Is it truly progress when new technologies continue to emerge, yet the scale and urgency of climate challenges grow more dire by the day? Can we call it sustainable development when billions are poured into startups, but solutions that can genuinely save the planet remain scarce?
Julia Daviy, founding director of the Sustainable Innovation Council and a trailblazing innovator with a portfolio of prestigious awards, argues that the root of the problem lies in the scarcity of bold, actionable ideas being explored today. While some concepts may sound like science fiction, they hold the power to inspire practical, scalable solutions that can be implemented immediately. According to Daviy, it’s time to rethink how we innovate—and what we choose to prioritize.
By January 27, 2025, Julia Daviy achieved a groundbreaking milestone: 365 unique sustainable innovation concepts, developed over the course of her Sustainable Innovation Challenge. This bold, over a year-long experiment was not merely an exercise in creativity but a mission to redefine freedom for humanity and nature, regenerate ecosystems, and build solutions for a sustainable future.
Inspired by her experiences as an endurance athlete, a serial cleantech founder, and a deeply empathetic observer of the world, Daviy’s challenge began on May 24, 2023. What began as a personal mission to redefine freedom, regenerate ecosystems, and envision a more sustainable future has grown into a global movement. Together with her colleagues from Berkeley, Daviy is now spearheading the development of the Sustainable Innovation Council—a platform designed to drive funding, shape policies, and empower impact innovators to scale transformative solutions.
Redefining Freedom
The inspiration behind the Sustainable Innovation Challenge was deeply personal. In an article recounting her journey, Daviy described a pivotal moment at an amusement park when her child asked, “How sad must the ones feel who can but are not allowed to fly?” That question ignited a spark. “Imagine if every living being could get its freedom back,” her child said.
For Daviy, this was a call to action. “Reality is created by the mind,” she reflected. “We can change our reality by changing our mind.” That realization led to the creation of the Sustainable Innovation Challenge—a commitment to imagine, daily, what a freer, more sustainable world could look like. “Sustainable innovation is about designing solutions that liberate—not only ecosystems but also human potential and imagination,” Daviy explained.
She approached the challenge with the mindset of an athlete, drawing on the resilience and discipline she cultivated as a marathon runner and Ironman finisher. “This journey has taught me that sustainable innovations come not from extraordinary minds, but from ordinary people who choose to pay attention,” Daviy wrote.
A Year of Visionary Concepts
Over 500 days of relentless extensive research, connecting dots, pivoting multiple times to explore deeper ideas, Daviy tackled some of the world’s most pressing challenges with bold ideas. Her concepts ranged from floating ecosystems to mitigate urban heat and sequester carbon (CloudBloom), to AI protocols designed to prioritize sustainability and regeneration by default (Planet-First AI Protocol).
One of her concepts, AetherAqua Harvesters, envisioned small, autonomous drones extracting water from the air to address global water scarcity. Reflecting on this idea, Daviy explained, “Our atmosphere holds 13 trillion tons of water vapor—enough to solve water scarcity many times over. Abundance exists if we have the imagination and tools to unlock it.”
Daviy’s journey was not just about technology; it was about human stories. She drew inspiration from personal loss, the war in Ukraine, wildfires in California, and moments of quiet observation. For instance, the Wildlife Nutrient Corridors Fund was sparked by seeing bear tracks near an empty trash bin. “These bears aren’t invading our spaces because there are too many of them—they come because we’ve destroyed theirs,” she wrote.
Her concepts were united by a single purpose: to restore balance between people, technology, and nature. “Sustainable innovation is about designing solutions that liberate—not only ecosystems but also human potential and imagination,” she emphasized.
The Power of Imagination
Throughout the challenge, Daviy learned that innovation is a discipline, not a moment of inspiration. “Creativity isn’t magic. It’s a habit,” she wrote. “The practice of daily imagination refines your ability to see beyond the obvious, transforming scattered thoughts into clear, purposeful ideas.”
She also emphasized the importance of collaboration. “Innovation thrives on shared vision and the courage to imagine together. The best breakthroughs come alive when we connect with others who share our purpose.”
Studies supported the transformative power of her challenge. Research from Stanford, MIT, and Harvard shows that regular imagination exercises enhance problem-solving, sharpen focus, and reduce stress—all benefits Daviy experienced firsthand.
Daviy’s journey will culminate in the spring 2025 release of her book, The Atlas of Sustainable Innovations. 365 Ideas for Leaders, Founders, and Future Innovators. The book compiles her ideas into a roadmap for designers, innovators, current and future leaders, and sustainability advocates, offering actionable solutions for some of the world’s most complex challenges.
Her work has already left a lasting impact. By sharing her concepts under an open Creative Commons license, Daviy has invited governments, researchers, and organizations to adapt and scale her ideas. “Innovation begins with noticing what hurts—and daring to imagine what could heal,” she said.
Her challenge culminated in 365 concepts addressing global issues, from urban heat to water scarcity and biodiversity loss. But Daviy’s vision extends far beyond her own work. Alongside her Berkeley colleagues, she is developing the Sustainable Innovation Council, a global platform aimed at accelerating real-world impact.
The Sustainable Innovation Council is poised to become a hub for driving funding, shaping sustainability policies, and supporting the next generation of impactful startups. Through this organization, Daviy envisions creating a network that fosters collaboration among innovators, investors, and policymakers to tackle the planet’s most pressing challenges.
As an impact investor, Daviy’s expertise is already making waves in Silicon Valley. She currently serves as a Venture Partner for the Haas Impact Fund, mentors startups at Berkeley SkyDeck, and advises emerging impact ventures. Julia Daviy also serves as a judge in Unicorn startup battles and impact competitions, where she advocates for and supports startups focused on real-world hardware, deep tech, and high-impact solutions—uncommon in Silicon Valley but with the potential to redefine “the heart of what’s next.”
Julia Daviy’s Sustainable Innovation Challenge is a call to action for all of us. It reminds us that freedom, creativity, and sustainability are deeply interconnected. As she concluded in her reflections, “We live in a time of extraordinary potential. The world doesn’t just need innovation—it needs innovators willing to imagine a better future and act on it. One idea at a time. One action at a time.”
The journey doesn’t end at 365 concepts—it’s only the beginning of a larger movement to redefine what’s possible for humanity and the planet. And in Julia Daviy’s world, anything is possible when we choose to see it.
