Students in kindergarten through eighth grade throughout our service territory shined brightly during the month of May as they were recognized for their submissions to the Bright Ideas Energy Efficiency Student Poster Contest and Innovation Challenge.
The annual contest gives students the opportunity to creatively showcase how they would save energy and help the environment and shines a light on education and sustainability tips.
From the large number of thoughtful entries, the panel of judges from PPL Electric Utilities and the National Energy Foundation selected 3 grand prize winners and 10 honorable mentions to be showcased online. The students also received prizes and parties for their classes. Additionally, program funds are reinvested into the classroom as a grant for the grand prize winner’s teacher.
Prior to the contest, students and teachers participated in an energy efficiency education presentation. Students used the lessons they learned, as well as their own ideas, to create their posters.
Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences Innovation Challenge winners
“I want to thank PPL Electric Utilities for the Think! Energy Innovation program that they have allowed the students to partake in,” says Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences teacher Greg Mazurek.
“It was a great opportunity for these young adults to educate and inform themselves about being energy efficient; I am immensely proud of their successes in this program. I also want to thank National Energy Foundation on behalf of the Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences, we appreciate their time and resources. Congratulations to the Innovation Challenge grand prize winners Kaitlyn W., Tegan O., and Josh P. Their incredible projects beat out competitors from over 60 other schools in the state. In addition, Danielle B. and Paige V. received honorable mentions for their work in this contest.”
We’re proud to partner with educators and to highlight local students who are inspired to work towards green living.
Below is a list of our poster contest winners for the 2021-22 contest season. You can also check out the featured poster entries. Congratulations to all the winners!
Grand Prize Winners
Ivy A. – Dunmore Elementary Center (pictured above with her brother, James, and teacher Michelle Walsh)
Mara W. – Twin Valley Middle School
Iccha B. – Springhouse Middle School
K-2nd Grade Honorable Mentions
Ethan W. – Schnecksville Elementary School
Brennan Y. – Schnecksville Elementary School
James A. – Dunmore Elementary Center
3rd-5th Grade Honorable Mentions
Penelope B. – St. John Vianney School
Alina B. – Dunmore Elementary Center
Riyan M. – Dunmore Elementary Center
Addisyn M. – Solomon Plains Elementary School
6th-8th Grade Honorable Mentions
Quinn P. – Executive Education Academy Charter School
Kenialys S. – Executive Education Academy Charter School
Nila R. – Springhouse Middle School
In addition to providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity, we’re committed to empowering our communities through various initiatives and investments, such as our annual United Way campaign.
PPL Corporation’s 2021 campaign, which included contributions from PPL Electric employees and retirees, raised more than $5 million for United Way agencies.
In the Central Susquehanna region, we contributed more than $62,000. And Adrienne Mael, President and CEO of the United Way of Columbia and Montour County and Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, was especially grateful.
“Over the years, PPL Electric Utilities has been incredibly proactive in reaching out to help address the areas of greatest need for our local community,” Mael said. “From sending volunteers into the community, providing support through the COVID-19 pandemic, and serving on committees to help guide our priorities for impact, PPL Electric is always there. They are part of the solution to meeting our community’s greatest needs.”
Our Northeast region, which includes Lackawanna and Wayne counties, saw agencies receive more than $36,000 in donations.
In the Lancaster area, two United Way agencies received more than $42,000 in support.
And, our Lehigh region, received more than $2.3 million in donations to five different agencies.
With United Way, we can trust our contributions will be used to improve the quality of life for our neighbors across Pennsylvania. We’re proud to support this critical mission.
We’re committed to preserving the environment in everything we do. Whether our employees are in the office or out in the field, we’re always thinking of innovative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle common materials.
Every day, we receive numerous shipments of fragile materials that are wrapped in clear plastic to help keep the items secure. Thanks to our employees at the Lock Haven Service Center, who initiated a new program, we’re making sure that plastic is recycled.
Through this program, employees recycle plastic by placing it in large bins in their service center. As an incentive for collecting 500 pounds of recyclable materials, Trex®, a manufacturer of wood alternative products, will provide us with a Trex® bench that we’ll be donating to a local park!
Our goal is to collect enough plastic for a Trex® bench in a local park in every region of our service territory. To date, we have collected over 400 pounds of materials and expanded the program by placing bins in three other service centers in the Susquehanna region including Sunbury, Bloomsburg, and Montoursville.
Our employees visited events, like baseball games, throughout our service territory, to deliver free plants and seeds to our customers. Their mission: spread the word about pollinators and how important it is to protect and preserve the environment we all love.
Along the way, they met a few plant enthusiasts, environmental champions, and captured some great moments.
Check them out!
In Williamsport, Chris Stamatedes, PPL Electric’s Regional Director of Operations, threw out the first pitch at the largest attended Crosscutters baseball game of the season!
Wealso visited one of the coolest spots in the area for First Friday- The Lancaster Science Factory.
And we couldn’t miss an Iron Pigs game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown!
We spent a beautiful sunny day at the Newfoundland Farmers Market and donated more than 250 mint plants to our friends in the Northeast region.
At the Forks Farmers Market in Orangevilleour volunteersarrived in style with our electric vehicle. They spent the day talking with customers about how we plant pollinators in our right-of-way areas.
We passed through Schuylkill County and set up a booth at the Hometown Farmers Market. There, customers had the opportunity to package their own native pollinator seed mix to plant at their homes.
Did you pick up a mint plant or pollinator seeds at one of our recent events? Post pictures of your planted pollinators on Facebook. Tag PPL Electric Utilities, and use the hashtag: #MyPPLPollinatorPatch.
And if we missed you this season, don’t worry- we’ll be back! Follow us on social media for upcoming Community Roots pop-ups!
Our employees are always willing to offer a helping hand and look forward to participating in the United Way’s Day of Caring every year.
It’s an opportunity for employees to roll up their sleeves and make a direct impact in the communities where we live, work, and play. This year, we had outstanding participation, with 140 PPL volunteers at the following organizations across the Lehigh Valley:
Bloom
Casa Guadalupe
Equi-Librium
Friends of Johnston
Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA Allentown
Greater Valley YMCA
Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh County Humane Society
Lehigh Valley Children’s Center
Salvation Army Hospitality House
Check out our clips from this year’s volunteer efforts:
We’re grateful for our employees’ involvement and proud to support the United Way!
