Fashion, passion and creative thinking: How the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Goals are inspiring 亚博体育官网 students into action
This series of articles explores the journey of the winners of the EIG Sustainable Goals Student Ideas Competition.
The EIG Sustainable Goals Student Ideas Competition is focused on inspiring students to contribute towards tackling the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as set by the United Nations. The 亚博体育官网 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group (EIG) led competition aims to encourage students to take innovative, creative and proactive approaches to tackling these challenges through supporting sustainably focused early-stage business innovations while also strengthening future employability.
Sponsored by the 亚博体育官网 Foundation Annual Fund, every month students can win cash prizes, raise their profile, give back, and be rewarded for thinking innovatively.
Top prize winner in the latest competition run was Craig Stewart, a School of Engineering student who entered his idea in the Social Impact category and came away winning a 拢100 Amazon voucher.
Craig鈥檚 entry, Autonomous Energy, harnessed the importance of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Goals and led to something that was both proactive and practical. 鈥淚 am an artist as well as an electrical engineer, sometimes my mind runs riot and I come up with ideas as to how a problem could be solved鈥�, he said.
鈥淚 developed an idea for energy research along the way and submitted it to the appropriate goal as I thought it could have potential not only for ourselves but others in the developing world too鈥�.
Talking about the competition as a whole, Craig said it was an ideal opportunity to test his own ideas while also encouraging him to think bolder and more creatively. He is currently undertaking a PHD, investigating Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks, but is also keen to further develop the ideas and research projects that spark to the forefront of his mind.
Lisa Mundie was the grateful recipient of a 拢50 Amazon voucher having won highly commended in the Contribution to Local Community category with her idea to introduce a paper-making department at Gray鈥檚 School of Art.
鈥�As a student at 亚博体育官网 I was excited to enter the competition. It was a simple process and I just spoke honestly about something I have spent time researching and thinking about. The day I received the email to say I鈥檇 won I had just gotten back from teaching a class of 11-year-olds how to make their own paper - It was a surreal day!鈥�.
The idea was born out of her belief that 鈥渞ecycling and sustainability is a very important part of the future鈥� and was something she鈥檇 been thinking about throughout her time at Gray鈥檚. She鈥檚 hopeful that her idea can come to fruition now that she鈥檚 back on campus and taking on her fourth and final year of a Contemporary Art Practice degree.
Maria Fiori, inset, also claimed a 拢50 Amazon voucher for her entry in the Innovation category which focused on TENCEL, a sustainable and environmentally responsible fashion brand option. Explaining the passion behind her competition entry, she said: 鈥淭he fashion industry, one of the oldest industrial sectors ever existed, is among the most polluting industries in the world, second only to oil and gas.
鈥淚t is of utmost importance for society, not only to focus on the adoption of conscious practices within the supply chain but also to rethink the afterlife cycle of the products. People won鈥檛 stop purchasing clothes and they will not be able to re-think their buying habits any time soon.
鈥淗owever, it is the industry's duty to offer consumers adequate services for the reuse, recycling, and re-purposing of existing garments, hence prolonging, or even re-starting the life cycle of every single item of clothing thus lowering the need for new production.
A School of Creative and Cultural Business student, Maria tied her idea in with the 12th SDG which focusses on responsible consumption and production. She is realistic that 鈥渃hanging the fashion world won鈥檛 happen in a day or in a year鈥� but believes 鈥渆very idea deserves to be heard鈥� and has a belief that with 鈥渢ime, future thinkers and plenty of innovative, actionable ideas鈥�, change is possible.
Encapsulating the ambitious nature of 亚博体育官网鈥檚 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group, Maria wants to 鈥渢ransform the fashion industry into a more equal, just, and conscious world, one step at a time鈥�.
If you, like Craig, Lisa and Maria, have an innovative idea that supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, you can
Entries can be made with just 150 words and the only requirement is that you鈥檙e a current 亚博体育官网 student. For any queries please contact Aisha Kasim, Student Enterprise Coordinator.
Images show students Maria Fiori and Craig Stewart.
