Katrina Sargent

Miles Automotive Group is offering creative college students a chance to win scholarships and improve the environment.

The California-based electric car company sponsors a Web-based program, MILES Revolution on their No Gas Required Web site, which aims to raise awareness about global warming and sustainability on university campuses.

The contest asks students to view a MILES Revolution video on YouTube and interpret it in their own way using any medium. The creation must be able to be recorded and uploaded onto YouTube.

“We’re trying to spread the word to get a lot of exposure for the cause, which is to reduce pollution on campuses around the U.S.,” said Nick Johnson, a member of RBI Creative, a company employed by Miles Automotive Group.

MILES Revolution proposes that even if college campuses were the only ones to switch over to electric vehicles, it still would have a significant impact on the environment, said Johnson. “College campuses have speed limits and small roads, and in many cases, there isn’t a need for a gas-powered car.”

“The MILES Revolution Video Contest is a great attention-getter and helps spread awareness about the benefits of electric cars, especially by utilizing such a high-visibility site such as YouTube,” said Alison Wipf, vice president of the SDSU Sierra Club.

Miles Automotive Group will award five winning students with $1,000 scholarships and the schools the students are from will receive a MILES Electric low-speed vehicle to use on their campus. According to Johnson, the cars for the winning schools will be designed with the schools’ colors and logos.

“I feel the strength of this contest is not found in its offering an electric car to the winner, but instead, it is found in spreading awareness about the great green projects that exist nationwide,” Wipf said.

Winners will be selected based on the number of views their video receives on YouTube.

Video submissions are being accepted until Nov. 15. Voting on YouTube will begin the following day and last until Dec. 16. The winners will be announced on Jan. 4, with the award presentations at the winners’ campuses on Jan. 16.

“To curb the effects of climate change, we all need to pitch in, start small and build up a more sustainable campus,” said Wipf.

The MILES Revolution Web site has resources for people who are interested in environmental change and sustainability. It encourages students to try making their campuses more eco-friendly through encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

The Web site also contains information about becoming an advocate, contacting members of congress, standardized letters and an online petition.

Miles Automotive Group currently offers only low-speed vehicles, but is set to release a freeway speed vehicle in 2008.

For more information about the video contest, visit their Web site at www.nogasrequired.com, or see the video on YouTube.

“I hope some creative SDSU students will be able to participate in this contest, so that they too can help our environment by building awareness of the recent “green” strides made by our campus,” Wipf said.