Celebrating Earth Day: Our commitment to environmental sustainability education

According to Malesia Dunn, PPG executive director, PPG Foundation and corporate social responsibility, sustainability is an integral part of delivering on our promise to ‘protect and beautify’ the world. Such was the inspiration in 2023 when PPG and PPG Foundation announced a commitment to invest $5 million by 2030 in environmental sustainability education.

Since the announcement, grants and partnerships around the world have been established to strengthen support of the next generation of innovators through programs that meet the specific environmental needs in PPG communities, aligned with climate action and a more circular economy.

Peter Votruba-Drzal, vice president-elect, global sustainability, added to Malesia’s sentiments, in celebration of Earth Day 2024, “The opportunities we face to create a brighter future and protect our planet will carry into future generations.”

“The partnerships we have in place underscore our sustainability education commitment to ensure young people around the world are educated on climate issues, environmental stewardship, and are prepared to address these important challenges head on in new and innovative ways.”

One such program is the Attitude for the Planet program with Junior Achievement in Brazil. PPG helped with this training program for high school students in public schools in Sumaré, Brazil. With classes taught by PPG employee volunteers who served as teachers for a day, the Attitude for the Planet program addressed the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability with 60 high school students.

One participating student commented, “Commitment to sustainability starts with each one of us. Learning about the new concepts and seeing how to apply them in practice opened my mind. I also understood how everything is interconnected in sustainable development and, therefore, it is necessary that all spheres of society take a stand to ensure the best use of resources and their continuity.”

To mark Earth Day 2024, read on to learn more about the progress of our environmental sustainability education grants and partnerships.

• National Energy Education Development (NEED): In 2023, PPG delivered two teacher workshops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio, that helped approximately 60 grade 6-8 educators build content knowledge and capabilities for teaching energy topics in the classroom. Each session focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate change and included PPG speakers. Diane Kappas, vice president, global sustainability, and Calum Munro, associate fellow, Science & Technology, attended the Pittsburgh session on behalf of PPG and shared sustainability challenges that companies like PPG are facing. An attending teacher stated, “One highlight of my experience was the panel discussion featuring PPG employees. This allowed us to gain insights into real-world applications of energy concepts and witness PPG's unwavering commitment to sustainability.” This year, we’re again delivering workshops in Pittsburgh and Cleveland while also expanding to Greensboro, North Carolina and Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
• Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE): The PPG Foundation teamed up with this Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that raises awareness of environmental risk factors to human health and educates people on steps they can take to protect themselves, their families and the environment as a whole. Through programs like Teen on the Eco Scene, WHE works with students in school settings to promote healthy practices and reduce the harmful effects of environmental toxins.
•  REIGN (Reframing Engagement and Involvement with Green Networks): The PPG Foundation is partnering with the Ohio-based non-profit organization Organic Connects to support the REIGN Youth Environmental Leadership Development Program, a year-long after-school program that creates pathways to success for high school youth interested in and passionate about environmental justice issues and sustainability.
• National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF): NEEF and the PPG Foundation will bring STEM learning about the environment to life through the implementation of Greening STEM projects in Pittsburgh and East Point, Georgia. In Pittsburgh, the NEEF/PPG collaboration is supporting a field learning experience for seventh and eighth graders in partnership with the Pittsburgh Park Conservancy.
• Atlas of Climate Change: PPG partnered with Czech organization “Facts on Climate Change” (Fakta o klimatu), a team of independent analysts and experts that are committed to creating educational resources on climate change based on factual, constructive and science-based data. Through PPG support, the Atlas of Climate Change flagship project, formerly offered in Czech, was translated into English to reach a broader audience. In addition, PPG is actively involved in Facts on Climate Change’s other initiatives, including a podcast series centered on the social and human aspects of climate change and creating educational materials for teachers. Learn more here.
• Junior Uni Wuppertal: A long-standing PPG partner, Junior Uni, located in Wuppertal, Germany, provides students with after-school educational activities that foster creativity and hands-on learning. In 2024, PPG and Junior Uni are working together on sustainable course offerings for children and young people with themes such as “The element researchers – On the trail of water,” “Biology meets physics: survival tricks in the animal kingdom,” and “Upcycling – old things with a new look.”
• Keep America Beautiful: At COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® projects around the U.S. in 2023, PPG employee volunteers created “seed pods” composed of compost, clay and native seed mix that can be planted to help wildlife flourish. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, the finished seed pods were distributed to students and schools where Colorful Communities projects took place to plant in their local areas. We are continuing to bring this activity to our employees throughout 2024.

For more information on PPG’s sustainability education commitment, click here.