Butler Rural Electric Cooperative has a long-standing relationship with Miami University’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability (IES) graduate program. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative awards $3,000 in scholarships to students in the IES program each year.
Ife Michael Ogunmakinwa is this year’s recipient of the Dr. Gene Willeke Institute for the Environment and Sustainability Scholarship from Butler Rural Electric Cooperative.
Joe Conrad, a Butler Rural Electric Cooperative member, received $1,000 as one of six recipients in the Who Powers You Ohio contest. Joe and his family created Mean Green Mowers, which manufactures electric lawn equipment in Ross that is shipped nationally. Joe’s commitment to a clean environment led him to donate the $1,000 award, plus an additional $500, to the IES scholarship. Because of this generous donation, Ife Michael Ogunmakinwa will receive a $4,500 scholarship to help continue his graduate education and his commitment to renewable energy.