A student project that gives used umbrellas a second life - as backpacks – is destined to carry on after securing a win at Simon Fraser University Surrey’s recent Opportunity Fest.
The team of five students won in the sustainable category for Second Chance, a supplies material donation system.
The team collected more than 30 lost and broken umbrellas, as well as 50 rice bags, from SFU students, restaurants and other Lower Mainland businesses and used the materials to create the environmentally friendly backpacks.
Each of the 11 bags created for the competition took approximately three hours to make. Lightweight and sturdy, the rice bags are used to line various shades of umbrella fabric that has been turned into an oversized bag, complete with shoulder straps.
“We wanted to create something simple but totally practical, and help Vancouver reach its goal of becoming a greener city,” says student Cindy Chen. The team is taking the concept to a fourth-year social venture class to further advance their idea.
Other Opportunity Fest winners included a hot tub water care system called Easy Care Water solutions, comprised of an electronic hand-held device which simultaneously measures for all required levels to maintain water chemistry balance in hot tubs at a far cheaper price than similar units.
A third winner was “Smart Fit”, a project that saw students design a wristband that measures heart rate and sleeping patterns and utilizes Bluetooth to update an online support and tracking platform. The technology allows employers to view benefits more reliably than traditional office wellness programs.
The three winners each secured $1,000 to further develop their projects.
Opportunity Fest gives SFU business undergrads the chance to showcase their class-produced ventures to judges from industry, academia and the wider business community. More than 100 students participate in the market-place style public exhibition.
“This event is a little bit of Dragon’s Den, and a bit of Apprentice,” says Eric Gedajlovic, Opportunity Fest organizer and Beedie school professor.
“The teams take this opportunity to develop a full-blown project. These are ideas and new ventures that come from dissatisfaction with the way things are done currently and have potential to represent viable business concepts. Opportunity Fest gives them the chance to develop something they will really care about.”