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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
(Updated 1/8/2010)
What is the Climate Leadership Challenge?
The Climate Leadership Challenge (CLC) is a philanthropic innovation competition, funded by
generous support from the Global Stewards Society (John F. & Mary Cooper; Gary & Ellora
Cooper; Christine Cooper; John & Mary K. Noreika; Peter Vogel, Vogel Brothers Building
Company; David Beck-Engel, J.H. Findorff & Son; Scott J. Reppert, Superior Health Linens.)
The goals of the CLC are to engage the students of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in
adopting a solutions-oriented approach to sustainability challenges, to promote awareness of
climate change on campus and in the broader community, and to inspire great ideas emerging
from the next generation of leaders in all fields.
What are the prizes?
The 2009-2010 CLC offers three categories of prizes, each with different expectations:
1) Most Innovative Non-Technical Prize: Cash award of $15,000
2) Most Innovative Technical Prize: Cash award of $15,000
3) Most Action-Ready Prize: Contract & cash award as follows
a. $50,000, to be spend in accordance with submitted budget
b. An option for a free 12-month lease at the new University of Wisconsin
Research Park
c. $5,000 for a promotional trip
d. Additional cash prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the runner-up to the
Most Action-Ready Prize team
What is meant by “innovative” and “action-ready”?
All CLC winning ideas must be innovative – creative, new, and poised to have a significant
beneficial impact on the causes or effects of climate change. This applies to both the “Most
Innovative” and “Most Action-Ready” solution. Innovation is at the heart of the CLC
Competition. Innovation exists in every discipline, and all problem-solving approaches are
needed to solve the climate change problem in coming decades. All submissions will be
automatically considered for the “Most Innovative Technical” or “Most Innovative Non-
Technical” prize unless requested otherwise.
The definition of “Action-Ready” is up to the submitting team, subject to the assessment by the
CLC judging panel. Because the Most Action-Ready Prize expects the winning team (or
members thereof) to begin implementation of their idea within a year timeframe, action-ready
projects will typically have the following characteristics:
* The proposing team has a clear, realistic plan to begin or continue implementation of
their idea.
* The implementation plan would clearly benefit from the $50,000, promotional trip,
and UWRP lease (i.e. that amount of support would not be far too little, or too much, relative
to the scope of the project).
* The proposing team, as a whole or in part, wants to devote significant effort over the
coming year to execute the implementation plan.
* The team develops a clear, legally binding budget on how the money would be spent
to implement a winning idea.
* Teams must articulate their interest in being considered for the Action-Ready prize,
and submit a budget as part of their proposal.
* The winning team will have 2 weeks to sign a contract with the UWRP and CLC
agreeing to the terms and conditions of the award. Basically, these conditions state that the
team will adhere to their budget (possibly with changes required by the CLC judging panel),
utilize the space in the UWRP (if this option is accepted), and advance the winning
implementation plan.
* If the winning team decides they do not want to accept the terms and conditions
associated with the Action-Ready prize within 2 weeks, they will be awarded a $10,000 Runner-
up prize.
* If the 1st place Action-Ready team opts for the $10,000 cash prize in lieu of the larger
prize portfolio, the runner-up team may be given the option of accepting the “Most Action-
Ready Prize” in lieu of the $10,000 cash prize originally awarded to the runner-up team.
What is meant by “Technical” and “Non-Technical”?
The judgment of a submission as “Technical” vs. “Non-Technical” will be at the discretion of
the CLC Judging Panel. Many submissions may be eligible for both, and we encourage teams to
fully develop the social, economic, technical, and other aspects of their proposal, regardless of
which category they expect to be most competitive for.
The addition of the “Non-Technical” category for this year’s competition aims to explicitly
broaden the scope of entries, and encourage students from every college, every department to
develop creative ideas to help solve the climate change problem.
What is meant by “solutions to climate change?”
We are looking for ideas that will have a significant effect on reducing the causes of climate
change (“mitigation”) or reducing the vulnerability of human and natural systems to climate
change (“adaptation”). Winning ideas will typically be scaleable – something that could be
initiated on a small scale with a limited budget, and if successful scaled up to have a major
impact on a particular population, geographic area, business sector, climate impact, emissions
source, or other component of human-natural systems affecting and affected by climate change.
Climate change is affected by almost every sector of the economy and society (transportation,
electricity, consumption patterns, food, agriculture, land use, manufacturing, etc.). Similarly, the
impacts of climate change affect these same systems (extreme weather, seasonal shifts,
agricultural vulnerability, infrastructure, public health, coastal areas, etc.). So, the options for
mitigating – reducing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases – or adapting – reducing
vulnerability of systems – is almost limitless.
We discourage solutions that are too big to implement on a limited scale and/or ideas that
could only be implemented by a politician. Whatever your idea, think about how you personally
would chart a course from “here to there.” Even if you are not interested in the Most Action-
Ready Prize, your idea should be something that someone could implement in a trial stage. You
proposal should also clarify how – if successful – that trial stage could be scaled up to have a
significant impact.
In a similar vein, we discourage ideas that are too small to have any major impact. A single
vehicle, art exhibition, dorm recycling program, or other limited scope proposal will not have
the impact we are expecting from the CLC winners. We encourage you to “think big!” about
how your idea could serve as a model and build a broader base of participation if appropriate.
What kinds of ideas are eligible for the Climate Leadership Challenge?
Any idea can be submitted as long as it is an original proposal with an explicit connection to
climate change. Submissions that provide a clear explanation of how the presented idea could
impact climate change will be viewed more favorably than those that do not. An excellent
source for information is the Fourth Annual Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC). All reports are online (http://www.ipcc.ch/), free, and available in
multiple languages. Note that the IPCC has three “working groups” that each prepare part of
the report. Working Group 1 (WG1) goes over the science of climate change, WG2 covers
“Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability,” WG3 covers “Mitigation of Climate Change.” WG2
and WG3 would probably be very useful in relating your idea to mitigation or adaptation
strategies.
All ideas should be practical concepts, suitable for implementation through a business, non-for-
profit, or other organization. All submissions will be automatically considered for the “Most
Innovative” prizes, with the judging panel determining eligibility for “Most Innovative Technical,”
“Most Innovative Non-Technical” or both. If the idea could be implemented over the near-
term, and you personally would be interested in pursuing their realization, you’d be a great
contender for “Most Action-Ready” prizes. Because the “Most Action-Ready” award expects a
commitment of time, adherence to a budget, and a clear implementation plan, we expect that
competition will be higher for the “Most Innovative” categories. “Most Innovative” ideas may be
difficult to develop into a clear, near-term implementation plan, or they may be ideas that you
personally do not want to implement (e.g. because you are mid-way through your education).
These should still be practical and realistic for implementation, but the capital investment, time
requirements, or other factors do not need to be so carefully constrained.
Team members must specify if they would like to be considered for the “Most Action-Ready”
prize.
Does the winning team have to start a business or a non-profit?
No. We have a unique opportunity for one winner to start a business, non-profit, or other
start-up organization. The winning “Most Action-Ready Solution” student or team of students
will receive $50,000, a promotional trip, and the option to receive a 12-month lease for an
incubator space, all in an effort to provide resources for starting a business or non-profit.
However, there are two major awards for ideas that may be innovative, but not necessarily
suitable for a start-up business. We do not expect direct implementation of these ideas. We
do, however, want to know how the prize money would be used if awarded – i.e. why are you
the best recipient for one of the awards?
Do I have to accept the 12-month lease for the incubator space if I win the
grand prize?
No. The 12-month lease for the incubator space at the UWRP’s Metro Innovation Center is
part of the grand prize in order to help the winner start a business, non-profit, or other start-
up organization. Depending on how the winner plans to implement their solution, an incubator
space may not be needed. In that case, the winner can decline the option for the space and still
receive the $50,000 award and promotional trip. Teams that are considering declining the
option for the incubator space should state so in their submission document. Teams that do
accept the lease will be expected to occupy the incubator space and be active members of the
incubator community.
What is meant by a "promotional trip"? How many team members will be
supported?
The winner of the Most Action-Ready Solution will be awarded $5,000 toward a promotional
trip in addition to the $50,000 cash award. This $5,000 must be used for travel that in some
way publicizes the winning solution to one or more relevant audiences. If the winning idea
could be categorized as technological, one recommended venue would be the 2011 CleanTech
Summit (http://www.cleantechsummit.com/), which has a registration fee of $1895 -- thus,
$5,000 could likely support two group members' plane, hotel, food, and registration, depending
on cost of travel. Depending on the nature of the winning idea, other conference opportunities,
or travel to meet with relevant agencies, investors, donors, or other organizations may be
appropriate.
Teams are welcome to specify in their proposal how they would take advantage of this unique
opportunity -- where they would go, why, what team members would travel. Teams are not
required to specify the travel plans in the proposal, but the winning team's travel plan must be
approved by the CLC Faculty Coordinators before the $5,000 travel award is transferred. The
CLC Faculty Coordinators are happy to work with the winning team to plan an effective
promotional trip. The distribution of the $5,000 travel award among the team members will
depend on the travel plans as approved by the CLC Faculty Coordinators.
The $50,000 cash award may also be used for promotional travel; teams should specify in the
budget how much additional promotional travel will be budgeted, and why. In our view,
promotional travel is anything that "gets the word out" about your idea and emerging
organization/activities. There may be travel that is not promotional, but rather helps develop or
implement the winning idea (e.g. to Tanzania to provide communities with an improved
cookstove). Such non-promotional travel should be described and budgeted as part of the
$50,000 cash award.
What exactly am I submitting for the competition?
Students will submit an approximately 20-page document clearly presenting your idea, its
innovative characteristics, and implementation plan. (Greater detail is expected of proposals
submitting for the “Most Action-Ready” prize.) The detail of the proposal similar to that of a
research proposal or business plan – but no prior experience in business, proposal preparation,
or other discipline-specific area is expected.
If you clearly and professionally address how your idea relates to the criteria in the Submission
Guidelines, it will receive full consideration. Your team must include the project concept,
background information, environmental and social impact, financial feasibility, distribution, and a
project timeline. Details about the submission document can be found in the Draft Climate
Leadership Challenge: Eligibility and Rules document available on the CLC website (the final
version still pending review by CLC legal advisors, but the broad requirements will not change).
Additional materials may be submitted in addition to the project document. These materials
may include a short video, website, physical model, portfolio, or another material pre-approved
by the CLC coordination team. Further details about acceptable additional materials can be
found in the Eligibility and Rules document.
Are there formatting requirements for the 20-page proposal?
No. You are encouraged to format the document in a way that emphasizes your main points, is
easy to read, and presents your idea in a professional, polished manner. Bullet points, effective
use of bold/underline/color, and figures/photos/tables are all encouraged. Keep in mind that the
goal of this proposal is to convince judges from the public, private, and academic sectors that
you have a fantastic idea! And, that you are a qualified team to implement that idea. These goals
are much different than a traditional term paper. Still, the rigor and clarity that would be
expected of a term paper -- thorough references, well-written text, logical flow of argument --
should be present in the CLC proposal.
Can my idea be based on research I’m doing at UW-Madison?
Yes. Undergraduate or graduate students participating in faculty-guided research activities or
class projects can submit an idea based on this research. The submission document should
provide an explanation about the research as background information for the project, and
should clearly articulate the role of each team member in the translation of the research
project into a climate solution relevant to the CLC. Contact information of all non-team
collaborators, including faculty mentors, should be given, with the roles of collaborators
described.
In the process of researching my idea, I've found that something very similar
(or even the same) already exists. What should I do?
The best proposals often build on existing ideas, so use your initial idea and research as a
starting point to develop a stronger, more thoughtful solution. Consider the following points:
1) Researching similar initiatives can give you an idea of what's out there, and you can
think about how those initiatives might be modified, improved or broadened. Citing
similar projects and showing how your initiative is different will strengthen your
proposal. It demonstrates that you have "done your homework" and it preempts anyone
saying "I think this is the same as ___." In your proposal, you should carefully outline
similar activities, and say why yours is original. Cite reports, websites, patents, or other
information on the related activities.
2) Make sure to think about how your idea can have a significant impact on climate
change. Maybe there is a similar idea out there, but the climate benefits have not been
maximized. There are a lot of environmental goals -- clean water, health communities,
biodiversity -- that are not directly climate-related (some of these could be, but you'd
have to connect the dots very explicitly). The CLC is focused on reducing global
warming emissions and reducing vulnerability to climate change, so make sure to stress
these impacts in your proposal. This focus may be different than related activities, and
we'd encourage you to push the "climate solution" angle of your idea as far as possible.
3) If you feel like your idea has been "taken" and/or that it isn't directly advancing the
climate theme of the competition, think about how to adapt your idea to make it more
competitive and original. Can you consider other ways that your basic idea or theme
can have an impact on emissions and/or vulnerability? You may want to read the
following IPCC Assessment Reports to find possible connections with your current idea
(we suggest focusing on the Summary for Policymakers section)…
For ideas on reducing vulnerability:
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg2/en/contents.html
For ideas on mitigating emissions:
Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/contents.html
4) Think about ideas related to your team’s expertise, but also think outside the box.
How might your idea evolve if your team included an artist, engineer, educator, social
worker, finance analyst, journalist, atmospheric scientist, etc.? If you can think about
pieces that could be combined with your current idea to take it to a new level, then you
could seek out other team members on campus who could help make your idea a
reality.
5) Connect with the right people. I'd encourage you to talk about your ideas with your
faculty advisors, individuals from related organizations, local experts in Madison, and
other people working in the area of your idea. Try to subject your idea to as much
formal and informal critique as possible, and don't be afraid to completely change it.
Your initial idea is a perfect starting point, but it may or may not be the best end point.
Don't be too wedded to your first idea -- use it as a springboard to create as strong a
submission as possible. There will be discussion sessions in the coming months to help
students develop their ideas; exact dates and times are forthcoming so make sure you're
on the CLC e-mail list to keep up with helpful information (email Keith Cronin at
krcronin@wisc.edu).
Are students at other colleges and universities eligible to participate in the
CLC?
No. Only UW-Madison students enrolled at the university during the Spring 2010 term are
eligible to participate as an individual or team. However, students outside of the university can
contribute to a project’s development, as can any individual who the team contacts for advice,
support, and assistance relevant to the CLC submission. Non UW-Madison students will not be
included in the distribution of awards should their project be selected as a winner. Additionally,
any team partnering with anyone who is not a UW-Madison student, whether it be a student at
another campus, a faculty member at UW-Madison, a private business, governmental
organization, or other group must explain the contribution of each project participant and
collaborator.
How do I sign up for the CLC?
No registration is necessary for this competition. All that is required for participation is
submission of a 20-page project report by March 25, 2010 at 5:00 pm.
You are strongly recommended to contact the CLC coordination (email Keith Cronin at
krcronin@wisc.edu) to be added to the CLC e-mail list. This will ensure that you receive
updates about the competition. Additional information may be found on the CLC webite
(www.sage.wisc.edu/clc).
Are the award categories the same as last year?
No. Last year we gave away $50,000 in 3 different award categories. This year, we have over
$100,000 in cash and prizes to award, and we are restructuring the competition to encourage
students to think realistically about implementing ideas, and promote participation from all
fields of study on campus.
We have added the “Most Action-Ready Solution” as the grand prize with $50,000 + UWRP
lease + promotional trip. We also now distinguish between “Most Innovative Technical
Solution” and “Most Innovative Non-Technical Solution.”
Can a team submit more than one entry?
Yes, teams can submit multiple entries, and individuals can serve on multiple teams. However,
the judging standards are very high, and students should expect to devote a significant effort to
the preparation of their proposal and – if selected – presentation at the Nelson Institute Earth
Day.
I’d like to participate, but I have no idea where to start. Any tips?
Yes, read the “Summary for Policy-Makers” of the three IPCC Working Group reports,
especially WG2 (on vulnerability and adaptation) and WG2 (on mitigation). This will provide a
lot of ideas on general approaches to reducing impacts of climate change and reducing
emissions contributing to climate change.
With this background, think about your daily routine, and how it would change if you were to
significantly reduce your carbon emissions and/or how it would change under some of the
projected changes to temperature, rain/snow fall, wind patterns, sea level rise, and other
climate variables described in the IPCC report. Take this thought experiment further, thinking
about how ______ affects climate, and climate affects ______ for your favorite foreign
country, food, tourism destination, wild animal, etc. Talk with your friends, and begin to think
about how each of these connections could be translated into a solution.
What are some examples of non-technical innovation?
A few examples of socially responsible innovation include the Teach for America program –
proposed in an undergraduate senior thesis
(http://www.teachforamerica.org/about/our_history.htm); the Grameen Bank – credit to the
rural poor emerging from a university research project (http://www.grameen-info.org); and City
Year – devised by college roommates in Boston, and since the template for the national
AmeriCorps program (http://www.cityyear.org/history.aspx).
What should I do if I have a question not on this list?
Email Keith Cronin (krcronin@wisc.edu) and/or Prof. Tracey Holloway (taholloway@wisc.edu).
Questions of broader interest will be posted to an updated FAQ.
