PHILADELPHIA, July 2023—In partnership with Natural Lands, PECO presented six Philadelphia recipients with grant awards for PECO’s Green Region Open Space Program.
Annually, in partnership with Natural Lands, PECO Green Region Open Space Program awards grants for efforts to preserve, protect and improve open space in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Since 2004, PECO has provided more than $2.4 million in Green Region Open Space grants. This continued investment is a key component of PECO’s Path to Clean, which includes a goal to reduce operations-driven emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The 2023 Philadelphia grantees are
Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC)
focused on increasing tree planting along the Grays Ferry Crescent section of Schuylkill Banks, which turned abandoned riverfront land inaccessible to the surrounding community members in South Philadelphia into a welcoming 12-acre riverfront park and mile-long trail.
Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) working to restore the native habitat surrounding the floodway trail along the Wissahickon Creek streambank and adjacent to the iconic Red Covered Bridge in Wissahickon Valley Park.
The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation is tasked with removing the most dangerous emerald ash borer-damaged ash trees in the Woodlands’ collection to make room for plantings to restore the lost tree canopy and ensure the site is safe for our 150,000 annual visitors. The tree replanting will utilize a diverse selection of species to increase the resilience of the Woodlands’ canopy to future invasive pests and climate change.
Awbury Arboretum is focused on removing diseased or damaged trees in and around the Arboretum for the safety of visitors and the health of the surrounding trees. The Arboretum will also be planting six native trees in spaces that either are left bare by the removal of large trees or where more tree cover is desired.
Fairmount Park Conservancy whose work on the Pattison Lagoon Riparian Buffer Planting project at FDR Park is key to the park’s plan of building an ecological core. Green Region funds will go to support the restoration of the 3.3-acre Lagoon, which will improve water quality throughout the park, expand habitat and wildlife diversity, and manage stormwater, in an effort to create a more climate-resilient FDR Park.
Wissahickon Sustainability Council, currently design
ing and building a pocket part in an underutilized section of the Cook Wissahickon School campus that will support increased recreational activities. The work involved includes tree maintenance, tree, and native shrub planting, creating a bioswale, and seating that would encourage greater interaction from the community and student body.
Each organization received $5,000 in funding to support its innovative environmental projects throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. This year, PECO has provided a total of $150,000 in Green Region grant funding to 23 area municipalities and nonprofits to boost their open space projects.
PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas delivery company. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to nearly 1.7 million electric customers and more than 548,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company’s 2,900 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship, and community assistance. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), a Fortune 250 company and the nation’s largest energy de- livery company, serving more than 10 million customers through six fully regulated transmission and distribution utilities. For more information, visit PECO.com and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.
