Minister McKenna encourages students to take action on climate change at Student Energy's Innovation Jam: Ottawa Sustainability Challenge Français
OTTAWA, Nov. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - The Climate Campus tour continues for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, as she endeavours to inspire young Canadians to get involved in climate action.
Minister McKenna delivered opening remarks at Carleton University's Innovation Jam: Ottawa Sustainability Challenge. She highlighted the Canadian clean-growth economy and the role student innovation plays in addressing climate change.
The Student Energy Chapter at Carleton University organized the innovation jam to turn awareness into action and inspire young leaders to find solutions to environmental problems. The event encouraged students to develop sustainability-focused business ideas and put them into action through a competition with a big prize for the winners.
The winning team of the Social Planning Council of Ottawa: Partnering for Success in Youth Employment Award received $5000—sponsored by the Ottawa Planning Council Committee and disbursed by Student Energy—to put their self-sealing compost bin into action. The winners will present their project proposal to the City of Ottawa's Environment and Climate Protection Committee.
Finally, in another competition at the innovation jam, the winning project of Carleton University's Hatch (the student entrepreneurship incubator) award was a proposal for affordable and environmentally sustainable tiny homes. The project received $1500 in seed money to complete the prototype by the end of the 2018 academic school year.
Quotes
"Young leaders play a vital role in addressing climate change. Their creative ideas and solutions are essential to move Canada towards a cleaner, more prosperous future. Today was inspiring for all of those involved: The future is in good hands."
– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Quick Facts
- There were 78 students from Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and Algonquin College, who participated in the Innovation Jam: Ottawa Sustainability Challenge, on November 9, 2017.
- Eight project proposals were developed and presented to a panel of experts and judged on ingenuity, feasibility, necessity, and applicability to address a sustainability challenge or challenges in Ottawa.
- Student Energy, a global organization, has held innovation jams in Paris (COP21), Norway, Mexico, and now Ottawa, bringing together young and creative minds to tackle climate change.
- An innovation jam is a solution-focused session in which every participant has the opportunity to pitch an idea, a current challenge, or a conversation on which they would like to engage the rest of the audience.
Associated Links
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page
Environment and Natural Resources in Canada's Facebook page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada
Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 613-462-5473, [email protected]; Media Relations: Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll free), [email protected]
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