UNICEF Backs Young Innovators to Accelerate Climate Action


credit: Flickr

The UN's children's agency is putting its money where its mouth is, selecting 24 innovators under the age of 30 to take part in a global accelerator program designed to help them tackle some of the world's most pressing issues.

Among them: an alternative to petroleum-based biosurfactants in cosmetics and cleaning products, a way to turn old tires into fuel for cement factories, and a dietary supplement for cows that reduces methane emissions, reports the New York Times.

"We need to seize the opportunity to invest in credible innovations that can contribute to reaching our global targets," says UN Secretary-General Anto ? 'nio Guterres, who announced the winners at a ceremony in London on Tuesday.

The winners will receive $50,000 each to work with UNICEF for a year, and will be matched with one of several members of a consortium of UNICEF partners who will help them scale up their solutions.

Among the winners: Marybel Montoya Alvarez, 31, has created a biodegradable, eco-friendly alternative to biosurfactants in cosmetics and cleaning products.

Her company, Fungi Life, aims to create a healthier environment for children in Colombia.Rapha ? 'l Ascoli, a French architect, has built sustainable bamboo housing in Myanmar.

Yaye Souadou Fall Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Resource Innovation Institute Releases Best Practices Guide For Integrating Controls and ...

"The technologies serving Controlled Environment Agriculture have advanced at an exhilarating pace over the past decade," Rob Eddy, resource efficiency Horticulturist at the Resource Innovation...more

Sustainability: More Than Just Preventing Climate Change

When you think of sustainability, you probably think of things like meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. But there's...more

Conduent Collaborates with Microsoft on Generative Ai to Drive Innovation in Business ...

Conduent, a global technology-led business solutions and services company, has announced an innovation initiative with Microsoft that will use Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to bring the power of...more

Partnerships Drive Global Decarbonization of Heavy Industry

India and Sweden are teaming up to help the world's steel, cement, and construction industries cut their greenhouse-gas emissions by 50% by 2030, the Guardian reports. According to a press...more

EPD Capstone Project: Strengthening Food Systems' Resilience to Climate Change in Africa

"I felt like I was in a Lion King scene, seeing the views of the African desert." That's how Rafaella Moreira Lopes describes her experience during spring break in Namibia, where she studied the...more

Definition and Characteristics of Climate-Adaptive Cities: a Systematic Review

How do cities fare in the face of climate change? According to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, they can either be "resilient" or "resilient"with "resilient" cities becoming more...more

Funding Will Support Further Wine Research at Brock University

A Canadian university is preparing to open what it says will be the country's first "clean plant farm"a greenhouse-free operation where grapevines will be grown to make wine, the BBC...more

Ai Innovation Challenge

The New York Climate Exchange is putting its money where its mouth is. The nonprofit is holding its first-ever AI Innovation Challenge, and it's looking for students to come up with solutions to...more

Climate Solutions: Fg, Unido Award $32,500 To 3 Nigerian Startups

Three young entrepreneurs in Nigeria have won $32,500 for their clean-tech solutions to climate-related problems, the Guardian reports. Schrodinger Tech, Givo Africa, and E-Sam Energy Solutions...more

Caltech Turns Jellyfish into Climate Researchers

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology think they've figured out a way to turn jellyfish into ocean researchers, the Los Angeles Times reports. They're working on a "go-faster cap"...more





William D. Eggers and Paul Macmillan of Dowser write about the social entrepreneurs slowly and steadily dirsupting the world of philanthropy. According to Forbes, philanthropy disruptors are those that believe “no one company is so vital that it can’t be replaced and no single business model too perfect to upend.”