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Frequent Questions
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What is the closest Metro stop to the Expo? Federal Center SW (Blue/Orange Line) is approximately 0.5 miles or 3 blocks south of the Expo site. Judiciary Square (Red Line) is approximately 0.5 miles or 4 1/2 blocks north of the Expo site. The Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter stop (Yellow/Green Line) is approximately 0.6 miles or 5 blocks northwest of the Expo site. Go to http://www.wmata.com/maps/metrorail_street_map.cfm 
to view the Metro map overlay of the DC street map.
Will food be provided? Information regarding meals to be provided is forthcoming. Drinking water will be available. The National Parks Service does not allow the sale of food on the National Mall; however, you may purchase drinks and snacks at the nearby museums or street vendors. You may wish to bring coolers or snacks with you. To minimize damage to the National Mall, we ask that ice from coolers be dumped into the storm drains and not on the grass. Trash and recycling receptacles will be provided to dispose of wrappers or containers. Glass containers are not permitted on the National Mall grounds.
View Eateries and Parking Map (2 pp, 195 K, about PDF)
What will our exhibit space look like?
P3 Teams: Freestanding 8’x8’ double-sided poster boards will be arranged in rows. Each team will have one side of the poster board (i.e., the team sharing your poster board will be behind your exhibit space and separated from your team by the board). The width of the poster board and the 8’ table in front of each board will define each team’s space. There will be no divisions along the sides. The poster boards only have 4’ x 8’ of actual poster space, which is reserved for the posters themselves. The legs of the poster board account for the other 4’. Viewing pictures from the last three events at www.epa.gov/p3 may help you visualize the exhibit area. If you need more than an 8’ x 8’ space, contact Jennifer Legge (jennifer.larkin.legge@saic.com) as soon as possible, preferably no later than February 23rd. You will need to hang the posters in your 8’ x 8’ area, but we will try to designate an area outside of the tent adjacent to your poster board for your larger items. Examples of large items from the previous events include windmills, buses, and solar panels. Additional posters would not be a good use of any outside space.
Exhibitors:The backdrop of your exhibit area will be pipe and drape; there will be no partitions between the exhibits on the sides. Wind at this event has historically been a problem, so consider bringing items to secure your pop-up or table-top exhibit. Viewing pictures from the last three events at www.epa.gov/p3 may help you visualize the exhibit area.
Will electricity be provided? All P3 Teams will be provided with electricity, but electricity will not be provided for each exhibitor. We may be able to accommodate special requests from exhibitors if electricity is crucial to the success of their exhibit. We recommend that you bring long extension cords to ensure that you will be able to access the nearest supply point. To request electricity, contact Jennifer Legge (jennifer.larkin.legge@saic.com).
Can I leave items in the tent overnight? Regardless of our security measures, this is a public location. Participants are advised not to leave valuables unattended or in the tents overnight.
Is there wireless Internet access? None has been provided, but you may be able to find a network by chance.
Is water available on the National Mall? Drinking water will be provided, but there is no running water on the National Mall. If your exhibit or demonstration requires a significant amount of water, you should plan ahead and bring it with you to the event.
Who do we contact about a special need? We will do what we can to accommodate special circumstances or help you find local resources. Please contact Jennifer Legge (jennifer.larkin.legge@saic.com) to discuss your needs.
Can we ship exhibit materials to the Expo? Because the Expo is on the National Mall, you will not be able to ship materials. If you need to send materials from out of town, you should ship them to your hotel and arrange for transport from the hotel to the Expo.
What are the procedures for drop-off and pick-up of exhibit materials? A few weeks prior to the event, we will send you detailed arrival and set-up procedures. However, you should be aware that vehicle access to the National Mall grounds is prohibited. In the event that you require a vehicle to transport your items to the Mall area, nearby street parking, which is approximately 50 yards away from the tent, may be utilized for unloading. These parking areas are restricted prior to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays, so we encourage participants to use them only temporarily for unloading of materials. To avoid ticketing, please do not leave vehicles in these restricted parking areas unattended.
Where can I park? No event parking is provided. It is your responsibility to find parking. Public parking garages in downtown DC are very expensive (approximately $25 per day), so plan accordingly. A few public parking locations are listed below. This list is not all inclusive and you may find better parking on your way to these locations.
6th Street and Maryland Avenue, SW
500 C Street, SW
400 Virginia Avenue, SW
409 3rd Street, SW
51 Louisiana Avenue, NW
122 C Street, NW
View Eateries and Parking Map (2 pp, 195 K, about PDF)
How many copies of handouts should I bring? In the spirit of sustainability, we ask that you do not bring an excessive number of handouts for distribution at the event. We suggest that you bring approximately 100 copies of handouts, as well as business cards or small items with your Web site address, so that participants can view materials electronically. Although many people will stop at your exhibit space, most will not take brochures. We also ask that you plan to take any undistributed materials with you after the event.
What should we wear? Considering that the event will be outdoors, the dress code is casual. For example, the event staff will likely wear khaki pants and long sleeve polos. We encourage the P3 Teams to show their team spirit by wearing matching shirts. (However, please be aware that the purchase of shirts is not an allowable expense for your P3 grant award funds.) The temperature in the Washington, DC area varies dramatically in April. An average day is likely to be in the 50s, but we suggest that you refer to updated forecasts closer to the event date. More formal attire is recommended for the awards ceremony and reception.
Do I have to register for the Expo?
P3 Teams: Yes, all team members and advisors need to register online, even if they will not be attending the Expo. This registration will guarantee that everyone will be named on the Award if your team wins. The registration form includes a question regarding whether or not you will attend the Expo. Please answer to the best of your knowledge now. We will confirm who will be attending in early March. If your team would like to submit one registration form rather than all members registering individually online, please request an Excel template from Jennifer Legge (jennifer.larkin.legge@saic.com).
Exhibitors: Yes, all exhibitors need to register online for the Expo on the Mall. Registration will guarantee that you will have an official name badge to be worn onsite during the Expo and will place you on the guest list for the Awards Ceremony and Reception (6:00 p.m., Wednesday at the National Academy of Sciences Building at 2100 C Street, NW).
Do I have to attend the P3 Award Ceremony and Reception? All P3 team members are required to attend (and arrive on time). Other exhibitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Can guests attend the P3 Award Ceremony and Reception? Yes! Guests need to register online (or via the Excel template) to attend the ceremony and must bring a valid photo ID to be admitted.
How do I get to the building for the P3 Award Ceremony? The National Academy of Sciences Building is located at 2100 C Street, NW, an easy 10-minute walk from the Foggy Bottom Metro Station. Cabs are available but allow adequate time to arrive since rush-hour traffic in the city is very slow. Detailed walking, Metro, and Metrobus directions will be provided at the Expo.
When do we teardown our exhibit? Exhibit teardown begins at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. We discourage tear-down prior to this time, as the event is open until 3:00 p.m.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE P3 TEAMS
Can we use smaller fonts on our posters? Yes, but keep in mind that the font sizes were recommended to ensure that visitors could read the text from a distance.
How does the judging for the P3 Award and associated P3 Phase II grant take place? EPA has contracted with the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to convene a panel of approximately 25 judges who are leaders in the fields of engineering, water science, green chemistry, agriculture, green building design, waste issues, energy issues and/or sustainability to serve on the P3 Award Judges Panel. Selection of judges was based on the issues addressed by the Phase I projects.
Judges will be provided with the Evaluation Criteria included in the "2008 P3 Project Report Instructions", on pp 9-10 (available on the Forms page of the P3 Teams Website).
Prior to attending the 4th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo, each written "P3 Project Report" will be reviewed by at least four judges, each of whom will prepare an individual written evaluation based on the evaluation criteria. In addition, judges will provide a rating for the written report based on the following scale:
Excellent: A truly outstanding proposal with numerous exceptional attributes.All individual evaluations of the “Project Reports” will be completed prior to attending the Expo and submitted to the AAAS.
Very Good: A very strong proposal with many noteworthy merits.
Good: A solid proposal but not among the best, may have some deficiencies.
Fair: Not a strong proposal.
Poor: A proposal with serious deficiencies.
At the Expo, on either Sunday afternoon (April 20) or Monday (April 21), two pairs of judges will visit each P3 Team to receive an oral presentation of their Phase I project and their Phase II proposal. The level of structure for that presentation is up to each P3 team. Every attempt will be made to arrange for the judges to visit the P3 teams in pairs so each team should plan for two judges' visits during either Sunday afternoon or Monday of the Expo. The judges will prepare individual written evaluations, including a score, for each of the P3 Teams which will be submitted to the AAAS.
The schedule for the judges' visits to the P3 Teams will be prepared prior to the Expo and posted on the P3 website. We will try to arrange the judges' visits around any scheduled congressional visits, so please be sure to let us know if you have any scheduled congressional visits!
The Judges Panel will spend Tuesday, April 22, discussing the P3 Projects and will prepare a numerical ranking of P3 Teams which will be submitted to EPA by 3:00 PM. This numerical ranking will weight evaluation of the written project report as 60% of the final score and the evaluation of the oral presentations at the Expo as 40% of the final score. EPA will use this ranking, along with information on available resources, balance of the research portfolio, overall program goals and directions and other criteria or considerations deemed appropriate, to determine which teams will receive the P3 Awards and which teams will receive Honorable Mentions. Final funding decisions will be made by the EPA.
AAAS will arrange for "Summary Evaluations" to be prepared for each of the P3 Teams. These summaries will capture the salient points from the eight individual evaluations (the four evaluations of the written Project Report and the four evaluations from the Expo visit) and present relevant items from the judges' panel discussions. These "Summary Evaluations" will be distributed to the Faculty Advisor for each P3 Team following the Expo by the EPA Project Officer, Cynthia Nolt-Helms.
Can we meet with our congressional representatives? EPA encourages teams to make the most of their trip to our Nation’s capital. This includes encouraging teams to plan a meeting with their Representatives or Senators to educate them about their P3 projects. In fact, sharing your team’s project with your congressional representatives would serve as a great rehearsal for presenting your project to the judges. Go to http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml to find the contact information for your representatives/senators. Then call the local district office listed to make your arrangements with the DC office. Request a meeting or invite them to visit your exhibit on the National Mall. Consider contacting the officials representing your home district as well as those representing the district where your institution is located.