PECO Awards 2013 Green Region Grants to 17 Municipalities in Greater Philadelphia Area

PHILADELPHIA, (June 17, 2013) – PECO has provided 17 municipalities across the Greater Philadelphia region with $150,000 in grant funding as part of PECO Green Region, the company’s municipal open space and environmental grant program. Since its inception in 2004, PECO has awarded more than $1.1 million for qualifying Green Region projects.

PECO Green Region has funded more than 150 projects across Southeastern Pennsylvania to plan for, protect, and improve open space. The program provides grants for projects focusing on open space preservation, improvements to parks and recreation resources, and environmental conservation. Projects have included the development of recreation trails, pond and garden restorations, and the purchase of open space.

“The success of the Green Region program demonstrates PECO’s ongoing commitment to environmental preservation in the Greater Philadelphia area,” said Craig Adams, PECO president and CEO. “I am proud that, in less than 10 years, PECO has successfully supported more than $1 million in environmental grant funding for our local municipalities.”

In partnership with Natural Lands Trust, the region’s leading land conservation organization, PECO has awarded 2013 Green Region grants to the following municipalities:

• In Bucks County: Chalfont Borough ($10,000), Doylestown Township ($10,000) and Middletown Township ($10,000).
• In Chester County: East Bradford Township ($10,000), New Garden Township ($10,000) and New London Township ($10,000)
• In Delaware County: Brookhaven Borough ($10,000), Chester City ($5,000), Edgmont Township ($5,000) and Lansdowne Borough ($10,000)
• In Montgomery County: Abington Township ($10,000), Plymouth Township ($10,000) and Upper Salford Township ($10,000)
• In Philadelphia, four organizations have received Green Region funding for open space projects this year. The Fairmount Park Conservancy and West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools will each receive $10,000. The Please Touch Museum will receive $6,000, and the Friends of Poquessing Watershed will receive $4,000.

“PECO understands that green spaces are an absolutely essential part of a healthy, prosperous region and has made an extraordinary commitment to ensuring that the communities they serve have access to excellent parks and natural areas,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Land Trust. “With Green Region, they have established a national model for effective corporate investment in conservation.”

Municipalities can apply for a Green Region grant of up to $10,000 per project each year. A committee with representatives from PECO, Natural Lands Trust, county agencies, and local conservation organizations reviews each application and selects the projects to receive funding.

From PECO’s grant programs supporting local environmental projects and initiatives and operating an environmentally-friendly fleet of vehicles, to launching PECO Smart Ideas to help our customers save energy and money, all of our local environmental efforts contribute to and support Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the comprehensive environmental strategy of our parent company.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC).  PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 497,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region. PECO delivered 76.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 37.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2012. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region’s most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations.

Celebrating its 60^th year, Natural Lands Trust is the region’s foremost land conservation organization and is dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Since its founding, Natural Lands Trust has preserved more than 100,000 acres, including 41 nature preserves totaling more than 21,000 acres and 20,000 acres on which it holds conservation easements. For more information, visit www.natlands.org.

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