Off-grid energy, bamboo straws, and mobile markets: Students' winning ideas to tackle SDGs.
Our Sustainable Goals Student Ideas Competition rewards innovative ideas which tackle one of the 17 UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with cash prizes to win every month. Find out more about some of last semester's winners and their submissions.
The competition is organised by RGU’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group (EIG) and runs during the first and second semester of each academic year. It encourages students to think creatively about societal problems and find innovative and viable solutions for a fairer world. It is also a good opportunity for them to engage with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which they will encounter during their studies at RGU as we embed sustainability within our curriculum through our RGUplus programme.
Solar microgrids for rural communities - Winning entry
Last semester’s winner was Kanchan Goga, a student from Aberdeen Business School, who decided to tackle the SDG “Affordable and Clean Energy” with the development of Solar Microgrids for Rural Empowerment (SMRE). Kanchan explains that deploying small-scale microgrids in off-grid rural areas can help the communities living there access clean and affordable electricity for essential facilities such as schools and health clinics, as well as boost and foster the local economic development:
“The SMRE system integrates solar panels, energy storage, and smart grid technologies for local electricity generation and distribution. Notably, its community-driven model involves local residents actively managing and maintaining the microgrid, fostering a sense of ownership.”
What is particularly impressive with Kanchan’s idea is that it feeds into other areas of the SDGs, for example by preventing poverty in rural areas and improving the overall health of residents by nurturing a cleaner environment.
For this impressive achievement, Kachan is the lucky recipient of a £100 voucher. Two other innovative students have been awarded a “Highly commended” recognition alongside a £50 voucher each.
Bamboo straws - Highly commended
Innes Urquhart, a student in Architectural Technology at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, submitted the idea to replace paper straws with ones made of bamboo. She acknowledges that while paper straws are a positive step forward from using plastic straws, which contribute to pollution on a high scale, the user experience is compromised as they fall apart almost instantly, making it difficult to enjoy a drink.
Bamboo straws, however, are much more durable and are also great for the environment as bamboos can grow quicker than trees used to make paper straws, making this an attractive alternative to prevent deforestation, which would tackle the “Life on Land” SDG goal.
Mobile markets - Highly commended
The other highly commended entry comes from ABS student Arifur Rahman, who explored the “Good Health and Well-Being” SDG with his idea of a mobile grocery market around Aberdeen City:
“We know vegetables and fruits are important for keeping our body fit and healthy. If we provide fresh vegetables and fruits by a motor van in different areas around the city, where a store is not available or easy to access without transport, people will benefit from easily buying healthy products.”
This original idea can also contribute to the economic development of the city by creating more job opportunities. Arifur shares that, not having prepared extensively before submitting his idea, he was positively surprised when he received the Highly Commended prize.
Congratulations to all the winners! EIG is relaunching the competition in February, March and April 2024 for all students to get a chance to win the coveted cash prizes. If a student has already submitted an idea but haven’t won yet, they are encouraged to try again.
