Clarkson University has partnered with 10-in-10, an organization aimed at tackling 10 global challenges in 10 years, to offer The Gigatonne Challenge to anyone interested in learning more about and taking action on reducing our carbon footprint. The next sprint of the Gigatonne Challenge will take place from April 12 to 23.
The Gigatonne Challenge is a practical, hands-on delivery of a bold, bottom-up, at-scale and at-pace response to the climate crisis. The goal of the program is to demonstrate in practice how to reduce global emissions by one gigatonne of CO2e per year while engaging and benefiting those most affected by climate change.
Michael Walsh, Executive Director of Clarkson’s Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries and Executive Director of the Engineering Management Program, said he hopes Clarkson alumni and community members will come together to foster a constructive dialogue on climate change and create solutions to one of the largest societal challenges we face.
“The Gigatonne Challenge is uniquely designed to address the increasingly complex challenges we have with nature,” Walsh said. “Currently our business-as-usual approach to developing projects, prototypes and strategic frameworks fails at multiple levels. This program encourages us to work with people all over the world to address these complex challenges by rapid prototyping that develops coherent action steps.”
Registered interdisciplinary teams are brought together to include the best thinking from different disciplines. It is at this edge of collaboration where innovation happens. Participants will be coached through a two-week “sprint”, using an approach called “strategy-as-action.” Teams will be tasked with designing and testing prototypes in one area where direct emissions reductions are possible such as Food Waste, General Waste, Energy Efficiency, and Transport.
Participants in The Gigatonne Challenge will be offered practices and frameworks based on 20+ years of experience tackling complex social challenges and working with diverse stakeholders. Program leaders will coach participants through a prototyping and delivery process for achieving tangible impact fast — building confidence in your capacity to lead action in your community and connect them with a local team and a wider global community, and facilitate collaboration.
Since launching in October 2020, the Gigatonne Challenge has already completed 3 two week sprints, with 31 teams starting the challenge, 27 teams completing their sprints, and 12 teams continuing for second and third sprints. To date, 349 people signed up for the challenge from 96 cities in 46 countries, supported by 53 coaches and 14 faculty. There have been 22 prototypes tested resulting in 23.5 tons of CO2e being abated (which equates to the amount of CO2e absorbed by 30.7 acres of US forest in one year).
Those interested in participating in The Gigatonne Challenge can register at https://connect.clarkson.edu/register/gigatonne.
All our courses are offered in the spirit of gift culture. This means interested participants are invited to pay what they can afford, contributing whatever gifts, energies and resources they choose.