TEACHING GREEN | October - December 2026 Issue 

Welcome to Teaching Green, DEP’s newsletter for formal and non-formal environmental educators, partners, and communities across Pennsylvania.

Teaching Green creates a space for educators and programmers to explore new activities, tools, ideas, and opportunities that support meaningful environmental education in classrooms, communities, and beyond.

Fall into environmental education with us!

Spooky science, changing leaves, migrating wildlife, and more autumn discoveries help learners build a better connection to nature and strengthen their understanding of our environment. These experiences inspire curiosity, support green habits, and foster a deeper appreciation for Pennsylvania’s natural resources.

Share Teaching Green with colleagues, educators, and others who may find it useful.

Have an activity idea, resource, or suggestion for a future edition? We want to hear them! Please submit ideas and suggestions to: Ra-epEEgrants@pa.gov.

As environmental education efforts continue to grow across Pennsylvania, new opportunities and innovative projects are connecting communities, educators, and learners to meaningful environmental education experiences. Explore grant opportunities, statewide initiatives, and featured projects making an impact through environmental education and stewardship. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announces a new round of the Environmental Education Grants Program. The project period is July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028.

The Environmental Education (EE) Grants Program opens October 5, 2026. 

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Department of Community & Economic Development’s Single Application for Assistance by 11:59 PM on November 13, 2026.

Applications submitted by ineligible organizations, past the deadline, or through mail, email, or fax, will not be considered.

Funding is provided on a reimbursement basis and awarded to environmental education projects that promote DEP’s mission and/or engage people living, working, recreating, and/or attending school within Environmental Justice (EJ) areas or underserved audiences unidentified as an EJ area. DEP's PennEnviroScreen assists in determining audiences within designated EJ areas.

Projects may:

Three levels of funding are offered:

The 2027 Environmental Education Grants Program guidelines and application instructions are available at Environmental Education Grants | Department of Environmental Protection | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

Applicants are encouraged to attend a free applicant training webinar on October 13, 2026, from noon to 1 p.m. The training link is available on the listed website. Questions concerning the 2027 Environmental Education Grants Program should be directed to the DEP Environmental Education and Information Center (EEIC) at RA-epEEgrants@pa.gov.

Hands-on learning took root through a series of 21 environmental education programs that connected community members with topics ranging from pollinators and riparian buffers to food forests and growing food at home.

Through the project, Blair County Conservation District, distributed more than 1,500 seed packets helping participants bring what they learned into their backyards and installed permanent educational features at two community sites, Fort Roberdeau Historic Site and Nature Works Park.

Interpretive signage at the historic Fort Roberdeau highlights how native trees, shrubs, and edible plants support biodiversity and provide a naturally sustainable food source for people and wildlife.

At NatureWorks Park, the Soil Horizon Education Discovery Space (SHEDS) brings Pennsylvania soils to life through three large concrete soil profiles representing Hazleton, Hublersburg, and Basher soils. Developed with support from Penn State and NRCS soil scientists, the exhibit and accompanying interpretive signage provide ongoing learning opportunities for approximately 10,500 park visitors annually and serve as a centerpiece for future soil education programs.

Food Waste Prevention Week, a national effort focused on learning, acting, and reconnecting with the value of food, occurred September 28 through October 4.

Preventing food waste can help protect the environment, save money, improve food access, and strengthen communities. Throughout the week, participants take advantage of in-person and virtual events, contests, resources, webinars, and other opportunities to get involved.

Food Waste Prevention Week brings awareness to the issue and offers long-term practices and supportive resources for food waste reduction. These resources are tailored for K-12 schools, including classroom resources, book recommendations, information about food recovery programs, a student poster contest, and educational videos. Educators have access to ready-to-use activities such as food waste trivia, activity books, research projects, and food waste bingo.

DEP would love to hear how your school addresses food waste prevention!

Administrators, educators, and students are encouraged to share school-based food waste prevention success stories and photos (with photo releases) to: Ra-epEEgrants@pa.gov. DEP will highlight your school’s food waste reduction successes in its Teaching Green newsletter to inspire other schools to tailor or replicate student-led programming to positively impact PA’s environment.

Ready to get involved? Visit the websites below for activities, educational materials, and more information about food waste prevention and/or to administratively plan for next year’s event.

The Invisible Intruder: Is Radon Haunting Your Home?

This Halloween, the scariest thing in your home might be something you can’t see, smell, or taste!

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms when uranium in rocks and soil breaks down. It can move through the ground and enter buildings through cracks and openings in the foundation. Because radon has no color, odor, or taste, testing is the only way to detect its presence at unsafe levels.

Radon poses a real health risk. Long-term exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after smoking. 

In Pennsylvania, radon is an especially important environmental health topic. Pennsylvania has one of the most significant radon problems in the country. Approximately 40% of homes tested in the Commonwealth have radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of 4 pCi/L.

The good news? This invisible intruder can be detected and managed! Radon test kits are available at many hardware stores, and certified professionals can install systems to reduce elevated levels of radon.

Bring the Mystery into Your Classroom: Radon Detectives

Uncover this unseen ghoul through an environmental science investigation! Challenge students to become radon detectives and explore how something invisible can affect the environment around us.

Suggested activity: The Haunted House Investigation

Have students draw a cross-section of a haunted house, including a basement, foundation, surrounding soil, and underlying rock.

Encourage students to illustrate the pathways radon might travel from the ground into homes, using arrows or colored markers to show how the gas moves through cracks and openings.

This activity connects art, earth science, environmental health, and scientific investigation while encouraging students to think about the relationship between geology and the environment.

Explore more: Visit the DEP Radon Division for more information about testing, mitigation, and educational resources.

Fall offers the perfect opportunity to take learning outdoors and encourage learner-driven investigation. This section highlights seasonal activities, educational tools, and resources designed to help educators create engaging, hands-on, environmental learning experiences throughout the season.

Hidden Colors of Fall Leaves – Discover the science behind fall foliage by revealing the hidden pigments inside leaves through a simple, hands-on chromatography activity.

Fall Apple Chemistry – Put freshly picked apples to the test and discover the chemistry that keeps apples looking fresh.

Virtual Pumpkin Patch Field Trip – Take a virtual trip to a pumpkin patch while learning how farms recycle pumpkins, reduce food waste, and use sustainable farming practices.

Investigating Soil Erosion – Explore how wind and water shape the land with this hands-on experiment that demonstrates the effects of soil erosion and runoff.

Homemade Weather Station – Create a simple weather station using a pinecone to discover how changing weather conditions affect nature throughout the fall season.

Explore Fall with Phenology – Track the signs of autumn and learn how seasonal changes influence plants, wildlife, and local ecosystems around us.

Because of an Acorn, by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer, is a beautifully illustrated picture book that explores the connections within a forest ecosystem, beginning with something as small as an acorn.

Through a simple chain of relationships – from acorns and trees to wildlife, plants, and habitats – young learners learn living things depend on one another and even the smallest parts of an ecosystem have an important role.

This book is a great addition to environmental education lessons because it introduces concepts such as ecosystems, food webs, habitats, life cycles, and interconnectedness in an accessible, visual way. It can also serve as a starting point for outdoor activities, such as collecting and observing acorns, identifying trees, exploring forest habitats, or creating a classroom ecosystem web.

Because of an Acorn is recommend for Pre-K – Grade 3.

YOUTH RECOGNITION OPPORTUNITY- LITTER HAWK YOUTH AWARD PROGRAM OPENS OCTOBER 31

Litter Hawk Youth Award Program is a recognition program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Students promote clean communities through art, words, or video. Two entries in each grade level will be awarded prizes, and all students receive stickers for participating. The program culminates in a ceremony at the PA State Capitol Building on April 1, 2027. All winning students and their parents/guardians/teachers and legislators will be invited to attend. Posters of the winning entries are on display at the PA State Capitol Building during the month of April.

Check back after October 31 to learn more:

LITTER FREE SCHOOL ZONE

Schools in Pennsylvania can keep their school grounds litter free with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Litter Free School Zone Program. The program encourages hands-on activities to teach environmental stewardship and responsibility and can be combined with a lesson on how litter affects animals, people, water quality, or economics. Responsibilities include planning two litter sweeps per school year and can include supporting activities like creating and caring for pollinator and rain gardens. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides a Litter Free School Zone sign and supplies of gloves and vests!

For more information or to complete an application visit: 

PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA SUPPORTING THE INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP

Pick Up Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth’s largest community improvement program. Each fall, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful holds Pick Up Pennsylvania in support of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup to prevent litter from reaching our waterways. Events scheduled from September 1 through November 30 receive free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) while supplies last. Events must be registered through 2026 Pick Up Pennsylvania to receive free cleanup supplies.

For more information and to register, visit: 

As the seasons change, Pennsylvania’s skies get busy! Each fall millions of birds migrate south in search of food, warmer temperatures, and suitable winter habitat. Many species make this incredible journey at night using natural cues to navigate.

Artificial light from buildings and cities can interfere with nighttime migration. Bright lights may attract or disorient birds, increasing the risk of collisions and causing them to lose valuable energy during an already demanding journey.

Appalachian Audubon Society’s Lights Out Harrisburg initiative is helping make the nighttime journey safer. Participating buildings, including the Rachel Carson State Office Building, dim or turn off unnecessary lights overnight during the fall migration. The program is a great example of how a simple change in human behavior can make a difference for wildlife.

Bring migration into the classroom! Use Lights Out Harrisburg as a starting point for exploring seasons, animal adaptations, migration, and human impacts on wildlife. Younger students can investigate why animals respond to seasonal changes and identify birds that migrate while older students can explore migration routes, examine how artificial light affects wildlife, or research ways their school and community could become bird friendlier.

Try this: Have students choose a migratory bird found in Pennsylvania and map its fall journey. Where does the species spend the summer and the winter? What natural and human-made challenges might it encounter along the way?

A seasonal change that is happening right outside the classroom can become a lesson in ecology, geography, adaptation, and environmental stewardship.

Learning doesn't stop outside of the classroom. Opportunities to Grow shares professional development training, program funding, conferences, and more. Discover new tools, network, build community relationships, and find support and inspiration to enhance environmental education across Pennsylvania. 

DEP’s Coastal Zone Management Grant Program is now accepting applications for projects that protect and enhance Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie and Delaware Estuary Coastal Zones.

What could a project look like? An eligible organization might develop a hands-on watershed education program for students to investigate stormwater runoff, monitor local water quality, learn about wetlands and coastal habitats, or participate in a restoration or stewardship program. Other possibilities could include educational signage, community workshops, and programs that connect learners with plants and wildlife or address environmental challenges of Pennsylvania’s coastal areas.

Applications are open through October 19, 2026.

Click here to learn more about Coastal Zone Management Grants

Join Allegheny Land Trust and Pittsburgh Water for this dynamic one-day educator workshop hosted at Pittsburgh Water’s treatment facility. This immersive experience will equip teachers with valuable insights into water quality, treatment processes, and how we protect our vital water resources. Educators will also explore current and future trends related to the STEELS standards, climate change, and water education through hands-on learning.

Approximately $100 worth of resources will be given to educators in attendance. You must register to attend; no walk-ins will be permitted.

Participants must attend the entire day to receive resources. Five and half hours of ACT 48 are available. Lunch is provided. Financial and other support for the Aquatic Academy has been provided by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants Program.