by Brianna Crandall — April 22, 2011—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded grants to six college teams across the country who 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. as part of the 2011 EPA Earth Day.
The P3 annual competition provides a platform for teams to showcase their sustainable projects designed to protect the environment, encourage economic growth, and use natural resources more efficiently. These projects provide innovative, cutting-edge sustainable solutions to worldwide environmental problems, says EPA. Each P3 award-winning team receives a grant of up to up to $75,000 to further develop the design, implement it in the field, or move it to the marketplace.
Winners of this year’s awards include:
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell for novel greener routes to halogen-free flame retardant material;
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for its solar-powered water collection, containment and self-regulating distribution system;
- Purdue University for the development of community power from sustainable small hydropower systems;
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Oglala Lakota College for their 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; and
- Stanford University for innovative university-school partnerships for renewable energy projects and education.
