AASHE

In its most recent newsletter, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, better known as AASHE, listed Conscious Lifestyle's Socially Innovative Venture Competition.

AASHE is a member organization of colleges and universities in the US and Canada working to create a sustainable future. With its focus on youth, and goal of promoting sustainability in all sectors of higher education, AASHE is very relevant to Conscious Lifestyle ventures, which by definition are active proponents of sustainability on campuses.

Check out the AASHE website today!

Found through AASHE and its newsletter, Idealist, Higher Ed Jobs, and Bright Green Talent

Climate Program Manager, AASHE
AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, seeks a Climate Program Manager to lead AASHE's efforts to support signatories of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. A bachelor's degree in a related field is required (graduate degree preferred). Applicants should also have at least five years experience in energy management and/or emissions mitigation.
Deadline: apply now

Director of Campus Sustainability, U Wisconsin Oshkosh
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh seeks a Director of Campus Sustainability to begin in November 2008. Job responsibilities include providing leadership to the campus in all facets of campus sustainability; collaborating with various campus operational units in developing sustainability policies, priorities, and practices; coordinating with the faculty to integrate sustainability into teaching and research; collaborating with students, student groups, and student units such as residence life in promoting sustainability; and supervising sustainability interns. Requirements include a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; experience with energy, water and waste conservation; and leadership experience in environmental initiatives. A Master's degree is preferred.
Deadline: apply now

Environmental, Safety, & Recycling Manager, Western New England College
Western New England College (MA) seeks an Environmental, Safety, and Recycling Manager to advise, develop, and coordinate comprehensive environmental, safety and recycling programs for the college's operations. Other responsibilities will include establishing an Environmental Health and Safety presence on campus to support the college's compliance with all state and federal EPA and OSHA regulations and standards. Qualifications include a BS in Occupational Safety, Environmental Management, Chemistry, Biology, or a related field.
Deadline: apply now

Part-Time Coordinator, Green Urban Living Center, Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College seeks a part-time Coordinator to oversee and coordinate the Green Urban Living Center. Responsibilities will include supervising and monitoring student volunteers; overseeing the design, upkeep and planting of the organic garden, butterfly garden, rock pine land, and other areas under development; and creating awareness of GULC programming. Requirements include a Bachelor's degree and two years of related environmental experience. Grant writing experience is preferred.
Deadline: apply now

Program Assistant, Campus Ecology, National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation seeks a Program Assistant for the Campus Ecology program in Reston, Virginia. The purpose of the Campus Ecology Program Assistant position is to help dramatically broaden engagement in NWF’s climate action initiatives. This position will be responsible for supporting fellowships, supporting special media projects, coordinating the internship program, and tracking and engaging alumni. The Program Assistant will also provide administrative, logistical and outreach support for Campus Ecology program and staff on a regular basis. A BA in environmental studies or a related field and a minimum of one year of professional experience is required.
Deadline: apply now

Student Activities Coordinator, MIT Energy Initiative
The MIT Energy Initiative is seeking a Student Activities Coordinator to be responsible for the timely planning and implementation of projects to advance MITEI objectives in student networking, energy education, and related outreach. Other responsibilities include maintaining and strengthening relationships with energy, environment, and sustainability student groups, including organizing student leader networking events, providing guidance to student groups and student projects on project planning, and participating in selected events and activities. A Bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
Deadline: apply now

Sustainability Coordinator/Staff Assistant, Worcester State College
Worcester State College (MA) invites applications for the position of Sustainability Coordinator and Staff Assistant. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and implementation of campus wide programs relating to sustainable efforts; encouraging, developing, and facilitating sustainability programs initiated by student, faculty and staff community members; and organizing training seminars, workshops, and conferences as required in response to other evolving needs and opportunities. Qualifications include a Bachelor's degree or significant progress towards a degree in environmental science or a related field.
Deadline: apply now

Found through The Freechild Project, Youth Venture, and AASHE and its newsletter

Ellen Dougherty Activist Fund
The Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 to women nineteen and under who propose to develop and lead projects focused on activism and social change.
Deadline: August 15

Right to Learn Grants Program
Right to Learn is giving away up to $5,000 to groups that work to improve their schools.
Deadline: August 31

Pay It Forward
$500 Pay It Forward mini-grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a “pay it forward” focus—that is, they must be based on the concept on one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially—to be considered in the grant making process.
Deadline: September 15

Tyler Prize
The University of Southern California invites nominations for the John and Alice Tyler Prize, an award for environmental science, energy, and medicine conferring great benefit upon mankind. Prizes are awarded for: the protection, maintenance, improvement or understanding of an ecological or an environmental condition anywhere in the world; the discovery, further development, improvement, or understanding of known or new sources of energy; and medical discoveries or achievements with such worldwide implications that they significantly benefit environmental aspects of human health. Living individuals or public or private institutions of any nation, are eligible for nomination.
Deadline: September 15

The Captain Planet Foundation
The Captain Planet Foundation awards between $250 and $2,500 for hands-on environmental projects for youth ages 6-18 with appropriate adult supervision. Winners are notified four months after the deadline, so please plan carefully.
Deadline: September 30, December 31

Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your School Awards
Through the awards, Citizens Committee offers grants of $500 to $3,000 to support student led projects that beautify schools or neighborhoods immediately surrounding schools.
Applications are accepted twice a year.
Deadline: September 30

Healthy Sprouts Awards to Support Awareness of Nutrition and Hunger
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, NGA recognizes outstanding programs via the Awards, sponsored by Gardener’s Supply company. These awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the US.
Deadline: October 15

President's Environmental Youth Awards The Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored the Awards since 1971. The program recognizes young people for projects, which demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Projects submitted in the past have covered a wide range of subject areas including recycling programs; constructing nature preserves; major tree planting programs; videos, skits, and newsletters that focused on environmental issues; and environmental science projects. To be eligible, a student or students, sponsored by an adult, must submit to their local EPA regional office evidence of a completed project as defined in the President's Environmental Youth.
Deadline: October 31

Sophie Prize
An award of $100,000 will be given to an individual or an organization that in a pioneering or a particularly creative way, has pointed to alternatives to the present development and/or put such alternatives into practice. The Sophie Prize will honor efforts to promote changes in the world that are necessary in a long-term perspective.
Deadline: November 1

Virginia Mini-Grant Program
The Virginia Mini-Grant Program supports community-based efforts to strengthen environmental education and to promote stewardship of Virginia's waterways. These are intended to be one-time, start-up grants, and preference is given to modest local projects. Please also consult the new mini-grant program being administered by Virginia's Office of Environmental Education by visiting http://www.vanaturally.com/classroomgrants.html.
Deadline: December 1

Mix It Up Grants
The Southern Poverty Law Center awards Mix It Up Grants for youth-led projects that work at knocking down social boundaries within school communities. This project must bring different groups together to work together, and should be an ongoing effort. Applications are accepted anytime and you will be notified after four weeks if your project has been accepted.
Deadline: register online now

mtvU Grants
If you've got an original idea about how to make the world--or your campus, neighborhood, or town--a better place, mtvU Grants want to help you make it happen by providing: up to $1,500 to launch your new organization or initiative; an opportunity to be featured on mtvU News; and exclusive access to helpful resources and tools in cooperation with Youth Venture.
Deadline: anytime

SAGE-Youth Venture Grants
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship and Youth Venture offer Social Enterprise grants for young people, ages 12-20. A venture can be any youth-created, youth-led organization designed to provide a positive lasting benefit in a school, neighborhood, or community.
Deadline: anytime
Contact: Curtis DeBerg at CDeBerg@csuchico.edu

International Young Eco-Hero Award
Have you been working to preserve the world around you? Have you been teaching others how to protect the environment? Have you been doing an environmental research project? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are a Young Eco-Hero. All Eco-Heroes serve as role models, showing others that each individual is important and can make a difference. Action For Nature is proud to honor the work of young people between the ages of 8 and 16 who have done creative environmental projects. The winners of AFN’s International Young Eco-Hero Awards program receive a cash prize and a special certificate, as well as public recognition on our website and elsewhere. Applications will be online soon.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
These Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. They give $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C.
Applications will be online soon.

The BRICK Awards
These Awards are the premier awards for young social change-makers in the United States and Canada. BRICK Award winners are social change-makers who recognize a problem in their community, envision a solution, and take the steps necessary to make that dream a reality. Simply, BRICK Award winners build a better world, BRICK by BRICK. Since 1996, The BRICK Awards have honored the nation’s finest young world-changers. Winners represent the best in their field or issue and are rewarded with a huge community grant and a special televised award ceremony. Know how athletes have the Olympics and singers have the Grammy’s? It’s about time world-changers had their special night too. BRICK Award winners get a shot at $25,000 in scholarships and grants to support their projects and organizations. The BRICK Awards are open to U.S. and Canadian leaders ages 25 and under. Applications will be online soon.

Youth Community Service Awards
This Award recognizes exemplary service and community involvement rather than academic achievement. Recipients of the Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community leave a lasting impression in their community - many, though not all, have started projects and programs, or taken on challenges, that relate to the corporate citizenship, philanthropic, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) priorities of the Foundation and Hitachi, Ltd. - improving the wellbeing of economically and socially isolated Americans. The Award is accompanied by a gift of $5,000, dispensed over two years. Recipients may use the Award at their discretion. Applications will be online in December.

Conscious Lifestyle is proud of its ventures and wants to keep them all up to date on each other. All our ventures can learn from each other and take pride in the differences they are each making for people, animals, and the environment.
The Columbia EcoReps venture had a busy, productive year! In response to Mayor Bloomber’s PlaNYC, which includes the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over the next decade, Columbia’s Environmental Stewardship Office launched the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council for the University in March 2008. The Council consists of individuals from the facilities, communications, and finance offices and from myriad academic departments. Its job is to identify important principles and goals for lessening the University’s environmental footprint. The Council is currently setting up taskforces and working on campus to make heating more environmentally-friendly, increase use of alternative fuels and energy, manage grounds more effectively, and ensure a sustainable food supply. Also during the Spring 2008 semester, Columbia EcoReps initiated the "Do It in the Dark" energy challenge, which measures energy use in each dorm on a monthly basis and rewards the dorm that shows the greatest decrease in energy consumption with an eco-friendly study break.
The EcoReps have big plans for the future, too! Columbia is putting the finishing touches on its first green dorm suite in Woodbridge Building: it should be habitable by August 2008. Three Woodbridge apartments have been transformed into models of environmental-friendliness for future renovation projects; over the next two years, all of Woodbridge will be renovated. The apartments will save huge amounts of energy by using Forest Stewardship furniture; Energy Star refrigerators, gas stoves, and light fixtures; shower heads with a 2 gallon per minute flow; sinks with a 1.5 gall per minute flow; dual flush toilets; occupancy sensor lighting; a boiler that runs on biofuel; and Bonded Logic insulation. Moreover, the apartments will have low or zero Volatile Organic Compound paint and caulking; cabinets certified by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Environmental Stewardship Program; Vetrazzo counters; Crossville EcoCycle tiles; National Gypsum drywall; access to recycling centers; and plywood, interior doors, and oak flooring certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The Woodbridge apartments will be a pilot project to test the possibility of entirely green residence halls. In an article in the "Columbia Spectator," Scott Wright, head of Housing and Dining at Columbia, said that the suite will hopefully set "the standard model for all of our initiatives now." The EcoReps hope that if the apartments are successful, then entire dorms will follow their lead, and that there will eventually be an official EcoRep room in each building on campus.
Aside from the renovations, the EcoReps will also take part in The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's 2nd biennial conference, entitled AASHE 2008: Working Together for Sustainability--On Campus and Beyond. The conference will occur in November in North Carolina. Hannah Lee of the Columbia EcoReps and Acadia Roher of the Barnard EcoReps will present a workshop on

• Collaborations to advance education and research for sustainability
• Service learning projects to advance sustainability
• Co-curricular learning, such as peer-to-peer outreach and community service
• Funding for sustainability-related research; and
• The growing role of sustainability research centers and institutes

The workshop is entitled "Peer to Peer Sustainability Outreach Programs: From A to Z," and it will allow current program coordinators, and those who are interested in starting a program on their campuses, to hear from coordinators of established programs on everything from how to start a program on campus, to best practices of administration and management, to evaluation methods.
The Barnard EcoReps, Columbia EcoReps' neighbors, are also doing great things. They have pilot green residences, too, one of which was renovated using all recyclable materials, and has Eco-Cem floors and walls and Energy Star-approved appliances. A special interest group of Barnard EcoReps will live in this green suite next year to test its durability. The plan is to soon renovate with sustainable materials kitchens and bathrooms in twenty more suites.
Congratulations to the Columbia and Barnard EcoReps on your great work!

Be sure to check out more information on the Columbia and Barnard EcoRep chapters and on social entrepreneurship, and be in touch with Conscious Lifestyle. We love to hear what you're doing and accomplishing!