Environmental Defense Honored As Finalist In Prestigious Global 2003 Tech Museum Awards Competition

New York — September 18, 2003 —Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, was recently named one of 25 laureates for the prestigious 2003 Tech Museum Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity presented by Applied Materials, Inc.  The Tech Museum of Innovation, located in San Jose, California announced the laureates.  In Silicon Valley where technology is considered a way of life, The Tech Museum Awards were developed to recognize the need to bridge existing technology in emerging countries and emerging technologies in developed countries.

Environmental Defense has been selected as a laureate for the Intel Environment Award.

“Environmental Defense is very honored to be selected as a Tech Museum laureate,” said Environmental Defense program director Gwen Ruta.  “Through innovative private-sector partnerships, Environmental Defense has quickened the pace of delivering healthier air by leveraging the power of business to develop cleaner truck technology.”

Environmental Defense teamed up with industry leaders, FedEx Express and Eaton Corporation, to develop and bring to market a next-generation delivery truck that will cut air pollution significantly while boosting fuel economy.  Using the innovation of hybrid diesel-electric engine technology, the new vehicle will decrease cancer-causing particulate emissions by 93% and reduce smog-causing emissions by 75%.  In addition, the cleaner trucks will increase fuel efficiency by 50% while meeting high standards of functionality and cost-effectiveness. 

This project is the first time that hybrid electric technology has been commercially applied to the medium-duty truck market.  The benefits to the environment and human health will be measured through significant reductions in toxic air pollution, respiratory ailments, pre-mature death, and acidification of lakes.  The public health benefit of this technology will grow even faster as more truck fleets convert to hybrid trucks for their business transportation needs.
 
On October 15, at a black tie Awards Gala, Silicon Valley leaders and delegates from the United Nations will join together to honor all 25 laureates, and one laureate from each category will be awarded a $50,000 cash honorarium.

The awards, presented in partnership with the American Council for the United Nations University and Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society, are designed to honor individuals, for-profit companies, and public and not-for-profit organizations from around the world who are applying technology to profoundly improve the human condition in the categories of education, equality, environment, economic development, and health.

This year, an esteemed panel of judges considered more than 500 nominations, representing 70 countries.  The 25 2003 Tech Laureates come from Bangladesh, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nepal, and the United States.

For more information on the awards and laureates, visit http://techawards.thetech.org.

About Environmental Defense
Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. The work of Environmental Defense in developing this technology was supported by a three-year grant from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. Additional support was received from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Oak Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the David H. Smith Foundation. For more information, visit www.environmentaldefense.org.

About The Tech Museum Awards
The concept for The Tech Museum Awards and its five categories was inspired in part by The State of the Future at the Millennium report of The Millennium Project of the American Council for the United Nations University, which recommends that award recognition is an effective way to accelerate scientific breakthroughs and technological applications to improve the human condition. The Awards were inaugurated in 2001.

Judging for The Tech Museum Awards is independently conducted by Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society, a global network of academic and industry experts dedicated to understanding and influencing how science and technology impact society. They assemble five panels of judges from around the world, recruited from research institutions, industry and the public sector, who judged the nominations on five set criteria.

The Tech Museum Awards Partners
The Tech Museum Awards represent a collaborative effort among educational institutions and business. Among Silicon Valley’s leaders supporting The Tech Museum Awards are presenting sponsor, Applied Materials, Inc. and Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society. Category sponsors are the NASDAQ Stock Market, Knight Ridder, Intel, and Accenture.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation
Located in the heart of downtown San Jose, Silicon Valley, Calif., The Tech, a non-profit organization, engages people of all ages and backgrounds in exploring and experiencing the technologies affecting their lives and aims to inspire the innovator in everyone.  For more information, visit www.thetech.org or call (408) 294-TECH.

Media contact:

Jessica Mendelowitz, Environmental Defense communications director, 212-505-2100; [email protected]
Gary Summers, The Tech Museum of Innovation, 925-284-7004; [email protected].
Ryan Donovan, Ketchum Public Relations, 415-984-6138; [email protected].