As Oakville's Member of Parliament, I'm calling on Oakville youth, aged 18 to 26, to submit proposals for climate change solutions to the Youth Innovation Challenge issued by The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna. Three winning teams will receive $5,000 in seed funding, and an invitation to personally present their idea to the North American environmental leaders in Prince Edward Island, hosted by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
I’m calling upon all of our youth with a concern for environmental protection in our community to submit their proposals for this ingenious youth innovation challenge. We are challenging our creative and innovative young people to find solutions to environmental issues. We want your ideas on how we can foster job growth while ensuring the health and future of our planet. Oakville is known for being a standard bearer in environmental stewardship and this is a unique opportunity to share your ideas on climate change solutions that will balance economic growth and sustainability.
The purpose of the Youth Innovation Challenge is to harness the creativity of youth—students and entrepreneurs—to propose feasible and scalable technology, science and business ideas that can advance green growth in North America.
Proposals should address the following shared North American environmental and sustainability objectives:
- Reducing air emissions
- Reducing and diverting food waste
- Managing and preventing the spread of invasive species
- Managing the impact of marine litter and reducing its sources
- Mitigating ocean acidification
More information on the guidelines of the challenge can be found at CEC.
BACKGROUNDER
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation facilitates collaboration and public participation to foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment for the benefit of present and future generations, in the context of increasing economic, trade, and social links among Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
TIMELINE
- Tuesday, February 21: Challenge begins
- Sunday, April 30: Last day to comment and submit ideas
- Friday, May 5: Top ideas selected for refinement
- Monday, May 22: Full proposals for the top 6-9 ideas are submitted to the judges
- Wednesday, June 7: Winning ideas announced
- Wednesday, June 28: Winning individuals or group leads present their ideas to top environmental officials in Charlottetown, Canada