“The CFW competition has been an effective way to deepen student understanding of the local and global environmental issues we face and the complexity involved in addressing them. It empowers students to take action in a way that is both feasible and measurable, providing a unique opportunity to develop engineering, service learning and project management skills. The proposal allows for a large degree of student choice both in the topic and means of addressing the issue, so they are authentically engaged in the research and planning of their project. That level of ownership is fundamental to a meaningful learning experience.”