Essential Utilities Celebrates the Success of Its Month-Long 2024 Earth Day Celebration

BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) successfully concluded its third annual Essential Earth Day, a 30-day program dedicated to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Below are the record-breaking highlights of this year’s achievements, reaffirming Essential’s commitment to protecting the environment and safeguarding natural resources:

Stronger Together: Investing in a Sustainable Future

• Donated more than $650,000 in grants supporting 32 deserving organizations dedicated to sustainability and environmental improvement
• Empowered 545 employees to volunteer 1,698 hours across 46 volunteer events
• Provided 432 employees with educational programs on managing water contaminants, local conservation to build climate resiliency, and urban gardening for wildlife

“Environmental responsibility is a core tenet at Essential,” said Essential Utilities Chairman and CEO Chris Franklin. “We believe consistent, collective efforts make a significant difference, and Essential Earth Day is a way to demonstrate the daily actions we take to protect the environment and the communities we serve.”

A Diverse Range of Impactful Activities

Employees in every state across the company’s nine-state footprint participated in a variety of volunteer activities, including:

• River and trail cleanups that collected more than 280 bags of litter and other debris from natural spaces
• Planting initiatives that installed more than 41,000 trees and native wildflowers to improve habitat and beautify public spaces
• Educational workshops on sustainability and conservation for Essential team members
• Seed bombing that distributed 2,300 packs of wildflowers to local communities, resulting in 480,000 additional seeds planted
• Crafting enrichment activities for penguins at The National Aviary

“We’re grateful for Essential’s generous support that helps make our work possible,” said Lisa Hancock, director of institutional giving, Natural Lands. “The team’s enthusiasm and dedicated efforts to clean up debris, plant native trees and install protective cages truly makes a difference.”

Essential Earth Day is a vital component of the company’s long-term environmental commitment. Since the program’s inception, Essential has donated more than $1.7 million, mobilized over 1,340 employees to volunteer, and supported environmental causes with more than 4,895 volunteer hours. The company remains dedicated to providing high-quality water, reliable natural gas service, and fostering a sustainable future for generations to come.

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) delivers safe, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families and entire communities. With a focus on water, wastewater and natural gas, Essential is committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience and premier employer status. We are advocates for the communities we serve, donating more than $4 million from the Essential Foundation each year, and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Operating as the Aqua and Peoples brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 9 states. Essential is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S. Learn more at www.essential.co.