Announcing CVSan’s High School Scholarship Winner

Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) is pleased to announce that Vianca Zavala is the winner of the 2016/17 CVSan Environmental Leader in Waste Reduction Scholarship. Zavala will receive a $500 cash scholarship.

She received a certificate of recognition at CVSan’s Board of Directors meeting June 6, 2017. Zavala demonstrated her environmental leadership by serving as an active member of the Smart Environment Club at Castro Valley High School, participating in CVSan’s Earth Day Clean-Up multiple times, and by volunteering four hours a month as a Restorative Ranger with Hayward Area Recreation District cleaning up litter and debris at the Hayward Shoreline. Zavala’s scholarship essay described how the 4R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot) are important to her:

The 4R’s are vital because they decrease the amount of waste in our ecosystem, and offer creative ways to reuse items, recycle your waste, and create rich soil for your garden. Whether it’s starting a community garden, a co-op an environmental club, or litter pick-ups, we set the example every day for those that do not know the importance of our land. Our earth’s health is directly linked to our own well-being. This mindset has helped me grow as an individual, as it has given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and take steps to better our Earth.

This is the fourth year CVSan has offered the scholarship to high school seniors. The scholarship is a way to recognize those students who are taking action and encouraging environmental awareness through waste reduction within their school and community.