DEP provides funding for local environmental projects
Milford. Among the awardees was the “Microplastics in Pike County Waters” program.
Milford /
| 28 May 2024 | 04:44
According to the federal the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, microplastics can come from a variety of sources, including larger plastic pieces that have broken apart, resin pellets used for plastic manufacturing, or in the form of microbeads, which are small, manufactured plastic beads used in health and beauty products. (
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The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is awarding $980,256 in Environmental Education Grants to 56 projects aimed at promoting environmental education and stewardship.
Locally, the Pike County Conservation District was awarded $1,326 for “Microplastics in Pike County Waters” to deliver a public program to increase participants’ awareness of the connections between water quality, plastics, and climate change. The program will include water sampling and discussions on potential alternatives to single use plastics.
“These projects help connect people to the ways we can protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, and many of them encourage learning at any age whether you’re a kid or an adult,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Nearly every grant we are awarding will support people in environmental justice communities to improve educational opportunities and people’s connections to their environment.”
The 2024 funded projects will deliver a range of environmental learning opportunities, including providing youth with unique immersive field experiences, engaging community residents in practical climate mitigation projects, supporting school districts’ efforts to develop new STEELS standards-based curriculum, and others.
Environmental education grant applicants include schools and colleges, environmental and community-based organizations, county conservation districts and eligible businesses. Applications for the 2025 Environmental Education Grants Program will likely open this August, with an application deadline of mid-November.
For more information, visit dep.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx.