Inspirational Scholarship Applications

"I am aware of the importance of the "Green" agenda and I try to help out every way I can. My family recycles as well as my school. I use re-usable water bottles and I recycle paper. I am a Vice President of Marketing within my Virtual Business team at my school, which has won 1st place twice at the national level Business Plan competitions in New York. Our Virtual Business team has started a brand new company this year called Earthwise. We do everything we can to practice what we preach. We wear organic clothing, have ordered recycling bins for the whole school, specialize in selling and consulting on renewable energy as well as hydroponics, and we even print our paper on recycled paper."

"In an effort to go green we carpool to football games to reduce the amount of pollution going into the air. I get my bank statements electronically to save paper, and trees. I reuse towels to save on energy and water. Also, we recycle our garbage and clothes by recycling any garbage possible and taking clothes to a consignment store or making them useful in some other way rather than throwing them away."

"To help the environment I always recycle my bottles and cans. I never throw away paper or plastic grocery bags. When we go grocery shopping we always take old bags, instead of getting new ones. Not only do I recyle bottles, cans, and grocery bags I always walk to work to help reduce the air pollution."

"I carry a water bottle, use rechargeable batteries, recycle all cans and bottles, reuse plastic containers for lunches and snacks, use both sides of my paper at school. I try to use less paper all together and use mechanical pencils. My clothes are handed down to my brother or taken to good will. I compost, use my iPod and ride my bike where I can. I reuse the newspaper sacks to clean up after my dog."

"In my school I have helped set up recycling bins in the hall ways and in various places around town and every two weeks we take them to our nearest recycling place. Anytime i'm doing something that involves water i do my best to turn it off inbetween uses and use as little as possible. My biggest thing is "reuse" though. I'm really into fashion and i love finding my grandma's old jewelry and creating new modern pieces with them.

"I teach third grade in my local school. We reduce our paper use by using white boards for quick writes. We have also started an online announcements system for parents. We re-use papers for scrap paper and art projects. In Science, students study engineering and build their own vehicles made from only found recyclable objects. We recycle paper in the school. I collect bottles and cans and send them home to be recycled, since we don't have a school-wide system in place for that. Students are eager to pitch in because they know that it helps the environment. Last year, I started a composting program at our school. As we studied soil, we learned what organic material can be composted. Then we started composting parts of our snack in class, and our lunch in the cafeteria. We even measured how much less trash we created, after recycling and composting. My goal is that our school conserves resources and that students retain a sense of responsibility to the community."

"As a result of the current economy, I've been more aware now more than ever of how wasteful I may have been in the past. The current state of the economy has forever changed my ways. I look at things a lot different now. For example, instead of buying brand new furniture, I shop at thrift stores or furniture outlets for gently used furniture. All it takes is a little patience and imagination and you can usually find something that can be reused and save yourself a little money. I have found many items of furniture at thrift stores that people just didn't want anymore and usually there is nothing wrong with the item except something minor or cosmetic. I also like to reuse paper. I try to use both sides of paper. I also have a shredder that I use to shred paper to put into gift boxes and gift bags. Instead of buying tissue paper and consuming more paper resources I like to reuse what I already have. I do a lot of arts and crafts and often have paper left over from projects. I hate to toss my scraps so I have found clever ways to reuse the scraps. I use them for scrap paper, as paper coasters, and I make decorative collages out of them. I have also found ways to reuse and repurpose clothing and linens. I reuse towels that are worn out with holes or stains. Instead of throwing them away, I cut them into small rags and they are great to use on the pets, for cleaning around the house, or on the car. I've also repurposed bed sheets into pillows or curtains. I'm handy with my sewing machine so instead of throwing away clothing that is damaged, I find ways to fix the flaws and get more wear out of it or repurpose it instead of just throwing it away. Some other things I like to do to reduce, reuse, and recycle are really simple and anyone can do them. I reuse coffee grind by dumping it into my plants, instead of using paper towels I use washable rags, I run the washing machine twice a week and I try to make the loads really count by consolidating things, I use cold water to wash whenever possible, instead of tossing ice cubes that my refrigerator produces and I don't use, I toss them into my plants for watering, and I use the recycle bin that my city provided me to recycle paper, plastic, and glass."

"When school is out and the weather is nice I go out and try to clean up the beach to reduce the fact that animals, like birds, can have fatal deaths by eating it. I reuse "green" bags when I go grocery shopping because it is more efficient than throwing them away and hurting more trees. Also, I recycle cans and plastic bottles so that they can be use to create new and better things in life instead of letting it sit in a waste plant that does not allow them to rot until years later. This will not only hurt any kind of plant life, but we will hurt ourselves."

"My name is Samantha Madley and I live in Terre Haute Indiana. Our city is quite small and very behind the times in regard to recycling and care of our environment. My mother informed me that we have always been referred to as the "arm pit"of America. I am greatly saddened by this view of our city; however, I have to agree with this dedcution. As I visit other cities, I see the demise of our community. Within the past year, I have focused on recycling and have encouraged many of my high school classmates to begin recycling. In my home I have created two bins one for plastic and one for cans. I transport these items to the goodwill monthly. In addition I volunteer in the community with a children's services organization. This organization now has three very large bins on campus collecting cans. These cans are then donated to the county CASA program so that collected money can be given to children services. My most recent interest includes collecting newspapers to take to the humane society. I am presently focusing on go green endeavors, encouraging my parents to use items that have been recycled etc. I believe in supporting the community and I strongly believe this must start within your home with your family and friends and educating all of the need to recycle. "

"We are the NOW generation- meaning now is the time to save our planet. Everywhere you go, you hear about recycling... you hear about the overcrowded landfills, and the concerns of where to put it next. Here in Michigan, there was talk of getting paid to take in Canada's garbage. We are a struggling state of unemployment and welfare, but we are not that desparate... I hope we aren't. So now is the time, for my generation and all to look and see what we can do to a stop the downhill spiral we are now in. It starts with baby step and here in your own community. I personally follow the lead my aunt Alison helped instill in me. She majored in ecology and enviromental studies. She pioneered her inner city Boston highschool class in creating a garden out of vacant lots. When visiting her, everything was organic and recylced- from food and clothing ,to furniture and classroom materials. My efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle are not an effort.. they are a way of life. And those that I hang out with unconsciencely follow my lead. It is kind of like a smile... it is contagious. Water containers are the refillable metal "sports botttles"". We black markered the date on it to see who keeps theirs the longest. Plastic bottles are a thing of the past in my group. Good will and the salvation army are our clothing store, where we also turn in our outgrown clothing. And as for recycling... my recycled 1987 Chevy Blazer hosts recycling bins in the back that I fill up at various spots through my daily travels. My grandma and her friends, my older aunts and uncles that don't have recycling services appreciate having someone come and dispose of their ""waste"". They enjoy doing their part, but they are somewhat limited in getting rid of it. And I enjoy the friendship and ""reuse"" of old bananas for banana bread from the elder ladies!! I know that I play an unconscience role in the 3R's, but I do find that it is an active and positive role that is being passed and shared around. Totally unaware of it before writing this essay, I am happy to see that I have and still am making a difference.. and it is one step at a time. That is all we need for now. We are the now generation, and now is the time to take up the cause. We need to make it part of our life NOW. We need to do something NOW. I really think we have a generation that is finally realizing NOW is the time to act."