Projects
ZISPOA is focused on actions. Get to know some of our most recent projects bellow.
Innovation and Technology
The Innovation and Technology project helped popularize solar ‘trees’ in Porto Alegre, helped promote the solar-powered electric car charging station at Shopping Total, and engaged in solar capacity mapping of ZISPOA with RENOVA, an UFRGS Junior Enterprise group of Energy Engineering students. Now they are collaborating with the Participatory Community Management project on more extensive mapping and surveying of ZISPOA to expand renewable energy and resource recycling capacity.
ZISChallenge
The Entrepreneurship and Startups project is working with Sedetec and the School of Engineering at UFRGS to organize a Startup Marathon in 2017, involving Junior Enterprises mentoring many startups, including some from ZISPOA. In addition, they are collaborating with AIESEC at UFRGS to help strengthen ZISPOA’s global connections.
This project is open to new members.
Sustainability and Resource Efficiency
The Sustainability and Resource Efficiency project worked with DMLU and several ZISPOA startups (Re-ciclo, Horteria, Corpo com Equilíbrio, Green is Great, AQP Brasil) to create Espaço Floresta, a community garden and composting center. Now they are adding new sustainable facilities there, and working to create additional community gardens at Shopping Total and other ZISPOA locations. Previously this project organized the ZISPOA Sustainable Connections Seminars in partnership with Net Impact. Currently this project is participating in the Permaculture Study Group generally meeting on Thursdays at 18:00 at Paralelo Vivo, and is open to new members.
Creativity and Collaboration
The Creativity and Collaboration project organized the first annual ZISPOA Festival at Vila Flores with more than 400 participants. This event, held on World Environment Day (June 5, 2016), was in honor of internationally acclaimed Porto Alegre environmentalist José Lutzenberger. This project also collaborates with ZISPOA startup UPSS on the Miudinho Sustainability Blog, and is open to new members.
Participatory Community Management
The Participatory Community Management project is working with the international GeoSUMR Partnership on sustainable community geoinformation and geodesign for ZISPOA, including open data gathering and analysis, and inclusive ecocitizen mapping. UFRGS, Porto Alegre Resiliente, and Natureza Digital are among the local partners, and Esri Ecocity Builders, and GUD are among the international partners. This project generally meets on Mondays at 18:00 at Paralelo Vivo and is open to new members.
Business-Friendly Environment
The Business-Friendly Environment project is collaborating with UFRGS professors and students to help strengthen the entrepreneurial success of ZISPOA startups. On December 2 they organized a mentoring session at Paralelo Vivo focusing on designing marketing strategies for eight ZISPOA startups. This project generally meets on Mondays at 18:00 at Paralelo Vivo and is open to new members.
ZUNI - ZISPOA nas universidades
The ZUNI (ZISPOA nas Universidades) project is engaging in extensive outreach to students and faculty at many universities in Porto Alegre to encourage greater involvement with ZISPOA, including both individual research and group projects. Recently ZUNI won the Pitch Your Business challenge and is receiving strategic advice and technical assistance from PSJunior at UFRGS. This project is open to new members.
Bike-Friendly
The Bike-Friendly project is working to promote ZISPOA as the most bike-friendly place in Latin America, through bike-sharing, secure bike-parking, dedicated bike lanes, designated bike routes, electric bikes, a solar-powered bike-charging station, bike-riding events like Pedal das Gurias, bike seminars and other activities at Vila Velo such as sustainable bike cleaning, bike safety, bike racks on buses and ride-sharing vehicles, and much more. This project is open to new members.
Zero Waste
The Zero Waste project will enable ZISPOA to become a state-of- the-art Zero Waste District, identifying current waste streams that can be recycled and reused, reducing waste by conserving and renewing resources, working with schools to educate children and youth about zero waste and encouraging best practices in the schools, collaborating with university students and professors to foster research and action to reduce waste and increase recycling, partnering with Virada Sustentavel to organize zero waste events, and many other activities.