In the morning of March 15th, 2023, the 2nd Universities for Goal 13 Award Greater China Finals was held successfully in the Auditorium Hall of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University. The Greater China Finals was co-organized by the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SDG Institute) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and sponsored by Pernod Ricard (China).
The Universities for Goal 13 Award was initiated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and SIEMENS GAMESA in 2021. The first edition has staged simultaneously in China, the United States, Germany, South Africa, and Brazil, respectively.
This year’s Greater China finals has called for students from 69 universities among 5 countries and regions. 43 teams and 181 students signed up for the competition. After two rounds of rigorous selection and professional guidance, 10 teams were shortlisted for the Greater China finals. Eventually, Lithium Batteries Team, Agricultural and carbon integration construction squad, and SipTracer won the “The Winning Prize”; Small Team Undersea and North Star won the “Pernod Ricard (China) Special Award”. In the following months, the Winning Prize winners will compete at the global stage as representative teams of Greater China.
The Winning Prize Winners and Guests
Pernod Ricard (China) Special Award Winners and Guests
On behalf of the co-organizers of the Greater China finals, Prof. Xufeng Zhu, Executive Director of Tsinghua SDG Institute and Dean of the School of Public Policy & Management at Tsinghua University and Mr. Joseph Chan, Head of Communications and Engagement Section, Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Office, CUHK, delivered the opening remarks. Ms. Kathie Wang, Vice President of Public Relations and Communication at Pernod Ricard (China), also remarked on the finals.
Prof. Xufeng Zhu mentioned in his remarks that “Feasible, duplicable, and scalable climate solutions always emerge from where people from various disciplines longing for change gather. And I’m sure there is no better place than a university campus. Under such context, Universities for Goal 13 Award expects to see university students work across disciplines to produce creative solutions for energy transition and environmental sustainability.”
Prof. Xufeng Zhu
Mr. Joseph Chan also called on that “The ‘Universities for Goal 13’ competition provides an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge, creativity, and passion towards achieving a more sustainable future. The competition encourages students to develop innovative solutions towards tackling climate change, highlighting the important role that universities play in driving climate action.”
Mr. Joseph Chan
Finally, Kathie Wang also shared that “Pernod Ricard is committed to developing sustainable talent and believes that the voice of youth should be heard. It is a delight to see students’ diversified proposals. I noticed a carbon footprint information platform geared toward consumers to promote low carbon supply through green consumption, and an integrated device that uses biomass energy as a resource. These inspire us to continue to be creative and to implement more local projects.”
Ms. Kathie Wang
Joseph Chan, Derrick Lai, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK, Kathie Wang, and Junming Zhu, Vice Director of Tsinghua SDG Institute and Associate Professor of the School of Public Policy & Management, Tsinghua University attended the competition as judges.
Prof. Junming Zhu, Ms. Kathie Wang, Mr. Joseph Chan, and Prof. Derrick Lai
By centering on SDG 13 Climate Action and combining interdisciplinary knowledge and technological innovation, the contestants proposed numerous innovative solutions to combat climate crisis, including topical issues like climate change and meteorological disaster prevention, hydrocarbon conversion, high-value utilization of marine wastes, reuse of discarded lithium battery resources, etc. Students fully demonstrated their persistence in championing sustainable development and determination in taking climate actions through their presentations and Q&A session.
Online Group Photo
On-site Group Photo
