College names winners of international sustainability competition

College names winners of international sustainability competition

Redent presenter Ohagwu Collins Patrick celebrates receiving first place for Wege Prize 2019. Courtesy Kendall College of Art and Design

The winners have been chosen for an international student competition focused on sustainable solutions for environmental issues.

Kendall College of Art and Design’s Wege Center for Sustainable Design recently announced the winners of Wege Prize 2019.

The five finalist teams, which contained students from 14 countries and 20 institutions, presented their solutions to a panel of design and sustainability professionals.

The top three teams won cash prizes totaling $30,000. The other two teams each received $1,000.

First place, $15,000

Team Redent: Priscilla Oluwakemi Badusi, Wellesley College; Aisha Muhammed Balogun, University of Wyoming; Mukhtar Hamzat, Ashesi University; Fatimah Owolabi, African Leadership University; Ohagwu Collins Patrick, EARTH University

Solution: convert cocoa pod husks, a byproduct of cocoa bean production, into organic fertilizer

Second place, $10,000

Team Considered Furniture: Jack Cottrell, University of Toronto; Joe Dunaske, KCAD; Kate Hyman KCAD; Sydney Johnson, KCAD; Lindsey Maner, KCAD

Solution: a model furniture company that shifts end-of-life responsibility of bulk furniture waste from the user to the manufacturer

Third place, $5,000

Team Wet Technik: Melissa Mukama Buzabo, Makerere University School of Art and Technology; Mark Musinguzi, Makerere University School of Engineering; Emmanuel Musumba, Makerere University School of Engineering; Shatsi Mwebesa, Makerere University School of Built Environment; Dennis Ssekimpi, Makerere University School of Engineering

Solution: address Uganda's water shortage and contamination issues using plastic bottle caps to construct wetlands and filters