Kura Kura Bali in collaboration with HeroX chaired by X Prize founder launched the Island of Happiness Innovation Challenge in New York, at the ‘Business for the SDGs: Innovation, technology and connectivity for a better future for all’, the key ICC business side event around the UN General Assembly hosted by International Chambers of Commerce, GSMA, UN DESA and the Government of Indonesia at the United Nations. The first competition invites innovators from across the globe to join a crowdsourcing platform and design a new type of sustainable seawall to be constructed at Kura Kura Bali Turtle Island.
Kura Kura Bali Turtle Island is a pioneering development based on the Balinese concept of Tri Hita Karana – Three Ways to Happiness – the harmony of creation, nature and culture in all aspects of life. It is a vision of an Island of Happiness offering a sustainable ecosystem for a thriving international creative community.
“Our 500Ha island in the heart of prime Bali is an opportunity to develop an SDG hotspot and showcase Better Business Better World in the age of the fourth industrial revolution. Kura Kura Bali will be home to the United Nations global initiative Sustainable Development Solutions Network Southeast Asia, as well as Tsinghua University Southeast Asia hub in talents and technopreneurship in partnership with the Indonesian government. We are pleased today at the ICC GSMA UN DESA event co-hosted by the Indonesian government at the United Nations to announce the launch of the HeroX crowdsourcing platform. What better way than to invite the world to pioneer solutions for ecological seawall designs and other challenges for a future community that support the SDGs. We invite innovators from across the world to come up with solutions, win attractive prizes, visits Bali as well support development across the archipelago nation,” said Cherie Nursalim, Vice Chairman of GITI Group.
“Today the International Chambers of Commerce is pleased to support the launch of Kura Kura Bali Island of Happiness Innovation Challenge by GITI Group in collaboration with HeroX chaired by the founder of X Prize. Kura Kura Bali aims to be an SDG Hotspot and the first challenge is the crowdsourcing of ecodesign for seawalls with high profile supporters such as Christiana Figueres and judges from the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs, UN SDSN, United in Diversity and leading global Universities faculty such as MIT, Tsinghua University, ITB et al. Winners will get funds in the hundreds of thousands and get to go to Bali for a high-profile ceremony. Next year the IMF World Bank Annual meeting will be hosted in Bali. ICC is proud to be the co-host ofthe Tri Hita Karana Forum on Sustainable Development with the theme of Blended Finance and Innovation for Better a Business Better World with the Indonesian government, UID, BSDC and UN SDSN that will be chaired by our ICC board members Cherie Nursalim and Mari Pangestu,” said John Danilovich, Secretary General of International Chamber of Commerce.
The Costal Design Competition is the first in a series of sustainability initiatives planned for the Kura Kura Bali Island of Happiness. Finalists in the Costal Design Competition will be invited to Bali to develop prototypes for sustainable seawalls in collaboration with some of the world’s leading experts. US$ 180,000 will go towards participant prices and prototype development for finalists.
The Kura Kura Bali Island of Happiness’ vision is to be a proving ground for inclusive communities, wellbeing and sustainability, where new technology and best practices are applied to reduce energy use, water consumption and waste, and lower carbon emissions. The eco-solutions used on the island should also have a broader application, and the new seawall design that is selected as the winner in the Costal Design Competition can become a new standard for sustainable sea edge treatments worldwide.
“Kura Kura Bali’s leadership is showing that sustainability and innovation are not a tradeoff. The Island of Happiness is the type of work HeroX was founded to enable. Its success will create a new standard in sustainable development for coastal communities. Projects like this demonstrate how crowdsourcing 2.0 is turning the internet into a global intelligence platform – letting anyone anywhere work on anything worth doing,” said Christian Cotichini, CEO of HeroX.
In line with Kura Kura Bali Island of Happiness’ commitment to sustainability, the Southeast Asia headquarters of the United Nations global initiative Sustainable Development Solutions Network will be located on the island. Launched by the UN Secretary General in 2012, it mobilizes a global network of universities and think tanks to promote practical problem solving and policy ideas for sustainable development, including the development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda.
“What makes the Island of Happiness project so unique is that it is being developed as a living model of the Tri Hita Karana concept aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals in an SDG Pyramid. Innovation and global collaboration is key to fulfilling the UN 2030 agenda”, said Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Costal Design Competition is an example of how collaboration across borders can find new practical solutions to some of the most pressing problems of our time.
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Arnfinn Jacobsen
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Email: jacobsen@asiaidea.com
About the Island of Happiness Kura Kura Bali
Kura Kura Bali Island lies just 15 minutes’ drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport, connected seamlessly to the main Bali island by a short bridge. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Bali’s sacred Mount Agung on the horizon, Kura Kura Bali is within the realm of Bali’s capital city of Denpasar, and easily accessible from prime resort destinations. The unique eco-development spanning 500 hectares with 3000m of coral reefs, 92 birds species invites world-class master-planners, architects and partners from diverse fields to co-create a World of Happiness in Bali. www.kurakurabali.com
About HeroX
Founded in 2013, HeroX exists at the intersection of crowdsourcing, competition, and collaboration. HeroX was created as a means to democratize the innovation model of the XPRIZE, founded by Peter Diamandis. The HeroX crowdsourcing platform brings together global communities of problem solvers to deliver breakthrough solutions to social, economic, and strategic challenges. www.herox.com