Horizons Water Project Example

This is intended to provide an example of the type of project, presentation and thinking that the Horizons competition is designed to encourage. It is not meant to act as a pro-forma or to be seen as exclusive in the way ideas are formed or presented for Horizons. It also represents a best case scenario especially in terms of the presentation.

Preliminary Information

Project Title

WaterWise Gardens: An Integrated Solution to Utah's Urban Water Scarcity

Challenge Addressed

Primary Challenge:

Climate Change (Water Scarcity): The core focus on sustainable water management and ensuring clean water access aligns directly with this challenge area.

Also addresses:

Food Security: Through the urban agriculture component and community gardens
Education: Through the STEM learning and community education aspects

Executive Summary

The WaterWise Gardens initiative addresses Utah's critical water scarcity challenge by combining smart technology, community engagement, and urban agriculture. This proposal outlines a scalable system of community gardens that serve multiple purposes: reducing water consumption, improving food security, and advancing public environmental education.

Problem Statement

Utah faces increasing water scarcity due to climate change, population growth, and inefficient urban water use. Current solutions focus primarily on usage restrictions but fail to engage communities in long-term behavioral change or data-driven innovation.

Solution Overview

The WaterWise Gardens system consists of three integrated components:

Smart community gardens equipped with IoT soil moisture sensors and automated irrigation
A mobile app for community engagement and water usage tracking
Educational programs linking gardens to local schools and community groups

Results

Technical Implementation

IoT sensor network monitoring soil moisture, temperature, and water usage
AI-powered irrigation optimization system
Mobile app development for community engagement
Integration with local weather data
Data collection and analysis infrastructure

Partnerships and Resources

Utah State University College of Agriculture: Technical expertise and research support
Local tech companies: IoT infrastructure and app development
Community organizations: Garden management and volunteer coordination
Local schools: Educational program implementation

Expected Impact

15% reduction in urban water consumption
Creation of local food production spaces
Generation of valuable data on water conservation techniques
Increased community environmental awareness
Improved STEM education opportunities

Budget and Timeline

Initial pilot program: $50,000
Location: High water usage neighborhoods in Logan
Timeline: 6 months for pilot implementation
Scalability: Expandable to other Cache Valley communities

Feasibility and Sustainability

The proposal leverages existing community spaces and local expertise, requiring minimal new infrastructure. The combination of water savings, food production, and educational benefits creates multiple funding opportunities through grants and community partnerships.

Interdisciplinary Integration

This solution combines expertise from:

Environmental Science: Water conservation techniques
Computer Science: IoT and AI systems
Agriculture: Urban farming methods
Education: Community engagement and STEM learning
Social Sciences: Behavior change and community adoption

Conclusion

WaterWise Gardens represents a feasible, scalable solution to water scarcity that creates lasting community impact through the integration of technology, education, and local engagement.

Presentation

Presentation proposal: WaterWise Utah

"Making Water Scarcity Visible"

Room Setup & Props (Pre-presentation)

Three clear water containers showing annual water availability decline
Working mini-sensor demonstration unit with live data display
Real Utah watershed map on floor (tape outline) that team members move across during presentation
Blue lights for atmosphere
Sound effects of running water/drought (subtle background)

Opening Impact Moment (30 seconds)

Begin with room lights dimmed
Team members pour water between the marked containers while sharing stark statistics
End with: "This is Utah's water future - unless we act now"

Interactive Journey (2 minutes)

Team members guide judges through Utah's watershed using map
Stop at key points (urban centers, agricultural areas, Great Salt Lake)
Real-time demonstration of how snowpack affects water flow using simple physical model
Judges invited to participate in one quick demonstration

Live Technology Demo (2 minutes) – This could be a mockup rather than working sensors

Working sensor unit showing real-time moisture data
Live dashboard on screen
Interactive app prototype that judges can access on their phones
Quick demonstration of predictive modeling using real Utah data

Impact Visualization (2 minutes)

Physical transformation demonstration using local examples
Before/after imagery of Utah watersheds
Real-time calculation of water savings based on judge inputs
Sound effects change to represent improved water management

Solution Scaling (2 minutes)

Physical domino effect demonstration showing how the solution spreads
Light up different regions on the map as implementation expands
Real-time cost-benefit calculation based on scale

Final Call to Action (1 minute)

Return to opening water containers but show how solution prevents decline
Team members position themselves on map to show coverage
Unified closing statement with visual impact
Leave judges with working model to examine

Technical Requirements

Backup power supply for demos
Spare sensor unit
Floor protection for water demonstrations

Contingency Plans

Simplified versions of all demos that don't require technology
Printed versions of all digital elements
Multiple team members trained on each element
Quick setup/teardown plan

Q&A Enhancement

Physical props to support answers
Mini-demonstrations ready for specific questions
Data visualizations ready on tablets
Samples of materials/technology to pass around