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                               Awards   Opportunities
      The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 established a national policy to prevent or reduce
      pollution at its source whenever feasible. The Pollution Prevention Act also provided an
      opportunity to expand beyond traditional EPA programs and devise creative strategies to
protect human health and the environment. Green chemistry, or the design of chemical prod-
ucts and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances, is a
highly effective approach to pollution prevention.  Green Chemistry applies innovative scientific
solutions to real-world environmental situations, all through voluntary partnership programs.
In order to successfully effect the technical and behavioral changes necessary to accomplish
wide-spread pollution prevention through green chemistry, the benefits of the approach must
be clearly demonstrated and communicated.
                      OBJECTIVE:
                      The Presidential Green Chemistry
                      Challenge seeks to recognize outstand-
                      ing accomplishments in green chemistry
                      through an annual awards program in
                      order to demonstrate the scientific,
                      environmental, and economic benefits
                      that green chemistry technologies offer.
                      BACKGROUND:
                      The Presidential Green Chemistry
                      Challenge was implemented as a volun-
                      tary EPA Design for the Environment
                      (DfE) partnership with the chemical
                      community. DfE partnerships encour-
                      age changes that both promote
                      economic development and benefit
                      industry by identifying cost-effective
                      ways to prevent pollution.
                                        DESCRIPTION:
                                        The Presidential Green Chemistry
                                        Challenge Awards Program is an oppor-
                                        tunity for individuals, groups, and
                                        organizations to compete for annual
                                        awards in recognition of innovations in
                                        cleaner, cheaper, smarter chemistry. The
                                        Challenge Awards Program provides
                                        national recognition for outstanding
                                        chemical technologies that incorporate
                                        the principles of green chemistry into
                                        chemical design, manufacture, and use,
                                        and that have been or can be utilized by
                                        industry to achieve its pollution preven-
                                        tion goals.
                                        Nominations received for  the awards are
                                        judged by an independent panel of
                                        technical experts convened by the
                                        American Chemical Society. Typically,
                                        five awards are given annually to indus-
                                        try and government sponsors, an
                                        academic investigator, and a small busi-
                                        ness, for this program. Individual
                                        projects selected for support may be
                                        funded by EPA, NSF, or jointly by both
                                        agencies.  This is at the option of the
                                        agencies,  not the grantee.
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Focus  AREAS
The Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Awards recognize and promote
the following green chemistry technologies:
1.   The use of alternative synthetic path-
    ways for green chemistry, such as:
    •  Catalysis/biocatalysis,
    •  Natural processes, such as
      photochemistry and biomimetic
      synthesis, or
    •  Alternative feedstocks that are more
      innocuous and renewable (e.g.,
      biomass).
2.   The use of alternative reaction condi-
    tions for green chemistry, such as:
    •  Use  of solvents that have a reduced
      impact on human health and the
      environment,  or
    •  Increased selectivity and reduced
      wastes and emissions.
3.   The design of safer chemicals that are,
    for example:
    •  Less toxic than current
      alternatives, or
    •  Inherently safer with regard to
      accident potential.

SELECTION  CRITERIA
The selection criteria used to judge nomi-
nations received for  the Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge Awards were designed
to  ensure that recognition of outstanding
accomplishments in green chemistry
demonstrates the program objectives.

The awards selection criteria are as follows:
1.   A nominated technology must prevent
    pollution at  the  source and have a
    significant chemistry component.
                                          A nominated chemistry technology
                                          should offer human health and/or envi-
                                          ronmental benefits. The technology
                                          may, for example:
                                          • Reduce toxicity (acute or chronic),
                                            illness or injury, flammability, explo-
                                            sion potential, emissions or other
                                            releases,  transport of hazardous sub-
                                            stances, or use of hazardous
                                            substances in reaction processes,
                                          • Improve usage of natural resources,
                                            such as renewable feedstocks, or
                                          • Enhance biodiversity.
                                          A nominated chemistry technology
                                          must be generally applicable to a large
                                          and broad-based segment of chemical
                                          manufacturers, users, or society at
                                          large. The  nominated technology must
                                          offer at least the following:
                                          • A realistic approach to green
                                            chemistry,
                                          • A remedy to a real environmental
                                            management problem, or
                                          • Features that can be transferred
                                            readily to other  facilities, locations,
                                            and industry sectors.
                                          A nominated chemistry technology
                                          must be innovative and of scientific
                                          merit. The technology should be, for
                                          example, original  (i.e., never employed
                                          before) and scientifically valid.
                                            Other sources of information
                                            regarding EPA's Presidential Green
                                            Chemistry Challenge Program
                                            include EPA's Pollution Prevention
                                            Information Clearinghouse at 202
                                            566-0799 (e-mail ppic@epa.gov),
                                            Richard Engler of EPA at 202 564-
                                            8740 or engler.richard@epa.gov, and
                                            the Green Chemistry Web site at
                                            http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry.
U-S-EPA*
                                          EPA744-F-02-001
                                          May 2003
                                          www.epa.gov/greenchemistry

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