The 54th Environmental Partnership Dinner returned to Philadelphia on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to recognize and celebrate those who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence and leadership in southeastern Pennsylvania. This post is part of a series celebrating the four awardees for their contributions to the region.
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This year’s Environmental Partnership Dinner highlighted several participants in the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI). A network of more than 50 organizations, DRWI was launched in 2014 with funding from the William Penn Foundation to safeguard drinking water sources for more than 15 million people across four states. In honor of recent accomplishments, two of this year’s awardees work within the Delaware River Watershed.
PEC helped to coordinate the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia (USP) Collaborative, which represents one of eight priority areas within the watershed. The USP focuses on green stormwater infrastructure projects as a means of reversing stream degradation. To date, this partnership has implemented more than 62 larger stormwater management and watershed restoration projects at 41 project locations, and more than 30 smaller homeowner stormwater management projects.
A USP collaboration including the Lower Merion Conservancy, Pennsylvania Resources Council, Darby Creek Valley Association, and Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative — known collectively as the Cobbs Partners — received the Excellence in Community Education Award for their “Stream Smart” program, which works with homeowners to capture stormwater on their properties using green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) features such as rain barrels, downspout planters, and rain gardens.
The program is designed to normalize awareness of both the environmental benefits and the aesthetic appeal of natural landscapes. As people adopt the practices, neighbors have noticed and followed suit.
“That’s been one of the most fun things to watch, is this contagious attitude,” said Maurine McGeehan, Executive Director of the Lower Merion Conservancy.
In addition to individual homeowners, DRWI has sought to build partnerships with larger landowners. Abington Township, which encompasses three watersheds, offered the opportunity to make an outsize impact through multiple site projects.
“Many of the projects […] have been in our park system because, one, it’s our land and we have the ability to do it,” Abington Assistant Township Manager Ashley McIlvaine said. “But it also provides us opportunities to enhance the recreational experience [and] educational experience.”
Abington, along with partners including Wissahickon Trails, the Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Watershed Partnership, and Cerulean, LLC, were recognized with the Government Sustainability Award.
“Abington Township has been an eager and steady partner from the start,” PEC Executive Vice President said.
The work of both awardees is a testament to the power of partnerships in achieving environmental goals. To see a full list of awardees from the 2024 Environmental Partnership Dinner, and to watch videos about their work, click here.