“We thought it was extremely important to support projects in our community that are focused on sustainability and led by organizations who value innovation the same way we do,” said Alex Sulkowski, co-founder of Noble Environmental.
“At Noble, we want to be an example of excellent corporate citizenship. Congratulations to all the winners, we can’t wait to see the outcomes of your projects,” said Rich Walton, co-founder of Noble Environmental.
Belle Vernon Area Varsity Cheerleaders: Their project is called “Returning to Our Roots: Composting and Spirit Garden.” In the spirit of sustainability, they have designed this project with love and gratitude for the environment and the community. $10,000
Chartiers Park Improvements, Fitness Trail Project (Bridgeville): the current trail ends abruptly in a remote section of the park. Finishing it will advance healthy lifestyles for the region’s seniors, creating an 8′ wide paved fitness loop around the park. Finishing the earth work and grading will eventually allow for the installation of outdoor exercise equipment as well. $10,000
Canonsburg Municipal Swimming Pool Dive Stand Replacement: This safety upgrade will address the continued need of providing recreational options to the community. To continue providing this amenity, the dive structures must be replaced in their entirety. $10,800
Elizabeth Borough Command/Tech Trailer: A trailer will be used for technicians to monitor the digital wired sonar images that are gathered by search teams on the water. Images are analyzed and radioed back to the boat teams on the river. This speeds up a search, helping to better protect the community they serve. $2,500
Shaler Fawcett Fields and Eagle Canyon Trail Project: To support human sustainability, the Fawcett Fields & Eagle Canyon Trail project will increase the use of the Eagle Canyon Trail and provide access to the stream and its fishing areas. As part of a regional effort, the trail improvement will link to the trail network that eventually leads to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Ultimately, this will enable residents of Shaler and other nearby communities to park their cars in the Fawcett Fields parking lot and bike all the way into the City of Pittsburgh. $20,000
Westmoreland County Veterans of the War on Terror, Healing Garden and Memorial Plaza: The Westmoreland County Fallen Heroes’ Memorial, a First Responders’ Monument, and a Pre 9/11 Monument at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg, PA including a healing garden and memorial plaza which will honor the county’s sons and daughters who have answered the call to serve in American’s longest war. Along with the plaza, the goal is to perform community service and bring awareness to their efforts. $10,000
West Hempfield PTO Playground Project: The proposed new playground will be relocated to the back of the elementary school to provide a safer, cleaner, more spacious environment that can accommodate more children. All 500 students at the school are greatly anticipating the new playground, which has all ADA compliant equipment and will promote physical activity with fun and engaging activities. $10,000
Red Stone Foundation, non-profit arm of the County Chamber Commerce and the Hunger Garden: The Hunger Garden in the city of Uniontown was founded in 2018. One in every eight people struggle with hunger in Fayette County. Perhaps more strikingly, that is one in every six children are hungry. In Fayette County, 20,650 individuals qualified as food insecure. The garden includes renovation of planters on the corners of Main Street and South Arch Street and West South Street and South Arch Street in Uniontown. $6,000
McKeesport Housing Authority: This year’s Green Gift will provide new dumpsters and enclosures for the McKeesport Housing Authority, improving trash removal as part of the Mayor’s “Working Together for a Better McKeesport”. $10,000
Norwin Rotary Community Development Projects: The Norwin Rotary will distribute the monies for a number of community development projects including two education projects at area schools and adding a four foot extension to the Christmas Tree that sits along Main Street in Irwin for three winter months, and helps to attract shoppers to the small businesses that line the streets of downtown. $10,000
Bikers Helping Others: This small, non-profit based in Smithton founded by six close “biker” friends realized small acts of kindness go a long way. They now have 20 members who have restored donated motorized wheel chairs for disabled veterans. They also shopped and delivered meals at Thanksgiving. $8,600
Washington, Pa: The purchase of new recycle bins will be important for the environmental footprint of Washington. Recycling items instead of throwing them away makes our air and water supply much safer for all to enjoy. $11,000
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 discussed 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 detailed 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 explained what short or long-term steps they are taking to improve the impact on the earth for future generations.