2025 Sustainability Project Showcase

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students looking at poster projects

Be Part of the Green Generation Showcase

Be part of CSU Long Beach's biggest sustainability event of the year for Earth Month! This in-person event will provide a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate 色中色 students to display and gain recognition for all types of sustainability and climate-justice-related projects from a variety of disciplines.

We are seeking sustainability and/or climate justice-focused research posters, artworks, prototypes, videos, performances and more to be displayed and highlighted at the Green Generation Showcase event on April 17, 2025. Students from all majors are encouraged to submit a project of any kind, as long as it is related to a sustainability, environmental justice, or climate justice issue or solution in some way. 

The Project Showcase will be reviewed by judges and winners will be selected from each of the six categories. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each category. Additionally, students may choose to have their projects considered for Edison's Excellence in Sustainability Award, a special distinction selected by event sponsor Southern California Edison. 

All students displaying a project will receive a Certificate of Participation. 

In the past, we have found that the showcase is most successful when we partner with faculty who incorporate a sustainability project requirement into their spring semester courses. Faculty can encourage their classes - either through a Canvas post or a class announcement - to submit a project and attend the Green Generation Showcase event to engage in conversations about the work. 

Contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@csulb.edu for additional information about the submission process and deadlines.

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FAQ's

Eligibility & General Info

Current 色中色 students from any discipline are invited to participate in the project showcase. This includes undergraduate, graduate, full and part-time students. Projects can be submitted by individuals or teams of students. 

In the past, all projects submitted into the Showcase were displayed at the event, as long as they were sustainability or climate justice-focused and met the standards of college level work. 

However, participation in the Showcase has grown so much over the years that we have been forced to begin limiting the number of projects we are able to display. We simply don't have the space to display all of the projects. 

Instead, we will be working with faculty who have students that would like to participate in the Showcase to select a sample of projects from their classes. If students want to submit projects they created either independent of a class or for a class they took prior to the spring 2025 semester, the Office of Sustainability staff will evaluate whether the project can be included. 

Students will be notified by Tuesday, April 8th if their project has been selected so that they can make plans to deliver it to the Office of Sustainability on Monday, April 14th. 

If you have questions about the selection process, please contact sustainability@csulb.edu 

  • Sunday, March 23th, 2025 by 11:49pm: Deadline to complete the online  
  • Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 by 5pm: Notifications will be sent out confirming project has been selected for the Showcase.
  • Monday, April 14th, 2025: Selected project must be delivered to the Office of Sustainability (located in Beach Building Services) by 5pm.
  • Thursday, April 17th, 2025: Green Generation Showcase event will be held from 4 to 7pm. Projects will be displayed and winners in each category will be announced! (Attendance at the event is optional and not required in order to participate in the showcase.) 
  • Monday, April 21 - Friday, April 25 - Projects must be picked up from the Office of Sustainability (they may also be collected on April 17th once the event has concluded at 7:00pm

No, students to not need to be in attendance at the event in order to participate in the project showcase. Students are not required to "present" their projects at the event. However, if your schedule allows you to attend the event, we highly recommend that you do so and plan to stand by your project for at least a portion of the event to talk to people about your project and answer any questions they may have. It is a great way to practice your public speaking and networking skills! 

How to Prepare Your Project & Abstract

The Project Submission form includes the following required fields:

  • First and last name of project submitter(s) - If it is a group project, we need first and last names of all students
  • Name and contact information for the primary point of contact (the person who will deliver the project) 
  • Project title
  • Project category
  • Project format/medium
  • Dimensions (if applicable)
  • Abstract (see below) 

Project Abstract (250-word limit)
NOTE: Your abstract will be reviewed by the judges so please take time to write a thoughtful response. 

Provide a brief, clear description of your project including:

  • The sustainability and/or climate justice concepts addressed and how they connect to your discipline 
  • Key research findings (if applicable) including proposed solution(s) to sustainability and/or climate justice challenge(s)
  • How the approach, methods, frameworks, or processes used to create the project support exploration of sustainability and/or climate justice issues.


If applicable, please also describe the ways your project presents:

  • Strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • Strategies for addressing the environmental burdens of underserved communities
  • Strategies for inspiring community action 

There are six categories:

  1. Business Analysis and Solutions
  2. Design Solutions
  3. Technology/Engineering Research and Solutions
  4. Research related to Natural or Environmental Sciences
  5. Research related to Public Policy, Education or Social Issues
  6. Fine Art/Performance

Please review the Project Category Descriptions page  for details about the types of projects that are appropriate for each category as well as examples of past projects showcased in these categories. 

All types of projects are accepted including research posters, artworks, prototypes, performances, interactive displays, and videos as long as they relate to one or more sustainability, environmental/climate justice issue or solution in some way.

Research papers are not appropriate for this showcase, unless the findings can be effectively communicated in a short video format or on a research poster. 

If your project is a...Use your video to...
A PowerPoint PresentationShare screen your content on Zoom, record yourself and the image/presentation as you discuss your project. Then download the video to your hard drive, and upload to YouTube. Videos should be no more than 5 minutes in length.
Business pitch or performanceUse Zoom or your phone to record your pitch or performance and upload to YouTube.

Here are some resources to help you create and edit your video: 

Project Judging & Awards

Each project will be reviewed and scored by three judges - one faculty member, one staff, and one student. Projects will receive scores from 0-10 based on four criteria. The projects with the highest and second highest total scores in each category will be awarded first place and honorable mention, respectively. In the case of a tie, both projects will be awarded. 

Project Judging Rubric

0 - 1 = Below Average
2 - 3 = Average (i.e. meets basic expectations)
4 - 6 = Above Average (exceeds basic expectations)
7 - 9 = Very strong
10 = Exceptional

CRITERIA 1: DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC SUSTAINABILITY/CLIMATE JUSTICE CONNECTION

The student clearly presents sustainability and/or climate justice concept(s) within the discipline-specific context of the project and successfully integrates them to support approaches, methods, frameworks, models, artworks, claims, and/or solutions described in the abstract.

CRITERIA 2: SOLUTION OR CALL TO ACTION

The project presents or offers at least one sustainability and/or climate justice solution or call to action for various stakeholder groups. 

CRITERIA 3: CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY, RELEVANCE, AND SIGNIFICANCE

The project is executed with creativity and introduces unique, relevant, and/or significant ideas valuable for the development of new and/or modification of existing approaches, products, processes, frameworks, strategies, or solutions. 

CRITERIA 4: OVERALL QUALITY AND PRESENTATION

The project meets the college-level work requirements, is well-structured and executed.

 

Optional Secondary Award Consideration

When submitting their Project Submission Form and abstract, students will have the opportunity to opt-in for their project to be considered for a special Edison's Excellence in Sustainability Award, which will be selected by our event sponsor, Edison International. This is optional and choosing not to have your project considered for this secondary award will not impact your eligibility for awards in the regular showcase categories. 

Projects eligible for Edison's Excellence in Sustainability Award must explore one or more of the following:

  • Specific strategies for addressing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
  • Strategies for addressing the environmental burdens of underserved communities
  • Strategies for inspiring community action 

If you have additional questions, you may contact sustainability@csulb.edu 

All students displaying a project will receive a Certificate of Participation and special prizes for First Place and Honorable Mention will be awarded in each of the 6 categories. 

Additionally, students may choose to have their projects considered for Edison's Excellence in Sustainability Award, a special distinction bestowed on a project selected by event sponsor Southern California Edison. 

The event is also a great opportunity for students to network and make connections, as we will be inviting local organization representatives, Long Beach green business leaders, and local elected and civic leaders to participate in the festivities.

Info for Faculty

Encouraging or requiring students to create projects

In the past, we have found that the showcase is most successful when we partner with faculty who incorporate a sustainability project requirement into their spring semester courses. Students will be required to submit an abstract and project description form by Sunday, March 30th and all projects would need to be completed and submitted by April 14th in order to be included in the Showcase on April 17th.  Please share the Call for Projects flyer with students (feel free to print and post in your department and/or post on Canvas or anywhere else to help us spread the word!).

Contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@csulb.edu for additional information about the submission process and deadlines.

Promoting the Event

Faculty can make announcements in class, share the event flyer and with students and colleagues, post on social media, and tell their friends to attend this great event! 

Serving as a Judge

Faculty who do not have students participating in the Showcase can serve as judges for the event! See the Call for Judges webpage and contact sustainability@csulb.edu if you are interest in serving as a judge. 

Yes! While the primary focus of the Project Showcase is student work, we also want to highlight and celebrate faculty who have taken steps to integrate sustainability and climate justice content, learning objectives, and projects into their courses. 

If you are a faculty member who meets these criteria, we invite you to complete the form below by Friday, March 28th. 

Event Sponsors: 

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Port of Long Beach logo
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Edison logo
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JGarden logo

  

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President's Commission on Sustainability