Harrisburg, April 21, 2017 — Efforts to educate local students about environmental issues will be bolstered by more than $50,000 in state Environmental Education Grant funding, Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) announced today.
“There is nothing more important than providing our children with a solid education focused on science and the environment,” Costa said. “Investments in our schools, our children and their education pay dividends far beyond the classroom. The opportunities provided to our students through these grants further our commitment to STEAM-based education – focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math.
“Most importantly, these grants fund critical programs and community organizations that will open doors to the future that many children otherwise would not have had.”
The grant funds announced today were made available through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grant Program. The program uses funds collected annually for environmental education which are collected from pollution fines and penalties.
Since 1993, the program has awarded more than $11 million in environmental education grants.
According to Costa, the following local projects received grant awards:
- School District of Pittsburgh, Trout in the Classroom, $2,952 to improve student performance on the Pennsylvania Biology Keystone Exam and increase student engagement in science related course work;
- Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Creative Environmental Field Trips, $2,863 to provide field trip opportunities for area students to learn about the importance of reuse as a strategy for reducing negative environmental impacts; and
- Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (Frick Environmental Center), Sustainable “Freedom Garden” Teaches All of Us, $50,000 for the construction of an interactive outdoor garden and walking trail with wild botanical plants and flowers that honor the horticultural experience of previously enslaved Freedom Seekers from the 1850s in the United States.
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