KSC Student Team is a Finalist in EPA's People, Prosperity, and The Planet Award Competition
KEENE, N.H., 1/29/08 - A Keene State College student team has received one of 58 national finalist grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Award competition. Awards were given based on initial designs for achieving sustainable solutions to environmental issues.
The KSC student team and teams from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and UMASS Lowell each received $10,000 each to put their designs into action and will compete once more in April in the People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability.
The Keene State students are working to create a safe and sustainable “closed energy loop,” where biodiesel fuel is both created and used within the same community. This fuel will be made from waste grease generated locally and then used to power local public fleets. Biodiesel is a fuel made from either vegetable oils or waste grease and offers promise as a sustainable energy source. While use of biodiesel is on the rise, few communities in the United States both manufacture and use biodiesel fuel.
The 58 winning teams were chosen from about 100 college teams competing from 29 states across the country. This grant money enables the winning teams to further research and develop their projects for the next stage of competition. Teams will bring their working designs to the 2008 National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., April 20 to 22. Six finalists will receive EPA’s P3 Award.
The National Academies, advisors to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine, will convene a panel to evaluate and recommend the award winners who will be chosen by the EPA. The P3 awards to student teams include additional funding of up to $75,000 for further opportunity to develop their designs, test them in real life, and even get them to the marketplace.
More information about the P3 winners and their projects can be found on the Internet at www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/current/index.html.
To learn more about the P3 program, visit the website at www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/.
