A special opportunity to sponsor award-winning environmental education.

Since 1995, more than 100,000 passengers of all ages have been engaged in hands-on learning of environmental mysteries and river revelations aboard our state-of-the-art floating classrooms, including thousands of teachers from

231 schools in 66 school districts.

Through activities aboard floating classrooms, RiverQuest links individuals to the natural beauty, history and ecological importance

of our waterways so they develop a sense of stewardship towards the environment.

RiverQuest Explorer is the world’s first vessel to have LEED© standards applied to its entire engineering and construction process to minimize its impact on the natural environment, and it’s the first

designed expressly for river-based education.

Students are introduced to the concept of biodiversity, and how industrial and urban development, municipal wastewater

management and the introduction of invasive species affect native flora and fauna. Activities illuminate population dynamics and

illustrate how human actions have an impact on natural systems.

Clean water, land and natural resource conservation, enhanced STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education: These are among today’s most pressing issues that affect us all on local, national and global levels. Solving these challenges calls for awareness, collaboration and — most of all — a sense of shared responsibility.

RiverQuest is a non-profit educational organization that engages students of all ages in hands-on learning while exploring waterways in the Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia tri-state area. The educational philosophy is familiar and time-tested: “Tell me, I’ll forget; show me, I might remember; involve me, I’ll understand.”

Founded in 1991, the teaching organization utilizes our region’s rivers as an experiential classroom to get children excited about science, technology, engineering and math, and provides adventure- filled enlightenment about environmental issues that face our world.

Students morph into scientists as they travel Pittsburgh’s storied three rivers analyzing living and nonliving indicators of water quality. Results are correlated with industrial history, historical and current land use, and serve as a springboard for exploring issues of sustainability and green designs.

RiverQuest enables individuals to collect and classify plankton and macro invertebrates; test samples for chemical indicators of pollution; correlate form to function in identifying fish and birds; explore concepts of sustainability and green design; and discover how they fit into the river ecosystem — no matter where they live.

Consistent with RiverQuest’s educational mission, formal education modules address appropriate federal and state education standards, including the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology.

Comprehensive school, college and professional development educational programs

Best-in-class environmental operation with minimum waste and maximum control

Attracting and retainingtalented employees

Social responsibility, engaging in communities where RiverQuest operates

Healthy business partnerships based on shared values

Many disciplines, including STEM-based subjects, lend themselves to study on the rivers. By using the river as a hands-on, inquiry-based living lab, students learn about ecology and biology. As they analyze water from various sites and depths and study data relationships and trends, they gain an understanding of chemistry and math. River tours that examine the changing cityscape and bridge designs bring architecture and engineering into play.

Corporate sponsorships enable RiverQuest to continue to offer river-based experiences that provide greater awareness of the importance of our environment and transform the way we understand — and treat — the world around us.

In addition to creating long-term ecological benefits, contributing to environmental stewardship engenders powerful goodwill. By aligning with RiverQuest, you demonstrate your corporation’s leadership in social responsibility and commitment to supporting sustainability and STEM education.

• Differentiate and strengthen your corporate brand• Create publicity and heighten visibility through positive association• Highlight corporate social responsibility• Build new environmentally related networks• Enhance credibility and corporate loyalty among youth and young adults• Deepen and broaden community engagement and impact• Make conservation appealing, commonplace and relevant in day-to-day decision making• Set environment, energy and sustainability trends, change lives and create a sound future for our region’s rivers

• School Sponsorship – Offset fees and program costs for specific schools or districts.• Program Sponsorship – Sponsor education programs for pre-K through adult that explore environmental science, ecology, sustainability and green science, regional history and more. • Naming Opportunties – Exhibit your corporate logo on classrooms, laboratories, vessel signage.• Public Programs and Special Events Sponsorship – Attach your corporate name and logo to RiverQuest’s public programs and themed events throughout the year.

“I had a chance to analyze something real. It brought things together for me.”

RiverQuest.org

RiverQuest: Award-Winning, River-Based Education since 1991

Champion in Action Award, Citizens Charitable Foundation

WorkBoat Magazine’s Environmental Award

Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards Finalist, Dominion and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence, Governor Tom Ridge and PA Department of Environmental Protection

Outstanding Environmental Education Award, Pennsylvania Alliance for Environmental Education

Pennsylvania Environmental Council Three Rivers Environmental Award

Ohio River Basin Consortium River Keeper Award

RiverQuest is governed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed by professionals, interns and volunteers. The nonprofit organization receives advice and assistance from an Advisory Committee comprising community leaders from corporations, government and non-profit organizations. In addition to program fees, RiverQuest programs are supported by contributions from foundations, corporations, government agencies and individuals.

Offices:1501 Reedsdale StreetThe Cardello Building, Suite 2001Pittsburgh, PA 15233

412-231-2712

Vessels docked at:Carnegie Science CenterOne Allegheny Avenue, North ShorePittsburgh, PA 15212