The Freedom Prize Competition

In the spirit of inspiring American creativity and entrepreneurship, The Freedom Prize Foundation will award over $4 million to the most effective and sustainable initiatives in oil displacement (permanent reduction in oil dependency) using existing technologies and efficiency strategies.

Freedom Prizes: Over $4 million in prizes will be awarded, ranging from $500,000-$1,000,000 in the following categories: Industry, Schools, Government, Military and Community. Sign up to receive detailed guidelines and applications when they are published in the fall.

• Industry: The US economy is highly dependent on oil, with 69 percent of oil consumption used for transportation alone. ¹ Our transport-dependent industries are held hostage to oil price spikes, with even small increases in costs sending a chilling effect on our national wealth and our commercial competiveness. The Freedom Prize Foundation will award prizes to commercial endeavors that dramatically alter the private sector's reliance on oil, including fleet change-outs, supply chain management and employee incentive programs. ²
• Schools:At the heart of nearly every American community is our public school system. America's K-12 public schools use over 300 million gallons fuel oil annually ³ largely for transportation of 24 million children. ⁴ In fact, school buses travel 4 billion miles a year. ⁵ While school buses and buildings are necessary for education, they are unnecessarily toxic environments and major cost centers. By providing additional funds for schools to adopt policies to "green" fleets or to use biomass for heating, the Freedom Prize Foundation will reward the schools that accomplish the most significant advancements in oil displacement.
• Government: Our local governments own thousands of vehicles and control millions of dollars in purchasing decisions that directly affect our nation's oil dependence. Local governments have a remarkable amount of resources: millions of buildings, cars, buses, and dollars of tax revenue. Our state and local governments can also influence oil displacement through building codes, zoning restrictions, and transportation/parking policies. The Freedom Prize Foundation will engage government entities to demonstrate through competition which strategies and approaches are making the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time.
• Military: Dependence on oil is one of the most significant threats facing our national security. As the #1 single consumer of oil, the Department of Defense (DoD) is uniquely vulnerable to oil dependency. The DoD consumes 97-million gasoline gallon equivalent in its non-tactical vehicles, spending $238 million dollars. DoD's total worldwide non-tactical fleet inventory includes 187,493 vehicles. ⁶ While the DoD has made incredible strides in improving energy efficiency of its facilities, The Freedom Prize Foundation seeks to encourage oil displacement in fleets, transport and aviation.
• Community: Some of the best opportunities to reduce our oil dependency come from communities across America. Our communities bear the brunt of our oil dependence including air pollution, traffic congestion, bulging landfills and rising costs. We will be rewarding the best ideas from communities across America that reduce oil dependence and exemplify the mission of the Freedom Prizes.
• Freedom Prizes of the Future:Help us find the best way to reduce America's dependence on oil. We are seeking your ideas and suggestion for the most important changes that the Freedom Prizes can help advance, based on sector, type of technology or even policies. Sign up to share your ideas and shape the future of the Freedom Prizes.

1. http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html
2. http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/analysis_publications...
3. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/pba99/education/education.html#Energy
4. http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/science/energy_calculator.html
5. http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/
6. http://www.energybulletin.net/29925.html