You thought crap is bad? Well, think again! Cow crap won the students of Prasetiya Mulya Business School in Indonesia first prize of $25,000, at the tenth annual Global Social Venture Competition. Students entered the competition with their invention – EcoFaeBrick – a brick that is made from cow dung. This event, held at the University of California, attracted about 311 plans from over 123 universities in 25 countries.
EcoFaeBrick: Greener, lighter, stronger
EcoFaeBrick, in association with Faerumnesia, utilizes cow dung to produce high quality and economy efficient bricks. As much as 75% of the brick constitutes cattle waste. Not only are these bricks 20% lighter than the conventional clay bricks, they are 20% stronger too.
Why EcoFaeBrick?
• EcoFaeBrick replaces the use of non-renewable resources( clay and firewood), with a renewable resource (cow dung).
• Carbon emissions are reduced by 1,692 tons per year, which is equivalent of converting 269 cars into hybrids.
• The main suppliers of EcoFaeGroup are local farmers, who get as much as 53% extra income by supplying cattle waste.
• EcoFaeBrick saves as much as 53 hectares of productive agricultural land. This is quite different from the massive damage done to land by their clay counterpart does.
• You do not have to worry about paying extra for all the added benefits. Clay bricks as well as these bricks are both available at similar costs.
Other winners at the GSV Competition
• Second Prize: Students of Dartmouth University of Business won $10,000 for its invention, mPedigree Logistics,a plan to guard drug companies from phony drugs.
• Third Prize: George Washington University School of Business won $5,000 for their proposal, SolarCycle, a bid to use re-cycled plastic and foil-type bags in solar concentrators.
• Social Impact Assessment Prize: University of Auckland, New Zealand won $5,000 for their BrightMind Labs, a plan to use electronic games to help autistic children.
In the end, a hearty congratulations to all the winners and may these inventors of today become successful entrepreneurs of tomorrow, maintaining the legacy of their predecessors.
Via: Bustler