Six finalists announced for the World Bank Group’s Youth Summit 2015: Crowd-sourcing solutions for climate change

Over the years, motivated young people have proven that they are a valuable force that contributes to solving some of society’s most complex development challenges. Day 2 of the World Bank Group’s Youth Summit 2015: Crowd-Sourcing Solutions for Climate Change expounds on this potential with a competition which invites the brightest young minds from around the world to use their knowledge and creativity to formulate climate change solutions that contribute to growth and development in emerging countries. 

The competition was open to teams of up to five people, aged 18 to 35. This year we received over 300 proposals from youth in over 70 countries including Belarus, Haiti, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Macedonia, Chile, Ivory Coast, Japan, Yemen, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, and Spain.

Team captains will present their proposals in the International Finance Corporation auditorium located at 2121 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20433.

Get to know our six finalists and the groundbreaking ideas you can expect to see on stage:

• Team AQGRI+ will detail a franchise model for urban and peri-urban agriculture in India using vermicomposting (a process that uses earthworms and microorganisms to help break down organic material in order to create nutrient rich soil) and aquaponics (a system that uses waste produced by fish or other aquatic animals to supply nutrients for plants grown soil-less, which in turn purifies water).  

• Team TREE+PLY will debut a free mobile application that is geared towards increasing global awareness and inspiring action through gamification in the Philippines. Users enter a virtual world where everything is red, meaning environmentally hazardous. In order to gradually create a healthier green world, players have to complete simple “quests” such as tweeting about climate change or signing a global warming petition.

• Team HELIOS wants Indian farmers to get away from diesel-powered irrigation pumps which contributes to carbon emissions and high diesel fuels costs. Instead the team proposes to allow farmers to rent solar irrigations systems and receive incentives for efficient water use.

• Team KopaGas targeted Tanzania with their pay-as-you-go model using electric canisters to accelerate the use of liquefied petroleum gas rather than charcoal. The team has a blueprint for a leasable canister which can monitor the amount of gas remaining inside and charges customers for only what they use, allowing low-middle income households to access clean cooking and have more control over their budget and energy consumption.

• Team Greenie Exchange has built a community complementary currency (CCC) in China which asks users to actively reduce their carbon footprint in order to earn positive rewards.  Users can take actions such as join a carbon reduction program, carpool, or recycle to earn “Greencoins” which is credited to a user’s electronic wallet and can be spent at partnered businesses, used to make donations, or invested in sustainable infrastructure projects.

• Team ECO-TECHNOLOGIES has plans to educate and distribute cookers to Ugandans who use biogas and pumice stones rather than timber fuel like charcoal and firewood which contribute to carbon monoxide deaths and lung disease. The new stoves are expected to be affordable, adapted for long hours of cooking needs, and can be used for both domestic and commercial use in urban and rural settings.

The Youth Summit 2015 has partnered with the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) to give the two winning team captains the opportunity to attend the 2016 ICSB Academy in New Jersey and New York City from June 14-18, 2016.

The ICSB Academy provides students with a full immersion experience in the making of a new entrepreneurial venture. Successful entrepreneurial experts (including venture capitalists, business experts, and faculty) designed a dynamic training program that includes learning modules that will help participants to identify opportunities and create their own business.

Participants in each cohort are paired with seasoned mentors and are given time throughout the program to gain insights and advice on their ideas, learn from their mentor’s experiences, and network to expand their professional networks with another 200 entrepreneurs from around the world. Each winner's attendance to the Academy includes registration fees, flight, accommodation in the Stevens Institute of Technology’s dormitories, and meals.
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The competition showcase will be streamed live. We invite all those interested in climate change and development to tune in by visiting: http://live.worldbank.org/wbg-youth-summit-2015

American Sign Language (ASL) by Capitol Sign Interpreters will be provided for the competition portion of the event to serve our hearing impaired community.

If you are local to the Washington D.C. area, there is still time to register to attend this awesome, free event: http://goo.gl/forms/ZZpbcUIVXQ

If you are interested in partnering with the Youth Summit Organizing Committee (YSOC) in any capacity, please contact Ines Gonzalez del Mazo, External Relations Co-Chair (igonzalezdelmazo@worldbank.org) or Jewel McFadden, Youth Engagement Lead (jmcfadden@worldbankgroup.org)