CALL FOR INNOVATION
How can university campuses transition to circular models and be the blueprint for liveable cities?
Without limiting the imagination of innovators on campus, we’re looking for solutions to the most pressing urban challenges that exist, such as food systems, the built environment, waste management, energy and water.
Solutions must solve a problem or harness an opportunity that exists on or near the university campus. Ideally, the ideas will help accelerate the transition to a circular economy on campus and beyond.
*The submission deadline has now passed. Thank you to all who submitted an idea.
The competition finals event was held virtually on October 26, 2022.
If you're having trouble viewing the video, try visiting our website from another browser or watch the competition finals event recording here.
Winners of the Competition
Congratulations to the top 6 teams chosen take part in our innovation boot camp!
Flowers Power
RMIT, Vietnam
PeninSOLUTION
BPSU, Philippines
Up to Green
BPSU, Philippines
The ConCreators
BPSU, Philippines
Siklo
ADNU, Philippines
Makakan
ADNU, Philippines
Congratulations to the Incubatees
Teams Siklo, Up to Green & The ConCreators were chosen for the Circular Campus Programme incubation oppportunity!
They were incubated virtually from January to April 2023 with funding from KAS RECAP.
Innovation Competition Prizes
Innovation Boot Camp run by ClimateLaunchpad trainer, Shiva Susarla
For the top 3 teams chosen by the judges + wild card teams
Topics covered in this intensive Boot Camp include: circular economy innovation, customer discovery and validation, market sizing and segmentation, unique value proposition, business financials, and circular business impact.
Co-incubation with RENERGii and CCAsia, plus seed funding
For selected teams (who participated in the Boot Camp)
RENERGii will provide 3 months of virtual incubation support for two teams and help with refining their business model, design and development of a minimal viable product (MVP), networking and partnership-building, and investment readiness.
Each team will receive $2000 USD of seed funding during the incubation.
About the Top 10 Teams
Siklo (previously team Raziel)
ADNU, Philippines
Problem identified: As the population density of Naga City continues to rise, air pollution and traffic congestion directly intensify to the detriment of citizens. Currently, active modes of transportation are not prioritised.
Circular idea: Create a platform to help make biking a more cost-effective and accessible transportation option. The platform would provide access to affordable bikes, active transport accessories, biking information and a community of bikers.
Up to Green
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: Rice straw and rice husk from the rice farming industry are often burned after the harvest. The greenhouse gas emissions from the burning pose environmental and social risks.
Circular idea: Fabricate a machine that can process agricultural waste, such as rice straw and rice husk, into a biomaterial. The material can then be used to make products, such as seedling pots, that can replace the single-use plastic products currently being used.
BPSU - Group B2
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: Coconut vendors on the streets and in markets are left with a significant amount of coconut shell waste after selling coconut water, coconut meat and/or milk.
Circular idea: Utilize the coconut shell waste and make them into briquettes. These briquettes would be an alternative to the coal or wood briquettes often used for cooking.
RECHARGE
CPU, Philippines
Problem identified: Single-use plastics ,such as sachets, are negatively impacting the environment. In the Philippines, sari sari stores sell a lot of products in single-use plastic sachets.
Circular idea: A refill service for products that are usually bought in single-use sachets, such as shampoo. There would be incentives for customers to refill at the designated refill stations, or have products delivered to them.
Bio-CoaLab
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: In Bataan, paper waste from schools and sawdust from small-scale wood manufacturers end up in the landfill because these waste products are not properly managed.
Circular idea: In collaboration with schools and small-scale wood manufacturers, paper and wood waste are collected and turned into biomass briquettes, which would be an alternative to conventional charcoal.
PeninSOLUTION
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: Coconut vendors often burn or improperly dispose of coconut husks and shells. In rural areas, improper disposal can lead to canal clogging.
Circular idea: Use the husks from mature coconuts to create floor tiles that would be an alternative to wooden tiles. A natural resin would be used so that the tiles are biodegradable and non-toxic.
Flowers Power
RMIT, Vietnam
Problem identified: Facilities on campus still consume energy even when being left unused. For example, automated parking card machines are only used when vehicles are entering the campus. However, when there is no vehicle, it still operates and consumes energy.
Circular idea: Develop a piezoelectric speed hump to generate on-demand electricity supply. Mechanical pressure on the hump from motorbikes is converted to electrical potential, which is then used as energy supply for the parking lot’s card machine and lighting system.
The ConCreators
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: In the province of Bataan, various types of waste are generated across industries: gypsum boards from the construction industry, fly ash from coal-fired power plants, and coconut husks from the agricultural industry.
Circular idea: Utilize industrial waste by-products such as fly ash, gypsum board, and coconut husks to make granulated filtering media (GFM). The GFM can be used as a coarse aggregate for concrete used for flooding infrastructure to absorb heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
Grassya: The Leader Green
BPSU, Philippines
Problem identified: Local broom makers typically use large amounts of tiger grass (Thysanolaena maxima) as a raw material for broom production. Because the stem
has no purpose in the creation of brooms, it is frequently discarded and thrown away.
Circular idea: Use the tiger grass stem as a raw material to make a vegan leather, which has a lower carbon footprint than animal leather.
Makakan
ADNU, Philippines
Problem identified: The return of students to Ateneo de Naga University for in-person classes has generated an influx of waste on campus this past year. Among the wastes produced, food waste is not managed properly.
Circular idea: Develop a machine that will convert ADNU food waste into compost. The compost will be sold and also used to fertilize a university kitchen garden.
Meet the Judges
Eric Lee
Since 2015, Eric Lee has been the Programme Manager of the Regional Project Energy Security and Climate Change in Asia-Pacific of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) based in Hong Kong SAR, China, overseeing and executing sustainability-related activities across the region. He has a bachelor’s degree in European Studies and a master’s degree in Political Science. He has extensive working experience in the NGO sector.
Suzanna Pomeroy
Circular Cities Asia
Suzanna is the Co-Founder and Director of Circular Cities Asia. She has a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies and is a Global Fellow of the Moving Worlds Institute. Suzanna has a strong background in capacity building, impact evaluation and cross-sector collaboration.
Czarina Constantino-Panopio
WWF- Philippines
As the National Lead for the No Plastics in Nature initiative, Czarina oversees all initiatives on stopping plastic waste leakage in nature including Plastic Smart Cities, Plastic Action, Extended Producer Responsibility, support for the global treaty on marine pollution, and Ayoko Ng Plastik movement. This is to ensure that they are aligned in the No Plastics in Nature initiative of the WWF network, reflective of what the Philippines needs, and sustained in terms of funding and partnership.
Organiser
Sponsors
Programme Designers:
Suzanna Pomeroy, Platform Director
Roleen Sevillena, Programme Manager
University Partners
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