Sila Connection Shanghai -- a student-led initiative dedicated to solving global issues using local resources -- held its second yearly conference at NYU Shanghai on March 5 and 6. This year’s topic, “Food Issue,” attracted delegates from seven universities across Shanghai and two NYU campuses who came to tackle issues like recycling, composting, food waste and sugar free diets. The winning initiative “Community Farmers,” featured a balcony farming solution by Ariel Dong (NYU Shanghai), Lydia Lin (Sino-British College, USST), and Maureen Mao and Victoria Yan (Shanghai Jiaotong University), aimed at addressing food shortage problems in local communities.
Inspired by similar initiatives in New York City, the team aims to raise governmental and public awareness of food sustainability through “urban farming” advocacy by way of workshops and the distribution of free seeds, organic soil and farming tools to local communities.
With brainstorming sessions, workshops and professors and experts on hand for mentoring, teams presented finalized projects to a panel of judges at NYU Shanghai. NYU Shanghai Dean of Students Charlene Visconti, Director of PILnet’s China office Seth Gurgel and the founder of collaborative working platform ClearCut Corporation, Jonathan Ensslen, chose “Community Farmers” as the most feasible proposal of all.
Also notable was the runner up,“Communal Trinity”, an education initiative aimed at promoting food-waste reduction awareness among local underprivileged communities, presented by delegates from NYU Shanghai, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, and Sino-British College, USST.
The Sila Connection Shanghai Committee will grant the winning team 15500 rmb to kickstart their project and spread health awareness throughout the city.
(Text by: Linda Laura Laszlo and Ran Chen)