SDG Challenge | 600 MBS students work together to solve real issues of sustainable development in Occitanie.
From March 31st 2021, 600 students from the Bachelor and Grande Ecole programs of MBS will be trained to meet the challenges of economic, ecological and societal transition in order to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations.
Hackathon, The Climate Collage, business plan… Sponsored this year by Romain Troublé, the SDG Challenge* will lead MBS’ students to present their solutions to the problems of the Occitanie territory in front of a jury of transition experts who will elect the three best projects on April 16th.
The SDG Challenge is the first building block of a deeper reform of the MBS Programmes for the ecological and societal transition.
In line with its 2020 – 2025 strategic plan, MBS is preparing a reform of its programmes in order to strengthen the teaching linked to the societal and environmental transition through research and its Sustainability Lab.
In terms of pedagogy, this commitment is materialised by the organisation of the first MBS SDG Challenge Hackathon, led by Dr Helen Etchanchu, holder of the COAST Chair, and built in partnership with the association “I love Planet” and “The Climate Collage“.
“The SDG Challenge is a three-day seminar where students will be introduced to The Climate Collage in order to understand the systemic issues of sustainable transformation and the scope of the solutions to be implemented. “explains Dr. Helen Etchanchu.
“In parallel, this course will be the subject of a major action research project with the COAST Chair to measure and improve the impact of the workshops on the participants’ environmental attitudes and actions, in a process of continuous improvement of the training. “says the teacher-researcher.
Working on concrete sustainable development issues in Occitania
Once the issues have been assimilated, the participants will move on to the practical phase and will have to propose an organisational solution through a business plan for each team, in order to solve a concrete problem raised by stakeholders in the Occitanie region in connection with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
These Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs were adopted in September 2015 by 193 countries at the United Nations. They aim to transform societies by eradicating poverty and ensuring a fair transition to sustainable development by 2030.
“How to reduce fossil fuel consumption? How to adapt coastal tourism to global environmental challenges? The MBS students will have to show their creativity and CSR expertise in order to face twelve issues of the Occitanie territory. At the end of the challenge, the groups will present their solution on video to a final jury of experts. “explains Dr. Etchanchu.
Bringing together a jury of experts, the first edition is sponsored by Romain Troublé, Managing Director of the Tara Ocean Foundation
To inspire students in their search for solutions to bring about change, MBS has invited a large number of committed environmental, associative and economic figures to participate.
Among them, the sponsor of this edition and also President of the jury: Romain Troublé, Managing Director of the Tara Ocean Foundation. This professional sailor is developing with this foundation a science based on the ocean in order to better anticipate climate risks and respond to the UN’s Agenda 2030.
Distinguished professionals will also participate to inspire and evaluate the students: Jean-Louis Cazaubon, President of IRQUALIM, Olivier Gruie, Co-founder of EcoWise, Benjamin Clouet, Director of Ecosec, Benoit Yameundjeu, Managing Director of Smoove, Denis Terrien, CEO Salesforce Europe, Laurent Esposito, Managing Director of the Climate Collage, Dr Adrien Jahier, communication consultant, Thomas André, Founder of Dynveo and 2013 alumni, Baptiste Gapenne, founder of Impact(s), Edouard Bergeon, director and journalist at cultivonsnousTV, Marie Thérèse Mercier, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region and Kelvine Gouvernayre, head of communication at IRQUALIM.
The Bachelor Programme hackathon will take place from 31 March to 2 April 2021, and will be followed by the Grande Ecole Programme hackathon from 7 to 9 April 2021. The Grand Final will take place on April 16 and will reward the 3 best projects according to the jury of experts. A 4th project may also win the public prize depending on the number of votes the video receives. See you on 16 April 2021 to discover the winners!
