by Brianna Crandall — May 2, 2012—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million in grants to 15 university and college teams from across the country who participated in the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for their innovative environmental solutions.
EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award competition was held at the expo, and featured more than 300 college innovators showcasing their sustainable projects designed to protect the environment, encourage economic growth, and use natural resources more efficiently. EPA says it selected the winners from the most competitive pool of teams ever, basing the decisions on the projects’ potential to provide innovative, cutting-edge sustainable solutions to worldwide environmental problems.
Examples of the innovative P3 team winning projects include: a new process that uses spinach to capture and convert the sun’s energy to electricity; a partnership with a local landfill to design a process that uses waste heat and drainage to grow algae for biodiesel production; the creation of an artificial wetland suitable for recycling of greywater from small businesses for immediate reuse; and the development of structural insulated panels for building construction using rice hulls, an abundant agricultural waste, as the primary raw material.
Each P3 award-winning team will receive a grant of up to $90,000 to further develop their design, apply it to real world applications, or move it to the marketplace. Previous P3 award winners have reportedly started successful businesses and are marketing the technologies in the United States and around the world. For a complete list of award winners and projects, see the P3 Web site.
P3 teams were also recognized earlier this week during EPA’s nationwide American Innovation for Sustainability Forum. The U.S. Army recognized three teams for projects that fit the Army’s NetZero initiative: University of Texas at Austin—Zero Waste for their use of vermicomposting to reduce solid waste; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University—Zero Water for a lightweight solar-powered battery backup water purification system; and University of California at Davis—Zero Energy for their cool roofs project. Additionally, the Paladin Capital Group recognized Vanderbilt University’s project working on solar cells with the “Marketplace Innovation Award.”
