RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CHALLENGE

Create an education and outreach campaign (using free or existing digital tools) to increase understanding of the social and environmental benefits of Rainforest Alliance certification among college students, and mobilize them to ask for Rainforest Alliance Certified products

on campus and in surrounding businesses.

THE PITCH:

“JUST ASK” ALL UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE US HAVE

STUDENT ACTIVITY DEPARTMENTS OR STUDENT

AFFAIRS OFFICES. THESE DEPARTMENTS TYPICALLY

ADVISE AND SUPERVISE ALL STUDENT RUN

ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSIST WITH ALL CAMPUS

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. THE

ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDE STUDENT ACTIVITY

BOARDS, SORORITIES, FRATERNITIES, STUDENT

PUBLICATIONS, STUDENT GOVERNMENT, RADIO

STATIONS, AND MANY OTHER STUDENT CLUBS AND

INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL COUNCILS. THESE

DEPARTMENTS, CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ARE

CONSTANTLY ON THE HUNT FOR UNIQUE ACTIVITY

PROGRAMS AND DESIGNED TO ENTERTAIN BUT ALSO

PROGRAMS TO INCREASE STUDENT SOCIAL

CONSCIOUSNESS AND INVOLVEMENT. THESE ARE

EASY CONTACT POINTS ON CAMPUS FOR A

COMBINATION SOCIAL AWARENESS AND FUN

CAMPAIGN THAT I AM CALLING, “JUST ASK”.

“JUST ASK” WOULD BE SPONSORED, ORGANIZED AND

IMPLEMENTED BY STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR

ORGANIZATIONS AND THE STUDENT ACTIVITY

DEPARTMENTS. IT CAN BE ORGANIZED AS A

COMPETITION AND/OR A COLLABORATIVE ALL-

CAMPUS EFFORT. CAPS AND T SHIRTS WITH THE

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE LOGO, AND “JUST ASK”

PRINTED ON THEM WOULD BE WORN BY THE

MEMBERSHIP OF ALL PARTICIPATING GROUPS

SUPPLIED BY THE STUDENT ACTIVITY OFFICE. THE

CAMPAIGN WOULD BE PROMOTED BY TRADITIONAL

RESOURCES, SUCH AS THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER AND

RADIO STATION, AS WELL AS ON FACEBOOK,

TWITTER, UTUBE ETC.

IN ADDITION, CAMPUS BOOKSTORES, AND ANY OTHER

STUDENT RUN CAMPUS CO-OPS AND SHOPS WOULD

SELL THE CAPS, T-SHIRTS AND CERTIFIED

RAINFOREEST ALLIANCE PRODUCTS. THE POTENTIAL

ALL CAMPUS CAMPAIGN WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

THE DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATIVE MATERIALS

CONCERNING THE RAINFOREST AND THE ALLIANCE

PRODUCTS. INFORMED SPEAKERS COULD BE

INTERVIEWED FOR THE RADIO AND NEWSPAPERS, AND

VIDEOS MADE FOR USE ON UTUBE ETC.

CLEARLY WEARING THE HATS AND T-SHIRTS WILL

STIMULATE THE QUESTION, “ASK WHAT?” BY OTHER

STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS. THE ANSWER IS

TO ASK ABOUT THE RAINFOREST AND THE ALLIANCE.

TO MAKE IT COMPETITIVE, STUDENT GROUPS WOULD

WIN ALLIANCE PRODUCT PRIZES FOR THEIR EFFORT.

FOR EXAMPLE, SIGNATURES WOULD BE COLLECTED

ON PETITIONS REQUESTING THE SALE OF ALLIANCE

PRODUCTS AT THE CAMPUS BOOKSTORE AS WELL AS

AT LOCAL SHOPS. GROUPS COLLECTING THE MOST

SIGNATURES WOULD WIN PRIZES. A PRIZE WOULD BE

OFFERED FOR THE MOST UNIQUE PROMOTIONAL

ACTIVITY.

THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF SIGNED PETITIONS

WOULD EVENTUALLY BE PRESENTED TO THE

ADMINISTRATION AND BOOKSTORE MANAGEMENT, AS

WELL AS OWNER/MANAGERS OF LOCAL SHOPS. THE

PETITIONS WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE EXISTENCE OF

A MARKET FOR ALLIANCE PRODUCTS WHILE THE

OVERALL “JUST ASK” CAMPAIGN INCREASES

STUDENT AWARENESS, AND INVOLVEMENT.

STUDENTS ARE OFTEN VIEWED AS APATHETIC, BUT IF

THEY GET BEHIND AN ISSUE, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT

IS WORTHWHILE AND FUN, THE OBJECTIVE OF THE

CHALLENGE WILL BE FULFILLED. GIVE THE STUDENTS

THE CHALLENGE AND SOME INFORMATION TOOLS,

AND THEY WILL TAKE IT FROM THERE. JUST ASK ONE

OF THEM!