WREN Community Watershed Education Grants

The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) has funding available up to $5,000 to help launch community projects. See the terrific projects we've already funded to get some creative ideas at http://wren.palwv.org/local.html. Use these ideas to develop your own project - No need to re-invent the wheel!

Eligible projects include watershed education projects that build awareness and educate Pennsylvania citizens about their role as environmental stewards to protect, improve, or remediate the watershed from the impacts of polluted runoff, or nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. We give priority to projects that incorporate social marketing concepts and encourage individual or public policy action that will protect and improve local water resources.

Eligible applicants are Pennsylvania partnerships comprised of watershed associations, civic groups, community/public water systems, educational entities such as schools or universities, government entities like cities, townships, boroughs, Environmental Advisory Councils, or municipal authorities, or other governmental or non-governmental organizations. To encourage local leaders to get involved, a municipality is required as a partner.

Grant Applications Due: March 26, 2010
Download Application at: http://wren.palwv.org/grants/local.html

Beginning Farmer/Rancher grant

USDA is accepting grants for their Beginning Farmer and Rancher program. The U.S. agricultural population is poised to make a dramatic change - half of all current farmers are likely to retire in the next decade. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the average age of farm operators was 57 years. Farmers over the age 55 own more than half the farmland in the U.S. But the number of new farmers and ranchers over the age of 35 is increasing, as does the number of smaller farms and ranches nationwide. To address the needs of this changing generation, Section 7410 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234) amended Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and made available in Fiscal Year 2009, $17.2 million to fund a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). According to these legislations, a beginning farm is considered to be one that is operated by one or more operators who have 10 years or less of experience operating a farm or ranch. In 2007, approximately 21 percent of family farms met that definition.

The average age of farmers in Northwest Pennsylvania is 57 years old.

Growing America's Fuel Innovation

President's Biofuel Interagency Working Group report---Vision: "New jobs and greater economic vitality in rural America, increased energy independence, reduced economic vulnerability to volatile oil prices and uncertain supplies, technological and industrial leadership in renewable biofuels, and reduced global warming pollution – all will be achieved by fulfilling the President’s commitment to meeting Congressional biofuels goals. Strategy: Supporting the existing biofuels industry, while accelerating the commercial and sustainable establishment of the advanced biofuels industry, by using the best skill and knowledge across many Federal departments, as well as public-private partnerships."

PA Green Jobs Report

February 4, 2010 -- The Pennsylvania Green Jobs Report - Part 1 provides a detailed look at green careers and the industries they are in. The report also examines how government - state and federal - is working with the private sector to make good policy and wise investments to help speed economic recovery and position Pennsylvania as the green economic leader it should be.

Clorox Announces 2010 Green Heroes Grant Program

[Philanthropy News Digest] With assistance from Roots & Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute's global environmental and humanitarian youth program, Green Works, the Clorox Company's line of natural cleaners, has announced the 2010 Green Heroes Grant Program. The program will award six grants, totaling $60,000, to individuals, organizations, and schools across the United States that are making their communities a greener place to live.

People can nominate green community projects and their leaders for a Green Heroes grant by submitting a photo and short essay about the project or person at the Green Works facebook page. Nominations will be accepted between January 19 and February 18, 2010.

A $15,000 first prize and a $5,000 runner-up grant will be awarded in each of three categories: Youth Leader/Organization — individual youth leaders between the ages of 13 and 17 working with youth-led nonprofit organizations; Adult Leader/Organization — individual leaders age 18 and over working with nonprofit organizations; and School Organization — innovative environmental programs that are coordinated by a school or a teacher. Programs in the School Organization category can receive grants to help further develop their projects along with a special educational experience from Roots & Shoots for their school.

Green Investing 2010

"In a report released on January 28, 2010, Green Investing 2010: Policy Mechanisms to Bridge the Financing Gap, the World Economic Forum revealed that investment in clean energy has held up better than expected during the financial crisis and resulting recession, but a considerable gap still exists between current levels of investment and what is needed to begin reducing the world's carbon emissions. The report's authors, Anuradha Gurung and Max von Bismarck from the World Economic Forum, and Chris Greenwood and Michael Liebreich from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, state that "as a result of the continued financing gap, there is an urgent need for policy-makers around the world to implement measures at the regional, national and sub-national level, which will encourage investment in clean energy technology and projects. With this in mind, the report provides policy-makers with a toolkit consisting of 35 different policy mechanisms, which can be used to promote various clean energy sectors. The mechanisms can be chosen based on stage of technological development – R&D/proof of concept, demonstration and scale-up, commercial roll-out, diffusion and maturity – and also on stage of economic development."

Pollution Control Technology Grants

From the PA Bulletin: Section 304 of the Alternative Energy Investment Act of 2008 (73 P. S. § 1649.304) (Act 1 or Act) authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) to award a total of $25 million for ''pollution control technology projects'' installed on electric generating units (EGUs) and cogeneration units that have an installed capacity of less than 500 MWper unit which utilize coal, as defined under 25 Pa. Code § 123.202, as their primary fuel. The Act specifies that each unit owner or operator that applies for a grant is eligible to receive a pro rata share of the moneys allocated for pollution control technology projects based on criteria developed by the Department.

The revised eligibility criteria and comment/response document are available online at http://www.depweb. state.pa.us (Keyword: Air Quality). When the grant funding is available, an announcement will be made in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and the grant application packet will be placed on the Department web site. Persons who have questions or need additional information, contact Dan Husted by e-mail at dhusted@state.pa.us or by telephone at (717) 772-3995.