Triggering Change Pitch

Spring 2023 Winners announced

Congratulations to the winners of the Spring 2023 Triggering Change edition, which were selected for their originality, creativity, and informative content!  

• Davide Ebraheem & Lynch Ainsley Sariola: Bringing Together Rome's Council and Artificial City Trees 
• Gina Mineo: City Government Officials 
• Kylie Crimmings & Sydney Pagel: Water Usage in the Leather Industry 

HOW TO USE CREATIVITY AND ENGAGEMENT TO INSPIRE ACTION ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY  

Triggering Change is a two-minute pitch that can be done individually or in pairs. It aims to develop creative processes that inspire action on environmental sustainability. Students can participate in the pitch through their classes or independently.

Winners will receive a €100 voucher for The Almost Corner Book Shop in Trastevere. In Spring 2023, the pitch is due on April 21.

This year, Triggering Change will concentrate on two UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s): Clean Water/Sanitation and Partnerships for Sustainability. Students will choose one topic for their pitch after attending three mandatory prep sessions.

Participation makes students eligible for the Certificate in Sustainability and is a must for selection for the COP 28 JCU delegation.

PITCH DESCRIPTION

Goal:
How to use creative storytelling methods, audiences, contextual research and multidisciplinary perspectives to design a pitch that is disruptive, emotive and creates a dialogue or exchange related to environmental sustainability, ultimately leading the audience to want to create change or respond to make the planet a better place. 

Pitch format: 
You should choose formats and methods that are appropriate to your idea. Your presentation will consist of a two-minute video - done individually or in a pair - that is sent online to the link below. This might include a presentation (no static Power Point’s please), dialogue, prototype or even a performance held in a space that you think is engaging. Sitting in front of a screen and reading a script is not what we are looking for.

Audience:
Choose a specific audience and personalize your pitch for it.

Key elements to cover:

• Why this issue is important to your audience
• What the challenge is from an environmental sustainability perspective
• How your audience can make a difference
• The takeaway or impact: ask your audience to do something about it and have a clear call to action

Think of concrete and actionable ways your audience can make a difference; avoid utopistic proposals.

Solution:
Your proposal should be environmentally, socially and economically feasible. For example, a solution to a specific environmental problem in an industrialized country can have negative social repercussions in a developing country. In other words, don’t make the solution to a challenge in your backyard someone else’s problem further afield.

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Participants must be knowledgeable about the two SDG’s selected this semester by attending three mandatory online prep sessions and by reading independently about them. Relevant Library resources are available.

All participants will need to register for prep session 1, and will receive a participation link. There is no registration for sessions 2 and 3. Students will receive links to attend those sessions after they have completed the preceding ones.

The prep sessions are:

1. Clean Water/Sanitation 15 March (6:30 pm – 7:15 pm)
Expert & Entrepreneurial Tools Talk by Dr. Joseph Mooney, Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT and the University of Limerick, and recipient of the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (he was ranked second globally in his field for this fellowship).

Dr. Mooney will speak about The “Water for All” Challenge, and will dive into the power of entrepreneurial ideas in helping to meet the challenges of Access to Clean Water & Sanitation. He will share his experience, merging academic research and an entrepreneurial mindset, and will provide insights into how we can improve the quality of life of millions of people. A Q&A session will follow.

2. The Creative Thinking Workshop 4 April (6:30 pm – 7:15 pm)
The London agency The Liminal Space will help students think creatively about sustainability. This session can also be offered by professors during class time.

3. Partnerships on Sustainability 11 April (6:30 pm – 7:15 pm) 
Expert & Entrepreneurial Tools Talk by Mr. Andrea Pesce, founder of zeroCO2, a startup that focuses on reforestation and works closely with farming communities worldwide. It has planted over 600,000 trees and provided support to 50,000 farmers. He is also the founder of Comparte, an NGO that supplies instruction and innovation to developing countries. A Q&A session will follow.

4. Giacomo Di Capua, JCU alum and environmental activist, is available to meet you in person and answer any questions on April 14 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Guarini Boardroom. You can contact him in advance at: [email protected].

PITCH SUBMISSION

The pitch is due on April 21 by 9:00 am. Please upload your pitch here. 

Winners will be announced on April 27.

For any questions, please contact [email protected].

SELECTION COMMITTEE