SmartPower and Climate Culture launched the America’s Greenest Campus contest on Tuesday, a competition in which universities compete by students' reducing their carbon footprints.

The contest, which runs through October 5, will award $5,000 for sustainability initiatives to the school with the most participants as well as the most carbon reductions per participant

George Mason University is one of the strongest competitors, already having over 800 students on Climate Culture signed up, according to student campus coordinator, Colin Bennett.

Bennett says the school is competing with neighbor school the University of Maryland (College Park). “The best part about Climate Culture is seeing a visual representation of your reductions, and also the competition. Competing with other schools adds to the fun, since we’re all on the same side—we’re all trying to do our part striving towards climate neutrality. Reducing our emissions is part of our university history, when our school entered into the American College & University President Climate Commitment."

To promote the official launch of the contest, America's Greenest Campus and BarelyPolitical.com have teamed up with Obama Girl on a YouTube video to encourage student participation. Barely Political promoted the President's candidacy in the popular viral video, “I Got a Crush on Obama,” and also supports Obama’s “green” direction.

Climate Culture has also created a Facebook application to enable students to track their progress through the popular social networking site.