Chester, Pennsylvania is a tidal community along the Delaware River that is highly vulnerable to coastal flooding, but lacked the resources to address their flood risks. Pennsylvania Sea Grant, the Georgetown Climate Center, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency worked together with the city to identify zoning updates that could enhance community resiliency.

In 2016 the city of Chester established a stormwater authority with a focus on green stormwater infrastructure priorities, incorporating resilience work developed by a climate team led by Pennsylvania Sea Grant. The Stormwater Authority of Chester City received a $1 million PennVest grant to design green infrastructure that will be installed throughout the city to improve the quality and reduce the volume of stormwater run-off degrading Ridley Creek, Chester Creek, and the Delaware River. This investment will be used to build the new stormwater collection system to serve 12,068 low-income households while stimulating environmental, social, and economic benefits to the city.

Millcreek Township is the 7th largest municipality in Pennsylvania with about 53,000 residents. To keep up with increased development demand, newly constructed developments included parking areas that were often 100 percent nonporous and without vegetation.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant worked with the township to improve water quality and community aesthetics by developing model regulations that require a level of green stormwater infrastructure, including the planting of trees and partially vegetated areas around parking lots. In addition to being more aesthetically attractive, green infrastructure helps to control the quantity and improve quality of stormwater. Studies show that shaded parking areas can also cool car temperatures, reduce carbon emissions, and lengthen the lifespan of asphalt. New zoning amendments to Millcreek’s existing ordinance were adopted on March 22, 2016 and are being implemented, requiring all new land developments to incorporate a minimum of 7 percent planted green infrastructure into new parking areas.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant presented information about plastics and marine debris for students and teachers in grades 4-6 at Iroquois Elementary School, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Single-use plastic bags are one of the top items collected during freshwater and marine cleanups. Once in the environment, they can impact wildlife health, water quality, and shoreline aesthetics.

After learning about plastic pollution and its impacts, Iroquois Elementary School students decided to research their community’s use of plastic grocery bags and recycling options. After concluding that lack of curbside pickup makes it difficult for people to recycle, the students developed a service project to reduce the number of single-use plastic bags that end up in the environment, created receptacles at school, and started a recycling competition. Within two months, students had collected 68,000 bags, which were then converted into a park bench. The students' efforts were rewarded with the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.