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Philadelphia City Sail Receives $15,867 Environmental Education Grant from EPA

Release Date: 9/26/2001
Contact Information: Donna Heron, (215) 814-5113

Donna Heron, (215) 814-5113

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia City Sail, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., received a $15,867 environmental education grant to teach inner-city students in grades five through eight about the Delaware River and its estuary.

Aboard the 75-foot topsail schooner Jolly II Rover, students will prepare the ship to sail, raise the sails and rotate through five environmental stations. They will observe the buildings, shipping activities and structures along the river bank; measure the pH dissolved oxygen level and clarity of the river; measure weather data and learn how to make knowledgeable forecasts; collect, view under a microscope, and identify plankton from the river; and get an introduction to navigation including a chance to steer the ship.

During the 25-classes aimed primarily at schools in the Frankford and Kensington sections of Philadelphia, students will also learn about community issues, public health, environmental careers and environmental justice.

“Philadelphia City Sail has created an outstanding interactive program designed to hold the students’ attention and help them learn about environmental responsibility in a way that will be meaningful to each student,” said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

EPA’s education grant program is designed to stimulate grass-roots environmental education. In the mid-Atlantic region - which includes Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia - the 22 grant recipients included schools, civic groups and non-profit organizations. Nationally, $2 million was awarded in 2001.

For more information on this grant, contact Eugene Mattis at (215)814-5747. EPA’s Internet home page also has general information on the grants: https://www.epa.gov/region03.