"Digital Climathon Mendrisio 2020" launches the challenge on Climate and Food

Climathon returns to Mendrisio, this time in full digital mode. On 13 and 14 November, the "climate marathon" will see the participating teams challenge each other in seeking solutions to reduce the climate impact of our food system. The winners will take home 8,000 francs, thanks to the support - among others - of the City of Mendrisio, the Canton Ticino, the Mendrisiotto Regional Development Agency, and Fondo Clima Lugano Sud.

The topic chosen for this year will be based on four targeted challenges. One challenge will be dedicated to food production: in this case, the focus will be on livestock farming and the use of fertilisers for agricultural soils. Another challenge will take the consumer's point of view, in particular how to consciously re-focus individual choices towards low climate-impact food. Another challenge will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in food processing, transport and packaging "from farm to fork". Finally, a challenge will address the issue of food waste: an imperative not only for climatic reasons but also from an ethical, social and economic point of view.

Digital Climathon Mendrisio 2020 will begin on the evening of Friday, November 13 and end on the evening of Saturday, November 14. It will be held entirely online with workshops and training sessions in two languages (Italian and English), as well as coaches and experts available to support and assist teams and answer their questions.

Climathon, a 24-hour "marathon" to generate new ideas to combat climate change, was launched in 2015 and today takes place in more than 100 cities around the world. Cities challenge how to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on their territory or how to prevent them by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Citizens, students, entrepreneurs, professionals and industry experts take up the challenge and, gathered in small teams, work together for twenty-four hours to find new solutions. A clear problem to face, the limited time available, the interdisciplinary skills of the participants, the strong motivation and the belief that change is really possible: these are the ingredients behind the success of Climathon.

In 2019, Climathon was also held for the first time in Ticino, in Mendrisio, tackling the problem of the intensification of heat waves in the summer months and the consequent formation of "heat spots" in urban areas. The result: six creative and innovative solutions, each of which explored new perspectives to tackle the problem.

Digital Climathon Mendrisio 2020 is organised in collaboration between the City of Mendrisio, SUPSI (Institute for Sustainability Applied to the Built Environment at the Department of Environment, Construction and Design) and Impact Hub Ticino, and realised with the support of many  partners, including the Department of Territory of the Canton of Ticino, the Mendrisiotto Regional Development Agency, and Fondo Clima Lugano Sud.

Full details and registration: >> https://climathon.climate-kic.org/mendrisio