A proposal based on the recent ecbi Policy Brief Crowdfunding for Climate Change: A new source of funding for climate action at the local level? has won the Popular Choice Award in the 2013 MIT Climate Co-Lab “Scaling renewables in major emerging economies” contest.

Co-authors Konrad von Ritter and Diann Black-Layne entered their proposal, From the Crowd to the Base: Crowdfunding for Local Climate Action, in the “scaling renewables” category of the contest shortly after the ecbi policy brief was completed in May 2013. The policy brief and proposal consider ways in which crowdfunding for climate change (CF4CC) could be used to get funds to the 1.5 billion urban and rural poor currently without access to modern energy, to enable them to invest in renewable energy systems such as solar home systems, energy efficient products, or mini-grids serving communities and small towns.

The Climate Co-Lab includes 18 categories, each focused on a challenge the world is facing as we confront climate change. Nearly 400 proposals were received, championing new technologies, community projects, online apps and websites, marketing strategies, business ideas, and government initiatives. After a series of revisions, 59 promising proposals were chosen as finalists. Online voting then took place to select the winners. Over 4500 votes were cast, from almost every country in the world.

“I am very impressed with the number and quality of proposals we had in this year's contest,” Professor Tomas W. Malone, Director of the MIT Centre for Collective Intelligence said in his letter congratulating the authors. “I hope you are as proud as I am of what you have contributed.”