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Earth Day 2008: Show Me the Green!
Release Date: 04/18/2008
Contact Information: Suzanne Ackerman, (202) 564-4355 / [email protected]
(Washington, D.C. - April 18, 2008) Everyone is talking these days about "going green" and sustainability. And they're also asking: "What does sustainability really mean? I'd like to go green and help the planet, but how?" EPA can define it, but actions speak louder than words!
From April 20-22, EPA is going to SHOW America what sustainability is all about. EPA is hosting its annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall, where more than 50 college teams from across the country will display their innovative solutions for an environmentally sustainable future.
Examples of amazing sustainable projects you will see starting Sunday, April 20:
- Solar panels made out of natural chlorophyll from plants instead of silicon
- Generating electricity from flying kites
- Producing plastics from bacteria in wastewater
- Low-cost technologies to provide clean drinking water to developing nations
- Green buildings
"At the National Sustainable Design Expo environmental challenges are being tackled, not just with technical and scientific know-how, but with the spirit of innovation and creativity," said Dr. George Gray, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development. "The Expo is a great opportunity to see how the energy of these college students, from across the country, is powering solutions for a greener future today."
The 4th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo is open to the general public without charge on Sunday, April 20, from noon to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, and Tuesday, Earth Day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 3rd and 4th Streets.
A highlight of the Expo is EPA's fourth annual People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Award, a national competition involving 50 teams of college and university students. The teams will exhibit their novel designs to respond to sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world. P3 projects from years past proved that green designs save energy and are profitable. Several previous projects have had positive impacts around the world from Appalachian State University's biofuels initiative -- to promote renewable and biofuel production technologies -- to Rochester Institute of Technology's low-cost sustainable solar ovens being locally made and marketed in Latin America.
There will also be exhibits from more than 40 government agencies and nonprofit organizations who support the P3 Award competition, and will demonstrate their efforts to promote sustainability. This year's Expo is co-sponsored by The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education and The World Environment Center.
Information on the Expo and the P3 award: epa.gov/p3
EPA's sustainability research program: epa.gov/sustainability
Video of the P3 winners, exhibits and teams at the Expo will be available Wednesday afternoon at: epa.gov/P3/multimedia
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