The Lansdowne Friends School, as one of three organizations in Delaware County to receive an Environmental Education grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will be dedicating its new gardens that highlight the importance of native plants at its annual fair on May 21.

Planted in various parts of the campus were plants that have evolved in the area and support insects and birds. Three sections of the campus have been replanted with native species.

Lansdowne Friends has also installed signs, accessible to the public, which explain the importance of using native plants in landscaping.

The school, whose mission includes environmental stewardship, has a long history of environmental education and a program emphasizing the importance of nature in the development of children. Included in that is its gardening program.

During the 2014-2015 school year, the school-wide theme was sustainability. As part of that theme, the school applied for the environmental education grant with its partners, the Delaware County Conservation District and the Darby Creek Valley Association. The grant of $3,000 is designed to educate the public on environmental matters.

“Our goal is to create a program to educate students, parents, and visitors about the importance and environmental benefits of landscaping with locally native Pennsylvania plant species,” said Lansdowne Friends Head of School John McKinstry. “Another goal is to improve the ecological value of this parcel of land in Lansdowne Borough.”