2010 Tri-State Environmental Community Service Award Applications Due

Now in its fifth year, the Annual Environmental Community Service Award will once again be presented by Wawa, NBC 10, and the environmental law firm Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP.

Applications are due February 26. Winners will be announced just prior to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day April 22,.

The goal of the Environmental Community Service award is to raise awareness of environmental concerns and to recognize middle and high schools in the Delaware Valley for their efforts in environmental service projects that enhance and improve the quality of life in their communities.

Each year one high school and one middle school receive a $5,000 honorarium to further their environmental programs. Eight schools in the tri-state area have been recognized for their outstanding programs.

In 2009, Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania was recognized for its kindergarten student mentoring program revolving around the environment and St. Francis Xavier School in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia won for its creatively designed “art garden” reflecting themes from its neighbor, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In 2008, Cedarbrook Middle School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania was honored for implementing an investigative program of the Tookany Creek Watershed and Gateway Regional High School in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey for its environmental programs linking hydroponics, aquaculture and alternative energy.

Winners from 2007 were both in Philadelphia: W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences won for its project of phyto-remediation, which removes traces of lead and other pollutants from the soil of neighbors nearby homes, and the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School for their urban arboretum.

In 2006, Friends Central Middle School in Merion, PA was recognized for the evaluation study it conducted of other schools’ environmental problems and suggested solutions and for cleaning the grounds of Morris Park, while Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey was recognized for their BEES program (Building Environmental Education Solutions) where education is passed from high school, to middle school, to elementary school students.

Robb Fox, managing partner of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP, who has been one of the strong forces behind the award, is proud of the programs they have recognized.

“Each year we are impressed with the incredibly creative and resourceful programs developed and implemented by the students. It’s difficult being a judge because we have seen over 100 worthwhile efforts by students and faculty over these past four years. Selecting the winners is never easy.”

The individuals who judge the programs are all experts in the field of the environment and science. They are representatives from The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control along with someone representing each sponsor -- Wawa, NBC 10 and MGKF.

The Environmental Community Service Award application is available online. Applications should be sent electronically from an official school email address to: public.relations@wawa.com. The application must be signed by a school official. It can also be mailed to Wawa, Public Relations Department, 260 Baltimore Pike, Wawa, PA 19063.

For more information, schools can call Wawa’s Customer Call Center at 1-800-444-9292.