Starting this semester, we have moved the Acara Challenge from the Spring semester to the Fall semester, giving the participants more time to plan the post-Challenge activities for the following summer.
The formal Challenge statement for this Fall Challenge is as follows: The primary focus for Fall 2011 is food security. However, there may be other more pressing problems in the community. Therefore, a topic related to a broader environmental challenge is also acceptable. Environmental topics include food security, water security, air quality, renewable energy, climate change (carbon emissions, deforestation, etc.), public health, agriculture or land use.
The US university participants were Cornell University, University of Cincinnati, University of Hartford and University of Minnesota. The India university participants were IIT Roorkee, Kalinga Institute of Technology, Somaiya Institute of Management and Research, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, TERI University, Vellore Institute of Technology and Xavier Institute of Management.
Gold Winners
BlueFood
University of Minnesota & TERI University.
BlueFood is working on providing consulting and marketing services to street food vendors in Delhi communities. Through this, the team expects to improve the safety of the street food for the consumers.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-minute pitch
Eat for Equity (E4E) Mobile
University of Minnesota
E4E is a non-profit that organizes monthly benefit dinners, engaging communities to eat, drink – and raise thousands for a greater cause. E4E was just featured on NBC’s Today Show. Building on their success in Minneapolis, Boston, and Portland, Eat for Equity will use a mobile kitchen tour to bring this community-driven model to more cities across the country.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-minute pitch
Rot2Roti
University of Minnesota & TERI University
Rot2Roti is a renewable energy production business that will convert the waste generated from the Azadpur Mandi, Delhi into fuel for the adjacent Shalimar Slum. Thus addressing two problems at once – 1. Costly and limited fuel supplies and 2. Inefficient waste disposal.
Read the business plan (pdf) |Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-Minute Pitch
Silver Winners
Nirmal
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar
Nirmal aims at purifying water and removing excess iron content from drinking water. It uses bio-sand filtration combined with bamboo and coconut charcoal for purifying water, thereby significantly reducing iron content in water and enriching the water contents.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the two minute pitch
Ujjwal
Cornell-Somaiya Institute of Management Science and Research
Ujjwal is addressing the gap in pre-natal care knowledge and guidance found in pregnant women in Mumbai,India. Ujjwal believes that none of the current programs in establishing a comprehensive solution, and hopes to address this gap.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-minute pitch
Bronze Winners
Aahar_image
Aahar
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Aahar is proposing a solution to improve the condition of landless marginalized poor in Odisha by allowing them to farm on leased land. Thus increasing the amount of food available to eat and also improving the economic conditions of the poor.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-minute pitch
Anvita
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Anvita is working to develop low priced splints and distribute them in Tier II and Tier III cities in India. These splints address locomotor disability, one of the commonest types of disability that occurs due to amputation, paralysis, deformity.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation
Green Caps
Vellore Institute of Technology
Green Caps is developing a biodegradable alternative for plastic water bottle caps.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation | Watch the 2-minute pitch
Renew Waste Compactor Service
University of Cincinnati & IIT Roorkee
Renew provides an efficient and profitable way to collect accumulated waste in the Indian communities, and provide income to community members.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation
Honorable Mentions
Darohar
Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur
Darohar will work with both producer groups and artisans clusters in Jharkhand and provide them with marketing linkages and training modules to further enhance their skills.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation
Food Miles
University of Minnesota & TERI University
Food Miles, a collaboration between students at TERI University and at the UMN, and the farmers themselves, is a business that will mitigate the effects on the wallets of New Delhi consumers and increase the income of farmers in the region.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation
Vidyut
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar
Vidyut is working on making the post harvesting process of chillies and turmeric extremely fast and efficient by reducing wastage.
Read the business plan (pdf) | Watch the presentation
