Climate Action Challenge (Finished)

Winners

1st Place: Climate Action – Virtual Game (Submitted by: Maria Jackson Chinnabattuni)

To reduce contamination rates in recycling bins across campus, this solution focused on developing a virtual game on how to properly sort your waste when you are on campus. For each correct answer, points are awarded, and players can level up. This provides an interactive and engaging experience to learn about waste sorting and reduce recycling contamination rates on campus.

2nd Place: Rainwater Harvesting (Submitted by: Masrur Rahaman)

This solution focused on introducing Stormbox Crates on campus to capture and reuse stormwater. These crates work in two main stages, first the rainwater is collected and stored in a temporary rainwater infiltration tank and second the water is then used for irrigation and other water uses on campus. This solution would reduce campus stormwater runoff and support sustainable water usage in campus operations.

3rd Place: Monthly Green Day Initiative to Combat Climate Change (Submitted by: Karthik Samparaboina)

To engage staff and students in climate change, this solution focused on implementing a monthly “Green Day” where all staff and students would be encouraged to use public transportation, carpool, or participate in other greenhouse gas reducing activities to reduce emissions. Monthly Green Days would make engagement consistent help the college community build sustainable habits.

Challenge is open for submissions from October 1 to October 25, 2024.

Winners will be announced on Friday, November 1

Challenge Description

From extreme weather, sea level rising, biodiversity loss, and so much more, climate change is affecting everyone everywhere. Climate change is the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns mainly driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels for energy, heat or transportation, generating waste, agriculture practices, land use, and more.

Confederation College is taking action to help fight climate change, like our goal to be net zero by 2040, implementing changes to better manage our waste on campus, and supporting naturalization of our natural spaces. We know students have ideas about how to combat climate change and we want to hear those ideas! Since climate change is a multi-dimensional issue with no one solution, your idea can be big, small, simple or complex – we want to hear what you think Confederation College could do on campus.

For more information about sustainability and climate change efforts at Confederation College, visit Campus Sustainability.

For more information about Climate Change, check out these resources:

• United Nations: What is Climate Change?
• Climate Change in Canada

Climate Action Challenge Question

What can Confederation College do to combat climate change?

What do you want to see implemented on campus that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, engage people in considering or caring about climate change, or prevent effects of climate change? Solutions can cover areas such as waste, transportation, energy usage, environmental preservation, education, and more!

Criteria

Submissions will be judged on the following criteria:

• Link to Climate Change: the solution has been clearly described and is directly linked to combating climate change
• Impact: the solution will have an impact at Confederation College and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions or engage people in climate action
• Reality: the solution is realistic to implement

How to Participate

1. Answer the following question: What can Confederation College do to combat climate change? What do you want to see implemented on campus that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, engage people in caring about climate change, support biodiversity, or more?
2. Come up with one solution and submit one of the following to enter the Climate Action Challenge:
   1. Up to 2-page (maximum) written essay describing your solution. Written essays can include pictures but cannot be more than 2-pages.
      Written submission files will be uploaded in the submission form as a PDF.
   2. Up to 3-minute video presenting your solution.
      Video submissions can be uploaded to YouTube and the weblink provided in the submission form. For instructions on how to upload a private video to YouTube click here.
3. You must be a student of Confederation College to submit a solution.
4. One submission per student.
5. No group submissions will be accepted – entries can only be submitted by one student.
6. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm (EST) on Friday, October 25, 2024.

Prizes

1. 1 Place: $1500 Student Bursary
2. 2 Place: $1000 Student Bursary
3. 3 Place: $500 Student Bursary

Please note that to submit your solution you will need to log into your College account.