Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) marked 35 years of impact at its annual conference held in October in State College. The event drew environmental leaders, volunteers, educators, and policy makers from across the commonwealth.

The two-day event, themed "35 Years of Stewardship, Sustainability, and Environmental Education," featured workshops and community engagement sessions focused on solar energy, secondhand markets and recycling, programming and education that encourages waste minimization and inspires the next generation, leveraging corporate partnerships to advance a mission, and more.

Highlights from the conference included a keynote address by Lara Fowler, Penn State Dickinson Law, emphasizing the power of community in fostering local resilience and economic well-being; youth engagement with four KPB Young Ambassadors representing Erie, Pike, and Chester counties bringing fresh perspectives and energy to the event; and a "Shark Tank"-style competition in which KPB affiliates showcased their most innovative and impactful community improvement ideas. The competition was hosted by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection secretary Jessica Shirley, and Scranton Tomorrow took home the $3,500 grant to expand its collaboration with Marywood STARS, an after-school mentoring program for junior and senior high school students that aims to cultivate knowledge in native sustainable horticulture, foster civic engagement, and instill community pride. The program will culminate in a student-designed landscape planting at the Scranton Courthouse.

The conference was sponsored in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Other sponsors include Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, Hershey, Republic Services, Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, The GIANT Company, Goodwill Keystone, and The Hartman Group.

For more information about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and its upcoming initiatives, visit http://www.keeppabeautiful.org.