Penguin Random House | São Paulo, 12/05/2019

Companhia das Letras Promotes Knowledge Olympics In Brazil

The Brazilian publishing group Companhia das Letras is one of the sponsors of the “Sapienta” Knowledge Olympics. The Brazilian competition recognizes student projects that make a contribution to sustainability and environmental protection. Sapientia was inspired by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Environmental protection and sustainability stand in the spotlight of the Brazilian “Sapientia – Olympics of the Future”, a nationwide competition for students in the 16-18 age group who were invited to develop projects relating to the topics. The sponsors of the Knowledge Olympics are Penguin Random House’s Brazilian publishing group Companhia das Letras and Vertere, an institute for teacher education. The Sapientia competition was inspired by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals formulated in 2016 by the United Nations as well as the insights which Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari formulated in his bestselling book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century”. Companhia das Letras is the publisher of Harari’s works in Brazil and had invited the author to São Paulo in the beginning of November for a discussion event with 1,800 people. This year’s Sapientia competition ended on November 16 with the announcement and awarding of the 2019 winning teams.

The project group from Mossoró in Rio Grande do Norte was the big winner. The team set out to develop a biodegradable and edible straw made from the local cassava plant and carnauba wax. The Sapientia organizers agreed that the straw is not only made from local raw materials but can also be produced at a lower cost than other environmentally friendly straws already on the market. Second place also went to students from the city of Mossoró: the group developed a project that foresees the installation of bee hives and gardens in schools and includes the production of honey and the development of educational material. A group from Fortaleza in Ceará won third place with their project that combines recycling and education. Students created experimental physics, chemistry and robotics equipment for use in school labs using only recycled materials. The other finalist groups came from the city of Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, and Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.

Daulins Emilio, Head of Corporate Center Bertelsmann Brazil, said: “I was honored to participate as a jury member in the final phase of the competition. It is extremely energizing to see young people from Mossoró, in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, creating a project to combat plastic waste in the oceans using cassava plant as a base. Initiatives like this stimulate young talents by providing new prospects for the future and incredible solutions for the world!” Throughout 2020, all six finalist groups will try to put their ideas into practice.