The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded grants of up to $75,000 each to six college teams that participated in the 7th annual EPA People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award competition held at the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington D.C. on April 18, 2011.
Winners of this year’s P3 award competition are:
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell for novel greener routes to halogen-free flame retardant material
- University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for solar powered water collection, containment, and self-regulating distribution system
- Purdue University for development of community power from sustainable small hydro power systems
- University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and Oglala Lakota College for use of bone char for the removal of arsenic and uranium from groundwater at the Pine Ridge Reservation
- Drexel University for lightweight green roof systems
- Stanford University for innovative university-school partnerships for renewable energy projects and education
The six P3 award winners were selected out of the 55 competing teams across the country, after showcasing the best sustainable projects aimed at protecting the environment, encouraging economic growth, and using natural resources more efficiently. The competition and the National Sustainable Design Expo were part of the agency’s Earth Day celebration for year 2011.
According to Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, this year’s winners are the environmental and economic future of the nation. He adds that sustainable innovations in the areas of agriculture, architecture, and energy production will sustain the nation’s competitiveness and will likewise protect the health and the environment.
The grant awardees were chosen following a two-day judging by a panel of national experts organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Meanwhile, the grant money, according to EPA, is intended to develop, implement, and market the designs generated by the winning teams and utilize it to promote sustainable innovations for the environment and the economy.
Source:
United States Environmental Protection Agency, April 18, 2011
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/03dd877d6f1726c28525735900404443/97f687bb5cf1e9468525787600659921!OpenDocument
