DSHS grant

From left to right: Kathi Thomas, coordinator for Rainwater Revival, 2015; Elena Lundeen, the student who submitted the grant and Jamie Biel, AP Environmental Science teacher for Elena


Elena Lundeen wanted to help the water conservation problem, a need her community knows all too well. Her small idea became a grant-winning initiative that will continue to change the landscape of her school.

Lundeen, a Dripping Springs junior, won a $1,000 grant from Rainwater Revival and Hill Country Alliance. The money will be used to develop a rainwater catchment system at the high school.

The idea was born when Lundeen’s AP Environment Science teacher, Jamie Biel, commissioned the class with a stewardship project. It required students to make a positive impression on their community’s environment.

“I wanted to make a lasting change, not just create a recycling program,” Lundeen said. 

To give her some inspiration, Biel took her to the Rainwater Revival last November. The revival gathers rainwater catchment experts and vendors to educate people about how to reuse rainwater… Read full story from the News-Dispatch