Press Release

Company hosts 35 environmental volunteer events and donates nearly $600,000 in honor of Earth Day

BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 26, 2022-- As part of its year-round commitment to the environment, Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) launched the first-ever Essential Earth Day to engage its employees and the communities it serves in the company's mission to help protect Earth’s most precious resources.

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Chris Franklin, Essential Utilities CEO, presents check to Tree Pittsburgh. (Photo: Business Wire)

With the help of nearly 500 employees, and through partnerships with local environmental organizations, the company hosted 35 events, serving approximately 2,000 total volunteer hours across the 10 states where Essential operates. Essential also provided financial donations totaling $580,000 to 28 nonprofit organizations with environmental causes to further invest in these communities.

“Our Essential Earth Day activities provided a perfect opportunity for our employees across Essential Utilities, Aqua and Peoples to not only demonstrate our progress toward cultivating a more sustainable future, but to engage firsthand with the communities we serve in an up-close, impactful way,” said Essential Utilities Corporate Giving & Community Affairs Lead Krista Scheirer. “We are thankful to our nonprofit partners for allowing us to assist them with these critical environmental efforts and look forward to continuing our support through volunteerism and corporate giving.”

Volunteer activities extended throughout the month and included projects such as:

• Forest restoration at Garrett Williamson -- a philanthropic, community farm committed to educating children and families in the Greater Philadelphia Area about environmental and recreational health and restoration -- in partnership with Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association
• Invasive plant removal to protect natural habitat at Hildacy Preserve in Media, Pennsylvania -- in partnership with Natural Lands
• Park cleanups at Mill Creek MetroParks in Struthers, Ohio – “Ohio’s First Park District”, and John A. Roebling Park in Hamilton Township, New Jersey – in partnership with the Mercer County Park Commission
• Planting, mulching, and vegetable garden preparation projects at Pullen Park in Raleigh, North Carolina – in partnership with the Raleigh Parks Recreation & Cultural Resources Department, the Maymont Foundation in Richmond, Virginia and French Creek Elementary School in Fairmount, West Virginia
• Litter cleanups with the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, the Darby Creek Valley Association and Wissahickon and McKeesport Trails, all in Pennsylvania
• Tree cultivation with Tree Pittsburgh
• Earth Day Bingo in London, Kentucky -- a fun educational event in partnership with IGOT Communities
• Water filter building for global communities in need -- in partnership with Wine to Water

Essential also hosted educational events for employees and the public. Notably, the company's Aqua subsidiary was the presenting sponsor for an Earth Day festival at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

“At Essential, we understand that protecting Earth’s most precious resources is a multi-pronged approach that starts with education,” said Peoples Natural Gas Senior Specialist, Corporate & Community Affairs Jackie Ziemianski. “We are proud to host these educational events and volunteer opportunities to establish a deeper connection among our employees, communities and the Earth as we strive to protect it.”

Essential Earth Day activities are part of Essential’s commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. To learn more, please visit https://www.essential.co/commitment.

About Essential

Essential is one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the U.S., serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands. Essential is committed to excellence in proactive infrastructure investment, regulatory expertise, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship. The company recognizes the importance water and natural gas play in everyday life and is proud to deliver safe, reliable services that contribute to the quality of life in the communities it serves. For more information, visit http://www.essential.co.

WTRG

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Sarah Courtright
267.391.9302
Media@Essential.co

Source: Essential Utilities Inc.