8 Companies Chosen As Climate Solutions Challenge​ Winners

NEW YORK CITY — The Trust for Governors Island on March 5 announced the winners of its annual Climate Solutions Challenge.

The second annual call for proposals focused on the theme of Circular Economy, seeking projects and technologies that reduce the climate impact of the urban waste stream and extend resource recovery to businesses and neighborhoods, officials told Patch.

The eight winners will receive a site on Governors Island to demonstrate their projects, grant awards of $10,000, and access to a common pool of additional funds to support pilot implementation.

“Governors Island has become a meaningful test bed for innovative solutions that will create more resilient and sustainable cities,” Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, told Patch. “These challenge winners are dedicated to building a better future and to growing their businesses here in New York City. We look forward to all they will learn and accomplish during their time on the Island and cannot wait to welcome all New Yorkers to come out and engage with these projects this summer.”

Projects selected following this year’s Circular Economy Challenge are:

- Arbon, a Direct Air Capture (DAC) company that will pilot their humidity-swing technology to capture and store CO2 (carbon dioxide) from ambient air using an energy-efficient, durable, and affordable process, while generating carbon credits and enabling downstream applications of captured CO2. Founder: Xiaoyang Shi.

- Birdsview, a Norway-based company that will pilot their ground-penetrating radar (GPR) structural assessment technology, which uses proprietary analysis software to assess the internal condition of buildings and reduces waste by optimizing the preservation of existing structures. Founders: Olav Skogen and Simen Husøy.

- CarbonCLAIR, a New York-based company dedicated to improving urban air quality by capturing pollutants and CO2 in outdoor environments, while producing a byproduct with common industrial applications. They will pilot their off-grid mobile air quality unit at a construction and demolition site on the Island. Founders: Fares Al-Iahabi and Nazarena Soria Hadad.

- CO Adaptive, a Brooklyn-based company that will pilot their modular wall system, made of reclaimed lumber, to retrofit existing buildings to passive house level standards of airtightness and energy efficiency. Founders: Ruth Mandl and Bobby Johnston.

-Mira Intel, a New York-based company that will pilot their drone-based structural assessments and proprietary analysis software to enhance building and infrastructure resilience through enhanced monitoring capabilities. Founder: Danielle Nicholson.

- Phytostone, a New York-based studio making advanced natural building materials. They will pilot Cast Carbon, a biochar-enriched architectural wall tile that is biodegradable, efficiently stores carbon from salvaged pine pallets through a low-carbon manufacturing process and is mold-proof and fireproof. Founder: Emily Majewski.

- Plantaer, a Brooklyn-based company dedicated to transforming urban environments through architectural solutions that integrate vegetation directly into building materials. They will pilot their living concrete façade technology, a low carbon, engineered concrete that improves air quality and mitigates extreme heat. Founder: Manuel Benitez Ruiz.

- Rego, a Philadelphia-based company that will pilot their digital utility meter for waste management, which provides photo and AI-based waste audits to track and analyze waste streams in cities and increases diversion from landfills. Founder: Josh Mastromatto.

Of the selected pilots, 75 percent are locally based, 50 percent are minority-led, and 50 percent are women-led. Pilots will be installed on Governors Island over the coming months for periods spanning six to 18 months, with public demo days to be held throughout the year.

“Investment in innovative technology—and the individuals developing it—is an investment in our collective future," Lauren Wang, Director of Climate Programs at the Trust for Governors Island, told Patch.“Shifting to a circular economy that reuses, refurbishes, and recovers is key to achieving an equitable, net-zero city. We look forward to supporting these companies on their journeys while shining a light on how solutions move from concept to scalable product.”

Since its launch in 2023, the Trust’s Climate Solutions Piloting Program has supported 14 different projects with diverse representation across business and nonprofit sectors.

The Trust’s climate programs are made possible with the support of Amazon, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, LISC, and the New York Community Trust.