Sustain My Future – Student ‘Ecopreneurs’
Secondary school students considered the UN Sustainability Goals as the catalyst for business ideas that would benefit people and planet. Teams are supported by volunteer ‘Business Coaches’ from industry and academic research programmes. After 3 one hour sessions students pitch their ideas and field questions from their peers and a panel of expertd. Pitches are judged on the relevance of the need for this business idea, its viability and the benefits to people and planet..
This project is funded by WECA Careers Hub with a view to creating a repeatable format for businesses and environmentalists to engage with young people on emerging career opprtunities and the skills and attitudes that will be needed in the future.
To find out how you can get involved as a school or a business coach contact info@myfuturemychoice.
Backwell School Year
9 (13 year olds)
UN Goal |
Sustainability Business Idea |
Business Coach |
Life Underwater and On Land |
Box Bandits. Cardboard Boxes for reuse – 3 sizes of Boxes will be supplied to manufacturers of goods for super-markets, retailers empty the box contents on shelves and can reduce these boxes flat with one quick action. Flat boxes goes in a dispenser at the checkout for customers to select the right size box for their shopping. The box can be recycled or re used on return. |
Katie McAfee Nuclear Industry Marianna Fidalgo Environmental Management student UoB |
No Poverty |
A non profit organisation. Clubs for adolescents with a supportive transport and bike scheme. Activities will be run by trained volunteers in spaces donated at low cost. Cooking skills and financial management will be provided along with counselling services on request. Homeless people can use the club as an address to open a bank account and interest free loans to enable people to escape homelessness and poverty are available. |
Asia Pryjda Phd Student Environmental Science Hannah Marsden Off shore wind – manufacturing / chemist |
Climate Action |
Rubbish 2020, Smart Bin with a user App. The Bin can analyse and reward users. The bin moves to the user if summoned on the app. Solar powered. Can be used in parks or in community streets opting to share the bin |
Neils Schneider Senior Lecturer in Business and author of Ecoprenuership |
Peace and justice |
Peace for Pupils. Less stress for adolescents in school with a digital application that enables them to link with each other and to link to businesses and real world learning activity. The App encourages greater security and collaboration. Changes learning from the front to learning in a 360 degree environment relevant to te |
Stefan Ciaki Geography student at University of Bristol |
Climate Action Winner |
Climate Crew. An app that rewards recycling. Use of Barcodes to monitor what is entered into bins by specific users. The app will also log purchases and check and reward what happens to the packaging. |
Carys Thomas Coral Evans GWR Winner of Week 1 |
Peace and Justice |
Hydration Manifestation. An industrial plant for developing countries that filters fresh water from sewage and creates energy from the gas and solid waste matter. |
Asia Pryjda Phd Student Environmental Science |
Life Under Water |
Saving Nemo! A social media influencer campaign raising awareness of the plight of farmed and wild fish species. Legislation change was predicted that would mean they could manage the images applied to fish sold to the public. These images would be a represenation of the fishing processes and environmental damage caused. (As with tobacco products). The business would be headed up by an animated fish character capable of expressing emotion and building up a social media following. |
Hannah Marsden Off shore wind – manufacturing / chemist Chloe Coglan – GWR (Apprentice) |
Peace and Justice |
Track and Report. A phone ‘app’ to report emergencies as well as a sense of danger or something that is not right. Videos can be sent to the police rather than social media. The app would provide self defence information and the business would run sessions in schools and advocate changes to the curriculum. |
Katherine Manfred Post Graduate Researcher at York University – studying air pollution. |
Clean Water and Hygiene |
Water Straw. A kit for disaster areas aimed at school groups to enable them to gather water and for individuals to filter water with a straw. Could incorporate rain collection and distillation equipment. The main kit comprises pumps, buckets, cups and individual filter straws. |
Marianna Fidalgo Environmental Management student UoB |
Inequality and Poverty Winner |
Eleminating Gender Poverty Gap An ‘app’ for business that ensures.
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Stefan Ciaki Geography Student University of Bristol |
Life Underwater |
Underwater Aquarium. Reusing barren quarry sites as nature reserves with visitors viewing through underwater tunnels or pods on rails. Education displays raise awareness of species loss. The flooded land will be populated only by species from nature and will enable access to/from the sea for migratory fish. |
Asia (Joanna) Prydja Post Graduate – Environmental science student UWE |
Clean Energy |
Deep Solar. Reusing mining sites to generate power using geo-thermal energy /heat source pump. Energy is used on site to manufacture solar panels for dew eco housing projects. |
Neils Schneider Lectureer in business studies and author of Ecopreneurship, Business Practices for a Sustainable Future |
Broadlands Year 7(11 year olds)
UN Goal |
Sustainability Business Idea |
Business Coach |
Good Health and Wellbeing |
Sports Facilities Public awareness campaign for better public sports facilities. Focussing on arranging charity rugby matches |
University of Bristol Elian Tago University of Nottingham Luca Bussandri |
Sustainable Cities and Communities |
Tree house bike shed. A mechanical tree that scrubs carbon from the air. With a platform for ‘hanging out’ on while waiting for buses and a bike park underneath the platform. Reduces congestion and pollution as well as making an eco- statement outside a schoo. Also elimanting a school's bike shed issues. |
University of Bristol Frank Patton |
Life under water |
Public awareness campaign to reduce and eliminate waste reaching the seas. |
University of Bristol Jad Daas University of Bristol Sahasmeancheytheary Tov |
Life on Land |
Snake Hostel. Homes for wild snakes and a PR campaign for snakes (similar to that for bees) so that people don’t see them as a threat. The business will supply a basic home for non-poisonous snakes and a people safe zone for venemous snakes. |
Jack Honour Nuclear Scientist |
Responsible Production and Consumption |
Eco bag. Using organic waste fibres from local vegetation to create reusable and recyclable bags. |
Charlene Chung Atkins Global |
Life Under Water |
Public awareness campaign to reduce and eliminate waste reaching the seas. |
David Owen Independent Consultant Lauren Thomas Nuclear Industry |