APRIL 13, 2020, BELLE VERNON — Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, Noble Environmental is proud to an announce it has awarded $50,000 in Green Gifts to seven organizations in Western Pa who are taking steps to achieve sustainability in one of the following categories: human, social, economic and environmental. Noble Environmental is an environmental services company providing innovative technologies and practices to solid waste management, transforming waste to renewable natural gas that powers trash hauling vehicles in partnership with Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill and County Hauling.

“We thought it was extremely important to support projects in our community that are focused on sustainability,” said Alex Sulkowski, co-founder of Noble Environmental.

CEO Rich Walton said, “At Noble, we are constantly looking ways to improve, and we wanted to partner with organizations with the same mindset.”

The winners are:

ARC HUMAN SERVICES:

Arc Human Services has been serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families for nearly 70 years. With the support of a Noble Environmental Green Gift, they are moving to the Brody Building (111 W. Pike Street, Canonsburg, PA), which will allow them to base all program staff under one roof. The space on Pike Street will house a café, art gallery and shop through which individuals can display and sell their creations. The retail and studio spaces provide job opportunities for all abilities and invite the community into the space as place to gather, to learn, and to create.

QUEEN OF ANGELS NORTH HUNTINGDON:

With the help of a Noble Environmental Green Gift, Queen of Angels will create the optimal outdoor learning and play activity space that evolves seasonally for both learning and play for children of all ages. In an effort to cultivate awareness, knowledge, appreciation, and concern for the natural environment and the effect of people’s actions upon it, the hope is to motivate students to develop positive attitudes toward learning through varied experiences in the natural environment. The activity space is the final step of the school’s Project Genesis Initiative which has addressed the critical need for students to understand how their actions impact the environment and to reconnect students with nature.

CITY OF MCKEESPORT:

Mayor Michael Cherepko has established the McKeesport Rising Project to improve the quality of life in McKeesport focusing on environment, economy, infrastructure and safety. With the help of a Noble Environmental Green Gift, the city will purchase AEDs in an effort to provide seamless transitions between immediate onsite emergency care and paramedic care in the event of an emergency at McKeesport City Hall, Public Safety Building and other locations throughout the community.

WHITE OAK/MCKEESPORT ROTARY:

In partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania the White Oak Rotary will create and implement a makerspace in the LaRosa Boys & Girls Club of McKeesport with the help of a Noble Environmental Green Gift. Makerspaces provide places for creativity and innovation infused with play. In Makerspaces students are asked to use their natural creativity and curiosity to solve problems and begin to understand the engineering process.

CANONSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT:

In 2016, Canonsburg Police Officer Scott Bashioum was fatally shot responding to a domestic dispute. Since then, the city has purchased three ballistic shields to protect officers in ways that body armor cannot. The Noble Environmental donation will purchase a fourth, so that these life-saving shields enable offers to effectively respond to active shooter situations and better protect the community they serve.

COMMUNITIES MOVING FORWARD:

An association of concerned citizens helping to combat the drug addiction problems in Washington County now have the opportunity to launch the Fresh Start Café. Now supported by a Noble Environmental Green Gift, and Located at 117 West Pike Street in Canonsburg, the café will give those in need a safe place to gather, socialize and receive support for addition, loneliness or mental health.

ELIZABETH POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Your risk of collision is 23 times higher when texting and driving, particularly for drivers of heavy vehicles and trucks, according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. In West Elizabeth and Elizabeth Boroughs, catching the attention of drivers who may be distracted will now be easier with the help of a Noble Environmental Green Gift. They will purchase a speed timing sign to reduce the risk of high speed crashes. Motorists will be better aware of their speed, which will give pedestrians and bicyclists the opportunity to travel more safety.

 

Each of the winners was selected because they met one or more of the criteria below:

Human sustainability

Human sustainability means investing in human capital: programs focusing on health, education, services, nutrition and skills are all under the umbrella of human sustainability. Applicants should discuss what the grant will do today to improve human capital tomorrow.

Social sustainability

Social sustainability aims to improve relationships amongst people; equality, rights, culture, diversity, advocacy and the sharing of ideas related to these topics help to preserve social capital by strengthening the future of our community.

Economic sustainability

Economic sustainability aims to grow the community improve the standard of living there. But beyond growth, applicants should detail how they intend to sustain the investment over time.

Environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability reduces human impact on natural resources like land, air, water and minerals. Applicants should explain what short or long-term steps they are taking to improve the impact on the earth for future generations.

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