Picnic Green Challenge

The Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is an international competition where people are invited to send in creative and innovative ideas to help the environment. These ideas can be about new products, services, concepts, work processes or in fact any other idea that 'helps save the planet'. The ideas should directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition they should score well on other factors as well, such as convenience, quality and design.
The contest is an initiative of the Dutch Postcode Lottery and the Amsterdam based cross-media event PICNIC. The best idea will win €500,000 and professional support to execute the winning plan. The contest closes each year at the end of July and the prize is awarded at the end of September. The Postcode Lottery Green Challenge appeals to creative, innovative people all over the world.
In the first edition, in 2007, the chairman of the jury, Sir Richard Branson, awarded the prize of €500,000 to finalist Igor Kluin of the Dutch company Qurrent and his product Qbox. The Qbox enables people to generate their own energy locally. Other finalists presented a solar lamp, which is in production right now, and a carbon reduced goods transport, making use of the tramways in city centers. This project is in execution in Amsterdam right now. An idea for climate friendly clubbing, is also being further developed. In 2007 the Green Challenge received a total of 439 green ideas.
In the second edition, 2008, the Jury awarded the prize of €500,000 to Ecovative Design, led by Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre. Ecovative Design produces replacements for conventional plastics, using mushrooms as a self assembling resin. Their Products include Greensulate, and eco-friendly insulation, and EcoCradle, a replacement for conventional Styrofoam Packaging.
In 2008 the events of Picnic and Green Challenge are also linked to another climate saving initiative: Connected Urban Development, a program initiated by technology company Cisco, in which major cities around the world, like San Francisco, Amsterdam and Seoul are cooperating to improve the living environments in their cities. In September the CUD organizes its conference in Amsterdam in September.

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