Youth Innovation Challenge

Inscott tackles current challenges in the treatment of animal waste from livestock and slaughterhouses. Developed by graduate students at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, this solution proposes the local upcycling of several hundred tons of industrial animal waste per week to feed and raise edible insects that are later reused as ingredients for animal feed and plant fertilizers. From pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and delays in waste management processes to addressing public health hazards, Inscott aims to introduce a circular economy perspective to the agro-industry as an alternative to conventional animal waste management.

Description of organization

The team behind Inscott is composed of graduate students and organizational co-founders, Jérémy Lavoie, Mariève Dallaire-Lamontagne, and Jean-Michel Allard-Prus. As part of their graduate studies, the three came together with the goal of improving livestock sustainability. With backgrounds in agronomy, biology, political science, and management, they have combined their strengths and interests to achieve their common goals. They have worked to establish an experimental colony of black soldier fly larvae and to test sustainable methods of upcycling livestock residues in response to producers’ needs.

Economía Circular: Del Puerto al Huerto, translated in English as “from the Port to the Garden,” is an innovative solution intending to build a bridge between the fishing and agriculture industries. Focusing on Mexican fisher and coastal communities, this solution addresses issues surrounding the disposal of fish waste and its resulting impact on the public health of fishing communities.

Based on a circular economy perspective, the young leaders behind Economía Circular: Del Puerto al Huerto take fish waste from one industry and transform it into a high-quality fertilizer for use by others to grow local, nutrient-rich crops. Through the introduction of this circular economy approach, fishing, coastal, and agricultural communities can come together in a shared effort to reduce waste, grow healthy foods, and encourage the exchange of local resources among the various groups.

Description of organization

Del Puerto al Huerto is a solo project led and managed by Rodrigo Trejo in collaboration with fishing, agricultural, and coastal communities in Sisal, Yucatán. The project comes out of a research proposal drafted by Rodrigo and carried out as part of his undergraduate studies for a bachelor’s degree in sustainable management of coastal areas.

Grandma’s Hands is an initiative in the form of a community sewing workshop that offers low-cost and energy-efficient alternatives to the wastefulness of fast fashion mass production. Inspired by the legacy of grandmothers, this social-centered solution addresses community recovery by providing the practical skill sets needed to recover from textile shortages, as well as repurposing machines and textiles that would have otherwise been considered trash. The non-electric sewing machines that they use are a valuable and sustainable asset, especially in communities where electricity is not always reliable. Their workshops are geared toward beginners and lovers of vintage processes alike.

Description of organization

Crisp US Thrift is a gender-fluid fashion collective based in Phoenix, Arizona. They bring vintage fashion items and machinery to the local fashion scene in a way that is accessible for folks across the gender spectrum. Through thoughtful curation and mechanical restoration, they help keep historical items out of landfills by ascribing them new value. The name of the business is inspired by Crispus Attucks, a Black and Indigenous runaway slave and martyr of the Boston Massacre.

Learn more about this youth-led solution to the fast-fashion problem here: https://www.crispthrift.us/grandmashands