"Communities throughout Greater Philadelphia rely heavily on outdoor spaces for recreation and social distancing, especially during the pandemic. It is undeniable that Chester and Delaware Counties are home to some of the most beautiful open spaces in southeastern Pennsylvania," said Jose Aguirre, Senior Manager of External Affairs, PECO. "At PECO, we understand that a cleaner environment means a healthier, stronger community. We strive to create an environment where our customers and employees can thrive, and we know that is only possible when we invest in our environment through programs like Green Region. We are pleased to support the preservation and betterment of those areas at such a critical time in our region's history."  

Since 2004, PECO has partnered with Natural Lands to support the Green Region Open Space program, which provides grants to municipalities, recreational authorities, and non-profits. Natural Lands is the Greater Philadelphia Region's oldest and largest land conservation organization, having preserved more than 125,000 acres, including 42 nature preserves and one public garden. In 2021, the program received the Pennsylvania Environmental Council's Industry Innovation & Corporate Sustainability Award; and one of PECO's Green Region projects received the PA Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. 

Earlier this year, PECO awarded $160,000 in Green Region Grants to 21 area municipalities and nonprofits, supporting a number of important initiatives with a focus on tree preservation and projects that enhance environmental equity. To date, through this program, PECO has donated almost $2.6 million in grants to support environmental projects across PECO's service territories. As a result of Green Region Grants, almost 350 acres of land have been acquired for open space preservation, over 14,000 trees have been planted in community spaces and parks, and 50 miles of trails were improved and constructed for public use.  

The PECO Green Region Open Space Program is a key part of PECO's broader Path to Clean initiative, which includes a goal to reduce operations-driven emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Through this goal, PECO is also working in partnership with local communities on environmental efforts beyond the emissions reduction goal, including open space preservation and promoting environmental equity in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Green Region Grant is just one example of these initiatives; and the ongoing partnership with organizations like Natural Lands will continue to provide direction for, and the growth of, PECO's recently launched ReLeaf program, which is centered around the company's increased investment in tree planting and education across the Greater Philadelphia Region. 

For more information about the PECO Green Region Open Space Program, visit here.  

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PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania's largest electric and natural gas utility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to more than 1.6 million electric customers and more than 540,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company's 2,900 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship, and community assistance. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the largest fully regulated utility company in the nation with more than 10 million customers. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter. 

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