2009 Greener By Design/Steelcase Sustainable Design Contest Challenges Students to Explore Intersection of Design and Corporate
May 19 2009 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Contest Winners Include Students From Cooper Union, MIT and
University of Minnesota SAN FRANCISCO, May 19
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Steelcase Inc. (NYSE: SCS), a global
office environments manufacturer, today announced the winners of
the Steelcase Sustainable Design Contest at the 2009 Greener by
Design Conference at The Palace Hotel. As part of the contest,
students submitted an idea for a product, service, or business
venture with a social and/or environmental benefit and winners were
selected based on originality and creativity, use of core
environmental sustainability principles and clear evidence of
social value. Winners of the challenge include: -- Dave Berger from
Cooper Union for Solar Lights, an affordable solar-powered lighting
system for the millions of people living in remote, rural regions
of Africa and the rest of the world. -- John Dreher and Mike
Norelli from Massachusetts Institute of Technology for their idea,
MC Shared, a human-centered energy monitoring system that empowers
Americans to be more energy efficient in their homes. -- Edgar
Rudberg from the University of Minnesota for designing The
Community Cactum Rainwater Collection System, a kit that aims to
help water deprived communities collect and store rainwater. "The
focus of the contest is on the design of products, services, and
business ideas that have an environmental and social benefit," said
Angela Nahikian, director of global environmental strategy and
programs for Steelcase. "The quality of work submitted by the
students was impressive and the winners should be commended for
understanding and succinctly conveying the social and design
aspects of their ideas." Steelcase partnered with Net Impact, a
global organization of over 10,000 students and professionals
committed to using business skills to improve the world, and
Greenbiz.com, the leading online information resource on how to
align environmental responsibility with business success, to select
the winners. Students were required to submit their idea in 500
words or less and were encouraged to submit design files, concept
papers, drawings, business plans or photographs. For winning, the
students received a full student scholarship to attend the 2009
Greener by Design conference. Winners will be recognized at the
event and have the opportunity to present their work to conference
attendees. Scholarship winners can take advantage of all conference
sessions, keynotes, networking opportunities, and have the ability
to meet executives from some of the world's best-known brands.
About Steelcase Inc. Steelcase provides furniture, services and
insights to help people have a better work experience, and to help
companies and organizations create inspiring spaces with a maximum
impact on performance and a minimum impact on the environment. A
Michigan-based company that has been serving customers for nearly a
century, Steelcase leads the global office furniture industry with
$3.4 billion in annual revenue. Learn more at
http://www.steelcase.com/. DATASOURCE: Steelcase Inc. CONTACT: Sara
Whitman, +1-212-931-6121, , for Steelcase Inc. Web Site:
http://www.steelcase.com/
Copyright