Posts Tagged ‘The Caribbean’

2016 Mayors Challenge Entries in Latin America and the Caribbean Reveal a Focus on Addressing Social Inclusion, Sustainability, and Economic Growth — with a Strong Emphasis on Engaging Citizens in These Efforts

290 Cities Submit Ideas to Solve Pressing Urban Challenges

Selection Process Now Underway to Determine the 20 Finalists who will go on to compete for $9 Million USD in Innovation Funds

NEW YORK, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced that 290 cities across Latin America and the Caribbean have submitted ideas to solve major challenges and improve city life for the 2016 Mayors Challenge. The ideas offer insight into the needs of communities and priorities of local leaders in the region.

Seven in ten ideas aim to address a social or economic challenge, while the remaining 30% focus on improving government effectiveness and efficiency.

  • 71% of cities generated ideas to address major social or economic challenges such as:
    • Social inclusion for vulnerable populations (23%)
    • Sustainability (20%)
    • Economic growth (13%)
    • Education (9%)
    • Public health (8%)
  • 29% of city ideas focus on improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of government

Applicants for the 2016 Mayors Challenge proposed innovative solutions to address a wide range of urban challenges. A series of themes emerged in the ideas, including:

  • Leveraging technology and citizen engagement to improve government performance
  • An emphasis on public awareness initiatives, citizen participation and digital solutions to prepare for and address natural disasters
  • An interest in entrepreneurship and digital learning to improve education
  • Promoting the inclusion of vulnerable populations through job creation, better use of public spaces and technology
  • Improving public health through wide-ranging citizen engagement strategies

“Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean are some of the most innovative in the world, and they are proving it with their entries in our latest Mayors Challenge. The hundreds of proposals present exciting new ways to tackle problems across the region, and they have the potential to have a big impact on the lives of millions of people,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City.

Additionally, a survey taken of participating cities showed significant city hall interest in innovation, but a lack of resources needed to experiment.

  • More than half of participating cities report regularly borrowing ideas from cities in the region or even from around the globe when faced with a tough problem.
  • Three out of 5 cities said they usually or always crowdsource ideas from citizens when they are faced with a tough problem.
  • Just 1 out of 5 participating cities report usually having access to public or private funding to test new ideas.

The 290 Mayors Challenge applicants represent over 172 million citizens in 19 countries across the region. Participating cities span the entire region with 71% from South America, 20% from Mexico and 9% from Central America and the Caribbean.  Seventeen capital cities in the region submitted ideas to the competition – from Santiago to Brasilia to Mexico City to Kingston. With applications from 80 Brazilian cities and 59 Mexican cities, Brazil and Mexico had the largest number of cities that submitted applications.

“This is a region of the world with a rich history of public sector innovation. The ideas coming from the Mayors Challenge build on that legacy. We see a stronger focus in this year’s ideas on citizen engagement, which is both a trend in governments worldwide as well as an area in which Latin American cities have been clear leaders,” said James Anderson, the head of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation program.

The current applicants emerged from more than 900 Latin American and Caribbean cities who were invited by the Mayors Challenge in January 2016 to compete. Cities had until April 15, 2016 to generate and submit their innovative ideas to improve city government and city life. Modeled on successful competitions in the United States and Europe, the 2016 Mayors Challenge will award $5 million USD grand prize and four $1 million awards to four other cities that generate the most powerful and transferable ideas.

To learn more about the Mayors Challenge, visit www.mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org and @BloombergCities on Twitter and Instagram. Bloomberg Philanthropies has proudly partnered with the Centre for Public Impact (CPI) to implement this year’s challenge, provide related supports to city participants, and oversee coordination with other program partners. CPI is a not-for-profit, funded by The Boston Consulting Group, and dedicated to improving the positive impact of governments.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies works in more than 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2015, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed over half a billion dollars.  For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.

Media Contact
Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rebecca Carriero, (212) 205-0182, [email protected]

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Solar Market in Caribbean and Central America Heats Up with Enecsys – Glenn International Partnership

Region’s top distributor will sell Enecsys micro inverters in regions burdened with high cost of conventional electricity

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Enecsys Limited, a premier supplier of micro inverter products for the global solar market, announced the addition of a new distributor, Glenn International, to meet increasing demand from customers in the Caribbean and Central America.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130402/SF66080-a)

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130402/SF66080LOGO-b)

“The rate of growth in the solar energy market in this region is unprecedented,” said Ignacio Diaz, Director of Sales and Marketing at Glenn International. “We’re happy to be partnering with Enecsys, because we’ve found their Micro Inverter System maximizes solar energy harvest, which makes the switch to solar power easy and affordable for both installers and homeowners.”

As a major component of the Solar System, Enecsys offers two choices – Single and Duo micro inverters.  This provides installers the flexibility to mix singles and duos as needed in complicated rooftop installations, saving installation time and Balance-Of-System costs.

Enecsys Micro Inverters attach directly to the rack behind each module within a solar installation. The advantage of installing Enecsys Micro Inverters is that users gain visibility into the performance of each solar module, and can easily assess and address problems associated with shading, soiling or other obstructions.

“Enecsys is pleased to partner with Glenn International to distribute our micro inverter throughout the Caribbean and the rapidly solar emerging market of Central America,” said Thomas Nelson, Senior Director of Strategic Accounts. “Our new generation of micro inverters are designed to handle multiple grid settings in a single SKU, allowing Glenn International to be well positioned in supporting these regions.”

About Glenn International
With headquarters in Puerto Rico, Glenn International is the leading supplier of electrical, lighting and telecom equipment for the Caribbean and Central America. Since 1967, Glenn International has created energy solutions for customers in the region. With nearly a half century of experience, the company has the expertise to choose the best manufacturers and provide technical support that is unparalleled in the market.

About Enecsys
Enecsys Limited is the premier supplier of smart, highly reliable grid-connected micro inverters and monitoring systems for homes and businesses. The advantages of the Enecsys Micro Inverter System include: maximized energy harvest, improved safety for installers and users, increased reliability, an extended lifetime that matches the life of the solar modules, real-time performance monitoring for each solar module, and simplified PV array design and installation. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, Enecsys has corporate offices in Redwood Shores, California, with additional sales and support facilities in Bad Homburg, Germany and Taipei, Taiwan.

For more information, please visit www.enecsys.com

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