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EPA Funds Philadelphia-area Environmental Education Programs

Release Date: 8/15/2002
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

Bonnie Smith, (215) 814-5543

PHILADELPHIA – North Philadelphia students will learn about the environment through native birds and their habitat, Philadelphia-area teachers will be connected to environmental scientists around the world, and a local nursing consortium will be able to evaluate how successful their environmental education program has been at reaching out to parents about lead poisoning prevention.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded these three Philadelphia-area programs for a total of $17,800. Overall in the mid-Atlantic region, a total of 20 projects were selected though a competitive grants process.

“We are proud to support these environmental education programs which will help students, parents, and teachers better understand important local environmental challenges,” said mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh.

The Village Environmental Education Partnership on Germantown Avenue will receive $8,800 to provide workshops for 250 urban youth in North Philadelphia to study birds and healthy and unhealthy aspects of this urban environment. By focusing on native bird species, participants will gain an understanding of the interconnection of our daily life and the environment.

EPA’s grant for $5,000 willfund the evaluation of a lead prevention program called, Lead Safe Babies. The Regional Nursing Centers Consortium, s an affiliate of the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, currently manages this program at nine nurse-managed health centers in Philadelphia. EPA’s funds will be used to evaluate testing, data analysis and screening, and improving the program’s effectiveness.

The third program, GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a hands-on, inquiry based, international environmental science and education program. GLOBE links students, teachers, and the scientific research community in an effort to learn more about our environment through student data collection and observation. The project targets school groups and teachers in the Philadelphia area, providing hands-on learning about environmental issues, and a model program for other nature centers to emulate. EPA’s $4,000 grant will support the GLOBE program at the Riverbend Environmental Education Center, in Gladwyne.

Since 1992, EPA has provided more than $2 million annually in funding to local organizations and schools and has awarded a total of 1,700 grants. These grass-roots grants fund educational programs in nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies supporting a wide range of environmental issues for citizens of all ages.

To find out more about EPA’s environmental education grants and online resources for communities, educators, and children, check out EPA’s website at http:www.epa.gov/epahome/students.htm.