Constellation Among Contributors Recognized for Supporting Development of National Aquarium’s Waterfront Campus

BALTIMORE -- Constellation was among a group of philanthropic partners recognized by the National Aquarium in Baltimore for committing to bring the natural, living Chesapeake Bay back to the Inner Harbor as part of the reimagination for its waterfront campus.

The National Aquarium plans to install a network of floating wetlands, creating habitat for native species, gradually improving the harbor’s water quality and reconnecting residents and visitors with the natural world right at the water’s edge.

Constellation will contribute $1 million over the next five years to support the initiative. Other major private donors include CFG Bank, the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Mary Catherine Bunting and the Bunting Family Foundation. A total of $11 million has been awarded to date from both public and private funders, to support the goal for a greener waterfront.

“These outstanding gifts from CFG Bank and others including public support from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and the State of Maryland, are helping launch a new waterfront renaissance here in Baltimore,” said John Racanelli, president and CEO of the National Aquarium. “Through their support, they are joining us in our mission to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. Our iconic Inner Harbor, and the Chesapeake Bay that connects it to the world, are indeed treasures worth protecting.”

Currently, a floating wetland prototype is in place, serving as both a successful example of how these installations can support wildlife and as an educational tool for the Aquarium’s What Lives in the Harbor program, which gives Baltimore City Public Schools’ sixth graders hands-on learning opportunities to engage with a slice of the Chesapeake Bay. (Learn more about the future of the waterfront campus.)

Funding from Constellation will support an array of Aquarium conservation initiatives. To celebrate the Aquarium’s commitment to clean energy, Constellation will support a solar powered installation on the waterfront campus as part of its donation.

“The National Aquarium makes an incredible impact through conservation and education programs, and the new waterfront campus will expand this reach to even more visitors,” said Jim McHugh, Constellation’s CEO. “This expansion, which will provide hands-on science education for local students, will highlight the Aquarium’s longstanding commitment to clean energy, and we’re thrilled to support it.”

Constellation’s longstanding partnership with the Aquarium incudes two major projects designed to help the organization reduce its carbon footprint and manage costs. In 2015, Constellation completed a 4.3 MW solar array in Cambridge, Md., that accounts for around 40% of the Aquarium’s annual energy use. Constellation also implemented $3.7 million in energy and water conservation measures, which have helped the Aquarium avoid more than 12,000 metric tons of carbon emission annually over the course of a 15-year energy performance contract.

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About Constellation

Constellation is a leading competitive retail supplier of power, natural gas and clean energy solutions for homes and businesses across the continental United States. Constellation's family of retail businesses serves approvixmately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including three-fourths of the Fortune 100. Baltimore-based Constellation is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with 2020 revenues of approximately $33 billion, and more that 30,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and lowerst-cost power generation fleets. Learn more at www.constellation.com or on Twitter at @ConstellationEG.

About The National Aquarium

The National Aquarium is a nonprofit organization focused on changing the way humanity cares for our ocean planet. Through unparalleled exhibits, science-based education programs and hands-on field initiatives, we are creating a new community of hopeful conservationists, driven by our mission to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. For more information on the National Aquarium, visit www.aqua.org.