PAT DEAKIN
PORT ALBERNI – The Cities of Port Alberni, Rimouski and Yarmouth are partnering with the Ocean Startup Project to launch ‘ocean climate change challenges’ this Spring.
This is a new competition supporting the development of innovative solutions to ocean sustainability and climate challenges faced by partnering municipalities and other communities. The challenges will be issued throughout Canada to anyone who believes they can come up with a solution.
The challenges will be issued under four themes: Monitoring and predicting ocean conditions; Transitioning to net-zero port communities; Creating resilient and circular economy coastal communities; and, Preserving and leveraging natural assets.
The challenge Port Alberni is issuing is under the theme of ‘Creating resilient and circular economy coastal communities’ and will be for solutions to recycle or repurpose polystyrene and fibreglass retrieved from marine and freshwater environments. Polystyrene is the largest material by volume that the Coastal Restoration Society (headquartered here) recovers while fibreglass is the largest material they recover by weight. Currently no recycling facilities for these exist anywhere in Canada.
Rimouski and Yarmouth will each issue a different challenge or challenges. In the event that a suitable potential solution is not found for the challenge we are issuing, other challenge statements will be available for consideration. For example, other challenges under the ‘Creating resilient and circular economy coastal communities’ theme are:
- Develop a new value-added product using waste streams for ocean-based industries
- Develop a method to repurpose shellfish waste or fish processing waste
- Develop closed loop systems to prevent marine-effluent discharge from various industries
- Develop a new product and/or service that leverages or enhances the co-benefit values of macroalgae
Entrepreneurs, students and individuals will be invited to propose a solution to the challenges. Those with the potential solutions that are perceived as having the best chance of success will be able to avail themselves of a 3-month mentoring period then pitch their solution to a panel of judges convened by the Ocean Startup Project. The winner will receive a $7,500 prize to continue their work and it is expected that the solutions that get chosen will represent global opportunities for entrepreneurs and startup teams.
A soft launch of the Challenge will take place late in March with a virtual event promoting the event in early May. For those interested, the challenge will be advertised by the Ocean Startup Project, the three partnering communities and through our respective networks.
Pat Deakin is the Economic Development Manager for the City of Port Alberni and currently the President of the BCEDA. He can be reached at 250-720-2527 or Patrick_deakin@portalberni.ca