Creative Stewardship

You have a great idea for improving the environment in your community, and just the group to get it going. How could you get it funded? Healthy Community Grants up to $10,000 are available to community-based groups that offer solutions for local environmental problems -- the more creative and out-of-the-box, the better. The awards are intended to inspire people in selected counties in coastal South Carolina and Georgia to get involved.

Ward Edwards, an engineering company with offices in Bluffton and Port Royal, SC, is offering the grants for the second year. The company wants to encourage innovation and has doubled the target area. "We want to make as many people as possible aware that these funds are available," according to Kimberly Seipel-Parks, Project Director. "We are looking for projects that promote environmental sustainability."

St. Peter’s Catholic School of Beaufort was a 2007 winner, with a water quality study in a high salinity estuary. As a result of the rapid growth in their county, the Beaufort River had high surges of fresh water from storm water runoff. Their Environmental Science Program wanted to investigate the impact of the fresh water on organisms, including anemones, sea squirts, and sponges.

Another winner was the Marshview Organic Community Farm in St. Helena. Their goal was to educate youth in the community about how they could become change agents for improving their environment. The students were to receive hands-on training in the operation of an organic farm. The Town of Bluffton used its award to build a demonstration rain garden, as shown in the photo at left, for collecting and filtering rain that falls on impervious surfaces.

What if your local school could be more energy efficient with a 'green roof,' used to grow vegetables for the students?

The list of eligible counties, application forms, and further information about the grants are available on their website. Interested groups must submit an initial one-page Project Summary by September 10, 2008. Grant recipients will be announced in February, 2009. Check it out; your idea may be a winner!