Last weekend 50 students were challenged to create a business pitch that could transform New Zealand’s primary industries into the most environmentally friendly in the world.
They were taking part in the 2019 Sustainability Challenge, co-hosted by Lincoln University, Blinc Innovation and the UC Centre for Entrepreneurship, with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
The students had to create a future orientated sustainable business venture that would integrate the transition to a zero carbon and low-emissions economy with exemplar fresh water standards.
The challenge participants, who came from Lincoln, Canterbury and Otago Universities and Otago Polytechnic, worked in multi-disciplinary teams in a hackathon style pressure cooker event.
They came from a wide range of areas of study, including science, commerce, law, policy and governance, engineering, environmental policy and planning, and medicine.
Expert mentors who matched the multi-disciplinary mix of the students supported them in the task, with Dr Racheal Bryant and Visiting Professor Wim de Koning filling this role from Lincoln University.
First prize was awarded to Team Kelp’n, consisting of Lincoln’s Jaclyn Phillott and University of Canterbury students Mikaila Ceelen-Thomas, Abel Goremusandiu, and Jack Holloway, for their idea for kelp-based bioplastic food packaging.
Second place went to The Silvo-Solution for their proposal for ‘carbon negative meat’ through silvo-pastoral farming, involving the intentional combination of trees, forage plants, and livestock on the same land.
This team was made up of Lincoln students, Anita Fleming, Konagh Garrett, Matt Beck, and Cameron Marshall and Nilani Ekanayake from the University of Canterbury.
The judges were impressed by the quality of the work, with it demonstrating critical thinking and creativity, and utilising a diverse range of backgrounds.
Lincoln University’s Dr Roland Harrison, as one of the judges, commented that the challenge had demonstrated the importance of a holistic approach in addressing the complex issues surrounding sustainability when incorporating a value chain approach that benefited both producers and consumers.
Eight Lincoln students participated in the challenge.