&EPA
   www.epa.gov
science   in  ACTION
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC  FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
THE LEARNING BARGE
GROWING AMERICA'S GREEN ECONOMY WITH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

     2007 EPA P3 Award Winner
     The Elizabeth River in Virginia is
     one of the most polluted rivers
     feeding into the Chesapeake Bay.
     Students supported by EPA's P3
     Award program decided to develop
     the world's only floating classroom
     on a barge - called The Learning
     Barge - to teach children and the
     public how to achieve a swimmable,
     fishable Elizabeth River by 2020.
     This unique, mobile field station
     provides students, teachers and the
     public with compelling, on-the-water
     education about stewardship and
     ecology of an urban river. The barge
     supports environmental research,
     teacher training, education, public
     outreach and stewardship for an
     urban population with limited public
     access to the river.

     Designed by the University of
     Virginia's School of Architecture, the
     32' by 120' barge is powered solely
     by the wind and sun and
     accommodates 149 passengers. A
     living wetland nursery on a steel deck
     barge symbolizes the marriage of the
     environment and a working harbor
     where industries are cooperating to
     restore the health of the river.

     Total EPA Investment
     $85,000

     Return on EPA Investment
     Seven new jobs (full-time education
     manager and barge keeper) and 5
     college-graduate seasonal employees.
     Also, 12 volunteers including major
     shipyard leaders.
     The barge was built by the University
     of Virginia's P3 Award student team
     and was launched in September 2009.
     During its construction, the project
     involved more than 34 undergraduate
              students. From October to December
              2009,1700 students participated in
              learning sessions on the barge. The
              2010 season has already been booked
              for more than 5,000 students. Future
              seasons will be expanded to 2
              sessions per day, increasing the
              number of students reached per
              season to 8,000 to 10,000.


              EPA's  P3 Award
              In its sixth year, EPA's P3 - People,
              Prosperity, and the Planet - Award
              competition is unique in the federal
              government.  Teams of college
              students from a variety of academic
              disciplines are awarded a $10,000
              grant to design a solution to a
              sustainability challenge. The teams
              work on their designs during the
              academic school year, and then bring
              them to the annual National
              Sustainable Design Expo in
              Washington, DC, to compete for the
              EPA P3 Award.  This prestigious
              award is judged by a panel of national
experts in sustainability brought
together by the American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
Winning teams receive a grant of up
to $75,000 to implement their designs
or move them to the marketplace.
OTHER AWARDS
http://www.arch.virginia.edU/learningbarge/a
wards.html
OTHER LINKS:
EPA Project reports:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/learningbarge
Elizabeth River Project:
http ://www. elizabethriver.org
UVA Project site:
http://www.arch.virginia.edu/learningbarge/
EPAP3site:
http://www.epa.gov/P3
CONTACT: Cynthia Nolt-Helms, EPAP3
Program Manager, (202) 343-9693
nolt-helms.cvnthia(5)epa.gov
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Office of Research and Development

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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