Plug-in's Historic Ride All Around America Concludes at National Sustainable Design Expo

PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 11, 2009 – More than 250 college and university students will be in the nation's capital this April 18 through 21, 2009,  to compete for EPA's Fifth Annual P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Award. P3 Award contestants use the National Sustainable Design Expo to display their novel designs for green buildings, innovative alternative energy technologies, ideas on water purification, and making new products from resources previously thought of as unusable. Along side the students there will be over 30 non-profit and government exhibitors who will be demonstrating their sustainable designs, green programs and advocating for sustainable approaches to today’s ecological problems.

This year the National Sustainable Design Expo will also feature the conclusion of “EVJerry” Asher’s historic ride to show his plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) named the Spirit of DC to each of the 48 state capitals of the contiguous United States. Asher started his trip last year at the 4th Annual National Design Expo, a trip designed to introduce, on a personal basis, plug-in hybrids to schools, interested groups and Middle America. The celebration and press conference for the PHEV3A (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle All Around America) tour’s end will be held on the north side of Expo’s tents some time around noon on Saturday, April 18th following the National Sustainable Design Expo’s opening ceremonies.

The Spirit of DC will be one part of the display of sustainable electric vehicles put on by Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, DC (EVA/DC). Being displayed along with the Spirit of DC will be Larry Wexlar’s SolarCycle, an entrant in this year’s Progressive Automobile Insurance X Prize. There will also be an electric sports car, three wheeled electric motorcycle and more. The three wheeled motorcycle will be traveling across the country later on this year. See www.funruninthesun.org.

The P3 competition will culminate in an awards ceremony the evening of April 20th. To learn more about the competition, visit: www.epa.gov/P3.

The National Mall event is open to the public and will take place on Saturday, April 18, from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday April 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event will take place near the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between 3rd and 4th streets, NW in front of the Capitol.

Beyond Benign is a co-sponsor of the 2009 Expo and will arrange for display of sustainable designs and activities by for-profit organizations and businesses at the Expo. All media coordination for all aspects of the 5th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo and P3 Awards as well as the activities of the exhibitors during the event is handled through Mary Wiggington. Phone: 202-343-9861 E-mail: wigginton.mary@epa.gov

For PHEV3A contact Joe Lado, at joelado@yahoo.com, (703) 920-2060 or EVJerry Asher at (202) 486-5450.

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