Green-Up Challenge

Welcome to the Champlain College Green-Up Challenge! 

Spring 2024 will pit res halls against res halls!

The goal of the Green-Up Challenge is to learn about climate justice and environmental advocacy while having fun, building community, and earning prizes. Each day, 2 new tasks will be released that will involve submitting a photo and/or a text entry. You have until the end of the Green-Up Challenge to complete a task once it’s released, and when you do you’ll earn points for it. At the end of the event, prizes will be awarded based on the number of points that you’ve earned. 

How do res halls fit in? Well, electricity use will also play a major factor in the scoring for your res hall. By saving on electricity use, you will be earning your res hall points. The savings will account for the number of students living in each hall, so everyone's actions are important.

The Green-Up Challenge was made by Champlain College students for Champlain College students, taking into account everyone’s busy lives. This event has no time commitment or obligations and is entirely what you put into it, so whether you’re in it to win it or are just curious about the topic, even just participating in a few challenges could be a powerful learning experience or land you some great prizes. 

Important Links:

Submission Form 

Challenges

Rules:

1. For all photo submissions, please include a physical piece of paper with your name and the date in the picture.

2. Don’t try to find ways to complete your submissions without actually doing the tasks. Cheating won’t be tolerated and if we catch you cheating, you’ll be disqualified.

3. You can ask for help, but all of your submissions must be your own work. Please don’t have other people do your work for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I submit my tasks?

Go to the page for the task, and you’ll be able to submit a text entry and/or a photo (jpg or png format). Once you submit it, you’ll have 24 hours to make any changes and resubmit before you’re locked out of that task. If you run into any difficulties, just send us an email and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. 

For how long are the tasks available?

Once a task is released, it will be available for the rest of the Green-Up Challenge. All challenges will close after the last day. The only exception is with the bonus tasks, which are handled on a case-by-case basis for this depending on what kind of task it is. For example, if one of the bonus tasks involves attending a particular event, you could only complete that task on that day of that event. 

Who is allowed to participate in the Green-Up challenge?

This year, all Champlain College students are encouraged to participate! If your current living situation doesn't allow you to do one of the challenges, email Emma Dannenberg at emma.dannenberg@mymail.champlain.edu and we can find an alternative for you. 

How much of a time commitment is this?

As little or as much time as you want! The Green-Up challenge is designed to be flexible and rewarding for even the busiest of schedules. If you want to participate competitively, however, you can anticipate an average of about an hour a day for two weeks. This is all on your own time, though, so you can choose when you want to participate. 

Where is this idea from?

This challenge is inspired by Turning Green’s Project Green Challenge, a program for high school and college students that runs every October. Students complete daily tasks to learn about environmental issues, improve their daily habits, and create positive change in their communities. 

How do I reduce electricity use easily?

Here are some quick tips: wash clothes on the cold setting, consider air drying your clothes on clothing racks, take shorter and colder showers, turn off lights, fully unplug charging cables (see Vampire Energy), use a power strip/surge protector and turn it off when not in use, take advantage of natural sunlight

How are you keeping track of our energy use?

Burlington Electric Department allows us to see how much energy is used in each building. We can compare this to past use to establish a baseline and see how much energy use has declined. Each res halls' savings will be prorated based on the number of individuals living there.

Who do I contact if my question isn’t answered here?

Holly Francis - Sustainability Coordinator

Emma Dannenberg - Eco-Reps Captain

JC Schumaker - Eco-Rep Area Coordinator

Caleb Fowler - Eco-Rep