Columbia, SC—The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (District) has awarded Earth Day Mini-Grants to seven Richland County Schools to support conservation and environmental education projects.  Funded projects include materials and supplies for outdoor classrooms and school gardens, a composting education program, a school-wide Green Festival, and schoolyard erosion control.  A complete list of Mini-Grant recipients is below.

Public, private, and alternative schools in Richland County were eligible to apply for Mini-Grants of up to $250 to support school-wide conservation and environmental education efforts.  “We hope these grants will inspire children to take an interest in the environment,” says Charlie Fisher, spokeswoman for the District. 

The Earth Day Mini-Grants Program is in its second year, and due to the high demand for funding and the success of last year’s awardees, the District plans to continue the program.  This year, the call for applications was announced in January, and applications were due by mid-March.  Next year’s timeline will likely be similar.  For more information about the Mini-Grants Program, visit the District’s website at www.rcgov.us/rswcd.   

• The Barclay School (Gillian Barclay-Smith)—School garden
• Bookman Road Elementary School (Traci Cooper)—Outdoor classroom
• Columbia Islamic School (Irene Adly)—Green Festival
• Joseph Keels Elementary School (Leila Heidari)—School garden
• Lake Carolina Elementary School (Gina Rodriguez)—Schoolyard erosion control
• Pontiac Elementary School (Wendy Myers)—Composting
• St. John Neumann Catholic School (Melinda Beach)—Outdoor classroom bulletin board

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The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District is a political subdivision of state government under the local direction of five-member Board. The District promotes the wise use and care of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.