By Heather Woolwine, Recycling & Environmental Compliance Manager
Many academic scholarship programs are based on written essays that express an applicant’s ideas about a certain topic. But when the Brazos Valley Earth Day committee decided to develop a scholarship program promoting environmental stewardship, we knew it called for something more substantial.
Words are nice, but a hands-on contribution to local communities is even nicer.
That’s why the scholarship program – which is in its first year – is based on actual projects that have a positive environmental impact in the Brazos Valley. The only requirements are for applicants to be residents of Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson or Washington counties, and be attending or planning to attend a technical school, college or university next fall.
Applicants will be scored based on how their project benefits the environment and community, how long the benefit will last, quality of presentation, and the potential for others to change habits, duplicate the effort, or replicate it in other communities.
The application deadline for completed projects is Dec. 31. The selection committee will notify recipients of their award by April 1, with at least two $500 scholarship winners announced at the 20th Annual Brazos Valley Earth Day Festival on April 18 at Wolf Pen Creek Park. Scholarship funds will be raised through Earth Day t-shirt sales.
Click here to see the complete eligibility requirements and to apply online. Just click the scholarship tab at the top of the page. No paper applications will be accepted.
Earth Day celebrates our local, natural, and cultural environments and features local businesses, education, family fun and entertainment while making a lasting impact on the Brazos Valley. The event is co-hosted by Keep Brazos Beautiful, City of College Station, City of Bryan, Texas A&M University, Brazos Valley Council of Governments and the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency, Inc.
For more information, email me at hwoolwine@cstx.gov or call 979-764-6229.
About Heather Woolwine
Heather Woolwine was named recycling and environmental compliance manager in November after serving as the city’s recycling coordinator since 2007.Click here to read other blogs by Heather.
Photo Copyright: auremar / 123RF Stock Photo
