EWB Australia was shortlisted as of Australian non-profit finalists – three non-profits were selected by a panel of judges and one selected by popular public online voting completed over a two week period.
‘The finalists in the Google Impact Challenge stood out to us thanks to their innovative ideas that use technology to make a big impact on important causes – from tackling environmental crises to making education more accessible to helping Australians better manage their own health and assisting people in need,’ says Maile Carnegie, Managing Director Google ANZ.
‘Google has always believed that technology can make a better world, faster. The Google Impact Challenge supports non-profits using technology to tackle problems and transform lives’.
EWB Australia and Live & Learn will use the grant to establish, train and support a network of local Cambodian entrepreneurs to manufacture and install biodigester floating toilet systems on the Tonle Sap Lake – converting human waste into a constant and reliable source of renewable energy.
Lizzie Brown, EWB Australia’s CEO, pitched the idea to the panel of judges on Tuesday October which included: Kim Williams, Former CEO Newscorp and Foxtel; Glenn McGrath, President of McGrath Foundation; and Anne Geddes, photographer and Global Advocate for Children.
‘In three years, EWB Australia in collaboration with Live & Learn will enable local entrepreneurs to install , biodigester toilet systems benefitting , people. In years, the project will provide sanitation and energy solutions to . million Cambodian people,’ explained Brown.
Technology can solve some of the world&#;s biggest challenges – poverty, water, sanitation and hygiene, and reliable and renewable energy.
‘Given the magnitude of these issues, EWB Australia will continue to find avenues for all engineers and designers in Australia to make social legacy a core part of their work,’ says Brown.
Over the next three years, EWB Australia and Live & Learn will work closely with Google to implement the project. The project will be launched in .
More information on the project