BY OLIVIA DILLON
Students from a number of local high schools will take part in the City of Newcastle's second Sustainnovation Challenge this week.
In this challenge, students are being asked to answer the question: How do we overcome the barriers to Newcastle and Hunter businesses recycling or using recycled products?
Participating students will attend a two-day virtual workshop, which will include a series of sessions with industry specialists. Students will then create and pitch their ideas to a judging panel.
Sustainnovation Challenge Program Director Duncan Burck, said the project aims to develop a workable and sustainable future for the city.
"We've been going out into the community to try and find out what things matter to them most. We then bring those challenges to students from across the city, to come up with their ideas on how to solve them," he said.
Mr Burck also said since the program's launch in 2021, the contributions from students have exceeded expectations.
"The changes that we've seen and how teachers have been delivering opportunities for students to learn over the past decade, has seen a great shift towards students learning things like problem solving, critical thinking and digital literacy. When we put all these things together, the best prepared people we have in our community are actually our young people."
Schools taking part include San Clemente High School, Mereweather High School, Macquarie College, Hunter School of Performing Arts, Newcastle Grammar School, and Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College.
The most impressive ideas to emerge from the challenge will progress to Council's Living Lab accelerator program, where they will be developed and implemented into the community.
"The idea is not just sitting back and hearing these ideas, but actually turning them into something for our community to use," Mr Burck said.
