Final Call for Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge Proposals to Improve Access to Safe Water and Sanitation

(3BL Media) London - March 13, 2012 - The Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge will accept proposals for innovative ideas to ensure safe water and improved sanitation through 15 April.  The winning project will receive a $50,000 prize and the second prize will be awarded $25,000.  Both projects will be highlighted in Water Research, the journal of the International Water Association.

The Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge contributes to the 2005 -2015 Water for Life Decade, established by the UN General Assembly to support the Millennium Development Goal to halt the unsustainable exploitation of water resources and halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water.  According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 900 million people lack this basic resource and 2.6 billion people suffer from inadequate sanitation facilities, leading to health crises and violent conflict across the developing world.

Applicants submitting proposals to the Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge will have access to relevant Reed Elsevier publications such as Water Research, to help applicants prepare their competition entry. All entries should focus on increasing access to safe water and/or improved sanitation where it is presently at risk. Projects should demonstrate that they are replicable, scalable and sustainable; set a high benchmark for innovation; have practical applicability; address non-discrimination and equity of access; involve and impact a range of stakeholders; and have local, community-level engagement.

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About Reed Elsevier Group plc
Reed Elsevier Group plc is a world leading provider of professional information solutions to the science and medical, legal, risk management, and business to business sectors. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including 16,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier reported revenues for 2011 of £6,002m/€6,902m. Reed Elsevier Group plc is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV; the combined market capitalisation of the two parent companies is approximately £12bn/€14bn. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.