Montco Environmentalists Encouraged To Apply For PA Governor Awards

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A local state legislator is urging environmentalists in the region to consider applying for the Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence, which honors those who engage in work that supports environmental issues.

State Rep. Mary Jo Daley, a Democrat representing parts of Montgomery County, is encouraging county residents to throw their names in the running for the 2023 awards, which are considered to be the commonwealth's top annual environmental honor.

Daley's office said that any Pennsylvania resident, local business, farm, government agency, educational institution or nonprofit organization that has created or worked on a project that promotes environmental protection and stewardship in the Keystone State is eligible to apply.

Eligible projects must have been completed between Oct. 4, 2021, and Oct. 11, 2022.

"I've been impressed by the many individuals and organizations in Montgomery County that are positively impacting our environment, transforming environmental obstacles into opportunities for renewal and growth," Daley said in a statement. "The 2023 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence is a fantastic opportunity for our local environmental projects to receive state recognition and show other Pennsylvanians that they too can contribute to protecting the environment we all depend on."

Daley's office said that the submission and selection process for the awards would be overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and that projects would be assessed on eight different criteria.

They are as follows:

• Degree of Environmental Protection
• Environmental Justice
• Climate Change
• Sustainability
• Partnership
• Economic Impact
• Innovation
• Environmental Education and Outreach

Applications will be accepted now through Dec. 21 at 11:59 p.m.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, applicants will be notified on whether they won by the spring of 2023.

Those who are chosen will receive a physical award and plaque.

The DEP said that individuals, businesses and organizations are welcome to submit multiple projects for their applications.

More information about the awards program can be found here.

For anyone who is interested in learning about the most previous batch of winners, the DEP has a page on its website dedicated to a description of each of the winning individuals, businesses and organizations.

That page can be found here.