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The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Enactus team was one of the top 44 groups in the 1 Race 4 Oceans competition. The team was one of three from the U.S. moving forward in the competition, and it was among the 59 from 14 countries working to advance the Enactus sustainable development goal "life below water."

1 Race 4 Oceans focuses on tackling the ocean crisis through entrepreneurial action. Enactus students use business innovation to create a better, more sustainable world through the Enactus Global Races. 

"This is the first year we entered the 1 Race 4 Oceans. It was not open to teams from the United States in prior years," Katie Simmons, associate dean of undergraduate programs in the Mike Cottrell College of Business and Enactus faculty adviser, said.

"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle UNG" is the Â鶹APPEnactus team project that focused on reducing plastic waste through education programs about alternatives, proper recycling of plastics, and ways to upcycle plastic items into things like desk organizers, passive irrigation systems and jewelry, Simmons said. 

The group worked with Students for Environmental Spatial Analysis, the Art Club, and the Student Geospatial Analysis Club on several projects including the trail clean-up at Linwood Nature Preserve in Gainesville, Georgia, and the upcycling crafting project. 

The 44 projects will be narrowed to 12, from which four projects will be selected to represent the 1 Race 4 Oceans in the Impact Competition at Enactus World Cup this fall. 

Enactus is the world’s largest experiential learning platform dedicated to creating a better world while developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators.