IMPORTANT NOTICE:
THE BE SMART CONSERVATION CHALLENGE IS NO LONGER A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. THE FINAL SCHOLARSHIPS WERE AWARDED IN SPRING 2007.
WATCH THIS SITE FOR NEWS ABOUT THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGE.
WE HOPE THE INFORMATION HERE HELP STUDENTS AND OTHERS
TAKE ACTIONS TO REDUCE WASTE AND BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT.

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The Be Smart Scholarship Competition recognizes high school and college students who successfully implement projects that reduce waste, prevent pollution or conserve resources in Southeast Wisconsin. The Coalition congratulates the following students:

JENNIFER ROSS, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN – MADISON
LEARNING TO CHANGE: VECTOR’S PATH TO REDUCING,
REUSING AND RECYCLING
$1,500 Be Smart Scholarship

Jennifer Ross found opportunities to reduce waste at Vector Marketing using several strategies. After establishing a successful paper recycling program, she gathered suggestions and monitored waste to identify ways to go beyond recycling through reuse and reduction. A number of projects were carried out. An electronic system replaced paper forms and records, a policy of double-sided copying was made, scrap paper was used to make notepads and bags were saved through reuse and consolidations. Recycling efforts expanded and steps were taken to conserve energy and water. These programs will continue and new environmental efforts are planned. Over the course of a year, paper reduction efforts will save 21,008 sheets of paper, 2,472 pounds of material will be recycled, 1,446 bags will be saved and scrap paper notepads will take the place of 2,304 notes. These programs will save $710 for Vector Marketing each year.
Project Site: Brookfield, Wisconsin

AARON NITZ, MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE, NEW ULM, MINNESOTA
RECYCLE BREAD
$500 Be Smart Scholarship

Excess bread from bakeries gets hauled to landfills -- but not all of it. This project made use of tons of excess bread as grain for cattle. Aaron Nitz located bakeries with excess bread and cereal and collected the food waste on a regular basis. He removed plastic wrappings to make the bread useful as cattle feed and regularly fed the bread and cereal to 35 beef cattle at a small farm in Burlington, Wisconsin. Twenty 55-gallon drums full of bread are fed to the cattle each week. To date, this has prevented approximately 416,000 loaves of bread from going to waste. Further efforts on the farm include composting and recycling.
Project Site: Burlington, Wisconsin

The following are photos from the awards luncheon, May 20th, 2003.

Jennifer Ross, University of Wisconsin-Madison, was the 2003 top award winner for her project which helped to reduce waste and to save money for her employer, Vector Marketing.

Ralph Robinson, human resources manager for The Home Depot's SE Wisconsin district, and Paul McShane, branch general manager for Onyx Environmental Services, both sponsors of the scholarship program, join Jennifer Ross, winner of the 2003 Be Smart Scholarship Competition.

Be Smart - Save Money And Reduce Trash