The document proposes a student-led education and outreach campaign called "Just Ask" to raise awareness of Rainforest Alliance certification among college students. The campaign would encourage students to ask their campus bookstores and local businesses to carry Rainforest Alliance certified products. Student groups would compete to collect the most petition signatures and complete unique promotional activities to win prizes. The goal is to demonstrate student demand for these certified products and increase student involvement in the issue.

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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!