Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

Natural disasters are on the rise and only projected to worsen in the coming years. Most urban areas are completely unprepared to respond efficiently, and are paired with unsustainable infrastructure that compounds the impact of disasters. SDR deploys a comprehensive response that empowers individuals and communities to participate in a sustainable reconstruction plan.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

SDR is an integrated system of disaster response strategy as well as development of innovative renewable energy solutions that pack up and deploy effectively to address most critical needs in the wake of disaster. New communication technology is utilized to increase transparency and renewable energy solutions offset their demand on power resources.
SDR uses a mobile response team of 4-5 people, 1 for communications, the rest for recon/assessment, monitoring and engaging survivors. Recon’s reports from black out areas help to efficiently plan mobilization of resources and establish a network transporting supplies between NGO’s.
Finally Victims become Volunteers which turns deficits into resources by training them how to build with renewable energy systems. The recon team organizes recycling/pick up of car batteries, water heaters etc. and oversees using them to rebuild sustainable community centers.
These are established solutions for disaster needs developed from team member experiences and have been adapted to support SDR. Market demand for light weight solutions lag behind available renewable energy technology.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

SDR outlines action steps from beginning to end, to sustainably rebuild a community that has been dystroyed by disaster and stimulate an industry. Chosing the disaster as the moment in time to effect change creatively turns a negetive into a plus. We are using natures distructive force to eliminate the costs of demolishing an unsustainable infrastructure. This gives SDR an extreme economic advantage from the beginning to make a lasting and dramtic change.
It addresses the technology development issue because it identifies the market of disaster response to manufacturers of renewable energy solutions. Creating a demand for lighter weight more durable, and higher effiiciency products, in a market that can bear the costs, will create the nascar equivilant for renewable energy manufacturers. Much like racings high performance solutions eventually make it to market so will renewable energy systems benefit from lighter weight equipment reducing the costs for shipping and installations on buildings.
The real breakthrough is how completely SDR stimulates and rebuilds from the ashes. It creates a R&D platform for the technology to develop. Utilization of that technology helps get a community re-established quickly from disaster. Then SDR enables a "bottom up"" grass roots program through empowering and training survivors. This transforms the people from VICTIMS TO VOLUNTEERS (V2V), that rebuild shining examples in community centers using renewable energy systems. Now we have just created a green collar work force that can be put to work during the rebuilding process. This will re-establish and expand the economy of the area, bring the population back home quickly, thus preserving the corner store & local culture. Best of all, this cycles right back in a sustainable business loop to support the R&D by buying and installing renewable energy products in the rebuilding effort.
This will become the preferred state model because it empowers the survivors, and at the rate of cataclysmic disasters increasing with more devasting events and increased frequency, there will be plenty of work to do and hopefully survivors to do it.