Buckminster Fuller Challenge Semi-Finalists Warrant Closer Look

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2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge semi-finalists Photo: Bustler.net

If you haven’t had the opportunity to review the semi-finalists for the 2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, now is an ideal time to look, as the winner will be announced this June and be presented with $100,000 in prize money to encourage further development of their work.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI), named after the renowned innovator and designer, formally announced the 21 semi-finalists in March of this year. The winner will be selected by jury at a public ceremony in New York in early June 2011. But until the winner is announced, the work of all semi-finalists is something to behold.

According to BFI, these 21 semi-finalists have undergone a rigorous review. Of 162 entries, those selected to make it this far were vetted up to four times by members of the review team, undergoing extensive analysis and discussion. In-depth interviews were also conducted with the individual or team to understand the technical aspects of the project and its underlying design principles. “It is a very significant achievement to advance to this stage of the selection process”, said BFI executive director Elizabeth Thompson in the March announcement.

Without further ado, here are the semi-finalists and their projects:

  • A New Economic Model for transition to a low carbon, high well-being future economy, submitted by New Economic Foundation
  • Dreaming New Mexico, submitted by Kenny Ausubel + Peter Warshall + Arty Mangan + Nikki Spangenburg
  • Participatory Mapping as a means of protecting forest in the Congo basin, submitted by The Rainforest Foundation UK
  • Haiti Onward: Building Sustainable Pathways, submitted by Haiti Onward
  • The MicroConsignment Model, submitted by Greg Van Kirk
  • Spark MicroGrants, submitted by Sasha Fisher + Neal Lesh + Teddy Svoronos + Moses Unity + Aaron Bukenya
  • Educating Entrepreneurs Tool-Kit, submitted by EARTH University
  • TARA AKshar+, submitted by George C. Varughese + Col. M.S.Ahluwalia + Irfan Khan + Pushpendra + Pragya Tiwary + Rakesh Khanna + Victor Johnson
  • Village Health Promoters: Practitioners as the “Doctors” of their communities, submitted by Marianne Loewe + Curt Wands
  • Promoting Health and the Environment through synergy of man and land, Krishna K. Gurung + Lila Thapa Gurung + Rameshor Man Singh
  • Maternova: a global marketplace for maternal & neonatal health innovation, submitted by Maternova
  • FrontlineSMS, submitted by Ken Banks + Laura Walker Hudson + Alex Anderson + Josh Nesbit + Morgan Belkadi + Ryan Jones + Sarah George
  • The Portable Light Project, submitted by The Portable Light Project
  • QuaDror Homes, submitted by Dror Benshetrit + Elisabeth Krenkler + Ernst van ter Beek + Alexandra Jenal
  • Global Village Construction Set, submitted by Marcin Jakubowski, project leader
  • Sanergy, submitted by Ani Vallabhaneni + David Auerbach
  • Solar Power Villages, submitted by Jurgen Kleinwachter + Barbara Kovats + Paul Gissler + Nick Winter + Mitra Ardron
  • Plant Chicago, submitted by Plant Chicago
  • Ecosistema Urbano, sumitted by ecosistema urbano
  • Blue Ventures, submitted by Al Harris + Richard Nimmo + Frances Humber + Kathleen Edie + Ben Metz
  • FishNET: Protecting Our Oceans, submitted by Shah Selbe + Center for Ocean Solutions

For those wishing to learn more about each project, BFI asks people to visit the Semi-Finalists summary page. It is well worth the investigative time.


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Glenn Meyers

is a writer, producer, and director. Meyers was editor and site director of Green Building Elements, a contributing writer for CleanTechnica, and is founder of Green Streets MediaTrain, a communications connection and eLearning hub. As an independent producer, he's been involved in the development, production and distribution of television and distance learning programs for both the education industry and corporate sector. He also is an avid gardener and loves sustainable innovation.

Glenn Meyers has 449 posts and counting. See all posts by Glenn Meyers