Students from Jackson Public Schools and members of the Boy Scouts of America took part in Entergy Mississippi's "Green Projects" grant program. A partnership with Jackson Public Schools has earned the Jackson Zoo a $10,000 Generation E environmental grant.

A partnership with Jackson Public Schools to teach students about wildlife habitats, adaptations and conservation has won the Jackson Zoo $10,000, the top award in Entergy Mississippi, Inc.’s Generation E environmental grant awards contest.

 Other winners are:

• Boy Scouts of America-Andrew Jackson Council--$5,000 for Forestry Day and Leave No Trace awareness training
• Watkins Elementary--$2,500 for an environmental learning and recycling project
• Mississippi Wildlife Federation--$2,500 for creating an Adopt-A-Stream lesson plan and workshops for K-12 educators
• Mississippi Lower Delta Partnership--$2,500 for the Energy Detectives program, which teaches energy efficiency and conservation of resources
• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality--$2,500 for Rezonate!, an organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the water quality of the Ross Barnett Reservoir

 
The Generation E contest supports innovative ideas from nonprofits, schools and municipalities that can partner with Entergy it its commitment to improve the environment.

“Entergy was the first utility company in the country to voluntarily reduce its greenhouse gasses,” said Liz Brister, manager of external affairs for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “Today, we’re one of the cleanest producers of electricity in the country.

“But we can and must do more, and we think working with other partners—such as our winning organizations today—is the key to making an impact.”

A panel of judges, which included Entergy employees as well as representatives from local environmental agencies, reviewed grant applications and selected the top six applicants. Entergy employees then voted to rank the finalists in first place, second place and honorable mention awards.

As first-place winner, the Jackson Zoo hosted the event where winners were publicly announced and awarded their grants.

“We’re delighted to have Entergy’s support which will allow us to launch the pilot program for our new environmental educational offerings,” said Beth Poff, director of the Jackson Zoo. “This new program allows teachers to ‘bring their classrooms to life’ using interdisciplinary curricula designed around their core requirements for student achievement. We’re able to make this learning fun by using the zoo and its animals to teach these important lessons.”
           
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 435,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.