SOUTHFIELD – Grown-ups please take note: More than 800 students from throughout Michigan have come up with ingenious ways to re-use, recycle and preserve water in the year 2100 and beyond.

For instance, in the year 2176 homes in the ?New Southfield? will be WE-DOMES (Water Efficient Dwellings Optimizing Maximum Energy Self-Sufficiently) and in Navajoville, Montana, each drop of water will be put to use as all the homes will be equipped with their own green houses and water recycling systems, or WRS.

This is only but a glimpse of the future city projects that middle school students will present on January 14 to a distinguished group of judges as they compete for the title of best city with the most efficient water system.

The 14th Annual Michigan Regional Future City Competition for middle school students sponsored by The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) is a little more than one week away. More than 25 schools will participate in this year?s competition.

“The essays we’ve seen so far have been very impressive and extremely innovative,” said Sue Ruffner, ESD’s Community Outreach Manager. “Students have been very committed and enthusiastic about their projects and the competition.”

The Future City Competition challenges students to design a city of the future – and have fun doing it. This program was designed to promote technological literacy and engineering to seventh and eighth grade students. It also fosters an interest in math, science and engineering through hands-on, real world applications and helps students better understand the practical applications of mathematical and scientific principles.

This year’s theme is “Creating a Self-Sufficient System Within the Home Which Conserves, Recycles and Reuses All Existing Water Sources.” The first place winner from Michigan will receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete in the Future City finals.

The Michigan Regional Future City Competition is part of a national program sponsored by the National Engineers Week Committee. The Engineering Society of Detroit coordinates all aspects of Michigan’s competition. Schools and teachers that are not participating in this year?s competition are invited to attend the event and learn how Future City can impact their students.

For more information, contact Della Cassia at 248-353-0735, ext. 112.

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