Sustainable Solutions Summit

More than two dozen students nervously checked their phones and refilled their water bottles as they awaited the kickoff of the second annual Sustainable Solutions Summit hosted by Forbright Bank and the Black Student Fund. 

But the nerves didn’t last long as Natalie Chapman, Director of Community Impact at Forbright Bank and Leroy Nesbitt, the Executive Director of the Black Student Fund quickly divided the students into six teams and laid out the task ahead – for students to brainstorm business ideas that address sustainability issues in the DC region and around the nation.

This year, students heard from speakers including representatives from the National Park Foundation, National Geographic Society, and Washington D.C. Department of Energy & Environment alongside co-founder of Just Ice Tea Seth Goldman, founder and CEO of RIFE International Kwabena Osei-Sarpong, and team members from Forbright Bank and the Black Student Fund.

“I’m most excited about seeing all these speakers coming in, getting to talk to them and ask questions, and also working with teenagers my age to create new ideas,” rising junior at St John’s College High School Mia Robinson said on Monday.

Speakers were similarly excited about the opportunity to make an impact on the next generation.

“One thing I love is that young people already see how the future needs to be different, and so we’re just helping them connect the dots,” Goldman said.

In addition to addressing sustainability issues, many of these students were passionate about entrepreneurship. One of the goals of the summit was to show students that sustainability and business can exist in tandem.

“I always say you can do well doing good, and I think that’s what’s important to expose. It’s not just activism you need to get funding for, but you can actually create jobs, create opportunities, create new industries, and have an impact through that,” said Osei-Sarpong, cofounder of RIFE International, a globally focused energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable construction firm.

The winning students chose “Reimagine Fashion” as their theme and laid out ways to combat the waste that occurs in the production of clothes, emissions resulting from fast fashion, and the overproduction of clothing.

According to “Reimagine Fashion’s” advisor, Forbright Bank intern Tamara Heller, the group scrapped its original idea entirely midway through the week to pursue the challenge of fashion – a decision that took guts but ultimately paid off.

“I’m very proud of them. They’ve put a lot of work and time into it. They really have given it their all, and I’m so happy to see how excited they were when they heard their name called,” Heller said.

Other groups focused on electric vehicles, clean water, and alternative energy sources, earning praise from judges and the audience alike with their vast understanding of the issues, as well as their ability to comprehend financial information and respond to highlevel questions.

At the end of the day, as Nesbitt from the Black Student Fund repeated throughout the week, all the students were winners, and the Summit was a success.

“The younger generation has more of a capacity to make change because they’re not as metastasized into looking at things the same way as an older generation,” Nesbitt said. “We can’t see the change. Young people see the problem and say ‘we can just do that! Let’s just change it!”