Fourth year Industrial Design student Moni El Batrik won the Feb. 5 Boma ECU Pitch: Climate Action competition for her grad project design: a rainwater filter created with ceramics & nanotechnology.

The project, called "Om," channels rainwater through a gravity-based filter made of local materials, transforming it into potable drinking water. The flexible design allows for its use as large-scale public art, or as a decorative piece for households and other spaces. Moni's pitch included research on subjects such as lead levels in Canadian tap water caused by infrastructure, and amounts of rainfall in cities around the world.

Moni's selection as finalist will see her sponsored to present her design at an international Boma summit.

The Boma ECU Pitch event featured a number of Emily Carr students and alumni presenting transdisciplinary projects addressing Climate Action before a panel of leaders from sectors including policy & government, social impact, industry, investment, community, entrepreneurship and innovation. Panelists brought a wealth of experience to the event, with professional backgrounds in organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum and Vancouver Economic Commission.

The event opened with a panel discussion on scaling local innovation to make an impact regionally or globally, and the parameters, limitations and untapped opportunities of scaling local innovation. The panel offered insights on how innovators can influence Canadian policy; how to make connections between business opportunities and solving the world's biggest problems; and how to balance Climate Action with other social issues. This set context for the audience as the event segued into the project pitches.

After each pitch, panelists provided actionable feedback to help the candidate take next steps toward scaling their project. Panelists also shared expertise on how candidates might navigate stakeholder dilemmas throughout the scaling process. To conclude the event, the panel held an extended discussion to choose a finalist for sponsorship to attend and present at an international Boma Summit. The Boma Summit presents an opportunity to meet with influential leaders and decision-makers including youth activists, senior politicians, industry executives, and tech entrepreneurs.

Moni was chosen as the winner.

An interview with Scott Mallory Jr., Boma ECU founder and ECU sessional faculty, was published in a Boma Global article where he captures behind the scenes event details, discusses community strategy, and highlights the importance of being cross-disciplinary.

Boma Global, initiated by CEO Lara Stein after founding the TEDx platform and expanding Singularity University worldwide, is a global network of local partners committed to action, impact and outcomes for a sustainable future. Boma ECU, the first university-based Boma community group and the first to hold a Boma Pitch event, shares projects from the Emily Carr community across Boma to cultivate the exposure, collaboration and strategic & financial support to scale their impact.