North Carolina State University
IN-2: Innovation 2

In 2010, Student Government created the first ‘Think Outside the Brick’ (TOTB) competition to fund student sustainability ideas. The brick is a common sight at NC State and by asking students to think outside the brick, Student Government seeks creative sustainability student projects for which they can provide seed money. Each year, Student Government offers a $1,000 grant to the project with the best idea to help improve sustainability awareness and impact on campus. In the first year there were more than 30 submissions. The project selected was a student maintained community garden project, the “SOUL Garden,” Students for Organic United Living, submitted by two students from the Wolfpack Environmental Student Association. SOUL Garden partners with the Campus Farmers’ Market to give students access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Three years later the SOUL garden remains one of the more visible student run sustainability projects. Other projects funded by TOTB include lighting sensors in a residence hall and expansion of the community garden concept to Central Campus. The most recent project involves putting a solar installation on an existing gazebo enabling those using the gazebo to power student electronic devices such as phones and laptops.