8219683498: Carbon Footprint and Pollution Mitigation for Sustainable Construction Sites

ABSTRACT

The “Sustainable Construction Site” is a place where civil engineering and construction works are carried out, such as construction, maintenance, repair, demolition, conservation, renovation or dismantling of fixed, permanent, or temporary works, in different materials; it is characterized by a continuous working progression at a speed that can vary from a few meters a day to a few kilometers per hour.

A construction site can be defined as sustainable if all aspects are managed to keep the core concept of economic, social, and environmental sustainability at the center of its design, combining a series of good practices that minimize environmental impacts and respect the well-being of the local community. A2A construction sites cover several infrastructure assets (gas and electrical distribution, district heating and cooling, electric vehicle charging point, public lighting, etc.), but today some polluting sources cannot be avoided, due to the difficulty of finding sustainable solutions suitable for application in mobile construction sites.

For these reasons, Solvers are asked to develop a white paper to help A2A identify the most impactful sources of pollution and all the technical solutions or best practices to mitigate the carbon footprint and other causes of environmental pollution (such as PM polluting emissions, noise pollution, raw materials, etc.) at the company's construction sites.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

 

OVERVIEW

To comply with the Net Zero plan by 2040, sustainable worksites should be considered, starting with an estimate of A2A's emissions and not limiting it to direct and indirect emissions (respectively emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company and emissions associated with energy purchased by the company), but extending it to all pollutant sources and CO₂ emissions from the impact of the company's construction sites. Indeed, A2A deals with several macro-types of construction sites related to the electricity grid, gas grid, district heating, water and wastewater systems, fiber optic network, recharging columns, and installation/replacement of public lighting systems.

The aim of the Challenge is to develop a white paper to help A2A identify the most impactful sources of pollution and all the best practices and technical solutions to mitigate all those causes of pollution that contribute to the environmental impact, such as polluting emissions (e.g., PM [Particulate Matter] and VOC [Volatile Organic Compounds]), CO₂ emissions, reduction of noise pollution, processing, correct use and reuse of raw materials, water resources and soil, storage and management of materials, recycling and disposal of construction waste and excavated materials, restoration of excavations.

This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique features:

• There is a guaranteed award.  The award(s) will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $15,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $5,000 and no award being smaller than $2,500.

• The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker. Rather, by submitting a proposal, the Solver grants to the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use any information included in this proposal, including for promotional purposes.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on 30-10-2022.

Late submissions will not be considered.

After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Employees of A2A Group and their families are not eligible to receive awards for this Challenge.

ABOUT THE SEEKER

The A2A Group is the largest Italian multi utility, at the forefront of territorial services and technological solutions. We design smart and sustainable cities, with respect for the citizens, we are protagonists of energy transition, and we implement the principle of the circular economy in all of our activities. With a far-reaching strategic plan, we manage the generation, sale and distribution of electricity and gas, district heating, waste collection and recovery, e-mobility, public lighting, and the integrated water services.

 

What is the Wazoku Crowd?

Imagine a world where any problem you have can be looked at by millions of expert, motivated eyes. The Wazoku Crowd makes this possible. With twenty years of experience in crowdsourcing, the Wazoku Crowd is the gold standard for open talent and external innovation solutions. Commercial, governmental and humanitarian organizations engage with the Wazoku Crowd to solve problems that can impact humankind in areas ranging from the environment to medical advancements.

What is a Wazoku Crowd Ideation™ Challenge?

A Wazoku Crowd Ideation™ Challenge is a broad question formulated to obtain access to new ideas, similar to a global brainstorm for producing a breakthrough idea or market survey which may include ideas for a new product line, a new commercial application for a current product, or even a viral marketing idea to recruit new customers. Ideation™ Challenge submissions are typically about two written pages, and Seekers receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use all submissions.

In an Ideation™ Challenge, Solvers may:

• Submit ideas of their own
• Submit third party information that they have the right to use and further the authority to convey that right and the right to use and develop derivative works to Seekers
• Submit information considered in the public domain without any limitations on use

Solvers should not reveal any confidential information in their submissions. Often the Ideation™ Challenge will be followed by one or more of the other three Challenge types to further develop the ideas and gain Intellectual Property protection when the concept has been well-defined.