35 big ideas make it to UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth finals

The United Nations Environment Programme on Tuesday June 12, 2018 announced the names of the 35 young entrepreneurs across 6 regions who have made it to the regional finals of 2018 cycle of the Young Champions of the Earth prize.
Now in its second year, ‘Young Champions’ is a global competition that seeks out entrepreneurs and innovators with big ideas to secure a sustainable future. All of the finalists’ ideas address urgent environmental issues in bold and creative ways.
The seven final winners will each receive the prestigious prize along with 15,000 USD in seed funding, mentorship from industry leaders and access to a wide network of influencers to bring their ideas into fruition.
“The Young Champions of the Earth prize is highlighting exactly how creative, dedicated and driven young people can be when it comes to the future of our environment,” Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim said. “These regional finalists are an inspiration to all of us, that hard work and a positive outlook are a powerful way to reach a goal, even one as ambitious as a sustainable world for all.”
“Covestro is proud to continue its full support for the second year of the Young Champions of the Earth competition,” says Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. “As one of the world’s leading contributors of materials for sustainable development, we’re honoured to partner with UN Environment to inspire and motivate young people across the world to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
From a pool of 760 submitted project ideas across a wide spectrum of impact areas, the 35 regional finalists stood out for their drive, the novelty an scalability of their ideas, and their potential to address pressing environmental issues.
Their proposals range from land-based coral farms that aim to replenish the dying coral reefs around the world and a plan for breeding fatty insects as a source of biofuel, to be used as an alternative for palm oil. They include educational initiatives involving board games, music and digital platforms to raise awareness about environmental issues; tackling plastic pollution through recycling and upcycling – into bricks and urinals – and an integrated system of wildfire detectors that can detect and prevent destructive fires.
The review of applications was conducted by a global team of 20 UN Environment staff in conjunction with representatives and affiliates of CoalitionWILD, notably: Change the System Executive Director Alan Jarandilla Nunez; CoalitionWILD Steering Committee Member Cécile Tang; Independent Educator and Conservationist Coralie Menet; and CoalitionWILD Ambassador Yoba Alenga.
Members of the public are being encouraged to view and rate the proposals on the Young Champions of the Earth website now. The non-binding public vote will close at 16h00 EAT on Monday 25 June. The public online vote will inform a global jury to select the 2018 Young Champions in September.