
Inspired by EIT-Climate KIC’s Global Climathon movement, a global community of change-makers and innovators around the world are working in their communities to help humanity solve its most pressing issues through ideation and innovation. Over 150 cities across the globe are engaging stakeholders across the board to develop novel ideas on how to tackle climate-related challenges at the local level. The Climathon is a roughly 50-hour online idea marathon, where diverse minds converge to brainstorm and develop practical prototypes to combat climate change and contribute towards molding a resilient ecosystem.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt around the globe, at all levels. As the world unites to grapple with this unprecedented crisis, the role of global changemakers, innovation, and sustainability have become more pivotal than ever before.
With support from premiere civil society organizations and our network, we have set out on an endeavor to bring an edition of the Climathon to Bengaluru, India! The ClimathonBLR will focus on urban waste management in the ‘garden’ city of Bengaluru, India. With a burgeoning population, expanding peripheries, and rapid urbanization, there is a dire need for scientific waste management in the ‘Silicon Valley of India’.
Why have we chosen Waste Management as the theme of the ClimathonBLR?
Despite civic bodies pushing for a house to house collection and segregation of waste in the city, disposal remains a problem and 100% recycling a dream. Furthermore, mismanagement of garbage including incineration remains rampant. This has led to contamination of the very lakes the city is celebrated for and the emission of harmful particulates into the atmosphere, which contributes directly to climate change.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike generates around 5000 metric tonnes of waste per day. This waste on decomposition emits carbon dioxide and methane – greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change. The dumpsites are spread all around Bangalore, ever-extending, and the garbage trucks travel several kilometers, consuming several liters of fuel, resulting in emissions. Bengaluru is facing problems due to existing waste disposal practices, high costs due to lack of a robust plan, and lack of proper infrastructural facilities. Open dumping in the expanding zones of the city is posing severe problems to structures constructed on the old dumps. There are issues at every level of waste management — right from the type of waste generated in different areas of the city to segregation, collection, transportation, disposal, and treatment. Environmental degradation, deteriorating groundwater quality, adverse impacts on health, emissions from the landfills are other indirect impacts that have implications for quality of life, climate, and sustainable development. The estimated maximum landfill gas flow rate for one of the landfill sites in Bangalore over a period of 20 years is reported to be 19.85 m3/min, with implications for air quality and climate change.
The Climathon Bengaluru 2020 seeks to encourage and stimulate innovative thinking for the development of strategies and solution prototypes that will address the local issue of waste management, utilization of waste, and pave the way for tackling the global issue of climate change.
#ClimathonBLR brings together people from different segments – students, social groups, think tanks, academicians, entrepreneurs, etc. – to develop practical and efficient solution ideas to the Waste Management challenge in Bangalore, which is our chosen climate theme this year.
We’re launching the #ClimathonBLR with a themed panel discussion “Clean Up Bengaluru” with esteemed guests and experts to shed light on the topic and to unpack the challenge from a myriad of perspectives.
Our Climathon presents the right platform to initiate your own campaign and win an opportunity to watch your prototypes come alive.
It is a novel way for you to help solve socio-environmental woes in urban waste management and at the same time contribute to building a climate-resilient future.
The networking potential the Climathon carries is immense. Interaction with other participants, our experts, and practitioners will broaden your perspectives and open new doors for you to develop your talent.
It is the perfect chance for you to sharpen and hone your skills in innovative thinking, entrepreneurship, interpersonal communication, and allied areas.
By participating in the Climathon, you can collaborate with like-minded Global Citizens, from a plethora of domains, be it engineering, design, civic policy, social justice reform, project management, finance, education, and many others. Solving the global challenge of climate change needs local context-specific solutions, and the process will enable you to be a part of a responsible global front.
Certificates of participation will be provided on completion of the Climathon.
Winners of the Climathon can apply for EIT Climate-KIC Global Awards and can gain visibility once solution ideas have been uploaded to the Climathon global platform! What’s more, winners can also apply for the EIT Climate-KIC Climate Launchpads to incubate/accelerate their idea further.
Here are the solution ideas of the top teams of ClimathonBLR 2020! These solution ideas have been developed as part of our 50 hour ideation marathon!
Team Aryabhata: Textile waste produced in the process of making clothing will be recirculated in the industry as raw material for other textile products through a dedicated e-commerce platform.
Team Climate Crew: An app that not only facilitates segregated waste collection but also offers lucrative discounts to end-users and outsources waste management to interested parties.
Team Wastech: A plastic waste collection initiative through an online platform that connects the scrap dealer with the consumer.
Team OrGcompost: Developing an automatic solar-powered electric composting machine for residential communities, helping in the quick decomposition of organic wastes.
The Climathon is open to participation for people of all ages, across all sectors and demographics. What do we seek from participants?
Registration to the Climathon happens on an individual basis. Once you have registered for the Climathon, on the first day, you will be asked to form an inter-disciplinary team with the other registrants.
Participants to start declaring their ideas/projects for the Climathon, seeking and declaring teams, participating in the introductory keynotes, and more!
Additionally:
Official Climathon Launch - Panel - 16-17hrs IST (Zoom + YouTube Live)
Climathon Kick-Off with participants - 17:30-19hrs IST (AirMeet)
Teams continue their work, with guided input sessions, mentoring, and support on a need-basis. Impulse Recordings will be released through-out the day at multiple intervals, to enable the participants to build on their ideas.
10hrs IST - Team Formation Concludes (Slack)
11hrs, 15hrs, 19hrs IST - Mentoring Hours (AirMeet)
20hrs IST - Virtual Lounge for Participants - Reflection & Connection Zone (AirMeet)
All teams are also expected to prepare a pitch video of their problem statement and solution, and submit the same before the Climathon showcase and closure on the same evening.
10hrs, 12hrs, 14hrs IST - Mentoring Hours (AirMeet)
16hrs IST - Submission Deadline for Participants
17-18hrs IST - ClimathonBLR Round-Up Session with Judges, Participants, Partners and Organizers
Meet The Melton Foundation
Organizer
Read BioMeet CSTEP
Organizer
Read BioMeet EIT Climate-KIC
Climathon Founder
Read BioOrganizer
The Melton Foundation has been a prominent organization working in the field of global citizenship for more than 25 years. We believe in drawing the wisdom of multiple cultures to shape fresh and creative narratives of global citizenship. Our global network of Fellows collaborates across boundaries to exchange, learn, and develop ideas and carry forward the discourse on global citizenship. In consonance with our endeavor to ‘Think Global, Act Local’, we have involved themselves in numerous projects and missions spread across the globe, to advance the 17 UN SDGs, while fostering Sustainable Development.
Learn more about the Melton Foundation here.
Organizer
The Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) is one of India’s leading think tanks, with a mission to enrich policymaking with innovative approaches using science and technology for a sustainable, secure and inclusive society.
Learn more about the CSTEP here.
Climathon Founder
EIT Climate-KIC is a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon, climate-resilient society. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, we identify and support innovation that helps society mitigate and adapt to climate change. We believe that a decarbonized, sustainable economy is not only necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change, but presents a wealth of opportunities for business and society.
Learn more about the EIT Climate-KIC Climathons here.
Meet the esteemed judges and panelists of Climathon Bengaluru 2020!
Meet Dr. Indu K Murthy
Panelist and Judge
Principal Research Scientist, CSTEP Bangalore, India
Read BioMeet Divya Joseph
Panelist and Judge
Programme Manager, Raspberry Pi Foundation, India
Read BioMeet Dr. Meenakshi Bharath
Panelist and Judge
Solid Waste Management Round Table Member
Read BioMeet Dr.Naveen.B.P
Panelist and Judge
Head & Associate Professor, Amity University Haryana, India
Read BioMeet Mac Bowley
Panelist and Judge
Learning Manager, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Read BioMeet Pooja Channaveerappa
Panelist and Judge
Design Thinking Coach, Melton Fellow
Read BioPanelist and Judge
Dr. Indu K Murthy is the Principal Research Scientist leading Adaptation and Risk Planning Research at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP). She was formerly a Consultant Scientist at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science for more than 2 decades. She specializes in climate change-related issues.
She is one of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Roster of Experts for India – for Greenhouse Gas Inventory. She is the Land Use Change and Forestry expert involved in the National Communications of India to the UNFCCC. She has developed CDM and REDD+ projects in India and has been involved in the formulation of climate proofing and green growth strategies for ongoing and proposed developmental projects.
She is a forestry and climate change consultant for the United Nations, the World Bank, and other multilateral agencies.
She has published many journal articles and is one of the Contributing Authors of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (2007) and GEO-6 Asia Pacific Report and Coordinating Lead Author for the Global Environment Outlook-6 of UNEP.
Panelist and Judge
Divya is the Programme Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation in India and is responsible for growing the reach of the Foundation’s work in India. Divya holds an MSc degree from the University of Oxford in Learning and Technology and is passionate about education. Prior to studying at Oxford, Divya also pursued a degree in Education and specialized in school leadership and management. She has an extensive understanding of the education system in India and has been involved in several projects across various non-profits in India. Divya also has experience working with large information technology firms like Infosys and IBM.
Panelist and Judge
Dr. Meenakshi Bharath, a gynecologist by profession, is one of the most prominent activists in the city for SWM. Over the last ten years, she worked in the social space, leading campaigns, taking on issues, and coming up with sustainable solutions. She was responsible for setting up composting in BBMP Head Office. The Zero Waste Initiative in Dollar Colony was steered by her and she is an instrumental part of the campaign on healthy and sustainable menstruation – Green the Red. She is a member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT) and We Care for Malleswaram.
Panelist and Judge
Dr.Naveen.B.P is currently working as a Head & Associate Professor in the
Department of Civil Engineering at Amity University Haryana, India.
He completed his B.E (Civil Engineering) from University Visvesvaraya College of
Engineering (UVCE), Bangalore. M.Tech (Geotechnical Engineering) from National
Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, M.S (Geotechnical Engineering) from
Indian Institute of Science, Ph.D. & Postdoctoral (Geotechnical Engineering) from
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Dynamic, committed, and results-driven professional, with over 14years of diverse and
progressive experience in the field of Geotechnical Engineering, Geo-Environmental
Engineering, Metro works, Waste Management, and Ground Improvement. His work has
been recognized by Aqua Foundation’s Academic Excellence Award for Solid Waste
Management in 2016 and Oasys Project of the year 2016. He was also a recipient of
ISSMGE Foundation Award, Centre for International Co-operation in Science (CICS),
Young Researcher and Scholar Icon-2017 Award, Young Educator and Scholar Award-
2017 & 2018, IEI Young Engineers Award-2018, Professional Excellence Award -2018,
Nominated as Young Geotechnical Engineer-2019; Senior Educator and Scholar Award
and Sir M Visvesvaraya Award 2020 recipient of many other awards.
He has 26 papers in Journals (SCI & Scopus), 16 papers in International conferences, 17
in National Conferences Proceedings,6 patents (filled), 3 research proposals(submitted) 1
Book & 2 Book chapters to his credit. He has delivered more than 45 plus invited lectures
in various engineering, research institutions, and technical associations. He also has many
articles in local newspapers & websites on topics useful for societies.
He is a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American
Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM), International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
(ISSMGE), Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS), Karnataka Environmental Research
Foundation (KERF), National Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development (NFED),
Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI), Institution of Engineering and
Technology (IET), Institution of Engineers India (IEI). He also serves as a reviewer for
several journals in geotechnical, waste management, geology, and geoenvironmental
engineering.
He is the Chief Editor of one international Journal in his area of research. He has
reviewed several research articles in Elsevier, SAGE, Taylor & Francis, and Springer. He
has also collaborated on research with different groups and research centers during his
academic career.
Panelist and Judge
Mac is a Learning Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation where he creates resources to support Computing teachers with developing their subject knowledge and confidence. He has worked in Computing education environments for the last 6 years, helping young people to discover their creativity through computing.
Panelist and Judge
Pooja is a Melton Fellow from Germany. She is an engineer and an entrepreneur who is keen on purpose-driven innovation.
She is a design engineer for developing products in the early stages of innovation. Her every day is spent valuing and grooming new ideas into worthwhile concepts. She enjoys conversations revolving around feminism.
Meet Pooja Channaveerappa
Mentor
Design Thinking Coach, Melton Fellow
Read BioMeet Divya Joseph
Mentor
Programme Manager, Raspberry Pi Foundation, India
Read BioMeet Tom Sebastian
Mentor
Founder and Program Director, NORDIN
Read BioMeet Prathijna Poonacha
Mentor
Consultant, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore
Read BioMeet Nickhil Sharma
Mentor
Sustainability Consultant
Read BioMeet Vigneshwar Shankar
Associate Vice President, Office of Management at Darashaw
Mentor
Read BioMeet Sobia Rafiq
Mentor
Co-founder, Sensing Local
Read BioMeet Sabreesh Sekar
Mentor
Senior Fellow, Melton Foundation
Read BioMentor
Pooja is a Melton Fellow from Germany. She is an engineer and an entrepreneur who is keen on purpose-driven innovation.
She is a design engineer for developing products in the early stages of innovation. Her every day is spent valuing and grooming new ideas into worthwhile concepts. She enjoys conversations revolving around feminism.
Mentor
Divya is the Programme Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation in India and is responsible for growing the reach of the Foundation’s work in India. Divya holds an MSc degree from the University of Oxford in Learning and Technology and is passionate about education. Prior to studying at Oxford, Divya also pursued a degree in Education and specialized in school leadership and management. She has an extensive understanding of the education system in India and has been involved in several projects across various non-profits in India. Divya also has experience working with large information technology firms like Infosys and IBM.
Mentor
Tom Sebastian is the Founder and Programme Director of a novel Indo Danish SME accelerator program called NORDIN. The project brings together multinational agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the Confederation of Danish Industries to enable Danish and Nordic small and medium-sized businesses to collaborate and innovate in the Indian market.
Before NORDIN, Tom worked in management consulting within BCG and Accenture, he has worked within the development sector at the United Nations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – where he was the Deputy Director of ICDK. He also has entrepreneurial roots, having founded two start-ups.
He is a startup mentor at Techstars and NUMA in India along with mentoring Danish startups at the Danish Technological University.
Tom has a background in Electrical Engineering and Business studies and is a Melton Foundation fellow since 2004.
Mentor
Prathigna is an Alumni of the Melton Foundation. She has over 13 years of professional experience across sectors such as Development, Heritage Conservation, Urban Planning and Built Environment. Currently, she is a Consultant at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, where her work focuses on climate change adaptation with an emphasis on urban and peri-urban geographies. Her research interests also include multi-stakeholder processes in decision making. She is qualified as an architect with an advanced master’s degree in Human Settlements. Her work experience spans geographies across India, Belgium and Vietnam.
Mentor
Nickhil is a 28-year-old Energy Engineer from Delhi/Bangalore, India. He currently calls the Hague, Netherlands his home, and works as a business head for a Swedish e-commerce platform working for small and medium businesses in India. He provides consultancy on customer journeys, product-market fit, user experience and digital marketing. He gets to work with incredible, talented people from both these countries.
During his Master’s Nickhil explored several sustainability topics and developed a passion for them. One of his most rewarding experiences was working with the Swedish Transport Authority and other stakeholders in the transportation sector to understand and envision the future of sustainable transportation in that part of the world. He hopes for an integrated, green, equitable and accessible future for all, and most importantly hopes that people realize the true environmental cost of their actions.
Associate Vice President, Office of Management at Darashaw
A Senior Fellow of the Melton Foundation and a member of the MF Grant Committee with experience in Consulting, Corporate Strategy, and Performance Management in the Indian Financial Services Industry.
Mentor
Sobia is an Architect and Urbanist, whose main focus is to work on making Indian Cities more Liveable and Inclusive. She has worked on tackling Solid Waste Management issues in Indian Cities, through introducing systems thinking, strategic planning, data analytic & GIS mapping. She has also led Smart City plans for Tumakuru and Thiruvananthapuram and projects under Swachh Bharat Mission in India. As an architect, she has worked primarily in the social sector, with organizations like NIVASA, S3IDF, and Selco Foundation. She is originally from Bengaluru, India, and has completed her B.Arch from Manipal University and MSc. in City Design and Social Science from the LSE Cities, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK.
Mentor
With keen interest in sustainability and climate change, Sabreesh is excited to be a mentor at ClimathonBLR. He hopes to bring in his rich experience and expertise to help change makers create smart solutions for waste management in Bengaluru.
What is Climathon?
The Climathon serves as a power-packed session of a specialized version of an Ideathon, specifically meant to raise issues pertaining to climate change. The approx. 50 hour-long event is filled with interaction, deliberation, creation, and fruition of disruptive ideas. For more information on the genesis of the Climathon movement worldwide, visit here!
How do I participate? Should I pay fees in order to register?
To register for the ClimathonBLR, you may click here. We do not charge any fees for registration/participation. Please refer to the ‘Who can participate’ section for more details.
When is the Climathon scheduled for?
5-7 November 2020. There are limited slots for participation, so hurry and apply now!
Is the participation on an individual basis, or do I need to form teams?
Registration to the Climathon happens on an individual basis. Once you have registered for the Climathon, on the first day, you will be asked to form an inter-disciplinary team with the other registrants. The idea is to facilitate collaboration, cross-functional teamwork, and build strong communication skills.
How are teams formed?
The teams form in the early hours of the Climathon (see ‘schedule’ section to learn more). The organizers will publish a list of participants and their skills. Then, participants will be invited to join using the Slack platform, using pre-established channels based on issues and ideas. The participants will go to their corresponding groups. Ideally, teams should be interdisciplinary to encourage diversity of perspectives during the process. Participants must choose a definitive team to work with by the end of Day 1.
How do I prepare myself for the event?
More than anything, we ask that you bring your motivation to the event! Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with tools like Slack, Zoom, Gmail, Miro online white-boards, video editing, graphic design, and YouTube among other online collaboration tools.
What kind of prototypes are built during the Climathon?
Participants are welcome to develop anything from digital to physical products, services, movements, art projects, therapeutic products, anything that creates value to communities while keeping in mind the theme of the Climathon: Building solutions to address Urban Waste Management. The solutions at the end of the Climathon should be at least a low or medium-fidelity prototype. This means that participants have tangible constructions of the idea they were working on.
What are low/medium-fidelity prototypes?
Low-fidelity prototypes may include rough sketches, paper models, simple storyboards, or rough paper prototypes of digital interfaces. You would base your choice of the type of prototype on the type of solution you are seeking to create. Medium fidelity – slightly more detailed, still rough but closer to the solution. Read this article to learn more.
What happens to the prototypes post the event?
The adjudged winners will be given the opportunity to apply for grants with suited organizations to work further on their prototypes. All solutions built during the Climathon will be documented, so anyone can move the idea up further by continuing the collaboration. Participants can implement the solution as part of our #100Acts of Global Citizenship or continue to tackle it together in a project team. Best ideas and prototypes to come out of the Climathon will be showcased on our blogs, website, and social media channels, as well as on the Climathon global platform.
Who chooses the winners? When will results be announced?
A panel of judges will be in charge of evaluating the projects. The winning groups will be chosen according to the degree of innovation of the proposal, the level of the presentation, and the degree of the tangibility of the implementation. Results will be declared in the weeks after the Climathon based on popular poll and judges evaluation.
More questions?
Write to us at: climathon.bengaluru(at)gmail.com
Calling UNSDG Advocates and Local Impact Leaders! Are you a budding change-maker passionate about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), intercultural experiences, and international collaboration to create tangible action? Are you motivated to make a difference in the world? Join us and become part of a life long network of Global Citizens!