The 2019 "Zero Carbon Pitch" cum award presentation ceremony took place on 7 September. Four Inno Teams incubated by Jockey Club Carbon Open Innovation Lab (JC COIL) and four teams selected from the “Open Group” presented their climate innovative solutions to a panel of veteran judges to compete for four awards. This kick-start fund, totaling HK$115,000, will enable them to operate their business ideas in the market and in the community.
The adjudication was based on four criteria: climate-focused, innovative, high-impact and financially sustainable. The Best of InnoTeam Award (Prize: HK$50,000) winner Flexiture put forward a proposal on making reusable and flexible modular furniture for exhibitions and promotional events. The furniture can be re-assembled into new modules after the events. Techpower Creative won Best of Open Group Award (Prize: HK$40,000) promoting solar exhaust fans which aim to bring the concept of environmental protection into domestic setting. The awardee of Best Climate Innovation Award (Prize: HK$20,000)--Link the Unlink--proposed a sustainable fashion solution that used wooden DIY design to upcycle old clothes and used bedsheets into fashionable handbags. Audience Popularity Award (Prize: HK$5,000) was determined by both online and on-site voting. The winner is One Pair Straw, which designs a drinking straw that can be de-compartmentalised for easy cleaning.
Moreover, a special Climate Innovation Novice Award (Prize: HK$2,000) was given to the Greenlights team from Leung Shek Chee College as an encouragement. This student team is experimenting on how to extract energy from plants.
At the competition cum award presentation ceremony, Mr Chong Chan Yau, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CarbonCare InnoLab, remarked that the event had offered a number of innovative carbon reduction ideas for the Government’s reference, helping the city to develop its long-term decarbonisation strategy. Over the past years, JC COIL has supported numerous winning proposals to enter the market. These include solar-powered WiFi sharing service provider (“Reconnect”), reusable tableware and utensil rental service provider (“Utentials”) and sustainable fashion (“Fashion Clinic”, “2 HAND” and “V Visionary”).
Officiating at the event, Mr Victor Tsang, Head of Create Hong Kong, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government said, “The JC COIL programme has offered a platform for young people to unleash their creativity and use design thinking to work out ideas for climate action. The initiative is much appreciated.”
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has been promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation as a means to tackle social issues. In view of the environmental and social issues caused by climate change, the Jockey Club believes that collective wisdom is needed to address these challenges. It has therefore partnered with CCIL to launch the JC COIL programme in two phases, bringing different experts and the general public together to explore innovative sustainability solutions.
An exhibition, "Inno Green Living Choices", was concurrently held at the venue. Winners of previous Zero Carbon Pitch showcased their green products and services that facilitate sustainable and low-carbon living. At the exhibition, there was an installation comprised of abandoned plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Visitors were inspired by the exhibits and made a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint in everyday life.
Exhibitors included: “Infinergy Power Limited” (promoting energy-efficient electrical appliances), “Utentials” (promoting reusable tableware and utensil rental service), “WeFill” (promoting online marketing of eco-friendly products), “2HAND” (promoting clothing consignment service), “Plant Right Now” (Hong Kong’s first participatory guarantee system (PGS) that connects local organic farms with the communities), “Reconnect” (promoting solar-powered WiFi sharing service) and “V Visionary” (a sustainable fashion platform).
