Two North Carolina colleges are among 45 schools nationwide to receive $15,000 grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help design sustainable technologies.
Student teams from Appalachian State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are recipients of the People, Prosperity and the Planet Phase I grants, which challenge students, working together on interdisciplinary teams, to design and build sustainable technologies that improve quality of life, promote economic development and protect the environment.
The Appalachian State team is developing an artificial wetland suitable for recycling graywater from small businesses for immediate use.
The UNC team is creating and implementing a point-of-use disinfectant for drinking water that is cheap, non-toxic and effective in reducing waterborne illness in developing nations.
The teams will bring their designs to the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. around Earth Day. The projects will be judged and teams will be selected for Phase II grants up to $90,000, which would allow students to improve their designs, implement them in the field or move them to the marketplace.
Find more information on the P3 Phase 1 grant awards here. For students interested in applying for Phase 1 grants for the 2012-2013, applications are being accepted through Dec. 22.
