Robin Bryan cited as ‘terrific example of talent and promise’
WINNIPEG, MB – University of Winnipeg second-year student Robin Bryan was one of two outstanding local students to receive a Sustainable Development Scholarship to continue his work in promoting environmental awareness, Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced this week.
“We are pleased to be able to support the innovative work of this year’s scholarship recipients, Amanda Freedman Tetrault and Robin Bryan,” Struthers said in a press release. “They are terrific examples of the talent and promise we find in so many Manitoba youth.”
Struthers noted that program response has been excellent, and submissions are assessed based on the inclusion of the principles and guidelines of sustainable development in each student’s research and study plans and the potential for enduring achievements.
Bryan is currently majoring in environmental studies and international development at The University of Winnipeg with an eye toward creating a student-designed major that will also incorporate biology and anthropology.
“I want to study the inter-connectedness between human cultures and their environments,” he said, adding he plans to continue public education work regarding sustainable practices and lifestyles.
“I was really happy when I heard I won this $1,000 scholarship from the Province. It helps to pay my tuition,” said Bryan, 20.
He works as field manager for the Wilderness Committee, a citizens group that educates the public and fundraises for research and the protection of boreal forests and wildlife in Manitoba.
Additionally, Bryan is a co-ordinator of EcoMAFIA (Ecological Males and Females in Action), a student environmental action group on campus and involved with SUNSET (Sustainable University Now, Sustainable Earth Together).
“We are working on many different issues from educating students about composting for a sustainable campus to raising awareness about sustainable transportation, the 100-mile diet and waste reduction,” he said. “It’s really a great environmentally-conscious community at UWinnipeg.”
Recently, EcoMAFIA held a “Buy Nothing” day to raise awareness about the impact of consumerism and provide alternatives to consumerism such as handmaking gifts that don’t cost as much and are not wasteful.
Submissions for the 2008 Sustainable Development Scholarships are now being accepted. The deadline for submissions is April 4, 2008. Application guidelines and forms are available at: http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/susresmb/scholarship/index.html.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ilana Simon, Communications Officer, University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7129, C: 204.782.3279, E: i.simon@uwinnipeg.ca
