You can vote for UC — one of 18 finalists for the 2012 Climate Leadership Awards from the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) — by checking out the two-minute video online and clicking the thumbs-up icon in the blue box marked “vote.”

The deadline for voting is midnight Saturday, April 14. The video competition is cosponsored by Planet Forward, a project of the Center for Innovative Media at George Washington University (GWU), and Second Nature, a nonprofit organization that helps colleges and universities promote sustainability.

Now in their third year, the Climate Leadership Awards recognize campus innovation and excellence in climate leadership at ACUPCC member institutions. UC San Diego won the award in 2010, and UC Irvine won it in 2011.

All the finalists were asked to submit videos about their programs, and the top vote getters will be recognized at GWU’s upcoming Moving the Planet Forward conference. They will also be featured in various media, including The Huffington Post and National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge blog.

In 2004, student leaders and UC administrators collaborated to adopt a comprehensive Policy on Sustainable Practices, which set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent, purchasing 20 percent sustainable food and sending zero waste to landfills by the year 2020.

Toward these goals, UC has already earned 87 LEED certifications and is saving $32 million annually on its utility bills, thanks to energy efficiency investments. You can find out more about UC’s sustainability and projects on specific campuses on the Sustainability at UC website.

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