Seeking a way to contribute to Ohio University’s sustainability goals while also making a difference in the Athens community, Graduate Student Senate announces its 2018 Sustain OHIO Essay Contest.

The Sustain OHIO Essay Contest is open to all Ohio University students. Cash prizes of $100 and $50 will be awarded to the first- and second-place winners, respectively. 

This year’s essay contest focuses on single-use plastic bags and asks students to propose an innovative solution to eliminating the use of these bags at Ohio University that could possibly be scaled up to the city level. Essay contest details are available here, and funds may be available for implementation of the winning proposal. 

Essays must be 500 words and are due by Friday, March 23. A panel of judges composed of OHIO faculty, staff and alumni will evaluate the essays and score each essay on clarity, feasibility, environmental impact, economic impact, creativity and scalability of the proposal. The winner will be announced prior to the screening of “Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock,” which is being shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, at the Athena Cinema as part of this year’s Sustainability Film Series. That event is free and open to the public.

Completed essays should be submitted here.  

For more information, contact Miles Gordon, the environmental affairs commissioner for Graduate Student Senate, at mg086916@ohio.edu.