Grant Applications for EPA's National Sustainable Design Competition Are Due December 21, 2006
WASHINGTON--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Nov. 7, 2006--Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminded college students and faculty members about the approaching deadline to apply for the �People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3)� Award competition. Student teams and their faculty advisors have until December 21, 2006 to enter their cutting-edge, sustainable solutions to environmental challenges into this national design contest for sustainability. Participating teams compete for the chance to win up to $10,000 in funding to develop their designs.
�The P3 contest is an extraordinary opportunity for students in all fields of study,� said Julie Zimmerman, P3 program director at EPA. �Participants gain new skills and knowledge as they research, develop, design and implement scientific and technical solutions to today�s most pressing environmental challenges.�
EPA and its partners launched the P3 Award in 2003 to promote innovative thinking for moving the world toward sustainability. Teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students at institutions of higher education located in the U.S. are eligible to apply. This year, Phase I of the competition requires teams to submit a proposal for their design by December 21. Selected teams then receive a $10,000 grant to spend the academic year applying their innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. Additionally, winners advance to the National Sustainable Design Expo in spring 2008 in Washington, D.C. where they compete for additional funding of up to $75,000 to move their designs to the marketplace or implement them in the field.
Judges will consider solutions to challenges from a wide range of categories including, but not limited to: agriculture, materials and chemicals, energy, information technology, water and built environments.
The desired outcomes of the P3 research are to minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances, utilize resources and energy effectively and efficiently, and simultaneously advance the goals of economic competitiveness and human health and environmental protection for social benefit.
In September 2006, EPA awarded $420,000 to 42 student teams for the 2006-2007 academic year. Winners are already using their P3 grant money to develop alternative energy sources, clean water solutions for rural communities, new methods of recycling, novel options for green buildings, designs for sustainable buildings, and much more.
Interested students can learn more about the P3 Award by visiting www.epa.gov/P3, sending an email to [email protected], or contacting Julie Beth Zimmerman in EPA�s Office of Research and Development (202-343-9689 or [email protected]).
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Contact:
Estella Waldman
202.343.9803
[email protected]
