Edward Mazria, architect, founder and CEO of Architecture 2030 was awarded this year’s Purpose Prize. His work over the past eight years, after founding Architecture 2030, has set numerous environmental goals for the building industry. It has also brought many issues of sustainable design to the forefront of conversations and policies about buildings and their construction.

A growing share of startups are coming from older entrepreneurs these days. Civic Ventures throws a big spotlight on that trend every year with The Purpose Prize – a sort of Oscars for social entrepreneurs. Now in its sixth year, the award recognizes older career trailblazers who've demonstrated creative and effective work tackling social problems. One of this year's winners, Randal Charlton, helped budding entrepreneurs in the struggling city of Detroit as the executive director of TechTown.

Have you ever sat in an audience and said to yourself, "Wow. What have I ever done with my life?" Chris Farrell, economics editor of Marketplace Money, asks that question during an event honoring the 2011 Purpose Prize winners, recognized for their extraordinary contributions to society.

When it comes to bold ideas and action, young upstarts get a lot of ink. But there’s a massive brain trust among the retired and close-to-retired set, which is why Civic Ventures gives the annual $100,000 Purpose Prize to leaders 60 and older. This year one of the five recipients is Edward Mazria, a 71-year-old architect who launched Architecture 2030 to reduce the amount of energy used and greenhouse gasses emitted by new buildings and major renovations.

Edward Mazria is one of five people who received the $100,000 Purpose Prize from Civic Ventures. The idea behind the award: Society has a lot of problems, and people over age 60 have the expertise to solve them. The goal is to change the narrative of retirement from one of kicking back to one of giving back, sometimes through volunteer work and sometimes through regular income-producing jobs.

Each year, Civic Ventures awards The Purpose Prize to individuals over 60 who are combining their passion and experience for social good. The only grant of its kind in the nation, the prize awards $100,000 each to five people who advocate for new ways to tackle tough social problems.

Architect Edward Mazria has been recognized for his work to move the building sector to a more sustainable path. He has done this by setting voluntary targets via his nonprofit Architecture 2030. Now he has won a 2011 Purpose Prize, an award given by Civic Ventures to social entrepreneurs over 60.

Civic Ventures is a nonprofit dedicated to helping people find meaningful, purpose-filled work in the second half of life. Each year the organization selects five people over who have made extraordinary contributions in their encore careers focusing on solving critical problems in education, health care, the environment and more. The organization has announced its 2011 Purpose Prize $100,000 winners.