Meet incredible Global Problem Solvers fighting for a better world
Continuing our showcase of girls, families, and young adults making real changes in their communities with a very special Earth Day edition, meet four more teams building a better world by protecting the earth.
Drawing on their individual experiences with climate change and its effects, teams around the world developed unique, community-specific solutions to address climate change on a local level. This Earth Day, we especially want to recognize these teams fighting for a cleaner, safer, better world for everyone.
Terra: an app to address climate change
California, USA
Team SOP developed Terra in 2019 in response to climate change. Climate disasters are increasingly common, with 121 recorded disasters over the past 10 years in the US alone. Together Isha, Thanh-Na, Shaina, Anjali, and Haley are stepping up to do their part. “It is of paramount importance to be prepared in order to avoid unnecessary deaths in the face of these disasters” the team explained. “Our app will be an inclusive tool for natural disaster preparedness. Terra will help people establish a safety strategy before disasters strike, stay safe during disasters, and reconnect after the disaster passes.”
> Learn more about the Terra app
CO2 Container: an AI tool to address global warming & greenhouse gases
La Paz, Bolivia
Aggy and Maxi, a mother-and-son team from La Paz, developed CO2 Container to fight global warming in response to a local climate emergency. In 2016 Bolivia faced its worst drought in 25 years – a result of the shrinking glaciers that provide La Paz with most of its water. The three-month shortage of water spurred Maxi and Aggy to action. They chose to focus on industrial emissions, and developed the CO2 Container. The device fits onto industrial chimneys and uses sensors and an AI model to classify and sort gaseous emissions with the goal of recycling carbon dioxide through a centrifuge.
> Learn more about The CO2 Container
Trashnovator: an AI tool to fight ocean pollution
Karachi, Pakistan
Team Mohammed developed Trashnovator, an AI-powered tool that combats ocean pollution by helping users understand what materials can and can’t be recycled. “We chose to solve one of the biggest problems on earth – pollution – by [using] AI in an easy and simple manner that everyone can use” 13 year-old Mohammed told us. As we find harmful chemicals present in increasing amounts in our oceans, Trashnovator aims to help stop the influx of chemicals at a key point – improper waste disposal. Trashnovator uses text and number data to categorize a user’s waste and identify whether or not it’s recyclable. This is just the beginning – Team Mohammed who plan to expand the scope of their app – “we first just thought of water pollution and main chemicals, [because of all the] oil and trash dumped into the sea but now we believe that our app can be [even] more effective if we include hazardous waste that affects land and air as well.” We can’t wait to hear more from this team in the years to come.
> Learn more about Trashnovator
Recyclator: an AI-powered recycling tool
Madrid, Spain
The Recyclator team developed a device that uses artificial intelligence to help users correctly recycle and reduce plastic waste. The family decided to act after realizing just how much waste individuals generate, and how quickly that adds up. The World Bank estimates that global waste is expected to increase to 3.4 tons each year by 2050. The Recyclator uses a camera and an AI agent to classify trash into five groups: general, glass, plastic, organic, and paper waste. Explaining their tool, Nera, Jorge, Juan and Irene told us “the AI helps humans to avoid mistakes and recycle better” which makes recycling efforts as a whole much more effective. Although based in Spain, the family hopes their tool can help people everywhere – “we shared the project on the internet so people can build their own recyclator, train new models and improve the system” which is already happening! “Users have provided good feedback and have also made us realize that each city has its own complex garbage separation system.” With their shareable, adaptable tool, the Recyclator team helps people in each city reduce human error.
>Learn more about The Recyclator
If you are interested in learning more about the innovative ways young people are solving some of today’s biggest problems, sign up to judge Technovation Girls submissions for the 2020 season. Learn more and register.