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EPA grant helps environmental education program on floating classroom

Release Date: 01/28/2010
Contact Information: Roy Seneca [email protected], 215-814-5567

(PHILADELPHIA – January 28, 2010) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $28,121 environmental education grant to the Elizabeth River Project in Portsmouth, Va. to help support the group’s Learning Barge, a one-of-a-kind solar and wind-powered floating classroom with a living wetland onboard.

Funding will support education programs for students from approximately 100 schools in the surrounding communities to teach them about river stewardship and the importance of wetlands. Lessons will include river ecology, aquatic life, conservation, alternative energies, and green practices.

“It’s exciting for EPA to support such a unique and exciting learning opportunity that will help children learn and understand the importance of keeping our waterways and wetlands protected,” said Shawn M. Garvin, administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

Since 1992, EPA has provided more than $2.5 million annually to local organizations and schools nationwide including about $3.5 million in 2009. These grants have funded education programs of nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies supporting a wide range of environmental issues for citizens of all ages.

Visit http://epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html to find out more about EPA’s environmental education grants and online resources for communities, educators, and children.