The Rwandan start-up EarthEnable is the winner of the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge 2017. During the finale, co-founder Gayatri Datar impressed the international jury with her sustainable alternative for cement to replace dirt floors.

As the winner, she receives a cheque of EUR500,000 to further develop her green innovation. The runner-up prize of EUR200,000 goes to the biodegradable alternative for plastic by the Danish start-up Pond.

This year, the other three finalists were also surprised to each receive EUR100,000. This brings the total prize pool of one of the biggest sustainability competitions in the world to EUR1 million.

The earthen floors offered by the Rwandan start-up EarthEnable improve the lives of the world's poorest people and ensure significant reductions in CO2 emissions, as they eliminate the need for cement floors. More than a billion people still live on sandy floors, which are often a breeding ground for parasites and germs. A cement floor is often the only available alternative, but this is expensive and is not eco-friendly. EarthEnable supplies floors made from local, natural materials, which have been sealed using a plant-based oil. These floors are 75% less expensive, and produce 90% fewer emissions, than cement.

Gayatri Datar (31), co-founder: "Being proclaimed as winner out of 515 entries is unbelievable! This is a really important strategic endorsement for us. With the prize money we plan to scale within Rwanda and likely in three other countries. The prize money gives us the opportunity to test different scaling models to find a viable scale strategy to improve the health and lives of millions of people who are still living on dirt floors."

SOURCE: https://pageone.ng/2017/09/15/rwandan-startup-earthenable-eur500000/