MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Connolly, coconnolly@pa.gov
Wilkes-Barre, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today awarded a little over $1 million in 2022 Environmental Education Grant funding to 73 projects statewide, including seven projects in the northeast region.
"The Shapiro Administration is committed to delivering practical solutions to the environmental and safety issues our communities face from climate change and water pollution," said DEP Acting Secretary Rich Negrin. "Pennsylvania's environmental educators help provide these solutions. Through impactful work in the field, classroom, and neighborhood, they engage Pennsylvanians of all ages and backgrounds in projects that can have immediate local impacts and spark lasting environmental stewardship."
The Environmental Education Grant program prioritizes projects that engage youth or adults who live, work, or attend school in Environmental Justice areas. It also prioritizes projects that educate participants to develop practical solutions and take action to help their communities become more climate change resilient or reduce water pollution to improve local water quality.
"Fully 83 percent of this grant funding supports educational projects that will benefit Environmental Justice communities, as we continue to expand our work to help Pennsylvanians most at risk from pollution, climate change related hazards, and other environmental impacts," said Negrin.
Funding was awarded to schools and colleges, environmental and community organizations, and county conservation districts for a range of hands-on programs for students, community projects for adults, teacher training workshops, and more.
Ranging from a stormwater management demonstration area to an educational garden in a vacant courtyard, eight projects in northeast counties received a total of $94,402.
Carbon
- Wildlands Conservancy: $19,719 to provide hands-on, state standards-based climate change programming to eighth and ninth grade students at Panther Valley High School. Students will identify meaningful actions that can be taken in the Lehigh River Watershed.
Lackawanna
- Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation: $4,961 to provide in-classroom programs and hands-on, standards-based field experiences addressing climate change and water for fourth and fifth grade students in elementary schools that serve environmental justice areas.
- Lackawanna County Conservation District: $30,000 to create a permanent three-station stormwater best management practice demonstration area and hold three hands-on events for multiple audiences on stormwater and local water quality.
Lehigh
- Lehigh County Conservation District: $5,000 to develop an educational garden laboratory in a vacant school courtyard to improve students' understanding of local climate change and water quality and other real-world sustainability challenges.
Luzerne
- Pittston Area School District: $5,000 to train teachers on water sampling and analysis techniques so they're able to effectively guide student water investigations and action projects. Teachers will create water units addressing Pennsylvania's new science standards.
Schuylkill
- Potter's Farm LLC: $10,000 for two projects to enable Minersville Elementary students and Pine Grove Middle School afterschool and summer program students to explore their watershed. In 12 interactive sessions, students will use professional research and data collection methodologies and lead restoration projects to improve local water quality and reduce soil erosion.
Susquehanna
- Susquehanna County Conservation District: $19,722 to host education activities for school groups and community members along an interpretive trail. Trail signage features five points of interest highlighting climate change and regional water quality topics.
The Environmental Education Grants Program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates setting aside 5 percent of the pollution fines and penalties DEP collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania. To date, DEP has awarded $13.3 million in Environmental Education Grant funding to support 2,199 projects.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit the website or follow DEP on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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