PEC’s Harrisburg Dinner is just over a week away!
Having attended the dinner over my 17-year tenure at PEC, along with coordinating the dinner for the last four, I can’t help but start to get excited for April 19’s annual event.
Not only is it an honor for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to recognize the recipients of the Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence at PEC’s dinner, but I have always found it rewarding to learn about the great work each of the honorees has engaged in over the past year.
Held once again at the Harrisburg Hilton, DEP Secretary John Quigley will deliver the evening’s keynote address, while Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn will provide special commentary. WGAL Channel 8 news anchor Janelle Stelson will be the evening’s program emcee once again.
This year’s dinner will recognize 13 environmental stewardship projects carried out by 17 partnering organizations ranging across the Commonwealth. These awards are the highest statewide honor bestowed to businesses and organizations working for environmental causes. Not only do I enjoy hearing about their work as they are announced to the podium to accept their awards, but also before the dinner when each honoree sets up an informational booth outside the banquet hall to showcase their work.
But this dinner wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors. PEC sends a sincere thank you to Dominion Resources, Shell, UGI Corporation, Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Appell Jr., Crisci Associates, the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox LLP, Buchart Horn, Inc., Groundwater Sciences Corporation, K&L Gates LLP, and RT Environmental Services, Inc. for all of their help.
I look forward to seeing you there!
This year’s winners are (by project county):
- Allegheny
Allegheny Land Trust – Community Awakening of Dead Man’s Hollow - Borough of Etna – Etna Green Streetscape Phase 1
- Green Building Alliance – Pittsburgh 2030 District
- Dauphin
Chesapeake Bay Foundation – Riparian Forested Buffer Stewardship - Phoenix Contact Services, Inc. – Phoenix Contact-Employee/Visitor Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
- Delaware
Pennsylvania Resources Council & Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative – Darby Cobbs Stormwater Initiative: Getting to the New Normal
- Franklin
Pennsylvania State University Department of Animal Science & Franklin County Conservation – 2015 North American Manure Expo
- Lycoming
Jersey Shore Area High School – Jersey Shore Outdoor Club
- Montgomery
SBM Site Services (in collaboration with Jones Lange LaSalle & Sustainable Waste Solutions) – Food Waste Composting Program Re-engineering
- Montour
Geisinger Medical Center – Janet Weis Children’s Hospital Solar Panel Project
- Philadelphia
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) – Griscom Wayside Energy Storage System
- Wayne
Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support (SEEDS) of Northeastern PA – SEED’s Free Energy Assessment Program (5th Season)
- Multiple Counties
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) – Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Regional Traffic Signal Program Cycle 2