HUCEG x Learn With Leaders
We’re proud to present Learn with Leaders’ Sustainability & Innovation Challenge 2023
Learn with Leaders is an organization that fosters partnerships between college organizations and middle or high school students. We provide guidance for students interested in the clean energy sector in this sustainability focused challenge, using our resources to educate and motivate students to action.
Our project includes 150 high school students from 22 countries across the world. This is just one part of our mission to accelerate the clean energy transition through education.
From Learn With Leaders:
“There is a keen awareness and concern amongst the teenagers for the need to move towards more sustainable practices for our planet. A report by a leading strategy consulting firm highlighted the desire amongst today’s teenagers to be change-agents from an early age.
The Sustainability & Innovation Challenge focuses on mentoring young changemakers as they kick-start their sustainability journeys. They will get guidance from Ivy League mentors and global leaders, on how you can start your Sustainability changemaker journey, come with solutions to problems, participate in a competition and get Ivy league mentorship as you move to final stages of the competition.”
Recap of HUCEG’s Current Progress
On Sunday May 15, 2022 we wrapped up the Sustainability and Innovation Competition done in collaboration with Learn with Leaders. The goal of the event was to inspire and encourage high school students to tackle issues of sustainability and climate action in their communities. Project ideas ranged from nuclear waste disposal techniques to revamped elementary school curricula that incorporate climate education.
The competition started on the weekend of April 16 with a series of webinars given by HUCEG members Justin Xu, Emma Zuckerman, Jan Riecke, and Lisa Wang. Topics covered clean energy trends, environmental solutions as a high schooler, the energy internet and smart grid, and vehicle-to-grid and distributed energy resources, respectively. The following weekend, Dulcie Price, Klara Kuemmerle, Devin Guevara and Carlie McGrath presented another round of webinars on topics including land usage of renewable energy, climate leadership, community consultation on renewable energy sites, and clean energy policy in developing countries, respectively.
Over the following weeks, students participating in the competition received guidance from HUCEG members regarding the creativity, feasibility, and implementation methods for their projects. Over 150 students from more than 20 countries participated in the competition. While students differed in their native tongues, country of origin, and year in school, all participants showed clear dedication to solving environmental problems. Many had even begun implementing their solution in their communities.
The respective solutions emerging victorious included the ‘Sekolah Ciputra Compost System (SCCS),’ the ‘Nylem Tree’ – a biomimicry innovation that replicates a tree’s water vascular system to utilize hydropower; generating affordable, clean, and reliable electricity – both by students from Sekolah Ciputra in Indonesia, and ‘Solar Buddy’ – a clean solution for the unorganized sector targeting free and uninterrupted electricity supply by students from the Neerja Modi School and the Cathedral and John Connon School in India. To further their solutions, the winning teams were awarded 300 USD each as prize money, among other rewards. Students from Işıkkent High School in Turkey and the Global Indian International School in Dubai also won Honourable Mentions for their solutions titled, ‘Sustainability & Environment – (IB PYP compatible) Primary School Curriculum’ and ‘Nuclear Waste Disposal.’
Overall, the Sustainability Challenge was a great opportunity for both high school students and HUCEG members. We look forward to collaborating with Learn with Leaders on more events in the future!