CU Sustainable Solutions Challenge 2023

CU President's Sustainable Solutions Challenge 2023

Innovate

The CU President’s Office invites students to present their ideas for sustainable innovations and solutions in competition for a cash prize. The CU President’s Sustainable Solutions Challenge (PSSC) is a competition series that seeks to encourage student-led innovation in sustainability at UCCS or throughout the entire CU System. 

For the competition, students (as individuals or teams) are invited to develop short-pitch presentations that propose sustainability solutions that provide long-term financial, social, and environmental benefits at UCCS or throughout the CU System. Qualifying teams will present their ideas to a panel of judges and will be evaluated on how well they understand the problem, develop a sustainable solution, and discuss the impact and feasibility of the idea. Students will have 7 minutes to give their presentation and 3 minutes for a Q&A session. 

  • 1st Place will receive $1,000
  • 2nd Place will receive $750
  • 3rd Place will receive $500

Prize funding will be directed toward the individual or teams and not to project implementation. All proposals will be shared with appropriate campus units for consideration for potential implementation. 

Proposal | Criteria + Evaluation

Problem/Solution - What is the problem that the innovation is intending to solve, is the solution an appropriate fit for the problem?

  1. Impact - How well does the team describe the "sustainability" aspects of the Innovation in environmental, social, and/or economic terms? 
  2. Feasibility - Consider the team's justification of their Innovation in terms of:
    1. The resources required to implement the innovation, including time
    2. Estimated cost
  3. Innovation - How does the project address sustainability in a novel manner, how is it new?
  4. Presentation Quality

For more details on the evaluation criteria, click here. 

 

 

Final Proposal Submission Requirements

Final proposals for the competition will be due on November 27 by 5 p.m. for all teams on all campuses. Final Proposals will be evaluated by a proposal review committee, and up to the 10 best proposals from UCCS will be carried forward to compete in the Campus Pitch Night. See below for submission requirements. Proposal Submissions after the deadline will not be considered for entry.

Final Proposal Submission Requirements

Project submissions should be in the form of a two-page (maximum) written summary with a pitch deck and must address the following:

  • Team name, team point of contact and group members' names
  • What is the sustainability innovation(s) proposed? How does it address sustainability in a novel way or in a way that has not been attempted on campus in the past?
  • What resource area does your innovation address, or what problem does it attempt to solve? (Energy, food transportation, water, social justice, etc…)
  • What are the expected/intended benefits of the innovation?
  • What stakeholder groups will benefit from your innovation? (On or off campus)
  • Evaluation of proposals will favor teams that cite relevant sustainability frameworks (i.e UN Sustainable Development Goals, Carbon Disclosure Project, Project Drawdown, etc…)
  • What resources will be required for your innovation to be implemented and operate? What is the estimated cost of the innovation?

 

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the innovative solutions our UCCS students pitch to solve sustainability, climate, resource, and justice related issues! 

Deadlines + Dates

Deadlines + Dates
  • Informational Session

    All interested teams, including those who have not registered yet, are invited to join. Here you will learn about strategies and resources for success, get more detail on the advancement and selection criteria as well as the purpose of the competition, and have an opportunity to ask questions that you may have about competing in the PSSC.  This is optional for participants.

    Thu, November 2nd| 2:30-4:30pm | UC - Big Cat Coffee | Informational Tabling Session

  • Proposal Workshop

    In a three-hour, drop-in session, you will have access to professionals to help you develop your main points, justifications, and sharpen the delivery of your idea in front of judges and an audience. This will also be an opportunity for you to network with professionals and potentially connect with a subject matter expert for advice. Neither event is mandatory to attend but both will provide valuable resources to strengthen your run at the prize.

    Friday, November 10th | Proposal Workshop | Office of Sustainability, 12 Cragmor Village Road | 1:00pm-4:00pm

  • Proposals Due

    Final proposals for the competition will be due on Monday, November 27th for all teams on all campuses. Final Proposals will be evaluated by a proposal review committee, and the 20 best proposals from each campus will be carried forward to compete in the Campus Pitch Night.

  • UCCS Finalists Notified

    The 20 best proposals will be notified by email to compete in the Campus Pitch Night on Friday, December 1st

  • UCCS Pitch Night

    Each campus will host its own pitch night as a competition among the entrants from that campus. A panel of local judges will assess each pitch based on the criteria outlined below. The winning team or individual will receive an award of $1,000. The top two proposals will be invited to compete for the Grand Prize on April 21, at CU Boulder.

    Fri, December 1st | UCCS Pitch Night | University Center 122 | 6:00pm-9:00pm

  • Sustainability Summit Celebration @ CU Boulder

Our 2023 Campus Judges

Portrait of Christine Biermann
Christine Biermann
Christine Biermann is an Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at UCCS. She is also the Director of the Sustainability Minor and previously chaired the Faculty Assembly Sustainability Committee. She is originally from Syracuse, New York but has called Colorado Springs home since 2018. Her research focuses on the science and politics of biodiversity conservation and the use of tree rings to better understand climatic and environmental processes.
Portrait of Polly Knutson
Polly Knutson
UCCS Farm Program Manager Polly Knutson is an accomplished professional with a diverse background spanning over two decades in various sectors of hospitality, dining services, agriculture, and sustainable farming. Currently serving as the Assistant Director of Dining and Hospitality Services and UCCS Farm Program Manager at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), she exhibits a passionate commitment to integrating sustainable practices with operational excellence.
Portrait of James Baginski
James Baginski
James Baginski is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. His teaching spans the disciplinary spectrum and includes courses in the areas of human geography, climate and vegetation, and the geographies of recreation, tourism, and the environment. James is originally from small town Appalachia and has lived in Colorado Springs since 2018. When not teaching, he can often be found running on the amazing trails adjacent to the UCCS campus.
Portrait of Joel Tonyan
Joel Tonyan
Joel Tonyan is the Director of User Experience and an Associate Professor in the Kraemer Family Library. He is the Faculty Assembly President-Elect for the 2023/2024 academic year and previously chaired the campus Sustainability Committee.

Our 2023 Winners 

PSSC 2023 Winners
(Pictured Left to Right:) 3rd Place - Madeline Metzger, 2nd Place - Ellie Carroll, 1st Place - Dailyn Mcadoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 2022 Winners, Judges, and BI Teams Class:
students in a row holding winner's checks

(Pictured Left to Right:) Judges - Lisa Potoka Jones, Assistant Deans of Students, and Kayla Williams, Graduate Student and Green Action Fund Project Coordinator; Audience's Choice Winner - Ellie Carroll (not pictured: Hunter Colangelo); 1st Place - Amanda Ericson and Joey Hassett; 2nd Place - Ikenna Ozor (not pictured: Katie Morton and Caitlin Edelmuth); BI Teams Class: Peyton Walters, Cooper Jaap, Ethan Richards, and Nathan Love

Sustainability Challenges of our UCCS Campus Community

  1. Transportation

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. Transportation can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

  2. Resource Conservation

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. Energy, water, GHG, and renewable energy can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

  3. Innovative Land-Use

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. Land management and biodiversity can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

  4. Justice | Environmental + Social + Just Transitions

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. JEDI practices can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

  5. Food + Agriculture

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. Community engagement can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

  6. Sustainability Awareness + Engagement

    Review our 2021 STARS Submission for up-to-date information. Community engagement can be found:

    The STARS Comparative Analysis report can be found here for additional information about our scores from our 2018 submission to 2021. 

We're ALL FOUR: SUSTAINABILITY