Climate Change College Graduates: From Green DIY to Watering-Down the Food Chain(s)

This year, Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry's sponsored a student/green entrepreneur from each of eight European countries in its three-year-old mentoring program called Climate Change College.

CO2 reductions plus behavior changeThe sponsorship chose the eight students for their innovative business ideas on climate change reductions - the winning solutions had to not only reduce CO2 but also change behavior. For nine months, students received mentoring on their business plans (worth about $30,000), and in addition, a scientific field trip to the Arctic and approximately $10,000 to launch their selected idea. Ben & Jerry's considers its graduates Climate Change Ambassadors.

One of this year's students, Cara Augustenborg, is starting a green DIY site for Irish homeowners and apartment residents. While Cara's Top Ten Tips are the kind of relatively simple stuff that many TreeHuggers are already doing, it's good to see up-and-coming entrepreneurs spreading the word worldwide.

Another Climate Change Ambassador, Inez Reveter from Spain, dreamed up her project after getting alarmed that Barcelona's swimming pools were no longer getting filled because drought had driven the city to restrict water. Reveter designed a project to get local restaurant chains to change to water-saving faucets (up to 50 percent water savings), installing cisterns, and educating employees on water conservation. Swedish entrant Jacob Rutqvist launched the web site Global Focus to encourage younger eco-entrepreneurs to dream of innovation and also find the funds to implement it. Via ::Climate Change CollegeRead more onBen & Jerry's Climate Change CollegeJerry Still Loves Ice CreamGreen Branding and Marketing: Who's Out In Front?