Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley and DEP staff celebrated Earth Week 2025 with litter cleanups, grant availability announcements, and the release of two new reports on Pennsylvania and climate change.
“Every day really is Earth Day at DEP, but this week truly is special. It is a time to highlight DEP’s mission to protect our air, land, and water, and to act as partners to address the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Improving the environment and keeping PA litter free isn’t just something that DEP does, it’s something that we can all do, every day, with small actions that can lead to big results.”
DEP’s Earth Week activities included:
- Opening New Grant Round for Growing Greener: A new round of applications for Growing Greener, Pennsylvania’s single investment of state funds for environmental protection and restoration, is now open. To date, Growing Greener Grants have provided more than $419 million in funding to 2,876 environmental projects
For more information on the Growing Greener Plus Grant Program, application guidance, and to apply, visit DEP’s website, Growing Greener Plus Grants Program
- Climate Change Impacts Report and Climate Change Action Plan: DEP released new versions of the Climate Impacts Assessment Report and the Climate Action Plan. The Climate Impacts Assessment Report outlines ways that climate change will affect Pennsylvania, from warmer winters to increased tick and mosquito activity. The Climate Action Plan covers how businesses, residents, and government agencies can prepare and mitigate climate change. More information is available on DEP's Climate Change website.
- Keeping PA litter free: All week, DEP staff and volunteers have been doing our part to keep Pennsylvania beautiful and litter free by participating in litter clean up events across the state. People in Harrisburg, Williamsport, Meadville, Wilkes-Barre, and Norristown gave their time and energy. See more on DEP’s social media channels Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
- Celebrating partnerships: DEP staff joined partners to highlight projects that restore streams and ensure flood resiliency, replant trees, capture and reuse methane, and deploy electric delivery trucks to reduce air pollution. Partnerships are vital to DEP’s mission and to protecting the environment for everyone. See more on DEP’s social media channels Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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