EVENTS NEWS & MEDIA
Renewable Energy Essay Contest Announces Winners
4/22/08
Three Renewable Energy Scholars Awarded $10,000 Prizes on Earth Day Future Leaders Engage on Critical Environmental Issues New York, NY – One of the nation’s foremost environmental organizations today announced three winners of a nationwide student essay contest. Each winner was awarded a $10,000 educational prize. The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy (PFRE), co-sponsor of the first-ever presidential candidate forum focused on global warming held last fall, sponsored the essay contest in which college students drafted a Renewable Energy Plan for America. “I am delighted to announce the winners of our contest, and to salute the efforts of our next generation of environmental leaders,” said PFRE President Jane S. Hoffman. “The response to the contest was overwhelming, and it was an extremely difficult process to choose among hundreds of worthy candidates. The three winners – James Coan, Craig Lazzar and Amanda Woods – have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting the use of cleaner, renewable sources of energy. These Renewable Energy Scholars succeeded in presenting a plan that will help meet the challenges facing America’s energy future.” Renewable Energy Scholars James Coan, Princeton University Craig Lazzar, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Amanda Woods, Florida State University Several hundred essays were submitted by the February 1 deadline, and seven finalists were chosen last month. Renewable Energy Scholar Finalists successfully presented a Renewable Energy Plan for America that was original, feasible and viable. Finalists were chosen for the soundness and originality of their thinking, as well as their ability to present these ideas in a concise, persuasive and compelling manner. Renewable Energy Scholar Finalists Ben Barclay, Carleton College Matthew Defenthaler, University of Central Florida Stephen Fried, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laura Kelly, University of California-Santa Cruz “Our nation’s energy policy has implications well beyond the price of gasoline. Our dependence on fossil fuels has an impact on the environment, the economy, even our national security,” said Hoffman. “America’s next generation of leaders must be prepared to tackle the critical issues confronting our environment. By engaging tomorrow’s leaders today, we can get a head start on empowering a sustainable future.” Jane S. Hoffman is the chair of The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy, an organization she founded in January of 2007 to bring increased attention to issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and conservation. Hoffman’s book on renewable energy, Green, is slated to be published by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Hotzbrinck in June 2008. Hoffman is a former New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner and a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York. The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy sponsored the nationwide student essay contest. The contest was open to enrolled university students who met certain criteria. Students were asked to write a 4 to 6 point renewable energy plan for America, laying out a strategy for the next five to ten years that will minimize our current dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Additional information can be found online at www.2008energyforum.org. The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy co-sponsored a presidential candidate forum on Saturday, November 17 at the Wadsworth Theater in Los Angeles – Global Warming & America’s Energy Future: A Presidential Forum, hosted by Grist and PRI’s Living on Earth. The PFRE joined forces with leading environmental organizations to hold the first-ever presidential candidate forum on global warming and renewable energy. Partner organizations co-sponsoring the event included the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, NRDC Action Fund, the California League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Candidates attending the forum were Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Edwards, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Essay Question Although Americans make up only five percent of the world’s population, we consume twenty-five percent of its energy production. Our dependence on non-renewable energy sources such as oil has a profound and long-term impact on our environment and our quality of life, and even on our economic stability and national security. Developing renewable energy sources, then, is an urgent national priority. Renewable energy is any resource that naturally replenishes itself in a relatively short period of time such as hydropower, solar energy, and wind energy. As the 2008 presidential election approaches, this contest gives you a voice in this critical problem. We invite you to submit a 4 to 6 point renewable energy plan for America. Your plan should lay out strategies for the next five to ten years and beyond that will minimize our current dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Assume your goal is to convince an audience of politicians, the United States public, and scientists that your plan is the optimal solution to a pressing problem. Your plan must be practical, so you should address the technical, economic, and political challenges your proposal will face. A persuasive argument will sketch the dimensions of the problem, weigh the costs and benefits of its proposal versus that of potential alternatives and offer clear reasoning and hard evidence. The Selection Criteria Submissions were evaluated on their originality, on their political, economic, and technical feasibility, and on their long-term viability. We evaluated plans on the soundness and originality of your thinking, but we also considered the ability to present those ideas in a concise, persuasive, and compelling manner. ###
