Finding Green Solutions Through Crowdsourcing

EDF is the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund that looks for solutions to environmental problems. The partnership between InnoCentive and EDF is based on the premise that “we is smarter than me,” and their first initiative together has produced a clever solution to an old agricultural problem. Using InnoCentive’s Internet platform, the two companies challenged the public to find ways to battle agricultural nitrate pollution.

The winner, Patrick Fuller, a PhD student in chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University, has won $5,000 for his contribution. He presented a report on the benefits of recycling nitrogen-rich water to grow algae as fertilizer, which when implemented will cut down on fertilizer run-off and algae-filled dead zones.

Like many people we’ve been looking with much interest at the open innovation space. Basically, the concept is that there are many more ideas and possible solutions out there in the world than any given company or organization can tap into on its own.
Beth Trask, Leader of EDF Innovation Challenge 

EDF challenges are modest compared to others, but they are focused on problems that, given today’s understanding of the issues, should be possible to solve. They are currently looking for a “cost effective way to analyze crop growth” and a way to “better measure point sources of water pollution.” More challenges are on the way.

According to Dwayne Spradlin, InnoCentive’s CEO, it is important to try and solve problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. “I can’t say how religious we are about focus,” he said. Ironically, InnoCentive currently has a challenge called “Increasing People’s Ability to Start and Stay on Task;” its winner will be awarded $10,000.