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Winners Announced for 2007 Western PA Environmental Awards

The five winners of the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards, co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Dominion, were announced this week at a special awards ceremony in Pittsburgh.

The awards recognize and honor outstanding accomplishments in various environmental initiatives throughout western Pennsylvania. The awards include cash prizes of $5,000 to be donated to local nonprofit environmental organizations designated by each winner.

The award winners were selected in four categories: Community, High Education, Primary & Secondary Education, and Business—

Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: Secretary DiBerardinis is working to bring about a new Pennsylvania by making teammates of former enemies: A Pennsylvania where the environment spurs the economy, and the economy restores the environment; a Pennsylvania where our natural resources combine with our human ingenuity to create a thriving region; a state where we want to see our children grow up. He is leading DCNR beyond its historic role as a steward of lands, into a new powerful partner for economic development in rural Pennsylvania.

Dr. Joseph Mark Shostell, Assistant Professor of Biology, Penn State-Fayette: Dr. Shostell has a passion for environmental science research, mentoring, teaching and community action and he shares his passion with the students he teaches and the community. Through hands-on environmental research projects such as assessing the health of stream ecosystems in abandoned mine areas, and evaluating auto salvage yards as sources of toxicants, Dr. Shostell has improved community awareness of watershed issues and encouraged a sense of self responsibility within his students.

The $5,000 prise will be awarded to Penn State-Fayette Biology Department for Environmental Resource and Ecology Research

Laura L. Jackson, Bedford High School: Laura Jackson has been a science educator for over 32 years and currently teaches environmental science and advanced biology at Bedford High School in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Laura’s goal for her ninth grade environmental science students is to help them understand the importance of a healthy watershed. To do this Laura’s students toured local farms and observed first-hand how land use impacts stream health. In addition, students participated in hands-on field work ranging from stream monitoring and building mussel buckets, to planting trees in riparian buffer areas.

The $5,000 award will go to the Juniata Valley Audubon Society.

PPG Industries Performance Glazings: For more than a century, PPG has been a leading manufacturer of residential glass products. PPG’s Performance Glazings business recently introduced a new product, Solarban 70XL Solar Control Low-E Glass. This product represents a major industry innovation, as it transmits 63 percent of the sun’s natural light while blocking 73 percent of its solar energy. Solarban 70XL glass can reduce significantly the amount of energy it takes to cool large commercial buildings, thereby allowing architects and building owners to drastically reduce the cooling capacity and equipment requirements for their buildings.

The $5,000 award will go to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

United States Steel Corporation: In 2006 United States Steel Corporation voluntarily transformed a 1.89 linear brownfield into a ready-made trail corridor that will help complete the Great Allegheny Passage, part of a premier trail system that will connect Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

The $5,000 award goes to the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

Funding for the awards comes from the Dominion Foundation, which is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities served by Dominion companies.

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