Sponsored Challenges

As an online platform that brought together a large community, Climate Colab attracted the interest of public and private organizations that sought to make use of its members’ problem solving capacity. This led to the launching of sponsored challenges, each of which was run by the Climate CoLab team in collaboration with a sponsoring organization. Climate CoLab conducted 24 sponsored challenges. You can see some of the organizations who were involved on the People and Partners page.

ChallengesProblem descriptionDateEntries
Reshaping development pathways in LDCs 2019What are solutions to restore degraded landscapes, helping communities in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) become more climate resilient?201962
Helping Small and Medium Businesses Go Low Carbon 2018What initiatives, products, services or tools can help Ontario’s small and medium-sized businesses thrive while reducing their emissions?201830
Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018What innovative solutions can help improve energy efficiency across a range of corporate facilities?201820
Circular Economy, Economie circulaire 2018What projects, initiatives, technologies or strategies can support cities in their transition towards a circular economy?201843
Changemaker Challenge 2019How can digital and technological initiatives, products, services or tools help to make travel and mobility more sustainable?201917
Absorbing Climate Impacts 2018How can climate risk insurance be linked with other forms of social protection to help vulnerable communities absorb climate impacts?201871
Exploring Synergistic Solutions for Sustainable Development 2018What combinations of Climate CoLab proposals could help achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals?201869
Anticipating Climate Hazards 2017How can vulnerable communities best prepare for climate-related hazards, and what new tools can be used to incentivize early action?201794
Rain Enhancement 2017What can be done to increase the efficiency of rain enhancement in UAE and around the world?201710
Materials Matter 2016Fabrics and textiles impact our climate -- a lot. How can we spark a materials revolution by rethinking how we value and use them?201637
MIT Climate Mitigation Solutions 2016How can MIT demonstrate innovative climate mitigation solutions on campus?201619
Improving firewood for clean cookstoves 2016How can rural residents in Colombia efficiently and inexpensively dry firewood for clean cookstoves?201610
Harnessing the power of MIT alumni 2016What is the most effective thing that MIT alumni can do to help implement the MIT Plan for Action on Climate Change?201690
Fostering Climate Collaboration in Boulder, CO 2016How can we build community engagement and connectivity around climate change?201640
Designing High Density Urban Bike Parking 2016Is there a design solution that provides high-density, accessible, cost-effective bicycle parking in the urban context?201616
Anticipating Climate Change in the Pamir Mountains 2015How can traditional ecological calendars used to guide agricultural activity link to climate science so as to anticipate climate change in the Pamir Mountains?201516
Atypical Ideas for Carbon Neutrality 2015What atypical, innovative ideas can turn Somerville, MA into a carbon-neutral city?201531
Energy solutions for Latin America 2015How can we create more efficient, renewable energy solutions to reduce GHG emissions from the electricity sector in Latin America?201514
Urban Heat Island Effect 2015How can we effectively mitigate the urban heat island effect in Cambridge, Massachusetts?201533
Communicating Coastal Risk and Resilience 2014How do we best communicate climate risk and resilience to coastal communities?201418
Youth action on climate change 2014How can we enable young people to take leadership now, and make a difference against climate change?201440
U.S. Government 2014What new actions or policies can the U.S. government agencies implement to mitigate climate change?201428
Creating public demand for green buildings 2014How can we empower the public and communities to build awareness and demand for green buildings?201432
Urban Resilience: Climate Actions for Urban Areas 2014What priority actions can urban areas take to increase their resilience to climate change?201418