Innovative Nature-Based Solutions Education: NBS EduWORLD 2024 Hackathon

Learn how the NBS EduWORLD Hackathon, happening on 21st and 22nd of March 2024, can inspire populations and environmental professionals to reproduce nature’s engineering. Once again, we will let nature teach us how to efficiently adapt to climate change and fight biodiversity loss. This edition of online workshops will tackle water challenges and teach student how to actually implement Nature-based solutions (NbS).

Map on the web3 Gather plateform created by Laure Sari to accomodate the 2024 NBS Eduworld Hackathon

In the pursuit of a sustainable future, the NBS EduWORLD Hackathon 2024 presents itself as a beacon of innovation and collaboration. This European event, set to take place online on March 21st and 22nd, marks a crucial initiative supported by a consortium of public and private entities, including the Centre for Experiments in Urban Studies (CEUS), the Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Association Verde e Moldova, with expert software guidance from Natural Solutions and Laure Sari, and support from ICLEI Europe.

NBS EduWORLD for NBS Education

NBS EduWORLD is a Horizon Europe project, initiated in January 2024 and planned to run for 3 to 4 years. It aims to create and test innovative educational methods for formal and informal education on NBS. Its primary goal is to efficiently educate Europeans about the increasingly crucial Nature-based solutions in the face of growing environmental challenges. The organization also aims at instilling vocations in students and show all the career opportunities carried by NBS as concrete solutions for their future.

The solutions focus on creating, implementing, and managing projects that utilize NBS. The urgency stems from the increasing need for sustainable practices and innovative thinking to address environmental issues.

Natural-based solutions education, explained by NBS EduWORLD, in formal and informal education.

Hackathon Focus: Water Solutions

For the upcoming event in March, the spotlight turns to water-related challenges. The NBS EduWORLD Hackathon offers students a hands-on learning experience, where theoretical knowledge meets real-world challenges. We’ve presented a few examples of NBS implementations for water challenges in this article. The project stakeholders gather to create cooperations, share knowledge and best practices, and create bridges between disciplines. The hackathon also aims at showing that a sustainable future will be collaborative and interdisciplinary.

1.    Understanding NBS through real-world challenges:

Before diving into the hackathon details, let's explore the theoretical foundations of Nature-Based Solutions.

Nature-Based Solutions represent a holistic and sustainable approach to addressing environmental challenges by leveraging the power and engineering of nature itself to mitigate socio-economic and environmental problems exacerbated by climate change. NBS involves innovative approaches to urban and environmental challenges, utilizing nature’s processes to address issues like flooding, biodiversity loss, and pollution. By aligning with the inherent resilience of natural systems, NBS offer a sustainable path forward for a future where humanity coexists harmoniously with the natural world.

Building on the NBS EduWORLD project's 3 demonstrators—Paris, Offaly, and Almada—participants will also tackle 3 additional cases during the hackathon: Belgrade, Genova, and Moldova.

2.    Cases overview:

Belgrade: At the crossroads of the Danube and the Sava, the challenge lies in potential flooding due to the building of an upcoming expo’s infrastructure. The political and environmental implications necessitate proposing alternatives to extensive urbanization, preserving existing fauna and flora for flood protection.

Genova: A city squeezed between the sea and hills, Genova faces challenges of industrialization and urbanization. Devastating floods have destroyed entire neighborhoods. The proposed solution involves creating ecological corridors, reviving riverbanks, and balancing human recreation with environmental conservation.

Moldova: The disappearance of biodiversity around Lake Beleu prompts reflections on agricultural activities' impact. Sedimentation, erosion, and pollution resulting from farming practices necessitate collaboration with neighboring countries to restore the wetland and its ecosystem.

3.    Gamified learning:

The online hackathon will unfold on the Web3 platform Gather, featuring gamification elements to make the experience enjoyable and educational. Maps reproducing the 3 locations, with conference spaces, workspaces, and a data room for information sharing will create a vibrant and engaging environment, resembling a playful RPG. Created by Laure Sari, they are meant to engage participants in problem-solving and create a fun and interactive learning environment. Gamification enhances collaboration, motivation, and creativity, making the exploration of real-world challenges a dynamic and rewarding experience for all involved.

Different space created by Laure Sari to accomodate the NBS Eduworld Hackathon online event.

Prior to the hackathon, students will undergo a personality test to determine their assigned case to form transdisciplinary teams and to make as many perspectives meet as possible, gathering architects, landscape architects, urban planners, ecologists, agronomists, biologists, ethologists. With a maximum of 50 students, 3 teams of 15 to 16 students each will tackle the real-world challenges presented by the cases.

4.    Educational prerequisites and replicability:

To ensure a diverse set of skills, prerequisites include different disciplines and proficiency in English across all of Europe. This hackathon stands as the inaugural session, designed with replicability in mind for future events.

5.    Conference insights:

Experts will share insights into the challenges, providing context for biodiversity and the existing conditions on the ground. Inspirational talks will showcase successful cases to demonstrate the tangible impact of NBS.

6.    Solutions Focused on Nature:

The hackathon encourages a unique approach by integrating non-living elements like water, a human persona facing a dilemma (e.g., a resident facing home loss), and a non-human living persona such as the Triturus dobrogicus (Danube crested newt). The challenge is to foster cooperation between humans and non-humans to coexist within the natural environment.

7.    Recognition and future endeavors:

Participation in the hackathon offers students the chance to actively contribute to innovative solutions for pressing environmental issues. The authors of the most promising solutions will receive recognition and have their work promoted on platforms like the Urban by Nature program. Furthermore, they will be invited to the NetworkNature conference in September 2024 in Brussels.

The NBS EduWORLD Hackathon 2024 is not just an event; it's a gateway to transformative education and collaborative problem-solving. As students engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with peers, and contribute to the first-ever application of innovative methods, they become pioneers in the exciting field of Nature-based solutions. The hackathon, embedded within the broader NBS EduWORLD initiative, signifies a commitment to shaping a sustainable tomorrow through education, collaboration, and innovative problem-solving. Join us in this journey of discovery and make a lasting impact on the future of our planet.

We at Natural Solutions provide software solutions and consulting services. We can also help you think and organize workshops on NBS, biodiversity and climate issues. So get in touch and setup a meeting.