Features
June’s top 10 green crowdfunding projects
Crowdfunding is a democratic form of financing that allows people to direct their money towards the projects they consider most important, innovative and socially useful.
We listed some of our favourite crowdfunding initiatives that focused on sustainability, the environment and education, among other things, in April and May. And here’s our top 10 crowdfunding projects for June.
1. Coralrobots: Restoring and Conserving Coral Reefs with Robots
The non-profit Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute is looking for funds to develop and launch autonomous robots that will go and check on coral reefs, monitoring their living conditions and assessing any damage. It wants to develop digital intelligence for ‘Coralbots’, allowing them to use swarm intelligence to act quickly and effectively to restore reefs.
Scottish social enterprise Wild Earth promotes eco-therapy and wilderness retreats to reconnect with nature and tackle the stress, anxiety and depression that come with a frenetic lifestyle. It is looking to develop its programmes, working with other charities that help people with mental health problems or addictions. It is fundraising to train staff at Schumacher College in Devon in August.
3. Impact assessment – make every pound count in Ghana
Helen Denyer is an impact assessor who is fundraising to go to Ghana and evaluate the effectiveness of the projects by Global Giving UK. She aims to look at how funds are used and how they can be spent more efficiently to improve projects.
4. The Expedition Movie Project: a film project that features a team of scientists exploring the Amazon to save endangered species, and not without risks or danger.
5. The Good Reactor: Frankie Fenton and Des Kelleher are raising funds to produce a documentary film about thorium, a metal able to replace uranium in the production of sustainable and clean nuclear energy.
6. Let’s get the Greater Manchester food revolution moving: Manchester Veg People, a co-operative of local organic growers and buyers, is looking for a decent refrigerated van and packaging material to start selling vegetables to pubs and canteens, in order to create a more sustainable and fairer system of growing and selling food.
7. Forest of lies: a climate change-related thriller novel for young people by Chris Speyer, who’s looking for funds to get it published.
8. Trans-plantable Living Room: theatre meets ecology in this project by performers from Cardiff, who wish to create a community-grown, edible living room space for performances at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
9. Food in the Hood: an ethical mobile food company, which prepares and sells home-cooked meals to the community, is looking for funds to become even more ethically-sourced, using biodegradable packaging and positively changing eating habits of people.
10. First Aid Africa Virals: this project is looking for funds to create fundraising viral adverts and make people aware of health issues in Africa.
Further reading:
May’s top 10 green crowdfunding projects
April’s top 10 green crowdfunding projects
The wisdom (and cash) of crowds: an introduction to crowdfunding