Fairfield Independent School District and the Luminant Scholar Program are challenging fifth-grade students to promote environmental stewardship in their daily lives.

Starting this month, Fairfield ISD fifth-graders will write 1-page essays, sharing their ideas for how they can help protect the environment. The district winner, chosen by a representative of Fairfield ISD, will be awarded a $1,000 United States savings bond at an award ceremony to be held in the coming weeks.

"Building on last year's successful program in which more than 6,500 fifth-graders participated, we're excited to offer these students an opportunity to share their opinions about the environment," says Robert Gentry, Luminant scholar director. "By engaging these students, we're bringing the important message of environmental stewardship into the classroom and providing a catalyst to inspire them to take action."

Schools representing the winning essays will also be eligible to receive one of three $5,000 Luminant grants. These grand-prize winners will be announced in December.

The Luminant Scholar Program began in 2008 with more than 6,500 students participating and nearly $50,000 in scholarships and grants awarded.

Luminant Scholar Program is a scholarship program designed to educate students about natural resources. Through an essay contest this fall, students in select Texas public school districts will increase their awareness of environmental protection. For more information on the program, visit www.luminant.com/scholar.

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, construction and development operations. Luminant has more than 16,100 megawatts of existing generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 5,800 MW fueled by coal.

Luminant is constructing an additional 2,200 MW of coal-fueled generation capacity, which is expected to begin commercial operation in 2009 and 2010. The company is also the largest purchaser of wind-generated electricity in Texas and fifth largest in the United States.