**Pitch submissions are no longer being accepted.**
Complete the pitch submission form to enter the competition. Student teams are encouraged to enter.
Determine an ESG Track
Participants can choose from one of three ESG tracks when submitting a competition pitch. Track details are below.
ESG Week will be held March 28 – April 1. Finalists for each category will present their pitches to judges on Friday, April 1.
Track: Climate Neutrality
Imagine that the university is drafting a strategic plan with the goal of the university achieving climate neutrality by 2040. Consider the work that is already underway or has been completed (see sustainability resources section).
- Submit one idea that can contribute to the University achieving climate neutrality by 2040.
- Please think boldly!
- What might the impacts be across all three dimensions of ESG?
- How can your idea best be implemented?
- How will you monitor the progress of this initiative?
Track: Globally Inclusive Wake Forest University
How might Wake Forest University achieve a globally (everyone) inclusive community? Identify a specific barrier (e.g.., ethnic/racial or gender representation, a process, a practice, insufficient funding, etc.) to achieve inclusivity.
- How might WFU achieve a globally (everyone) inclusive community?
- Build, in detail, your idea or solution to that barrier.
- Please think boldly!
- What might the impacts be across all three dimensions of ESG?
- If your idea was successful, how would improvement be detected or measured?
Track: The Student as a Stakeholder
Universities represent a combination of unique stakeholders (such as faculty, staff, alumni, donors, etc.) that make the educational experience possible. Our students also represent a group of stakeholders that is central to our community. Consider the role of the student as a stakeholder.
- What specific idea do you have for how students might contribute to the even better functioning of the University?
- By what definition of success would this functioning be improved?
- How does this definition of success connect to the principle of Pro Humanitate?
- Please think boldly!
- How can your idea best be implemented?
- What might the impacts be across all three dimensions of ESG?
Definition: The E, in ESG includes the energy your organization takes in and the waste it discharges, the resources it needs, and the consequences for living beings as a result. Not least, E encompasses carbon emissions and climate change. Every organization uses energy and resources; every organization affects and is affected by the environment.
Definition: The S in ESG, addresses the relationships your organization has and the reputation it fosters with people and institutions in the communities where you do business. S includes labor relations and diversity and inclusion. Every organization operates within a broader, diverse society.
Definition: The G in ESG, is the internal system of practices, controls, and procedures your organization adopts to govern itself, make effective decisions, comply with the law, and meet the needs of stakeholders. An organization’s purpose and how success is measured are core elements of its governance structures.
