In 2010, we launched the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge to empower Enactus teams to identify, create and deliver projects that teach and empower others to implement economically viable solutions to relevant environmental issues,
Meet the 7 Enactus teams set to compete in the 2023 Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge Final Round of Competition at #EnactusNationals
Enactus students from the Enactus University of British Columbia – Vancouver created Seeder to reduce food waste on their campus while providing nutritious meals to food insecure UBC Students. Students secured partnerships with Starbucks and Second Harvest to collect edible food donations every week that would have otherwise gone to waste. These donations are then provided to a soup kitchen where meals are served to students on a pay-what-you-can basis to food insecure students.
Enactus University of the Fraser Valley students created Oak and Earth Design, a social enterprise that teaches individuals about Indigenous medical practices through the sale of custom scented candles. The team partnered with a local indigenous artist to help design the artwork that outlines how each candle scent is significant to Indigenous communities, while simultaneously explaining how the scent promotes good health.
To reduce the air pollution and increase the fertility of soil, Enactus Fleming College’s Paddy Waste to Income project collects paddy waste from farmers and sells it for alternate purposes including feeding cattle, protecting crops, and providing bedding to dairy farms. To date the project has diverted 99 tonnes of paddy waste from just under 100 acres.
Students from Enactus Wilfrid Laurier University created Safi, a simple solution that aims to help the 80 per cent of farmers in East Africa that do not pasteurize their milk, putting many people at risk of life-threatening diseases. Safi is a portable easy-to-use pasteurization device that kills harmful pathogens in milk without compromising taste. They’re currently working with 73 milk cooperatives and positively impacting approximately 400,000 small scale farmers in Rwanda.
The Enactus University of Ottawa launched Poly, a social enterprise that manufactures, sells, and operates small-scale plastic recycling systems, allowing anyone to turn plastic waste into brand new products. This year alone, the team has generated $14,000 in revenue, diverted over 6,000 water bottles worth of plastic, and saved 270 pounds of oil.
The team from Enactus Saint Mary’s University has created the Square Roots, a project that solves a two-part problem by eliminating food waste through the sale of seconds (imperfect) produce that would otherwise go to waste to those in their community with limited access to fresh, affordable produce through community champions. In the past 12 months, the team has prevented 150,000 pounds of food from going to waste, diverted over 17,000,000 litres of water, and over 100,000 KG of greenhouse gases.
The Enactus Memorial University of Newfoundland has created Project R3D – a project that is solving the global plastic problem by taking refuse plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills and the ocean and creating innovative filament for 3D Printers. In just 5 months, students have educated over 2,000 individuals and two businesses on climate action, conserved 900 litres of water, and diverted nearly $400 in waste.