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Nissan North America and World Wildlife Fund Announce Winners of University Campus Environmental Grants

Posted on: Monday, 3 December 2007, 15:00 CST

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently announced the winners of the 2007 Nissan-WWF University Campus Environmental Grants. Three college students were awarded grants to continue their environmental advocacy work and implement meaningful sustainability and conservation projects on their respective campuses.

Grants were awarded to Nicole Leung of Katy, Texas; Andrew Maggetti of Eastpointe, Mich.; and Tremaine Phillips of Lake Orion, Mich. Grants were awarded based on numerous criteria including educating students about conservation, sustainability and the environment; stimulating positive action amongst the student body; and leveraging knowledge gained through the Leadership Summit and the Brazilian expedition to reach a broader segment of students, faculty, administrators, and the surrounding community.

Now in its second year, the grants program is part of a prestigious environmental leadership program developed by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Nissan North America (NNA). The program is part of a $1 million partnership between NNA and WWF which identifies and empowers diverse young leaders on U.S. college and university campuses to become strong and effective advocates for an environmentally sustainable future.

"Nissan North America Nissan North America is committed to the environment and is committed to environmental work in its communities," said Dominique Thormann, Senior Vice-President, Administration and Finance of Nissan North America. "Through these grants, Nissan enables these students to continue learning through the Environmental Leadership Program and move forward as environmental ambassadors on their campuses, in their communities and in their future careers."

"These grants are helping young conservation leaders engage their communities to address the most urgent environmental challenges of our time like sustainable use and climate change," said Shaun Martin, WWF's Director of Conservation Leadership Programs. "Together, Nissan North America and WWF are investing in the future of the planet through innovative programs that encourage people to take action for nature."

Leung, a University of Texas at Austin student, was awarded a Nissan-WWF University Campus Environmental Grant for her efforts to educate low-income and minority students, specifically within the African-American and Latino student population, about climate change. She will use the grant to focus on encouraging her target audience to attend the Re-Energize Texas Summit, which focuses on climate issues, and establish a network of student groups to become more engaged in constructive activities related to climate change.

"The Campus Environmental Center will host the first-ever Re-Energize Texas Summit to kick off a coalition effort seeking to address global warming in the great state of Texas. Appealing to the diverse interests in our state through targeted messaging will be a crucial focus, as will specific paradigms including environmental justice, organizational development, and sustainability," said Leung.

Maggetti, Wayne State University, was awarded the Nissan-WWF University Campus Environmental Grant for his part in developing a self-sustaining recycling program in the university residence halls in conjunction with the Student Environmental Action League.

"A comprehensive campus recycling program will serve as an anchor and launching pad for the teaching of sustainable living practices. Students at Wayne State will incorporate these good habits into their life while here and then carry them when they head out into the real world," said Maggetti.

Philipps, a student at Michigan State University, was also awarded a Nissan-WWF University Campus Environmental Grant for his part in organizing a non-partisan panel discussion on climate change policy partnership with the Office of Campus Sustainability and the University Activities Board. He is a targeting a wide and diverse range of departments and student communities.

"The Nissan-WWF grant will assist the student group ECO and the Office of Campus Sustainability at Michigan State University contribute to a nationwide event, This event will bring students, administrators, local residents and politicians together to discuss the steps towards implementing just and relevant federal, state and local climate policy," said Philipps.

NOTE TO EDITOR

Photographs of winners are available to accompany press stories based on this release and mentioning World Wildlife Fund.

About Nissan North America, Inc.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan directly employs more than 24,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico and generates an additional 70,000 jobs at about 1,200 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships in the United States.

Nissan's global approach to environmental protection focuses on reducing CO2 emissions; protecting the air, water and soil; and recycling of resources. Nissan places a high priority on effective environmental management, and that discipline is evident among Nissan's research, design, engineering, manufacturing and distribution operations around the world. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.nissanusa.com/ and http://www.infiniti.com/.

About World Wildlife Fund

For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level, from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. To learn more go to worldwildlife.org.

World Wildlife Fund

CONTACT: Trishna Gurung of the World Wildlife Fund, +1-202-778-9755,trishna.gurung@wwfus.org; or Jade Efune of Edelman, +1-404-262-3000,jade.efune@edelman.com, for the WWF; or Stephanie Valdez Streaty of NissanNorth America, +1-615-725-3406, stephanie.valdezstreaty@nissan-usa.com.

Web Site: http://www.infiniti.com/http://www.nissanusa.com/http://www.worldwildlife.org/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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