Each fall ECRI's Education Fund holds an open competition for schools in Rhode Island to have the opportunity to be funded for a spring environmental project. Each winning school is awarded $250 to carry out this project.

The ECRI Education Fund raises funds for this awards program through our annual Earth Day Raffle. The award is named after a long time Rhode Island educator and environmental activist, Loraine Tisdale, and honors her work by providing resources to schools combining education with actual improvements in environmental quality in the community.

“Loraine Tisdale, a native Rhode Islander, nurse, and ardent environmentalist, used her skills to lead the Group for Alternatives to Spraying Pesticides during the 1980s and 90s,” said Eugenia Marks, of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. “These projects carry on her legacy to increase awareness and effective action to provide a healthy environment for all.”