CLIMATHON HOUSTON
Join Climathon Houston to ideate, design and develop solutions for more sustainable communities and a resilient economy.
HOUSTON’S OPPORTUNITY TO INNOVATE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
The impacts of climate change are all around us, hitting our region more seriously and rapidly than models have predicted. We can no longer wait for others to solve this for us: We must lead the change we wish to see. Communities around the world are working to rethink the cities we live in and the future we want, raise awareness for our challenges and ideas, engage our neighbors, and take collective action for a brighter future.
In global partnership with EIT Climate-KIC and local collaboration with the City of Houston, Impact Hub Houston is catalyzing action for our region’s Climate Action Plan by inviting you to join us for the biggest climate hackathon in the world: Climathon! This annual program lays the foundations for tangible projects, impact-driven start-ups and long-lasting conversations with decision-makers around city plans and policies. Enjoy a series of events led by experts in Energy Innovation, Resilient Infrastructure Development, Sustainable Materials Management, Circular Economy, and Civic Engagement.
Come connect, share ideas, spark new ones, form teams, and innovate solutions…all with the opportunity to win a variety of awards!
AUGUST
Need help selecting what to work on for Climathon 2020? Attend the Climate Challenge Info Session to learn about featured challenges and hear crowdsourced pitches you can work on!
OCTOBER 25
Help build a more sustainable future for Houston! Bring an existing idea to work on, or find your peeps and project at the Climathon Kick-Off. Coaches and experts will be available to help you develop promising solutions to our climate challenges.
NOVEMBER 5
Refine and finalize your ideas, solutions, and presentations for submission. Even if you weren’t able to finish your protoype, great ideas can win, too!
NOVEMBER 8
Drum roll, please… Meet the Winners of Climathon Houston 2021! Join us to learn some of the most interesting ideas to emerge from this year’s ideathon and which winning solutions will go on to the Climathon Global Awards!
CLIMATHON HOUSTON FEATURED CHALLENGES
The global community needs giant leaps forward to avoid catastrophic climate change. In order to stay within a 2 °C rise in warming, we must radically change how we use natural resources, materials, energy, the built environment, transportation, and how we grow and consume food.
We envision a more prosperous, inclusive, climate-resilient economy, where finance flows to green projects and activities, and where motivated people are empowered with the skills and capacity they need to take action. This can only be achieved through systemic change – change that includes innovation across business, investment, regulation, governance structures, values and mindsets.
CLIMATHON CHALLENGES
Partners and Participants are invited to design and develop solutions for any of the City of Houston’s challenges (listed below) or for any of the Global Challenges:
- Energy Transition
- Materials Management
- Building Optimization
- Regional Resilience
- Other: Work on a challenge that your community is facing!
ENERGY TRANSITION
Energy Transition includes developing innovative ways to …
- Shift from extractive to regenerative energy production, capture and distribution technologies.
- Restore, protect, and enhance Houston’s natural ability to capture and store carbon.
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
Materials Management includes developing innovative ways to …
- Reduce waste production and/or Optimize waste operations.
- Reuse or Upcycle materials into useful products, to lengthen their lifespan and keep materials out of streets and landfills.
- Recycle materials into efficient energy or new raw materials for manufacturing and production.
BUILDING OPTIMIZATION
Building Optimization includes developing innovative ways to …
- Reduce building energy use and maximize savings.
- Increase the healthfulness and utility of existing buildings for sustainable community use.
REGIONAL RESILIENCE
Regional Resilience solutions include developing innovative ways to …
- Address clean water, access, retention and flooding issues
- Engage more people in building better habits that promote cleaner, greener communities
- Accelerate clean urban mobility
OUR PLAN
Whether you’re a concerned citizen, active advocate, designer, developer, engineer, energy professional, policy maker, student or startup, you can help innovative and local solutions for the global climate emergency. Bring an existing idea or get ready to meet and ideate with people like you who are ready to #TakeAction for our climate!
OUR HISTORY
Covered in Houston Matters by Houston Public Media:
Highlights from Climathon 2019
HELP BUILD A BETTER HOUSTON :
BECOME A CLIMATHON PARTNER!
Houston — “The Energy Capital of the World” — has experienced three 500-year-flood in recent years. We’ve seen local changemakers and innovators rise to these challenges and want to give them a platform to take their solutions to the next level. In such a diverse region with tremendous talent and resources, it’s only natural that Houston can be a leader in developing local solutions that can scale their impact around the world.
Be a Climathon Partner and leverage this opportunity to:
- Engage Houston’s public, private, entrepreneurial and advocacy communities to develop innovative solutions towards climate action
- Build stronger relationships among impact-oriented organizations and communities
- Connect thought leaders and subject matter experts with designers, developers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and activists for more creative, effective, and viable solutions
MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
