Originally posted on PA.Gov
Harrisburg, PA – Repurposing tons of scrap auto carpet. Making streams healthier by planting native trees on the family farm. Greatly reducing city lighting expenses with energy efficiency changes. Training a volunteer stormwater pollution reduction workforce. These are just some of the 23 innovative and impassioned initiatives in Pennsylvania chosen by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to receive the prestigious 2018 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence on April 24, 2018.
“Just as important as Pennsylvania’s abundant natural resources are the Pennsylvanians who invest their time, labor, and ingenuity to protect them,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Their dedication results in public health and safety, environmental, economic, and recreation benefits across the commonwealth.”
Any individual, business, school, government agency, or community organization in Pennsylvania was eligible to apply for the award.
“DEP received more than 60 applications, which we evaluated for their degree of environmental protection, innovation, partnership efforts, economic impact, consideration of climate change and sustainability, and results achieved,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “It’s an honor to recognize the tremendous impact many Pennsylvanians have in protecting our air, land, and water.”
The award-winning projects accomplished the following results:
- enlisted 16,000 volunteers,
- prevented 258 million tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere,
- saved over $42 million in operation and maintenance costs,
- conserved 37 million gallons of water annually,
- diverted 29 million tons of waste and 57 million bottles from landfill disposal,
- created 98,500 acres of riparian buffers,
- planted 35,090 native trees and shrubs, and
- installed 350 rooftop solar tubes.
TTF Watershed Partnership is honored to be one of the 23 recipients of the 2018 Environmental Excellence Awards. We were recognized for our Jenkintown Creek Restoration project, a collaborative partnership with the goal of improving water quality along the 3.7-mile Jenkintown Creek. This restoration project involves four rain gardens, a 75-foot bioretention feature, bioswale and wetland enhancements, streambank stabilization. Over 3,775 herbaceous plants and 1,260 trees have been planted and more than 1,000 volunteers and students have participated in learning about stormwater runoff and the benefits of green stormwater infrastructure.
Other 2018 Environmental Excellence Award recipients include:
- Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation: Graffiti: No Place in Nature
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: TreeVitalize Pittsburgh
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Water Resource Center: Municipal Stormwater Workshop Series
- Penn State Extension: Master Watershed Steward Program
- Berks County Water and Sewer Association: Berks County Source Water Protection Program
- American Eagle Paper Mills: Project Phoenix
- Slippery Rock University: Healthy Planet, Healthy People Environmental Summer Camp and Community Project Incubator
- Autoneum Bloomsburg: Carpet Trim and Waste Recycling
- AeroAggregates: Bottle to Building
- Pequea Creek Watershed Association: Big Beaver–Esh Farm Stream Restoration
- City of Scranton: LED Street Lighting Conversion
- Wildlands Conservancy: Building Partnerships and Restoring Riparian Buffers in the Lehigh Valley
- Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority: Regional Stormwater Management Plan and MS4 Permit Compliance
- Dr. Blair T. Carbaugh: Dr. Blair T. Carbaugh Conservation Area
- Earth Conservancy: Askam Borehole Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Treatment System Wayside Exhibit
- Merck & Co.: Merck Pennsylvania West Point Regional Waste Diversion and Recycling Initiative
- Upper Moreland School District: Alternative Fuel Propane Infrastructure and Bus Fleet
- Tobyhanna Army Depot: Sustainability at Tobyhanna Army Depot
- School District of Philadelphia: GreenFutures Sustainability Program
- Potter County Conservation District: Water Quality Protection and Education Initiative at Ludington Run and Beyond
- Loyalhanna Watershed Association: Integrating STEM and Environmental Education Programming at the Watershed Farm
- Happy Hollow Farm: Riparian Buffer Project
