About ICC

Sustainability is the intersection of society, economics, and the environment. Any topic from any academic discipline that combines these three areas is welcome for the Sustainability Contest.

Suggestions include:

• Following the production chain of a product
• Food Production
• Food Security
• Found object art project
• Alternative Energy (wind, solar, hydro)
• Native Plants and/or Animals
• Transportation
• Clean Water Access
• Carbon Emissions
• Climate Change
• Social Justice
• Civic Engagement
• Reduction
• Purchasing
• Building
• Heating and Cooling
• Regulations
• Marketing
• Green Washing
• Expression of sustainability ideas through artistic media or interpretation
• Human Population Issues
• Biodiversity

Examples of TED Talks and Ignite Presentations

Ignite Show: Scott Berkun: “Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk”
Topher White: “What can save the rainforest? Your used cell phone”
Ray Anderson: “The Business Logic of Sustainability”

Past Presentations

Watch past presentations

Your presentation can be a lecture, a story, a poem, etc… be creative!

Below are some examples of TED Talks and Ignite Presentations to help inspire you.

Ignite Show: Scott Berkun – “Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk”
Topher White: “What can save the rainforest? Your used cell phone”
Ray Anderson: “The Business Logic of Sustainability”

The TED Commandments

These are the rules TED Talk speakers follow:

1. Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick
2. Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before
3. Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion
4. Thou Shalt Tell a Story
5. Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Skae of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy
6. Thou Shalt Not Flaunt thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success.
7. Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy Desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness.
8. Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good.
9. Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech.
10. Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee

Participants will be scored on the following areas:

Understanding of topic within sustainability

• Presentation includes all three branches of sustainability: economics, society, and the environment

Content

• States purpose
• Organized contest
• Supports ideas with research
• Incorporated stories and examples
• Summarizes

Delivery

• Demonstrates awareness of listener’s needs
• Speaks clearly with appropriate vocabulary and information
• Used tone, speed, and volume as tools
• Demonstrates complexity of vocabulary and thought
• Appears comfortable with audience

The Sustainability Contest is a great way to build student skills in research, communication, presentation, and understanding of the relevance and importance of sustainability. These are highly prized characteristics by our students’ future employers! Faculty should encourage student participation by making students aware of the contest through posting the link on their Blackboard sites, displaying signage, and mentioning in class, and by promoting the rewards of getting involved. If assigning credit or extra credit, faculty will be able to verify student participation by viewing student participation lists and presentation videos on ICC’s Greening the Curriculum webpage.