The Energy Conservation Showdown Prize (aka the ECS or “X” -Prize) is a competition to discover the best student-created ideas to reduce Wesleyan‘s energy consumption. Teams of students will compete to win cash prizes by submitting reports of at least three pages in length on how to best cut back on greenhouse gas emissions while also saving the University money. The members of the first place team will receive $600; two runners up will each receive $200. Additionally, the top-scoring submissions will be forwarded to President Roth for implementation, to help both the planet and Wesleyan’s finances.

This project will create dynamic new ideas to decrease emissions and improve sustainability. Many major aspects of modern human life–turning on lights, bathing, dining, travel, commercial purchases, and using machinery and technology–all create greenhouse gas emissions, which are often financially wasteful.

The prize-winning reports, as well as a group of runners-up, will be collected into a memorandum and sent to President Roth, with a cover sheet endorsing the ideas as financially beneficial to the University. As the best submissions will be ambitious, self-sustaining, and cost-saving, these ideas will likely find their way into official University policy.

The ECS Prize also will provide an opportunity for students to participate in hands-on learning––both about the emissions and sustainability of Wesleyan University, the process of scientific inquiry and innovation, and working as a team to generate new policy recommendations.

Reports will be judged by a panel of six professors, administrators and staff members––John Meerts, Joyce Topshe, Barbara-Jan Wilson, Peter Staye, Bill Nelligan, and Barry Chernoff. These proposals will be graded according to a rubric the judges and the student coordinators have decided upon (provided on the WSA website, at left). The proposals must also conform to the Rules and Regulations of the contest regarding due diligence, honesty, and application issues. Each team will also be required to submit a draft to the ECS-Prize Faculty Advisor, Dana Royer (droyer@wes), who will read each proposal and provide feedback during office hours to ensure students are “on the right track.”

The deadline for submissions will be March 1st, 2010. All submissions should be sent to WesleyanECSPrize@gmail.com. Winners will be announced on Earth Day 2010.