Roy Thomasson, President of YABT and
Luis Montoya, President of PepsiCo for Latin America during the Launching of the Eco-Challenge in Lima, Peru
As part of the
Global Entrepreneurship Week activities that took place Nov 16-19 at the San
Ignacio de Loyola University in
Lima, PepsiCo
and the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) launched their Eco-Challengecampaign, a
competition for young people from Latin America and the
Caribbean.
The Eco-Challenge seeks to create awareness about water conservation while
promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Eco-Challenge
is part of the Talent and Innovation Competition of the
Americas (TIC
Americas) organized by YABT and the
OAS since 2006.
This is the first time
the competition will include a category regarding water conservation.
The Eco-Challenge
consists of two challenges and awards:
Eco-Challenge 1:
Create a video game that educates about water conservation in an entertaining
way. PepsiCo and YABT will develop the winning game, which will be available on
the web for free. The winner will get $ 5,000 in cash and the opportunity for
an internship at a video game company.
Eco-Challenge 2:
Develop a solution for access to safe water, for example an innovative, cheap
and efficient solution to filter clean drinking water in places without access
to potable water. The winner of this category will receive $ 5,000.
"PepsiCo's
commitment to sustainable development and environmental sustainability is at
the heart of everything we do. This year, PepsiCo became one of the first
global companies that publicly recognizes water as a human right within the
framework of the United Nations and the World Health Organization and as a part
of this commitment we launched the Eco-Challenge with YABT " commented
Luis Montoya, President of PepsiCo Latin America, during his speech on
responsible entrepreneurship to 500 young participants at the launching event.
Meanwhile,
PepsiCo takes on the environmental challenge of working within the company to
conserve resources. The overall goal is to reduce waste water by 20%, reduce
energy use by 20% and decrease fossil fuel consumption by 25% by 2015, in
alignment with the Millennium Development Goals.
“YABT is thrilled
to collaborate with PepsiCo and other global companies to create initiatives
for young entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to challenge the problems
concerning the environment," said Roy Thomasson, CEO of YABT.
"As a
partner of the YABT, I have seen firsthand the benefits TIC
Americas offers
to young entrepreneurs in the hemisphere. In supporting youth entrepreneurship
through TIC
Americas, a
leading global company PepsiCo recognizes the success of the competition, and
the invaluable commitment of supporting the entrepreneurial talent that exists
in Latin America and the
Caribbean,
"commented Ambassador Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the
Organization of American States.
The Eco-Challenge
began on November 16 and is
open for entries until March 1, 2010.
