Pittsburgh Voyager, the river-based environmental education organization that provides school programs and private charters aboard its fleet, will operate under its new name RiverQuest.

At the same time, the organization revealed that it has named its new flagship vessel Explorer. The new boat, which is regarded as one of the first "green" passenger vessels in the world, was engineered and designed to be environmentally friendly. It includes a state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion system and a range of technologies and alternative energy sources.

According to RiverQuest Executive Director Karl Thomas, the new boat's name captures the essence of the organization's mission and fits thematically with the names of the other vessels in the fleet.

"The name 'Explorer' truly represents what we are all about," said Thomas. "It's meant to capture the excitement of what we do through our Sustainability Education Program and reflects the 'leading edge' –nature of our mission. No one else anywhere does quite what we do; no one has a vessel quite like Explorer; and no one will have the extraordinary onboard technology that we have to support exploration and learning.

"Our name change reflects the increase in programming that we are delivering beyond Pittsburgh," added Thomas. "We are now serving schools in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania, and our expansion plans in the next year take us into Ohio and West Virginia. We feel strongly that 'RiverQuest' is a name that all of our constituents will relate to very well and, like the name for the new boat, embraces all that we do," he concluded.

The name changes were made in conjunction with the opening of RiverQuest's fall programming for area schools, and more than 100 students from Colfax Upper Elementary School in the Allegheny Valley School District were in attendance, having participated in onboard school programming during the day.

Thomas described the intensive activities underway to prepare for the boat's arrival in October, and detailed the boat's 16-day journey "upriver" from its Florida shipyard.

"The past several months have truly been transformational for the organization," said Thomas. "The new boat ushers in an exciting new era for our organization and for our programming as we create new Sustainability Education Programs involving the issues and principles of sustainability," he added.

Thomas said the new 90’ x 25’ 150-passenger flagship vessel will provide a platform for the education programs, expanding students' understanding of sustainability, natural resource use, and the importance of energy efficiency.

"It's also a teaching tool in its own right," said Thomas. "The new boat is more than just a mode of transportation to get us out on the rivers: it will actually be a part of the learning experience for everyone who comes onboard. It will serve as a demonstration of important environmental, sustainability principles and alternative energy resources."

Board Chair Howard S. "Chip" Berger expressed his appreciation to those who have provided support to the ongoing campaign to fund the vessel. "We are most appreciative of the support we have received from the philanthropic community, as well as corporations, the state and federal government, and private individuals. We still have a ways to go before we reach our goal and we're confident that community-wide support will help put us over the top," said Berger.

The Heinz Endowments provided lead funding for the boat, and numerous other private and corporate foundations, as well as government sources, have followed The Endowments' lead. These include: Alcoa, Inc.; ALCOSAN; Eden Hall Foundation; Equitable Resources Foundation; The Charles A. Brooks and Anna Cloyde Brooks Foundation through the PNC Advisors Charitable Trust Committee; The Fisher Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation; Giant Eagle Foundation; H.J. Heinz Company Foundation; Hillman Foundation; Howard & Nell E. Miller Foundation; Negley Flinn Charitable Foundation; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Department of Environmental Protection; Richard King Mellon Foundation; Robert and Mary Weisbrod Foundation; William V. and Catherine A. McKinney Foundation; and donors that wish to remain anonymous.

Since launching its programming in 1995 RiverQuest has served more than 55,000 middle and high school students through its experiential river-based learning programs. These students represent 227 schools from 65 school districts in 11 counties in western Pennsylvania. Along with students, more than 2,500 teachers and college students, and 15,000 members of the general public have participated in RiverQuest programs.

For more information call 412-231-2712 or visit RiverQuest's website.

Link: Watch the launch of the new RiverQuest Boat.

9/29/2006