Dean Mayer |
Garett Reiss Brennan |
Tue, February 05 2008 - CLIF MOJO and FOCUS THE NATION Launch PROJECT SLINGSHOT
Three winners will receive up to $10,000 to slingshot creative Global Warming solutions into action
PORTLAND, Ore. and BERKELEY, Calif. — CLIF Mojo™, the sweet and salty trail mix bar from the makers of CLIF® BAR, and Focus the Nation want to propel the creative global warming solutions of young voters into action. Three winners will receive up to $10,000 to slingshot their ideas into reality.
On Jan. 31, Focus the Nation will educate close to 1 million youth on global warming solutions and connect those students with Congress and elected leaders in every state to partner in the clean energy revolution. All participants at more than 1,700 college campuses and other institutions will then vote on their top five solutions in the Choose Your Future vote.
CLIF Mojo, the 70-percent-organic trail mix bar from Clif Bar & Company, has joined forces with Focus the Nation to create Project Slingshot, which will award three grants to the most creative, compelling, action-oriented ways to keep focusing the nation on solutions to global warming this summer.
“This is incredible,” said Eban Goodstein, project director for Focus the Nation. “With CLIF Mojo’s support, young people will be able to transform their education on solutions into action at a time when every community in America needs to know how important this issue is and how to do something about it.”
Climate change enthusiasts between 18 and 25 who want to propel their solutions into reality can visit www.mojoslingshot.com to review application criteria and apply (or call 503-768-7990). The deadline to submit proposals is March 15.
Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22. In June, the winners will travel to Clif Bar’s headquarters in Berkeley, Calif., to receive their award and a day of climate change training.
Clif Bar’s focus on climate change is inspired by a passion for the outdoors and a desire to protect the natural places where people like to play. CLIF Mojo embodies that outdoor sensibility as an ideal trail mix bar made with real fruits and nuts.
“We’ve always strived to do things a little differently here at Clif Bar, to keep our mojo alive but to do it while leaving as light a footprint as possible on the planet,” said Clif Bar Owner/Founder Gary Erickson. “We’re excited Project Slingshot can help others express themselves creatively to address a major challenge facing the world today.”
One Project Slingshot winner will be awarded in each of the three categories below:
Outdoor fanatics protecting the places we love to play: Projects should be inspired by the need to protect our outdoor spaces such as mountains, rivers and oceans.
Innovators challenging our expectations: Projects should challenge the status quo with new and creative thinking, and include an action element to bring new thinking into action.
Artists inspiring our communities: Projects should use the arts to increase awareness of or change thinking about global warming solutions.
Below are bios of the Project Slingshot Judges
Outdoor Fanatics
Jeremy Jones: Pro snowboarder for over 15 years and is considered one of the best in the world. Snowboarder Magazine named him “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” for six years running. In 2007, Jeremy founded Protect Our Winters (POW), whose mission is to build a united front of winter sports enthusiasts in an effort to restore our winter climates.
Eric Larsen: Modern day explorer who uses his expeditions to promote solutions to global warming. He is currently planning the Save the Poles Expedition, a journey to the summit of Mt. Everest, the North Pole and South Pole all in one year to tell the amazing story of these last great frozen places.
Artists
Judith Helfand: Often known for translating the cynical worlds of chemical exposure and heedless corporate behavior into highly personal, resonant, and entertaining films, Judith co-directed and Co-produced Everything’s Cool, a toxic comedy about global warming messaging in a time of U.S. deceit. The film had its world premiere at Sundance 2007. An educator and activist she is co-founder of Working Films, a national organization that is a dynamic bridge between high-profile non-fiction filmmaking and cutting edge social change organizing.
Adam Gardner: Guitarist/vocalist for Guster and Co-Director and Founder of Reverb. Reverb is a non-profit organization that has “greened” over 50 major rock tours from Dave Matthews Band to Linkin Park, educating and engaging musicians and their fans to promote environmental sustainability.
Innovators
Billy Parish: Co-founder and coordinator of the Energy Action Coalition, Billy has for the past four years worked as a full-time organizer to build the youth climate movement and advocate for solutions rooted in green job creation, environmental justice and healthy communities.
Denis Hayes: National coordinator of the first Earth Day, an event often credited with launching the modern American environmental movement, Denis is now president of the Bullitt Foundation and board chair of the International Earth Day Network, as well as immediate past chair of the Energy Foundation.
Rocky Anderson: Mayor of Salt Lake City from 2000-2008, Rocky is a foremost U.S. leader in combating global warming. For his Salt Lake City climate protection campaign, he was honored with the World Leadership Award in London. He originated the annual “Sundance Summit: A Mayor’s Gathering on Climate Protection,” and has received major awards from the U.S. EPA and Sierra Club. Rocky also is a founder of High Road for Human Rights, a unique grassroots organization focused on addressing major human rights challenges, including the prevention of catastrophic climate change.
Focus The Nation is an unprecedented educational initiative on global warming solutions for America that occurred at more than 1,700 universities, civic and faith organizations and in all 50 states on Jan. 31, 2008. As the largest teach-in in U.S. history, Focus The Nation is preparing millions of students to become leaders in the largest civilizational challenge any generation has faced.
Clif Bar & Company is a leading maker of all-natural and organic energy and nutrition foods and drinks, including the CLIF® BAR energy bar, delivering nutrition for sustained energy, and LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women®. Committed to sustainability, Clif Bar works diligently to reduce its footprint on the planet from the field to the final product. Visit www.clifbar.com to learn more.
