Solar Decathlon Media Event

Gridlock? Not in D.C.'s universities. On Wednesday, Feb. 27, students from three D.C. universities - The Catholic University of America, the George Washington University, and American University - will band together as one local team to begin construction on a unique, energy-efficient home designed to foster the healing of a wounded U.S. military veteran as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.

Team Capitol DC, an unprecedented collaboration of D.C. universities, will represent a citywide presence at the elite international competition Oct. 3-13 in Irvine, Calif., as one of 20 selected teams from around the world. Starting on groundbreaking day - Feb. 27 - students will build the home on the Catholic University campus until May, then deconstruct it, and transport it across the country for the October competition.

The students' sustainable, energy-efficient "HARVEST HOME" is custom built for a U.S. military veteran returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will be donated to a veteran resident following the competition. For more information, please visit www.TeamCapitolDC.org . Video clips and photos can be made available to media following the event.