As part of its annual Project Earth Environmental Education Grants Program, PPL Montana once again is reaching out to elementary and high schools to help support programs that will inspire students to learn about environmental issues.

“It’s exciting to help our students — our future leaders — use their creative energy to learn about environmental issues and science and create programs that improve Montana’s wildlife, habitat, and rivers and streams,” said Lisa Perry, PPL Montana’s community affairs manager.

“Through our grants program, we help provide teachers with resources to make learning about the environment fun and interesting and enhance curriculum for their students,” she said.

“This past school year our grants helped students at seven Montana schools to broaden their understanding and appreciation of wild bird habitat, composting and watershed stewardship,” Perry said. “Every year, we look forward to seeing how our students tap into their imaginations for their grant applications.”

Through the program, educators are awarded up to $1,500 to help teach students the important role they play in maintaining a healthy environment. Teachers can receive grants for school projects that focus on issues such as watersheds and wetlands, air quality, renewable resources, energy conservation and the greening of schools. The projects can enhance established classroom curricula and academic standards, or support extracurricular activities of school organizations and clubs.

The program is being offered to all public, private and parochial schools in Montana. A school may partner with an organization, association or business, but the school must have primary responsibility for the project. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 11, 2008. A team of PPL Montana employees and environmental experts will choose the winning projects.

For more information about the PPL Montana Project Earth Environmental Education Grants Program or to apply for a grant, click here.

PPL has 500 employees in Montana who generate and sell electricity. PPL Montana operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale and retail energy market. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).