From a pool of six exceptional semi-finalist projects, three visionary student proposals from Guatemala, Tanzania, and Haiti that turn waste into energy, replace plastics with nature-based materials, and restore ecosystems through community action and regenerative beekeeping, have emerged as strong contenders for The Sustainability Laboratory’s 2025 Sustainability Prize at EARTH University in Costa Rica, an initiative that recognizes innovative student projects advancing sustainability in practice.
Finalists are:
PetZen (Guatemala), designed by Esteban Soto and Juan Suquén, revalues forest waste to give it new life as affordable fuel.
Banavate Wraps (Tanzania), created by Kuruthumu Hemed Saidi, develops biodegradable films from banana peels as a natural substitute for synthetic plastic packaging.
Apis Haiti (Haiti), proposed by Ed Duddley Dumont, promotes regenerative beekeeping among small-scale producers in rural areas of Haiti to protect key ecosystems.
Two winning projects will be selected in December, with the first-place winner receiving $10,000 and the second-place winner receiving $5,000. Good luck to all the participants. Thank you to EARTH University faculty and to our donors Ivor and Barbara Freeman and Joshua Arnow and Elyse Arnow Brill.
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The Sustainability Prize is part of The Lab’s ongoing commitment to cultivating emerging leaders and advancing transformative solutions that can be adapted and scaled across diverse communities worldwide. Prize money is awarded annually to the student project that best exemplifies The Lab’s five core principles of sustainability.
