Economy
July’s top 10 green crowdfunding projects
Crowdfunding is the collective effort of individuals who gather around a cause, and contribute their money to make it happen. It offers everyone, from entrepreneurs and small businesses to artists and inventors, the chance to kickstart their projects.
We’ve rounded up our favourite crowdfunding campaigns open this month that have a focus on sustainability.
1. Move Your Money – get ready to fix British banking in 7 days
When seven-day switching comes into effect this September it is expected that high street banks will spend millions on advertising to attract new customers. Alternative banking campaign group Move Your Money is therefore asking the public to help fund its ‘guerilla war’ against the big banks’ marketing drive. Launched on BuzzBnk, the crowdfunding campaign will pay for billboards, campaigns and a new switching service, dedicated to helping customers get into socially responsible banking.
2. A Co-operative Climate Reserve
Inspired by the UN International Year of Co-operatives, this not-for-profit project raises funds to help those living in poverty in tropical regions of Bolivia. It contributes to environmental repair and the development of climate-friendly agriculture. It is hoped that the funds received from this campaign will help choose an area from the south-west Amazon to establish a new conservation area to protect and restore the biodiversity essential to the welfare of local families.
3. Micropower Chips: Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency
Cleantech energy company Micropower is asking for funds to develop a semiconductor chip that converts waste heat to electricity more efficiently than ever before. The chip generates electricity when simply placed on a hot surface. It says that this could reduce waste heat in many industries, reducing harmful emissions and conserving natural resources worldwide.
4. Bee Subtilis: bees are receiving rather a lot of media attention recently, and for good reason, as pollinators they are essential. A Turkish team is hoping to create bacteria that will protect bees from one of the most commonly used insecticides.
5. Towards a Green Horizon: two young engineers are preparing a world tour by bike, taking in Asia, America and Africa with the objective of discovering projects related to renewable energy and sustainable environmental management.
6. Beeconomics: love them or run away from them (or is that only me?), you just can’t get away from bees this month. This enterprise, based in Pernambuco, Brazil, will provide training and employment for young people in the production, marketing and distribution of bee-product-based skin and haircare products.
7. The Collective, Sierra Leone: the Collective is a capacity building organisation, providing workshops and training to small organisations in skills like basic accounting, marketing and communications, project management and monitoring and evaluation in Sierra Leone.
8. Littoral: Littoral is an art project that will survey and catalogue the litter found on British beaches, considering the effects that the washed up rubbish has had on our environment.
9. Expedition to Oman 2014: 18-year-old Jenny Evans will be a part of the British Exploring Society’s 2014 expedition to Oman, and is asking for crowdfunding to help save the endangered Arabian Leopard.
10. Human Rights and Smart Phones: this project aims to use smartphone technology to champion human rights, by developing an app that allows people across the world to post news stories, videos and photos of the issues affecting them, in real time to an online map.
Further reading:
June’s top 10 green crowdfunding projects