Danish innovations win European Youth Award

Be My Eyes and Fresh.Land take home the plaudits for entrepreneurs under 33

Oct 10, 2016

The Danish app ‘Be My Eyes’ has been awarded the European Youth Award in the category ‘Healthy Life’, while another home-grown effort, ‘Fresh.Land’, has won the ‘Go Green’ gong.

‘Be My Eyes‘, which lends eyes to the blind by giving them the opportunity to ask for help with tasks that require normal vision, already has 370,000 remotely-located volunteers registered from 149 countries to assist 28,000 blind people.

“This entrepreneurial project combines digital technology with social interaction to help the community help,” wrote European Youth Award.

“The beauty of ‘Be My Eyes’ lies in connecting the blind with the sighted, thus helping someone in a pinch overcome daily struggles by providing valuable aid instantly, while allowing friendships to grow through digital innovation.”

‘Be My Eyes’, which launched in early 2015, is the brainchild of Hans Jørgen Wiberg.

AirBnB of farm produce
Fresh.Land, which was launched in June 2015, is a global online marketplace that aims to help farmers sell their fresh produce directly to retailers by bypassing middlemen and providing fresher food.

“Using Fresh.Land, farmers upload their availability, retailers order with one click, and then Fresh.Land ensures delivery through external partners,” wrote European Youth Award.

“Finally, everyone rates each other in a user review and feedback system to guarantee quality. Farmers deliver from the tree to store in days, instead of months – with 60 percent fewer chemicals, 88 percent fewer CO2 emissions, and 10 percent less food waste. Fresh.Land is a win-win for all. Farmers receive a greater share of the profits. Retailers source better products at lower costs. Consumers benefit from fresher produce.”

Fruit and vegetables are filled with chemicals, often spending months in storage before reaching stores, and the long supply chain is a key source of greenhouse gases, as well as enormous waste – up to 40 percent of all food produced.

Fresh.Land was co-founded by Mathilde Jakobsen Filipe Leal and Flávio Mestre.

The European Youth Award is an annual award that aims to motivate young people under 33 to produce socially-valuable digital projects that address goals defined by the Council of Europe and Europe 2020.