Natural Products Foundation Scholarship Fund - Application Deadline January 31, 2012

Calling all American College students ...

The Natural Products Foundation (NPF) Scholarship Fund provides a great opportunity for individuals committed to a career in the natural health and products industry.

Perhaps you're looking for further education to support a new career? Or, maybe you need some support to help finish school and reach your goal of a career in health and wellness? You may want to consider applying for the NPF scholarship. But hurry - the scholarship application deadline is January 31, 2012.

As stated on the NPF website:

The purpose of the NPF Scholarship Fund is to provide financial assistance for individuals who are committed to a career in the natural products industry. Specifically, the fund is targeted for students who have demonstrated leadership potential and are enrolled in academic programs to enhance their leadership skills and knowledge of the industry.

Scholarship Funds will be awarded to applicants on the basis of the following criteria:

• Career goal: Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to a career path that will potentially have a direct impact on the quality and safety of products, or on institutional support and consumer demand.
• Leadership: Applicants must demonstrate fundamental leadership skills.
• Academic achievement: Applicants must show the ability to accomplish high academic achievement, demonstrated by previous test scores, grades in other courses, or professional achievement.
• Area of study: Applicants must use the scholarship funds to attend a recognized educational program designed to further knowledge of natural products or the natural product industry.
• Academic program: The program may be full or part-time, degree or non-degree, but must be directly related to enhancing the applicant’s ability to contribute to the industry.
• Financial need: Applicants must be able to demonstrate personal need for financial aid.
• Geographic: Applicants must be residents of the United States.

>> For further information and to print the scholarship application, click here to link to the NPF website

Good luck everyone!

Earth Hour 2011: Reaffirm Your Commitment to the Preservation of the Planet

Earth Hour 2011 takes place at 8:30 pm (local time) on Saturday, March 26, 2011. For one hour, participants worldwide will switch off their lights, a sign of their commitment to climate action and year-round preservation initiatives.

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Federation and has about 5 million supporters worldwide. We hope you're one of them. Earth Hour helps raise awareness of sustainability and conservation issues important to you and your community, like water and the World Water Day initiative, which helps raise awareness about the importance of access to fresh, clean water.

But we can do more. Earth Hour is a start! It's about raising awareness and working together!

As part of the American College of Healthcare Sciences' mission to provide leadership in holistic health education through comprehensive professional online and on-campus education and high quality natural products, we're committed to sustainable practices and principles (the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store is Oregon Tilth Certified Organic), and work to preserve and share knowledge in natural medicine (free natural health and organic gardening downloads).

Here's a link to more information about our commitment to sustainability at ACHS.

What's your commitment to Earth Hour beyond the hour?

You can start by signing the Earth Hour pledge here. Local Earth Hour events are listed on the Earth Hour website here. Then tell us about your commitment beyond the hour ... will you start a tree-planting initiative? Pledge to conserve energy in your home and business? Switch to soy-based inks? Opt to ride your bike to work a few days per week or take local transportation? Help raise awareness about access to clean water worldwide? Lead a workshop in your community about growing organic herbs, fruits, and veggies? Let us know so we can share it with our network!