Last week, Enactus TCD were crowned winners of the Enactus Ireland National Competition, beating competitors from six other Irish universities including UCD, DCU and UCC. Enactus TCD will represent Ireland at the Enactus World Cup in Utrecht in October.
Enactus TCD, a student-run branch of socially focused entrepreneurial network Enactus, presented three enterprises, Souper Fresh, One Stop Food Shop, and VapeBox.
Souper Fresh, founded by Donal Buckley, James Buckley and Jack McGrath, aims to mitigate the adverse effects of traditional soup making, using waste whey from Irish farmhouse cheese factories and providing half the daily recommended intake of vitamin B12 in one serving. Souper Fresh also donates one in every 10 bowls of soup to people in need.
Providing “recipes for single chefs”, One Stop Food Shop, founded by Ellie Fitzpatrick and Cera Kenny, aims to make eating fresh food “cheap, easy and fun”, providing meal plans to reduce food waste at the touch of a button. One Stop Food Shop currently distributes its meal plans through email, but they are currently developing an app.
VapeBox, founded by Katelyn Davis and Lucy Daly, is a campaign to stop disposable e-cigarette waste and raise awareness of the harmful effects of vaping on public health and the environment. VapeBox aims to put collection boxes in places that students and young people frequent, where the e-cigarettes will be dismantled and the lithium batteries and plastic casing recycled.
By September, VapeBox aims to have successfully trialled its product with students’ unions, set up a network to manage the proper recycling of lithium batteries and plastic casing, and have their app launched, which will allow users to locate a VapeBox near them and to collect rewards. VapeBox was successfully trialled in the Arts Building and the Pavillion Bar on campus.
Enactus TCD will represent Ireland at the Enactus World Cup in Utrecht in October, facing 36 other countries. All projects must align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and prove they can generate a real social impact.
The first Enactus World Cup was held in London in 2001. Since then, over 700 Enactus teams have competed at the Enactus World Cup, and over 45,000 participants have attended the events.