CEC YOUTH INNOVATION CHALLENGE

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation invites youth to compete for $5000 seed funding and the opportunity to present your green growth idea to North American environmental leaders at the CEC council session in Charlottetown, PEI on June 28, 2017. 

The competition is open to youth aged 18-26 from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.  Participants are encouraged to "look beyond incremental solutions and propose bold ideas to leapfrog to alternatives and solutions that address the complex sustainability challenges facing North America. Ideas will be evaluated based on four criteria: innovation, feasibility, scalability/replicability, and impact. Students and young entrepreneurs are encouraged to share ideas on a broad range of green growth topics, particularly those that can be addressed at the regional level, including mitigating air emissions, reducing food waste and marine litter, mitigating the impact of ocean acidification, and protecting ecosystems from invasive species."

The challenge began yesterday.  Ideas must be submitted by April 30th.  The winning ideas will be announced June 7th.  

You can post your ideas today or comment and vote on those of others.  Ideas can be submitted in English, French or Spanish.  The CEC has partnered with Silicon Valley-based innovation firm IdeaScale to host this challenge.  

For more information and guidelines, visit http://cec.ideascale.com/

"The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an intergovernmental organization that supports the cooperative environmental agenda of Canada, Mexico and the United States to green North America’s economy, address climate change by promoting a low-carbon economy, and protect its environment and the health of its citizens. The CEC is composed of three bodies: a Council, representing the governments of the three member countries, a Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) that advises the Council and serves as a liaison with the public, and a Secretariat that supports the Council and JPAC and prepares independent reports. The CEC brings together governments, civil society, and businesses to develop innovative North American solutions to global environmental challenges. Find out more at: www.cec.org"