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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    DEP Environmental Education Initiatives

    The Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) mission is to protect Pennsylvania's air, land and water resources and to provide for the health and safety of its residents and visitors, consistent with the rights and duties established under the Environmental Rights Amendment (Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. We will work as partners with individuals, organizations, governments, and businesses to conserve and restore our natural resources and to address all current and future environmental challenges including climate change and environmental justice.

    DEP has long recognized the important role that education plays in bringing its mission to reality and supports environmental education in diverse ways. Environmental education is a lifelong process with the goal of preparing environmentally literate people to make informed decisions and take positive actions to help ensure the state’s natural resources are protected for future generations.

    The Department administers the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Grants Program, established by the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Act of 1993. School districts, charter and private schools, colleges and universities, intermediate units, environmental education centers, nonprofit conservation and education organizations and businesses along with county conservation districts may apply for funding to develop new or expand current environmental education programming. To date, the department has awarded more than $14 million through this grants program. The money for this program comes from five percent (5%) of the pollution fines and penalties collected by the Department. For more information about this grants program, visit the EE Grants Program webpage or contact Environmental Education staff at ra-epEEgrants@pa.gov.

    DEP, along with DCNR, maintains a small resource center on the first floor of its central offices in the Rachel Carson State Office Building at 400 Market Street in downtown Harrisburg. The staff in this resource center is happy to assist both formal and non-formal educators with environmental education programming. Please reach out to them via email at ra-epLearningCenter@pa.gov to discuss specific environmental education resource needs.