7th Business and Environment Award
The contest was open to Environmental Science students within the European Higher Education Area. Student Delfina Martínez Giménez was the author of the winning project, which was entitled "Construction of a combined plant for compost and biomass energy peoduction in addition to vermicompost".
The main objective of the project was to encourage the production of ecological products that would sell well and be widely wlcomed in the market in which they operate. These ecological products will then provide anoption to be used instead of the fertilisers and pesticides currently used in agriculture. The idea put fowards applied the principles defined by the Spanish Agency for Science and Innovation, and embraced th philosophy followed by the scientist Jane Goodall, by which she supports the devopment and adoption of agricultural processes less harmful to the environment.
The jury, made up of members of both the UMH and Fundación Marjal, chose this project as the winning one due to the many environmental and social benefits that could be derived from the use of the products produced in the combined plant. Moreover, the examining board took into account the usefulness and management of the organic waste products, as well as the encouragement to use and produce renewable energy sources proposed.