The Water, Energy, and Technology (WET) Center at Fresno State is excited to announce the winners of the inaugural Destination Decarbonization Challenge. The first-place winners, Team Project Zero, won $6,000, and the second-place winners, Team Six-Thousand Dollar, won $4,000. The third-place winners, Team SustainaBulldogs, won $2,500. All finalists presented their innovative projects that reduce/eliminate carbon emissions to a panel of judges. The winners were announced following the eight finalist presentations at the live pitch event hosted by the WET Center at the East Banquet Hall at the University Dining Hall on April 21. 

“This year’s projects and presentations were phenomenal, and I am very proud of all of our finalists,” said Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist Samuel Fairbanks. “The level of interest in decarbonization issues that affect our local communities, in addition to the solutions these students came up with in their teams, were all unique and equally promising in addressing carbon emissions issues we see here in the Central Valley. The future of decarbonization looks hopeful, and we hope to host the challenge again next year to keep the momentum going.” 

The Destination Decarbonization Challenge was a case study competition launched in December 2022 by the WET Center that was open to undergraduate students in groups of two to four who wanted to get involved in the energy industry, solve challenges surrounding carbon emissions in their local region, and win some prize money along the way! The challenge was made possible through Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize funding administered by the Department of Energy. 

A total of eight finalists completed each of the deadlines throughout the challenge timeline, which included abstracts, mentor hours, and final solution reports compiled by each of the teams and their respective team members. The Destination Decarbonization Pitch Day on April 21, was the concluding step for the finalists, where they pitched their completed projects to a panel of judges. You can learn more about the finalists, including the winners by visiting https://www.wetcenter.org/destination-decarbonization-challenge. 

Interested in partnering with the WET Center for the Destination Decarbonization Challenge next year? Contacts us here.

(Written by Alexis Duncil)