Marsh McLennan and JA Worldwide Team Up for a Global Innovation Challenge
June 2, 2022
The first-ever Marsh McLennan and JA Worldwide Global Innovation Challenge asked nearly 200 students from Argentina, Chicago/USA, Colombia, India, Philippines, South Africa, Toronto/Canada, and United Arab Emirates for their “strategies to reduce carbon emissions and pollution by helping people change consumption behavior.”
In recognition of Marsh McLennan’s May Global Volunteer Month, hundreds of Marsh McLennan volunteers from across the world mentored over 40 student teams as they collaborated to create innovative ideas for the challenge. Marsh McLennan’s volunteers also served as judges to determine the finalists, while employees voted to determine each of the regional winners.
The Challenge Scenario tasked students with creating “Strategies to reduce carbon emissions and pollution by helping people change consumption behavior.” The judges used the following criteria to select the winning teams:
Innovation and Creativity: Clearly define the intended purpose and demonstrate how the strategy achieves the stated goals and objectives.
Presentation Quality: Creatively present your strategies in an innovative and original way that addresses the needs or gaps identified.
Strategy Feasibility: Represent sustainable and replicable strategies that add value to what is currently available.
Teamwork: Engage young people, include accurate visuals, and suggest how team members participated throughout the experience.
Organizers announced the winning teams at the final event on May 27: Philippines, South Africa, Argentina, and Canada.
Meet the Winning Teams
Asia Pacific winner: INHS (Philippines) proposed capturing carbon emissions in soil through the use of manure in soil fertilization, which increases carbon sequestration.
EMEA winner: Remove and Reduce Mindset (South Africa) proposed reducing carbon emissions by raising awareness about the simple environmental actions people can take.
Latin America winner: ExChange (Amanecer Team 6) (Argentina) proposed creating an incentive for recycling through a points system that can be used to purchase biodegradable products.
North America winner: Green Goblins (Toronto, Canada) proposed reducing carbon emissions by advocating the government to mandate increased energy-efficient solutions in buildings.
JA Worldwide is grateful to volunteers, staff, teachers, and students for their contributions!