Buffalo. The institute works to make New York more sustainable by assisting companies in reducing toxic chemical use, solid and hazardous waste generation and overall emissions to the environment. It also encourages industry to efficiently and effectively utilize raw materials, energy and water.