Local student wins national environmental scholarship
August 19, 2010 – Calgary local, Walter Pang has been recognized by ECO Canada for his dedication to environmental initiatives in Calgary. Through ECO Canada’s scholarship program he was awarded the Edit Petrovic Memorial Award.
Every year ECO Canada awards four Canadian students with $2,500 towards their first-year tuition in an environmental program at any Canadian post-secondary institution. The top candidate each year is awarded an additional $2,500 through the Edit Petrovic Memorial Scholarship. Funding for the scholarships come from ECO Canada, and friends and family of Edit Petrovic.
Scholarships are awarded to individuals who have shown leadership in her or his community in the areas of environmental protection, conservation and preservation of natural resources, or environmental sustainability. Qualified students are chosen based on a reference letter and an essay about their environmental accomplishments and ambitions.
In his own words Walter Pang wrote, “Time and time again, I have seen the tremendous power and force youth can have when working together to bring about environmental change.” Walter believes that youth play an important role in environmental stewardship as they are “ultimately the inheritors of tomorrow.”
Walter is the founder of the Youth Earth Ambassadors club, an environmental network in Calgary, Alberta that promotes environmental collaboration between students. Today it involves six green organizations, five schools and over 250 youth.
After its first year alone, the Youth Earth Ambassadors totaled 4,000 hours in environmental services. During this time Walter presented Calgary Mayor , Dave Bronconnier, with a petition containing over 1,500 signatures in support of the bylaw that called for the reduction of environmentally devastating, cancer causing pesticides. More recently, the Youth Earth Ambassadors initiated Calgary’s first inter-school bike-in competition to raise awareness on green modes of transportation—resulting in 511 students demonstrating support.
At Sir Winston Churchill High School Walter has been the president of the Earth Club for three years, leading a club of 80 students in a variety of school projects including a successful recycling program. Walter aspires to one day bridge his environmental passion with his business skills. He hopes to become an environmental accountant and has selected the Queens University commerce program for its environment-focused accounting practices.
