 
Your caption here?
  Send a caption for the above photo to asucontest@grist.org by Wednesday, April 8 at high noon. If yours is deemed the wittiest and greeniest, you could win a Solio Solar Charger. Contest details and rules here.
Congratulations to Noah Nipperus, winner of our most recent caption contest. See his winning entry at left, and check out the runners-up in the "Caption Contest" photo album on the Grist-ASU Facebook page.
If you've captured a moment you'd like captioned, send a photo to pix@grist.org.
TOTAL EMPOWERMENT
New student miracle technology generates clean energy, pays tuition, and provides a livable wage
Students in ASU's School of Sustainability have discovered a ground-breaking new technology for producing clean energy on campus. When fully launched, it will provide free electricity, eliminate all tuition fees, and pay participating students a livable wage. The super-secret system -- which is still under wraps until patent issues are settled -- works by tapping into the vast, but previously under-utilized, "waste" energy generated by everyday student activities, for example, skateboarding, dancing, pencil tapping, laughing, recycling, texting, and deep thinking. Excess energy from these pursuits is captured and then transmitted via a wireless intra-grid where it is converted to commercial-grade electricity for use as needed. "So far we've only tested this technology on the Polytechnic campus," said a student source, "but we see no reason why it can't be scaled up to power entire cities." Learn more about this revolutionary technology.
GAUGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Engineering students design devices to save fuel and money
By Joe Kullman, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
Ever want to design something really cool, like a battle robot or a race car? That's exactly what ASU student Jim Cunningham was thinking when he signed up for a mechanical and aerospace engineering design course. But his instructor, Mario Gomes, wanted students to learn that green can be just as sexy as a race car. The Gomes challenge: design and build automatic tire inflators. That sounds odd until you discover that properly inflated tires could cut gas consumption in the U.S. by a whopping 4 million gallons a day, and save individual drivers hundreds of dollars a year. Student teams eventually developed several devices that maintained optimal pressure and used only the power of the tire's rotation. Cunningham called it a "really astonishing" lesson -- even though no battle bots were involved. Find out more about these green student engineers.
IT PAINS US TO EMIT THIS
Business professor detects a major change in the air around climate
"In periods of great flux and uncertainty, the people who love [change] are going to find opportunities," says Andrew J. Hoffman, the author of Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy? (2008). Speaking to an ASU audience and reporters on Mar. 19, the University of Michigan professor of sustainable enterprise cast climate change as both a threat and an opportunity. He said it doesn't matter whether CEOs believe in it or not: "You need to think about climate change as a market shift. There will be winners and there will be losers. Regulation is coming and businesses need to understand their vulnerabilities." Hoffman warned that businesses will face a double whammy. Consumers and investors will seek environmentally conscious products and services, while energy costs may rise and governments will put a price on carbon emissions. The best business strategy will be to innovate. "Change is coming," he said. "That's where it gets fun." Read more about Hoffman's ASU visit.
GETTING IN SCHOLARSHIP SHAPE
Environmental professionals open door of opportunity for ASU senior
Drew Bryck learned it pays to study sustainability. Environmental Professionals of Arizona --which promotes environmental and economic sustainability through pollution prevention -- chose the School of Sustainability student as winner of a 2009 scholarship. "The increase in ASU's sustainability students was apparent this year," said EPAZ scholarship chair Julie Hoskin. "It's great to help close the gap between their education and our profession." Drew found the scholarship on ASU's scholarship website and was recommended by Daniel Childers, a sustainability professor and associate director of research at the Global Institute of Sustainability. Working toward a master's degree and career in international climate change policy, Drew is also pursuing an Arctic climate change internship. "EPAZ opened my eyes to the diversity of the industry," Drew said. "Anyone who is on the fence about a sustainability degree should really check it out."
» The above content is provided by ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability
A BRUSH WITH DESTINY
Umbra's video advice on reusing your toothbrush
new in Grist: A Brush With Destiny
 PICK AND LOSE
A look at the lives of the people who pick your tomatoes
Processes that devastate the earth also tend to abuse human beings. Tom Philpott got a jolt of food-system reality during a trip to Immokalee, Fla., epicenter of U.S. fresh-tomato production from December to March. The process of harvesting tomatoes destined to be consumed fresh resists mechanization. The fruit is too fragile; only human hands can do the job. The food industry's solution: treat human beings like machines -- or worse. Read all about it in a two-part series.
new in Grist: Pick and Lose
 SLOGANEERING
How to come up with catchy Earth Day slogans
Q. Dear Umbra,
My work colleagues are trying to think of a catchy slogan to celebrate Earth Day this year. We typically plan a week of activities to educate and increase awareness of the benefits of being green. However, we are having a hard time agreeing on a slogan ... Please help us get out of the slogan quagmire.
Claire M.
Petaluma, Calif.
A. Dearest Claire,
Here at Grist HQ, we have access to the brightest, shiniest minds in slogan making: our readers. We also have eight headline-writing squirrels, but I cannot say whether your situation will interest them. They are headstrong ...
new in Grist: Sloganeering
 JELLYFISH AND CHIPS?
The case for -- and against -- eating those suddenly pervasive, stinging sea creatures
You might have heard that jellyfish populations are on the rise and that they're even edible. But should you sink your teeth into these spineless sea creatures for the sake of sustainability? Grist digs into the pros and cons of putting jellies on your plate.
new in Grist: Jellyfish and Chips
 GETTING SHOWN THE ECUADOR
Ecuadorian government shuts down leading environmental group
The Ecuadorian government has shut down Acción Ecológica (Environmental Action), withdrawing the legal status of one of South America's best-known environmental groups. Acción Ecológica has in recent months supported indigenous-led, mass protests and highway blockades against President Rafael Correa's support for large-scale mining. Get the full report.
new in Grist: Getting Shown the Ecuador
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