A colleague sent me notice about a scholarship opportunity to help fund college education in a host of environmentally-focused fields. (The list includes: Environmental Studies, Ecology, Land Use, Earth & Atmosphere Sciences, Sustainable Land Management, Environmental Biology, Sustainable Agriculture Systems.)
I thought that was great and decided to do a quick check of other opportunities. A search of “scholarship forestry” lead immediately to https://www.nwfa.org/nwfa-wood-studies-scholarship.aspx, https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/academic-major/forestry-fisheries-and-wildlife and http://www.topdegreesonline.org/scholarships/for-forestry-degrees/ among others. A search on “environmental scholarships” took me here: https://www.environmentalscience.org/scholarships, and here: https://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/scholarships-for/environmental-interests/ and here: https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/green-scholarships/. Both searches turned up quite a few results pretty quickly in fact.
But interestingly, a search on “compliance scholarships” offered up a number of returns on the legalities of offering scholarships, but no fast listing of options to promote that as a field. I tried another search making it “compliance studies,” and found a few results, but mostly specific—corporate ethics, health care and insurance, etc.
I think with the way the wood industry is heading, we may end up having a specialized field in the future, but clearly not quite there yet. In the meantime, if you know of students interested in moving forward in forestry or environmental studies, take a look at the links above.
And if you want to start developing that interest young, don’t forget the NHLA’s program designed to educate elementary children about the values of sustainable forestry. Order kits for your schools today: https://nhla.com/advocacy/hardwood-forest-foundation/
Elizabeth Baldwin is Environmental Compliance Officer for Metropolitan Hardwood Floors. In her 25 plus year career in the wood industry has visited over 70 countries and hundreds of facilities of all sizes and types. She describes herself as a “jack of all wood trades.” Familiar with jungles of all sorts–having camped out along the Amazon and walked the halls of Congress–she blogs for the NWFA on both environmental and regulatory issues for educational and informational purposes only. Her blog is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. Persons seeking legal advice on compliance with CARB, TSCA, the U.S. Lacey Act or any other law, regulation, or compliance requirement/claim should consult with the regulatory agency directly and/or a qualified legal professional.