Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca and Essential Utilities Executive Vice President and General Counsel Chris Luning delivered a $365,000 check from the company’s Essential Foundation to the Philadelphia Zoo as the presenting sponsor of the “Water Is Life” exhibit.

The donation will enable the zoo to highlight the importance of water for providing shelter, nourishment, and play for all life on earth through their habitat featuring otters and red pandas. Aqua worked with the zoo to implement clean water educational messaging throughout the exhibit. Also, Aqua employees came out for a volunteer day to clean up the area surrounding the zoo.

With a common goal of protecting and conserving water, the partnership between the zoo and Aqua includes a variety of initiatives such as community outreach, onsite volunteer opportunities, audience engagement, and a continued commitment to sustainable business practices.

“The zoo’s mission is an important one and is very much aligned with our mission at Aqua and Essential,” said Lucca. “Not only are we each teaching new generations about the environment and respecting animals’ role in that environment, but we’re also reviewing projects that our companies can work on together to improve our region.”

“As the region’s leading conservation organization and popular visitor destination, we understand our responsibility to take action for the planet,” said Vikram H. Dewan, the Zoo’s President and CEO. “Our message of reduce, reuse, and recycle has galvanized those of us at the Zoo and our millions of guests that simple actions benefit humans and wildlife. We are thrilled to partner with Aqua and Essential Utilities on this important initiative and will remain committed to stewarding the planet we all call home.”

Luning, also a Board Member at the Zoo, said, “By partnering on various community projects centered around environmental conservation, the Zoo and Aqua are instilling in younger generations the importance of protecting Earth’s natural resources for humans and wildlife.”

Aqua Pennsylvania serves approximately 1.5 million people in 32 counties throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit AquaAmerica.com for more information or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica and on Twitter @MyAquaAmerica.