SCDES Announces 2024-2025 Champions of the Environment

We recently announced 13 schools were awarded grants to support the education of the next generation of environmental stewards.

“SCDES is dedicated to supporting education and awareness about South Carolina’s environment, and programs like Champions of the Environment help us instill knowledge and respect for our state’s natural resources,” said Myra Reece, SCDES Interim Director. “With the help of our great partners, we look forward to the many projects Champions of the Environment will support in classrooms across the state for years to come.”

This year, eight schools were awarded $2,500, four schools were awarded $1,500 and one school was awarded $1,265. This year’s projects include pollinator gardens, hydroponic gardening, habitat enhancement and removal of invasive plant species. 

“From hydroponic gardening to enhancing bat habitats, the 2024-2025 Champions of the Environment grant winners are cultivating a culture of environmental stewardship,” said Amanda Ley, SCDES’s coordinator for the Champions of the Environment program. “The Champions program helps students and teachers make a lasting impact by increasing opportunities for students to get hands-on environmental education.”  

For more details about each winning project, visit our Champions of the Environment: Recent Winners webpage.

About Champions of the Environment

Champions of the Environment was started in 1993 with the goal of encouraging, enabling and recognizing youth environmental education projects that develop awareness, promote behavior change or improve and protect our water, air and land.

Grants are issued each school year to foster environmental education and action in South Carolina’s classrooms from kindergarten through 12th grade. Teachers apply for grant funding by outlining a proposed educational project that focuses on pollution or waste reduction, water or energy efficiency or preservation of natural areas. The grant program is sponsored by SCDES, Dominion Energy and Sylvamo, with assistance from the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina. 

For more information, visit our Champions of the Environment website.