Showcase to award $5K for top sustainability solutions proposals

In an effort to tap into ASU’s entrepreneurial spirit, the inaugural Sustainability Solutions Showcase is looking for the next great idea that will benefit society and the environment. Any single entry in the showcase could be awarded up to $3,500.

The Sustainability Solutions Festival, one of eight programs in the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives at the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability, is offering $5,000 in prizes for the top sustainability solution concepts that address a multifaceted sustainability problem.

Through a partnership with Changemaker Central@ASU and 10,000 Solutions, the Sustainability Solutions Showcase is calling for financially viable solutions that would address multiple aspects of sustainability. Awards include $2,500 for first prize, $1,500 for second prize, and $1,000 for the People’s Choice Award.

“A strong sustainability solution entry would include how the idea can have a positive impact on the people in the community, benefit the environment, and positively impact the economic future,” said Kelly Saunders, project coordinator for the Sustainability Solutions Festival.

Participants can enter their sustainability solution video pitch at 10000solutions.org and enter “#showcase” in the description. All entries must be submitted by midnight on March 31 in order to qualify. The top five video entries will be selected to pitch their idea to a live audience on April 9 at Wrigley Hall on the Tempe campus. The People’s Choice Award will be selected by the April 9 audience.

“The Walton Sustainability Solutions Festival encourages, rewards, and celebrates inventors, entrepreneurs, designers and creative thinkers who develop solutions to sustainability challenges so we are excited to sponsor this challenge as we look forward to our first ever Sustainability Solutions Festival in the spring of 2014,” Saunders said.

The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives are the result of a $27.5 million investment in the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University by the Rob and Melani Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation. The Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives comprises eight specific programs made up of diverse teams of faculty, students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators collaborate to deliver sustainability solutions, accelerate global impacts, and inspire future leaders.