Environmental Education News

Nominate your School for the Recycle Guys Awards

The 15th Annual Recycle Guys Awards Program will honor South Carolina’s top recycling programs, projects and people - and we know that there are a lot of great ones out there! Please nominate yourself or another outstanding program, project of person for one or more of the award categories listed below.  

Recycling Student of the Year
This award is given to a student who has actively participated in a waste reduction/recycling program and/or has been involved in promoting waste reduction/recycling at school or in the community.

Recycling Teacher of the Year
This award is given to a teacher who has implemented or expanded a school recycling program and/or has incorporated the waste reduction/recycling message into the classroom.
 
Recycling School of the Year
This award is given to a school that has implemented a successful waste reduction/recycling program.

In addition, view the attached Call for Entries for more categories. Remember, no one knows what you do better than you. You can’t win if you don’t enter.

Nominations are due January 15, 2010 with the awards program to be held on March 2, 2010.

Champions for the Environment Grants

Your school could win $2,000 and have a television commercial made about your environmental project!

Applications are now being accepted for Champions of the Environment grants to be awarded in February.  All applicants are eligible to win one of five $2,000 grants (and TV commercial publicity) or one of ten Merit Awards (a mini-grant of $400).

To download an application, visit http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/chgrant.htm. The Champions grant application can be filled out and turned in electronically. The deadline for applying is January 15 at 11:59 pm. Previous applicants and merit awardees are welcome to reapply.

On the grant Web page listed above you will also be able to see previous grant winners, get some project ideas and find a help-sheet for filling out the application.

If you have any questions about Champions, please contact Lynne LaSalle at DHEC.

Litter Trashes Everyone Award

PalmettoPride announces the Litter Trashes Everyone Award, a competition for original full-length plays written by students for young audiences. There will be cash prizes of $500 and $100 and the opportunity to have your play performed by schools and civic theatre groups throughout South Carolina. The entry deadline is January 15, 2010. Winners will be announced on March 17, 2010. The competition is open to students who are South Carolina residents ages 12 through high school. Public, private, charter and home school students are welcome to apply. Click here for full details and the application form.

2010 AFP&A School Recycling Award

The AF&PA School Recycling Award recognizes a kindergarten through 12th grade school or school district that has implemented a successful paper recycling program. The award winner, who will receive a $2,000 cash prize, will be announced in March and promoted at the national and local levels and on the paperrecycles.org website. The deadline is February 9, 2010.

Click here for the application. Questions? Contact Gretchen Spear, AF&PA, at gretchen_spear@afandpa.org or (202) 463-5164.

2010 Earth Day Awards

Nominations are being sought for the second annual DHEC Earth Day Awards event. The 2010 awards are open to any individual, family, school, community, non-profit, government, or business entity doing its part to help preserve and protect South Carolina's environment. Click here for full details.

Take a moment to nominate a person or group you know who has implemented a (new or ongoing) program/practice during 2009 that embodies the spirit of Earth Day. Nominations are due no later than February 12, 2010. Click here for a DHEC Earth Day Entry form. Completed nominations should be submitted electronically to the Earth Day Awards Subcommittee at earthdayawards@dhec.sc.gov.

Funding for Science Teachers in Progress Energy service areas in the Carolinas!

Progress Energy is offering teachers in PE service areas up to full-funding for classroom projects that teach about alternative energy and/or energy conservation. To be considered, projects must be for $500 or less in materials, submitted by a teacher in a PE service area, and must focus on alternative
energy/energy conservation.      

Who qualifies? All science teachers at public schools in the
following counties:

• Chesterfield
• Darlington
• Florence
• Marion
• Sumter

Note: This funding will be spent on a first come, first served basis and is only available until the grant is spent out, so teachers should act soon!

How do I participate? First, log in to your teacher account on DonorsChoose.org. Once you’re logged in, submit a project (or two!) requesting $500 or less in materials per project to teach about alternative energy or energy conservation.

Then what happens? Within one month of being approved, your project(s) will receive up to full funding, until our grant runs dry!

Visit the Progress Energy challenge page to get a better idea of the types of projects Progress Energy has been funding!

To get started with submitting your own alternative energy/energy conservation project(s), visit www.donorschoose.org/teacher!

Starting a Green Team at School

Click here to view the Powerpoint presentation "Starting a Green Team at School" by DHEC's Paul Wojoski from the June 24, 2009 Take Action Today workshop.

Rain Barrels Available from the Richland Conservation District

Collecting rainwater for your garden is a smart idea, no matter what your motivation. If drought is a problem where you live, collecting rainwater is a good way to deal with watering restrictions. If you're on a city water system, you stand to save a considerable amount of money. Click here to learn more about rain barrels. The Richland Conservation District (located at 2020 Hampton Street, Room 3063A in Columbia) is selling a rain barrel system for $90.00. To purchase a rain barrel, e-mail Charlie Fisher or call 803-576-2080.