CH Showcase

Introducing
ClimateHacks - localized global #ClimateActions:

project scope recognizing that local teams don't have to wait to create local climate solutions today that fit into broader strategic collaborations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
project schedule understanding that good planning maps our dreams to life unfolding around us every day
project budget knowing the most precious budget item is shared goodwill
project alignment within UN data integrity policy and blockchain accountability

Africa

We are MyDREAMFORAFRICA

VIDEOs:

Who: Our leads are Andy Costa - Goodwill Ambassador for Cycling in Africa -- and Toure Sori -- mobile App and blockchain climate innovator in Africa.
Where: Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

Scope: We are childhood friends who are focused on building teamwork as a network of networks for environmental and sustainable development. We have 3,000 people joining us regularly for each event, and events at universities have 50,000 participants over a weekend. Our projects cover a wide range of climate targets through the following ClimateHacks:
- Organic Gardens in schools and neighborhoods, using Biochar as a soil supplement to sequester carbon and improve soil aeration and water characteristics;
- Planting and Protecting trees, mangroves and seagrass, and bringing students into our projects to grow sustainability;
- Measuring energy efficiencies of appliances in schools and community centers, and swapping in LED light bulbs;
- Developing our Mobile App to collect & manage food waste, organic waste and plastic waste to integrate with re-use and Zero-waste programs;
- Deploying Sustainable Mobility programs with our lead acting as Goodwill Ambassador of Cycling in Africa;
- Initiating Sustainable Tourism for Cote d'Ivoire;
Schedule: We are in Year 4 for the organic garden monitoring phase.
Budget: We have raised funds into our non-profit organization, MyDREAMFORAFRICA.org.
Risk: For our mobility infrastructure, the risk is that we don't control it. We need more capacity building for all our projects -- through Education.
Next Steps: We have our new project, WOMAN MOBILITY where we want to give bicycles to young women in rural areas so they can go to school by restoring and repairing bicycles from western Ivory Coast through our program, BIKE WORSHIP. Current projects like organic gardens are growing well; we are going to do mangroves next.

Birthday Trees (Uganda)

Who: Our team lead is Leah Namugerwa.
Where: Uganda.

Scope: I started BirthdayTrees because I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to give back to the planet. I decided to start the project, Birthday Trees. The planet that was glorious, that everyone admired, had turned in to a garbage planet. But then in my country, we're facing the biggest climate crisis that has ever happened and this is all because of deforestation, which is leading to landslides that is taking a lot of people's lives, distressing people, especially the children who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Schedule: This is our 1st year to plant trees.
Budget: We have not raised funds yet, but they would be helpful.
Risk: People might cut down the BirthdayTrees, which would affect the land and then the people who planted the trees in memory of their lives will lose the benefit. Limited resources risk BirthdayTrees success.
Next Steps: When I get a request for someone to plant BirthdayTrees, I ask them where they want the trees to be planted, and how many trees to plant. For the international people, we find forest reserves in Uganda that were destroyed through landslides to restore the land. For our next steps, we want to go and educate the people that are most affected by deforestation, Bududa region in Uganda to teach them the goodness of planting trees.

Oceania, New Zealand and Australia

We are Nelson/Tasman Enviro Team

Who: Rebecca Gates leads our Nelson/Tasman School ClimateHacks.
Where: Nelson/Tasman, South Island, New Zealand, South Pacific.

Scope: We want to teach our children to take care of their home and improve it! Our project fortifies and elevates ongoing activities in the schools planting and growing organic gardens, making compost, restoring and protecting native trees and local estuaries, measuring energy efficiencies of appliances in the classrooms and lunchrooms, and measuring and validating zero-waste lunches and classroom waste, including reduction of rubbish (plastic).
Schedule: We are in team formation.
Budget: We have not raised funds yet.
Risk: Our biggest risk is getting intergenerational participation, while empowering youth leaders -- because these youth take it home to their families and grow change in the family that spread throughout the community. This is how we make sustainability our way of life.
Next Steps: We are growing our team and educating ourselves on systems in place and how we can expand. Our next steps is to solidify our ClimateHacks concept.

Caribbean and Latin America

We are Yeferson Hydroponics C-13

Who: Our leads are Yeferson & Carlos Sanchez-Mosquera.
Where: We do our ClimateHacks in Medellin, Colombia.

Scope: We combine organic gardening and aquaculture with hydroponics (plus BioChar) to fortify the urban farming community. Our project is for the betterment and realization of the whole of the city of Medellin, Colombia, SA.
Schedule: We are in our 4th year of operation and we are measuring our results.
Budget: We fund our operations through donations and produce sales. We operate through Corporation Afrocolombiana Cson Bata.
Risk: We need to fine tune the project based on results. We reduce our risk by making sure our teamwork is based on big data accumulated and used to fine tune the project for best results. We not only build urban gardens -- we also train the trainers.
Next Steps: Our objectives for the next phase is to fortify the spaces where the urban farming is underway -- to maximize space and generate larger harvests.

We are Sociedad Ambiente MarinoWho:

Who: Sam Suleiman leads our Coral reef restoration project.
Where: We do our ClimateHacks in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Scope: The coral reef reserves of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are one of the main natural resources in the region. Corals prevents the loss of beaches, reduces the effects of storms and minimize coastal erosion, by attenuating the force of waves and creating new sand. They also support important coastal ecosystems that help to sustain human livelihoods, recreational usage, a high biodiversity, and are therefore vital for the economic growth in the region. Over the past several decades, the region has experienced a significant decline in coastal and marine habitats, particularly coral reefs, due to anthropogenic impacts including poorly planned coastal development, land-based sources of pollution (LBSP), overfishing and climate change impacts.
Schedule: We are in our 5th year of operation and we are measuring our results.
Budget: We fund our operations through donations. We operate through Sociedad Ambiente Marino.
Risk: The biggest risk for the success of our climate hack is the protection of the coral reefs and funding. We have address this by community outreach and constant fundraising operations in the organization. We are also very concerned with the safety of our individuals during scuba diving and our strategies include a buddy system, physical examination, coordination of adequate depths depending on the experience of the volunteers, among others. Other risks include storms, winter tidal waves, El Niño, La Niña, heat days and climate change.
Next Steps: We are focusing on propagating corals by using low cost methods and the direct participation of base communities. In turn, this encourages the reintroduction of the species to previously populated areas and promotes the rehabilitation of the reefs net growth, resilience, scenery, ecological functions and services. Particularly this promotes the recovery of reef fisheries. We plan to out-plant more than 16,000 colonies/year in the three year. The coral colonies were impacted by hurricane Maria degrading the resilience of coastal communities. We have planted so far 75,000 colonies across the island and rescued 8,000 colonies that have been impacted through mechanical and wave action impacts. We are committed to increase literacy and involvement of the communities surrounding the coral reefs.

We are ACEPR's 2019-2020 Cohort of Electric Utility Cooperatives of Puerto Rico

Who: We are Aceleradora de Cooperativas Eléctricas de Puerto Rico (ACEPR) -Accelerator of Electric Cooperatives of Puerto Rico, composed of 4 Cooperatives with 5 members each on the steering committee, formed through networking at energy and community events, identification of community leaders and having social events to connect ideas together. This organic effort has created a group that are now all friends.
Where: Puerto Rico (Vieques, San Salvador, Adjuntas, Utuado)

Scope: Oil companies and dependence on them have caused political instability in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Haiti, etc) and have also destroyed marine life in the Caribbean as well (Deepwater Horizon). Solar, biomass and wind energy are clean and readily available but unfortunately funds and equitable access to clean energy is limited to individuals in Puerto Rico. The organization of Electric Utility Cooperatives is now possible with the very recent (Feb 2019) change in local regulations. Electric utility cooperatives in Puerto Rico have the ability apply for loans at ~2% for up to 80% of project costs at the submission of the 'Bulid-RFP' stage. With a little bit of funding, and some project management training, the cohort will be able to make their own informed decisions about their energy needs, learn the tools to calculate and manage their financials (NREL tools) and work with a local electrical engineer to release construction ready projects.
Schedule: We have accomplished our team formation; concept completion; pre-development & development milestones, and are initiating deployment.
Budget: We have not raised funds yet.
Risk: This project has the typical major risks of a new solar project in Puerto Rico which include the following: 1. integrity of the roof structures- we plan to have the sign-off of a structural engineer on the roofing structure and the roof framing plan before qualifying the site for installation. 2. permitting from the utility- We have a key mentor of this project that currently sits on the Energy Bureau (PREB). Also with recent regulation, PREPA (the local utility and permitting agency) is not allowed to block solar installations after 60 days, making it one of the quickest places in the US to get grid-tied permits.
Next Steps: We expect to complete the following steps: 1. Member sign up/Site Control - Community to launch community engagement activities. With utility bills, addresses, and consent to build on-site, teams will confirm their PV potential and revenue outlook. Most of the teams are between 50-80% complete with this step. 2. Roof structural assessment - Most of the sites need structural engineering review at this time. 3. Efficiency and Resource assessment - look at the cost analysis of efficiency upgrades and energy resource assessment (solar, wind, biomass, battery back up etc). 4. Engineering Design and Permitting.

Global Partnerships

We are the Generation Next YCC Team
Who: Ali Mustafa leads our Next Generation ClimateHacks.
Where: Initiating in 19 cities around the world.

Scope: Generation Next builds upon the successful completion of the Youth Climate Compact to the 68th Civil Society Forum in Salt Lake City, UT in August 2019, and it's presentation as a climate commitment to the SG Climate Action Summit in September 2019. The YCC reflects over 8 months and 100s of consultations held around the world and includes 25 pledges of actions, such as the 6Rs reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, rethink & refuse. We are forming teams in 19 cities around the world, framing them as Generation Next Action Hubs.
Schedule: We are in team formation.
Budget: We have not raised funds yet.
Risk: Our biggest risk is to use the momentum we have this year to accelerate our climate actions next year.
Next Steps: We are continuing to grow our team, and our next steps include drafting our concept, establishing global partnerships and developing our Action Hub deployment framework.