The College FilterForGood Eco-Challenge

Congratulations to our 2009 Eco-Challenge Warriors! Submit your proposal for this year’s challenge here.

The College FilterForGood Eco-Challenge received an overwhelming amount of proposals and we're thrilled with the projects that will receive funding from Brita. Every one of the outstanding proposals spoke to improving campuses nationwide and educating fellow students, but these five schools rose to the surface: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Law School, The George Washington University, University of California-Davis and Warren Wilson College.

In addition, FilterForGood will support students from California Lutheran University, The University of Minnesota, The University of Arkansas, Washington University in St. Louis, New York University and Duquesne University to grow existing projects and jumpstart new programs.

We wish everyone the best of luck and encourage all college students to re-apply next fall. Be sure to check back to see the progress each campus is making toward their goals.

Now let's have a look at the winners:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Sun Conditioning

Here's another reason to love the sun. MIT's group of students, led by Kat Potter, Yuanwen Wayne Liu and Mike Lee, have designed an efficient system that utilizes solar energy for air conditioning and heating systems. New systems like this are important because they help offset the energy used to heat and cool buildings. Generating hot water alone accounts for 49% of total U.S. energy usage each year. The development and installation of their Solar Air Conditioning System on campus will reduce energy consumption and provide a model for the nation. Once installed, the system will save 60,000 kWh of traditional energy and eliminate at least 80,000 lbs of CO2 emission per year. Pretty hot. And pretty cool.

Harvard Law School: Ride to raise awareness

It's the perfect climate for a bike ride out there, right? That's exactly what Massachusetts Power Shift (MAPS) thought. This student-powered climate change network represents more than 20 campuses across Massachusetts. Teams of ten students will travel between towns in Massachusetts by bike where they will implement grassroots canvassing and host educational events surrounding climatechange. Harvard Law students Craig Altemose and Jay O'Hara were the masterminds who submitted this proposal on behalf of MAPS. Let the Tour de MAPS begin!

George Washington University: Landfill 101

Just four blocks from the nation's capital, The George Washington University is taking steps to become the university model of sustainable practices. Graduate student Joshua Lasky, a Presidential Administrative Fellow in the school's Office of Sustainability, is working to ensure that the school's new LEED-certified dorm is bottled water-free. All suites will be outfitted with Brita filtration products and each resident will receive a FilterForGood bottle when they move in. As a bonus, they'll be invited to join a team of “Filter Fellows” to help spread their bottled water-free lifestyle throughout campus. We give it an A+++.

University of California-Davis: Don't get leafed behind!

Graduate student Kelly Garbach taught us a thing or two about forests. Like the fact that they are one of nature's most important filters because they moderate the ways in which water, nutrients and living organisms move from place to place. Planting trees offers an immediate and direct offset of the negative effects of deforestation. Kelly will educate people about forest conservation one tree at a time by planting trees on the campus farm, studying forest filters and sharing research results in community presentations to raise awareness of how forests function as filters. It is her hope to increase awareness of the importance of forests as filters and thus promote long-term forest conservation. We give her a green thumb's up!

Warren Wilson College: Save your energy and the planet

A college that has a tree in its logo pretty much screams We Love The Planet. As one of the "greenest" colleges in America, Warren Wilson College does one better. They provide education that combines liberal arts, work and service with a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and cross-cultural understanding. The college recently pledged to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2020, so undergraduate student Gideon Burdick took it upon himself to make good. He's creating a low-cost "Real Time Energy Monitor" that will reinforce energy-saving activities by providing students and faculty with immediate feedback on their energy consumption via a Web site. WWC will further its commitment to environmental awareness by also using the Web site as an educational tool about energy, fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses. Go, Gideon, go!