01
£
u
X
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.
1
> Printed on paper that contains at least 50 percent postconsumer fiber.
-------
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
------- |