On August 13, The GIANT Company in partnership with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, announced the 32 recipients of its 2024 Healing the Planet Grant Program. A total of $108,243 in funding was awarded in support of tree planting projects across Pennsylvania.

“When it comes to healing our planet, small change can make a big difference, including ensuring we have enough thriving trees throughout our communities,” said Courtney Hopcraft, manager of community relations and charitable giving, The GIANT Company. “Through the work of this year’s 32 Healing the Planet grant recipients, more than 3,000 new trees will be planted in the coming months to help absorb carbon pollution and improve the quality of the air we breathe.”

The following Pennsylvania organizations are the recipients of a 2024 Healing the Planet grant--

-- Antis Township

-- Board of Supervisors of Derry Township, Lewistown

-- Borough of East Stroudsburg

-- Borough of Wyomissing

-- Capital Area Greenbelt Association, Harrisburg

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation, City of Lancaster

-- City of Allentown

-- City of DuBois

-- City of Reading Public Works

-- Colonial Canopy Trees, Plymouth Meeting

-- Concord Township, Glen Mills

-- East Buffalo Township, Lewisburg

-- Excel Events, Levittown

-- Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia

-- French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, Glenmore

-- Izaak Walton League of America York, Dallastown

-- Juniata College, Huntingdon

-- Manada Conservancy, Hummelstown

-- Michaux Forest Association, Gardners

-- Mountain Top Area Swimming Pool Association, Snow Shoe

-- Newtown Square in Bloom, Newtown Square

-- Open Land Conservancy, Malvern and Berwyn

-- Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pittston

-- Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, Reading, Mifflinburg and Quakertown

-- Pennsylvania State University, Schuylkill Haven

-- Red Lion Borough, Red Lion

-- Snipes Farm and Education Center, Morrisville

-- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Lititz

-- Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Jenkintown

-- Town of Bloomsburg

-- Wildlands Conservancy, Hellertown

-- Wild Ones Pennsylvania Ridge & Valley Chapter, Neenah

Since 2021, the Healing the Planet Grant Program has awarded more than $1.2 million to 142 recipients for projects connecting communities to green spaces, improved or helped to protect local waterways and water resources, and supported projects that addressed food waste prevention, reduction and recovery.

“Community tree planting fosters shared responsibility and stewardship, strengthening social ties. Native trees provide food and shelter for local wildlife, improve water conservation, provide protection from soil erosion and are more apt to survive with minimal care. Beautifying communities also tends to reduce littering and other illegal behaviors, making it a better place for all residents and providing a foundation for community and economic development.” said Heidi Pedicone, Director of Programs, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “We are proud to provide the funds to Pennsylvania organizations to plant native trees and honored to continue our partnership with The GIANT Company. We also want to thank all of you who ‘rounded up’ at the register. Your generosity will make a huge difference for these communities.”

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has supported community improvement initiatives and encouraged community leadership, responsibility, and respect for the environment since 1990.

Visit the KPB ​​Healing the Planet Grant Program webpage to learn more about this program.

Other ways The GIANT Company works to heal the planet include zero-waste initiatives, offsetting emissions, reducing food waste and producing green energy, and plastic reduction efforts. Click Here to learn more.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. has more than 30 years of experience in organizing volunteer-driven community improvement events.

Upcoming Special Events

-- September 28 to October 6: Registration Open For PA Healthy Lands Week

-- October 16-17: 2024 Summit For Community Stewardship, Scranton

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel.

The 2024 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative continues!  Volunteer or register your cleanup event.  Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.

Related Articles:

-- New EPA Evaluation Shows Pennsylvania Made New Funding Commitments To Clean Up Chesapeake Bay Watershed, But Did Not Meet 2023 Cleanup Targets  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Hearing Board Assesses $65,766.68 Penalty Against Venango County Man For Willfully Failing To Comply With DEP Order For Violations Of The Dam Safety & Encroachments Act  [PaEN]

-- Franklin County Starting Volunteer Stream Team For Water Quality Monitoring;  Info Session Sept. 10; Training Oct. 5  [PaEN]

-- Heritage Conservancy, Partners Host Aug. 20 Educator Workshop To Become A Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Program Ambassador  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Master Watershed Stewards Host Sept. 4 Webinar On Watershed Friendly Lawn Care To Protect Drinking Water  [PaEN]

-- Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Awarded TD Bank Tree Days Grant To Enhance Jeffersonville's Tree Canopy In Montgomery County  [PaEN]

-- The GIANT Company, Keep PA Beautiful Award 32 Community Grants For Native Tree Planting  [PaEN]

-- Only A Few Seats Left: Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals Level 1 Training  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Ag Conservation Currents Newsletter: Conservation Cornerstone Webinar Series; What Cover Crop Should I Plant; Tree Planting For Youth

-- Penn State Extension: Upcoming Training And Events For Agriculture Conservationists

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay Newsletter: Tree Talk - Black Locust; Autumn Means Tree Seeds; Upcoming Events

-- Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay Hosts Sept. 5 The Taste - Celebrate The Chesapeake At The Railroad House Inn, Lancaster County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Lancaster Farming: A New Feeling For Chesapeake Bay Cleanup - Optimism

-- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Update On 49 PA Trout Streams Worthy Of A Conservation Status Upgrade

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog - John Zaktansky: 50+ Learn About Hellbender Research And Awareness On Hiawatha’s Floating Classroom In Williamsport

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: TikTok Offers Valuable Platform For Engaging Wider Audience About Waterway Education - By Sarah Joy, Summer Intern 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Pollinator Trends Can Be Indicators For Water Quality If We Are Paying Attention - By Theadora Duane, Summer Intern

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Internship Offered A Fresh Perspective On Environmentalism Through Outdoor Exploration - By Theadora Duane, Summer Intern

-- TribLive: Harmar Man Uses Nature, Film To Promote Waterway Conservation

-- YaleEnvironment360 - Jon Hurdle: Faced With Heavier Rains, Cities Scramble To Control Polluted Runoff [Philadelphia Green Infrastructure Initiative]

[Posted: August 13, 2024]

8/19/2024