In the past two months we’ve celebrated New Year’s Day (on the Gregorian calendar), Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, and now at ITP, we’re commemorating our own new beginnings: our 2012 grant cycle.

The 2012 deadline arrived at midnight February 1st, and the results are an incredible range of grant proposals. Teams from as far as Thailand, and diverse as students, professors, artists, scientists, photographers, and journalists have submitted proposals for their creative collaborations on climate change.

The ITP Advisory Committee will be convening at the end of March to review and select the final grant partners from the talented pool of applicants. Here are just a few of the innovative ideas submitted:

• A proposed student-run food cooperative and environmental education center at a California community college where current dining options are limited to a single fast-food restaurant.
• A multi-disciplinary art and science exhibit at a major university dedicated to telling aspects of climate justice.
• Several projects focused on Brazil, but taking very different approaches, in a search for innovative responses to climate change issues.
• And several returning to the heart of ITP, “invoking a pause,” to mindfully reflect on these issues that affect the planet.

One of the major tenets of ITP is to promote collaboration; we believe that a greater synergy is possible and more “out-of-the-box” thinking and approaches evolve among diverse backgrounds. This year’s group of proposals reinforces this belief. In the mix are collaborations of former grant partners with new partners with completely new projects and ideas.

Check back here in early April for the 2012 ITP Grant Partner announcements.