Event Spotlight — Envision 2050: Designing Sustainable Futures

Envision 2050: Designing Sustainable Futures, was a two-day virtual ideathon (Earth Hacks’ first!) hosted in collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU)’s College of Global Futures, and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Lab. The ideathon brought together students and recent graduates from around the world — the group of people who will be in decision making roles in 2050 — to imagine what they would want the world to look like by 2050, and to propose specific goals and policies based on the framework of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to get us there.

The event hosted over 100 participants from 22 countries, and ended up with almost entirely multinational teams. Janna Goebel, a recent Ph.D. graduate of Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, said that she “most enjoyed getting to form a team of people in multiple generations, multiple countries, and representing diverse disciplines. Working with the team was my favorite part.”

Envision 2050 was fortunate to have the backing of several key players in the space, including ASU President Dr, Michael M. Crow, who recorded a welcome message to the participants, former United Nations Ambassador Amanda Ellis, who also served as a judge and a mentor, and the organizational support of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s (SDSN) International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD).

Finalists from Envision 2050 were given the opportunity to present their work at the AAAS annual meeting Feb 8–11. Finalists will further have the chance to present their work to the international sustainable development community in Fall 2021.

Seema Kumari, a graduate student at the TERI School of Advanced Studies, said “This was my first ideathon. I learned a lot from the engagement with the other students and mentors. The biggest takeaway was the experience and knowledge I got. AND The best part was the project work, and discussion with mentors and listening to the great ideas which is another thrilling experience.”

You can view all of the Earth Hacks winners (and all the rest!) here, and follow the ASU College of Global Futures on social media @asucollegeofglobalfutures to stay up to date on all their amazing accomplishments.