Growth & Jobs | JN Foundation helps entrepreneurs to promote climate change

The JN Foundation, through The Water Project Jamaica, is inviting entrepreneurs, climate change activists, women, young people and members of the wider public to enter the JN Climate Innovation Challenge Competition.

The competition will be held over a two-day period, in the context of a boot camp from October 26 to 27. Interested persons are encouraged to submit their application by October 11. Subsequently, eight applicants will be shortlisted for the competition. The application form can be accessed via The Water Project Jamaica website at www.waterprojectja.com.

Onyka Barrett Scott, general manager of the JN Foundation, said that the competition will identify suppliers and entrepreneurs who are providing solutions to climate-related challenges, particularly solutions geared to residential and/or commercial industries and solutions addressing climate resilience generally, but with a special category focused on water adaptation.

“This challenge is designed to empower existing and aspiring entrepreneurs to ideate, plan for and develop lines of businesses that help to solve a climate-related challenge and overall, promote increased climate resiliency, particularly in the residential sector,” she explained.

Barrett Scott pointed out that the competition will also provide specific avenues for women- and youth-led climate resiliency businesses to participate.

ENTICING PRIZES

Cornelia Walters-Jones, project manager, The Water Project Jamaica, said the prizes are enticing, with a first prize of J$2 million; second prize, J$800,000; and third place, J$575,000. In addition, winners will be hosted for six months to a year in an incubator or accelerator programmes at the Caribbean Climate Innovation Center in St Andrew.

The Water Project Jamaica is being administered by the JN Foundation. Its objectives is to facilitate the uptake of water-adaptation measures in the housing sector across Jamaica. These include the use of rainwater-harvesting systems; water-efficient taps and showers; low-flush toilets; efficient irrigation systems; and grey water-recycling facilities; as well as other appropriate efficiency measures.

Other objectives of the project are to increase climate-resilient housing in Jamaica, through greater awareness about the business and financial cases involved in developing and building homes with water-efficient measures.

It is also aimed at promoting efficiency in the use of water by Jamaicans in their homes; improve the reliability of water supplies, and thereby enhance the country’s water security and climate resilience.

The competition is in line with the upcoming Climate Innovation Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Jamaica in March 2021.