Lanphier and Kenney at the 37th Annual Awards Ceremony
The 2015 Nuts About Granola Innovation Scholarship was awarded to first-year biology major Ryan Kenney at the 37th Annual Awards Ceremony held April 15 at Elizabethtown College. The award was presented by the company’s CEO and E-town graduate Sarah Lanphier.
Kenney’s winning idea to reduce energy consumption was to replace Campus Security cars with bicycles and to use stationary bikes in the Body Shop to produce electricity. “It was an honor that they selected me, and it was especially cool that the company was made by an E-town graduate,” said Kenney. Though reducing energy consumption doesn’t directly relate to his future plans, Kenney feels that, “it is important to always be thinking of new improvements to conserve energy and help the environment.”
Photo submitted by Kenney for the 2015 Scholarship
The $500 scholarship award began four years ago and is funded by a portion of the proceeds from the co-branded E-town Carrot Cake Granola made by Nut’s About Granola. Every year the scholarship carries a theme centered on the company’s core values: sustainability and health and wellness. This year’s theme explored ways to reduce energy consumption at the College.
Students logged on to Facebook to send in their ideas. “For the application process we wanted to focus on integrated social media,” said Lanphier. “This way it would be a little simpler … rather than writing an essay.” Students also had to send in a photograph and a creative description about ways they could reduce energy.
Nut’s About Granola was created in 2008 by Lanphier in conjunction with her business courses at Elizabethtown College. Throughout her years at College she developed the company with the help of faculty and staff members. The company, which has had tremendous success, was featured on the Rachael Ray Show and was chosen to be part of the official gift bags for the 31st Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.