Duke Energy awards environmental grants

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The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to 14 South Carolina organizations that will fund environmental projects, wildlife conservation efforts and environmental educational programs across the state.

“We are committed to investing resources and working alongside our community partners to ensure future generations enjoy the immeasurable benefits of the nature around us,” said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, Duke Energy South Carolina president, in a news release. “By supporting the organizations that do this honorable work, we can help protect and restore wildlife and natural resources, and support quality environmental education programs in our state.”

These organizations received grants to improve the environment in their local communities:

Anderson County Library: To support the Fishing Tackle Loan Program, which in partnership with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, teaches library users about local fish habitats and the community’s impact on water quality.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue: To restore and enhance the habitat of a previous mining site in Marlboro County by providing refuge for protected and endangered wildlife.

Chesterfield Soil and Water Conservation District: To provide additional habitat for many wildlife species that depend on the longleaf pine ecosystem in Chesterfield County.

Friends of Paris Mountain State Park: To help with habitat restoration at Lake Buckhorn, originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939.

Kalmia Gardens of Coker College: To help restore, promote and protect natural habitats and wildlife by removing nonnative plant species.

Lindsay Pettus Greenway: To develop the Environmental Education Center area with a baseline natural resources inventory, removal of invasive species and restoration of native habitat.

The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina: To support several priority stewardship projects including trail maintenance, signage updates and habitat enhancement at Nine Times Preserve in Pickens County.

Newberry Soil and Water Conservation District: To expand habitat management capabilities of U.S. Forest Service lands while continuing to assist private landowners in implementing habitat improvement practices.

Palmetto Conservation Foundation: To support training of and work by Palmetto Conservation Corps crews to protect and improve about 100 miles of public trails.

Partners for Active Living: To improve water quality along Spartanburg’s Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail with innovative landscape elements designed to remove debris and pollution from surface runoff water.

S.C. Aquarium: To support the traveling environmental education outreach program Rovers in Marion and Clarendon counties.

S.C. Waterfowl Association: To support scholarships to Camp Leopold, a school year natural resource conservation and environmental education camp in Pinewood that reconnects students to the land community through hands-on environmental education programs.

Trees Greenville: To continue the Energy Saving Trees program, which gives residents trees and information that will help conserve energy and reduce energy bills through strategic tree planting.

Trees S.C.: To support Florence County residents with free trees and education on strategic planting that will help save energy and money.

The foundation annually funds more than $33 million to communities throughout Duke Energy’s service area. In 2017, the company donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, according to the release.