Article Date
October 28, 2005
The Oklahoma Baptist University Student Government Association's work to beautify a local elementary school campus has earned the Environmental Excellence Award from Keep Oklahoma Beautiful.
The OBU students work at Shawnee's Jefferson Elementary School last spring, enhancing the landscapes for the school about two miles south of the university.
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is a nonprofit organization with the mission "to encourage, promote and assist individual and group efforts in the areas of beautification, enhancement and preservation of Oklahoma's environment."
"This student group, led by Dusty Darr, not only recognized a real need for landscaping at Jefferson Elementary School; it provided funding, enlisted gardeing experts and provided labor for it, earning our top beautification and landscaping award for educational institutions," said Tom Creider, KOB board president.
The recognition will come Nov. 3 in Midwest City at Keep Oklahoma Beautiful's 15th annual awards recognition banquet. OBU's SGA will join 27 other individuals, organizations and businesses that have been named winners this year.
"We put a spotlight on the best efforts across the state to inspire others to join in and show their pride for a sustainable environment and a more beautiful, litter-free Oklahoma," Creider said.
KOB's website says this awards program recognizes "the good works of Oklahomans for their exceptional efforts in the areas of environmental improvement, beautification and landscaping, and environmental education and promotion." Eligible projects had to be completed during the 12-month period ending July 31, 2005.
"The SGA did an incredible job on the landscaping plan, and the very fact that they took the initiative truly shows that a new generation of environmental stewards is emerging in Shawnee," said Gail Ederer, KOB business and projects administrator.