he senior design team of Eric Eisele, Courtney Reid, Dan Pugh, Sarah Byrnes, and Charlie Woods was awarded a Phase II People, Prosperity, and Planet Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Competing against 43 university teams, the Drexel University Department of Materials Science and Engineering team received one of six Phase II awards on Monday, April 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C. at the National Sustainable Design Expo.

The award-winning senior design project, “Cool Roof Coatings Utilizing Glass Hollow Microspheres for Improved Solar Reflectance,” increases the reflectance of cool roof coatings while cutting raw material costs. Cool roof coatings save energy and mitigate the urban heat island effect. Previously, the team received a Phase I award in the amount of $10,000.  The Phase II awards provide $75,000 of funding for two years and will be used to develop the coating further and field test the technology by reaching out to the neighborhoods surrounding Drexel. The team will work in conjunction with the Drexel Smart House initiative.

See:  Senior Design Team Wins $75,000 Phase II EPA Funding

The OurEarth.org website began as a simple idea to make it easier for people to find environmental information.  There are outstanding environmental programs, activities, initiatives, ideas, and grassroots efforts across the country but it can be difficult to sort through all of the websites and information available.  As a result, important natural resources, energy savings, and pollutant reductions are lost each and every day, causing unnecessary damage to our planet.

See also ‘Recycling’ for more information and  ‘Recycling Directory’ to locate more details on programs such as Curbside Recycling or Cell Phone Recycling Guide from the U.S. EPA