1^st Ever, Bryant University Sustainability Challenge Pitch Competition

Is there a campus sustainability issue you feel needs to be addressed? Do you have ideas on how to solve this issue? Pitch your proposal for the opportunity to present your solution to the Sustainability Working Group and University Leadership.

Key Dates

Friday, February 14 - Open call for project proposals.
Wednesday, March 5 - Pitch-Prep info session (optional attendance).
Friday, March 7 - Deadline for team registration and intent to participate.
Friday, April 4 - In-person sustainability pitch competition. AIC 212, 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22 - Winners announced.

Competition Details

In an effort to meet our sustainable campus development goals for 2030, Bryant University and the Sustainability Working Group have launched the first ever, sustainability challenge pitch competition. This competition asks interdisciplinary students or student teams to identify a campus sustainability issue and develop solutions for resolving the issue in either the short- or long-term. Students are to develop solutions that will be practically viable to implement and ultimately support further sustainability initiatives on campus.

As part of Bryant’s efforts to promote environmental responsibility, we challenge you to create an innovative solution to address a sustainability issue that you feel is most pressing to the Bryant community. Students and teams are free to choose the topic and can include, but are not limited to, the following:

Sustainable move-out for reducing waste and reusing resources.
Evaluation of Bryant's STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) report to make recommendations on improving Bryant’s score.
Accounting for CO₂ emissions associated with new campus activities at the BELC.
Determine the energy consumption of different campus buildings and suggest ways to lower energy demand.
Monitor campus food waste (composting) or non-recyclable waste management and diversion.
Develop campus recycling and eWaste-reduction strategies.

Key Criteria

Feasibility: Can your solution be implemented with currently available resources and within a reasonable timeframe? Does it consider logistical constraints like storage, transportation, cost, technology, etc.?

Impact: How will your solution improve Bryant’s overall environmental responsibility and address the sustainability issue? What measurable environmental impact can you demonstrate?

Engagement: How will you encourage students, faculty, or staff to participate in the sustainability initiative? What strategies will you use to make sure the Bryant community is committed to being more environmentally responsible?

Sustainability: How will your solution ensure long-term sustainability and potential expansion? Can the solution be maintained and scaled in future years?

Collaboration: Does your solution involve partnerships with campus departments, local charities, or sustainability-focused organizations?

Timeline

Registration and Intent to Participate

Individual students or student teams (of no more than 5) must register and submit their Intent to Participate by midnight of Friday, March 7.
Teams do not need to have decided on their sustainability issue and solution to register.
Click to Register

Pitch-Prep Info Session

A Teams info session will be held at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, March 5. Details of the competition and suggested formatting for the pitch presentations will be discussed.
This is an optional info session and teams do not need to attend to participate in the sustainability challenge.
JOIN MEETING

In-person Sustainability Pitch Competition

On Friday, April 4, each team will be required to pitch their solution to their sustainability issue within 3 minutes.
Students should follow the HNABCA action plan as outlined below.
Based on these presentations, judges will select winners that will then have the opportunity to meet with the Sustainability Working Group and University Leadership.

Earth Day

Winners announced during the 2025 Earth Day Symposium, Tuesday, April 22.

Action Plan (HNABCA)

Hook

What is the issue on campus that needs attention?
What is the purpose and focus of your sustainability solution?

Need

What is the important, unmet sustainability challenge and opportunity?
What is it that is needed to address this challenge?
Remember to quantify – costs, timeline, people, amount, etc.

Approach

How do you plan on addressing the campus sustainability issue?
What do you have or can do that is special and sustainable?
What are your risks or limitations and how will you mitigate them?
How do you plan on providing your solution to the campus?
Do you have a development plan with milestones?

Benefits (Value)

How will the students, faculty, and/or staff gain from your solution?
What are the short- or long-term benefits?
Is this solution only for people, or will plants and animals on campus also benefit?

Current Solutions and Alternatives

Can you name them (that is, do they current exist or will they only be available in the future)?
Can they be feasibly or realistically implemented on campus?
How will they solve the issue?

Action

What are the next key steps to move your project forward?
What is required to take these next steps?
What resources do you need to implement your sustainable solution?

Possible Elements to Consider

What is the sustainability challenge on campus?
What is the problem/opportunity resulting from the challenge?
What is the reason the problem/opportunity has not been solved?
What is your key insight into the campus’s sustainability challenge?
What is your key insight into creating a solution that addresses the challenge?

Final Deliverables

A comprehensive project proposal detailing your solution, including logistics, expected outcomes, and sustainability plans.
A visual representation (e.g., a pitch deck or prototype) of how your solution will function on campus now or in the future.
A plan for how you will promote the initiative to students and encourage widespread participation by the Bryant community.

Prizes

All competition entrants will have a chance to meet Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize winner and Earth Day keynote addressee.
Winners will present their proposals to the Sustainability Working Group and University Leadership to jointly develop a plan for implementing the sustainability solution.
All participants receive the Earth Day microbadge, part of the Sustainability Badge.

The best solutions will be those that can be scaled, sustained, and implemented efficiently to foster a more sustainable campus culture now and into the future.