JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Can your idea change Northeast Florida's environment?
You have less than a month left to submit your idea for Jacksonville University's inaugural Climate Innovation Challenge where you could win up to $10,000 to make your idea a reality. The competition will be in the style of the reality show Shark Tank, where you present your idea and it's voted on.
With the unavoidable heat, the middle of hurricane season and the wildfires in Maui now being recorded as one of the deadliest in U.S. history, the First Coast's environment is on the minds of those at JU.
"These are things that we're all beginning to take very seriously and we know that the clock is running," said Nick Allard, founding dean of Jacksonville University's College of Law.
Allard says up to $10,000 could be yours to make your idea a reality and help the First Coast fight climate change.
"They could be science projects, they could be from the arts community," Allard said. "It could be a civic project, cleaning up litter or planting trees."
Planting trees for shade is one way the creators of a heat map of Jacksonville from the University of North Florida as well as the city, says temperatures could be lowered. Planting trees also accounts for more than $20 million in the mayor's proposed budget.
Jacksonville's chief resilience officer predicts 10 times more high tide flooding events over the next several decades, according to her report earlier this year, as well as 40 percent more days with heat index values reaching over 90. Duval County's first excessive heat warning was last month and since then, there have been multiple more.
Allard says while the competition may bring the heat, any issue is on the table. He says it could even be something like changing laws or policies.
Anyone can apply, but you must be based in Northeast Florida and submit an application by Sept. 15. Learn more about how to do so here.