The Michigan Pollution Prevention Program Green Chemistry Design Awards Competition (Competition) is a partnership between the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Michigan institutions of higher education, and industry.  Our objective is to advance Green Chemistry by promoting public awareness and behavioral changes in industy and consumers.  These are the critical components of promoting a shift towards environmentally safe and sustainable products, processes, and systems.  It is essential that we aid in the education of engineering students and other disciplines to understand design principles and the discovery that leads into the implementation of systems that embrace green chemistry and green engineering.  Investing future engineers and other scholars with an understanding of the fundamentals, methodology, technology, principles, and policies of these concepts will perserve valuable resources and omit future impacts on our environment, since they will be our future decision makers.