Dalhousie student Alejandro Alejandro led his team of fellow innovators to first place at a global competition with a pitch to reduce the risk of wildfires through the development of a community co-op.
Alejandro, who is doing his Master's through the Department of Engineering at the Faculty of Agriculture, notes his team's success at this year's UNITE 2030 Changemakers Summit in New York City last month had a lot to do with the mulitcultural makeup of the group.
“You can see a problem from one perspective, but for someone in another country, that problem could be seen differently,” says Alejandro.
One of Alejandro's team members has served as a firefighter in British Columbia, where wildfires happen regularly year after year.
“One member of my team was really close to those wildfires, so she has the experience,” says Alejandro, noting the advantage this experience gave when pitching their idea.
The fires in Salmon River, B.C., in particular, served as inspiration for their project, the Ember Co-op. “Reuse, recycle and repurpose," explains Alejandro, of the ethos behind his team's project, explained below:
The problem: Wildfire prone communities in Canada lack resources and circular economy practices to mobilize co-operative nonprofits for large-scale fuel management to reduce the impact of wildfires.
The solution: The Ember Co-op is a cooperatively owned nonprofit focused on wildfire mitigation. It mobilizes local volunteers for large-scale, sustainable fuel management to reduce wildfire risk, while also providing awareness and fostering community connections. The Ember Co-op will operate through a circular economy approach to fuel management by collecting, sorting and processing forest material into mulch, which will be distributed to co-op members and back to the forest floor to promote sustainable forest health.
Coming together
UNITE 2030, an international non-profit and community of social impact leaders from more than 175 countries, hosted the summit, which encourages participants to find innovative solutions to global challenges.
Teams are assigned topics such as health, climate change, education, and energy. Upon applying to join UNITE 2030, 100 are chosen from around the globe, tasked with creating pitches in groups of five on their requested topic.
During a five-day workshop, problems are identified and solutions are proposed. Following internal votes, select groups get the opportunity to present at the Changemakers Summit. The Ember Co-op, made up of students who expressed their interest in climate change solutions, was one of them.
Alejandro says his team also benefitted from a shared desire to tackle "problems from more holistic approaches.”
By winning the summit, Alejandro’s team is granted the opportunity to present their idea at an upcoming United Nations conference. A date has yet to be set.
Take a step to the front
Graduating with a Bachelor of Science at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, Alejandro set his gaze on Dalhousie’s agricultural campus, pursuing his masters in environmental science there.
Alejandro's focus on finding the “particular skill sets that are needed in today's world” foreshadowed his success at the UNITE 2030 event, which he describes “a boot camp for human-centred design and problem solving.”
Alejandro reflected on his most memorable moment from the experience. “Just waiting in the line,” he said light-heartedly, referencing how tense the experience was.
To tackle the fears that come with presenting at such an important conference, Alejandro says he just had to embrace it. “Take a step to the front, and just start talking with your heart.”
What's ahead
Wrapping up his time at Dalhousie, Alejandro looks ahead to what this experience can afford him. Winning the Changemakers Summit comes with the opportunity of funding to make their pitch a reality.
“We really want to make it happen,” says Alejandro, excited for the future of the Ember Co-op.
Students looking to create their own solutions to global challenges, can take the advice of Dalhousie's very own UNITE 2030 veteran.
“Don't be afraid to try new things,” says Alejandro, “opportunities like this don't come often–whenever you see one, just take it.”
Join the UNITE 2030 movement and become a changemaker. Applications for next year's summit open soon.