From a cleaner freight train to an automated beehive, the 5th annual World Changing Ideas Awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet
New York, May 4, 2021 — The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice or economic inequality.
Greenlining Realty USA was selected as a finalist in the Spaces, Places and Cities category for Woodlawn Pointe, a project that includes the construction of seven new single-family homes and two fully renovated homes. Greenlining Realty USA partnered with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s GROWTH initiative, the Chicago Land Bank and Constructive Renovations to develop the homes in the historic Black neighborhood of West Woodlawn on the South Side of Chicago. Built in 2020, Woodlawn Pointe’s home design highlights the neighborhood’s historic architecture and the projects are named after famous residents.
The completion of Woodlawn Pointe’s nine housing units marks a major milestone in the community revitalization project. Greenlining Realty USA is working to reverse the historically damaging effects of discrimination in lending practices affecting urban neighborhoods throughout the nation through the creation of pathways to capital essential for neighborhood investment, redevelopment, housing rehabilitation and home improvement. The discriminatory practice of ‘redlining’ historically limited mortgage and financial services to communities of color, putting home and business ownership beyond the reach of local residents and denying investment opportunities in these historic neighborhoods.
“Greenlining is proud to be recognized by Fast Company for making our vision of community reinvestment a reality,” said Lamell McMorris, Founder and Managing Principal of Greenlining Realty USA. “Woodlawn Pointe offers high quality home ownership in my childhood neighborhood of West Woodlawn, a community long neglected by discriminatory practices such as redlining. Greenlining is committed to working in partnership with historically Black communities so that they benefit from reinvestment in their neighborhoods.”
Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists and more than 800 honorable mentions. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology and more. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.
Showcasing some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, Fast Company’s Summer 2021 issue (on newsstands May 10) highlights, among others, a lifesaving bassinet; the world’s largest carbon sink, thanks to carbon-eating concrete; 3D-printed schools; an at-home COVID-19 testing kit; a mobile voting app; and the world’s cleanest milk.
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability and passion to solve these problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About Greenlining Realty USA: Greenlining Realty USA is a national real estate development and management firm. We work in partnership with local municipalities throughout the country to create mixed-use developments with large scale economic impact.Our mission is to work in the community and for the community creating comprehensive developments that revitalize historically under served and distressed communities. At Greenlining Realty USA, by strategically leveraging local resources and other investment opportunities, we measure success by the delivery of tangible quality of life enhancements we bring to the communities and businesses we serve. You can access the Greenlining Realty, USA website at www.greenliningrealtyusa.com, and follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.