PITCH IT! Sustainability
About the Competition:
PITCH IT! Sustainability is your chance to tackle real-world sustainability challenges with creative ideas focused on making a greener campus. This competition is all about creativity, innovation and making a positive impact in our community. Students are encouraged to present their ideas that can be implemented within the parameters of the University Campus, this includes inside/outside building and streets.
The competition allows students to enter in 2 categories: Sustainable Spark and Green Impact. The objective of Green Impact is to develop feasible project proposals that can be implemented on campus to enhance sustainability based on a budget. Project proposals should address concerns presented by the Sustainability Office. The objective of Sustainable Spark is to encourage innovative ideas to improve campus sustainability. Ideas will be evaluated based on creativity, innovation and the strength of research supporting them.
Awards for the competition include a cash prize, and a project grant to implement the proposal.
What is Sustainability?
Ideas should be reflective of the following definition of sustainability provided by the Sustainability Office:
Sustainability is the idea/practice of meeting the needs of everyone in our community, and around the world, without preventing future generations from doing the same. Sustainability must consider all social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors of society's systems.
The office's objectives are drawn on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a framework for addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development. Below is a selective list of goals the competition finds appropriate to address:
- Good health and well-being
- Clean water and sanitation
- Affordable and clean energy
- Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action.
Join us to connect with like-minded students, build your network and gain hands-on experience as you collaborate and pitch your vision for a more sustainable campus community.
This competition is open to all undergraduate, graduate and PACE students at the University of Winnipeg.
2024 PITCH IT! Sustainability Winners:
In first place was Bokashi Composting by Gladleen Pham, Hong Nhung Tan, Patrick Reden Alcantara, and Rechel Valenzuela (Master in Management). The Bokashi Composting project showcased a lifecycle research project where UW has the opportunity to discover if compost produced and disposed of on our campus could be turned into a liquid organic fertilizer to utilize on our grounds. With the support of our office, as well as various instructors and faculty, this project commenced in February 2025 and will be running until August 2025.
In second place was Re-Pursuit Thrift by Fiona Slota (Master in Development Practice). Slota's proposal reflected the need for responsible consumption and production, for sustainable development. The idea for an on-campus thrift store promotes the reuse of products that might ordinarily end up in the landfill.
In third place was For-Credit Environmental Activism by Olivia Kehler (Master in Environmental and Social Change). Kehler's proposal demonstrated a pathway to developing sustainable communities. By having academic incentives attached to environmental activism, students would be encouraged to get more involved in advocating for sustainable development both on campus and within their communities.