The outdoors is providing a much needed respite from the very necessary homebound nature of our current world. But in addition to social distancing, we all need to be cognizant of the potential risks we can put ourselves and others into if we blindly pursue far flung recreational pursuits. So...

Working from home doesn't mean we stop learning! With multiple free webinars and virtual presentations planned in the next week, watershed professionals and volunteers can stay current and connected with colleagues. Here are a few upcoming events we're following: The DCNR Riparian Forest...

As investors grow wary of fossil fuels and big companies prioritize sustainability, where will Pennsylvania fit in the post-carbon economy? Analysis from Steven Clarke and Alli Gold-Roberts of Ceres, a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy in the business community. Links: Ceres W...

This post is the third in a series recounting the history of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on the occasion of PEC's 50th anniversary. Read other stories here. The turn of a new century brought with it growing concern within the scientific community over the manmade impacts of carbon ...

Community supported agriculture gives subscribers access to fresh, locally grown produce without the trouble and expense of growing it themselves. Community solar does the same thing for renewable energy -- creating economic opportunity for communities, savings for ratepayers, resiliency and efficie...

This guest post was contributed by Sarah Clark Stuart, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, one of PEC's key partners in the Circuit Trails Coalition.   The Circuit Trails Coalition has big plans for the future of the Circuit Trails network, and t...

The following op-ed by BP America Chairman and President Susan Dio was first published at PennLive.com on February 27, 2020. Learn more about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and PEC's decarbonization work here. PA can transform America’s energy landscape – again By Susan ...

The Circuit Trails initiative is starting 2020 with a full slate of projects and a hefty funding boost courtesy of Montgomery County. We talk with Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Circuit advocate and chair of Montco's Board of Commissioners, and PEC's own Patrick Starr, who serves as vice chair of the Circuit ...

For 25 years, he oversaw the process that may represent humans’ best attempt to date at total annihilation of land: strip-mining and mountaintop-removal mining of coal... Angel, born and raised in the same eastern Kentucky mountains that have been devastated by mining, has spent the rest of his ca...

First, the bad news: oil and gas facilities are emitting huge volumes of methane – the primary component of natural gas – into the atmosphere. The climate impact of those emissions is many times greater than that of carbon dioxide, and Pennsylvania is among the biggest contributors. That’s ...

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) provides support for community watershed organizations to build capacity and coordinate more effectively with one another. This spring they’re taking their show on the road, with regional workshops planned for six locations all over th...

This post by PEC president Davitt Woodwell and Dan Grossman of Environmental Defense Fund appeared as an op-ed in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star on February 3, 2020. Given a lack of federal leadership to reduce greenhouse emissions, Pennsylvania has moved to join our neighboring states in taki...

This post is the second in a series recounting the history of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on the occasion of PEC's 50th anniversary. Read other stories here. In just his second term in the state house, Rep. Franklin Kury wrote and fought for an amendment to the state constitution r...

Please join the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) for a gathering of watershed group leaders to share resource information, learn techniques to help build capacity, and network with other groups in the Southeast Pennsylvania r...

Chuck Flink wrote the book on greenways -- literally. 1993's Greenways: A Guide To Planning Design And Development, co-authored with Robert Searns and addressed to the professional planning community, helped launch a global movement in landscape architecture. Now he's making the case for greenways t...

PEC’s mission is to protect and restore environment to improve the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians. We believe that trail development is an effective way to achieve that mission because trails lead people from their own backyards into the heart of the natural world. Developing physical ...

This post is the first in a series recounting the history of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on the occasion of PEC's 50th anniversary. Read other stories here. To many of a certain age, it may be difficult to imagine a time when the world seemed indifferent to the ravages of litte...

The five finalists for 2020 River of the Year represent everything that’s right – and everything that’s wrong – with Pennsylvania’s 86,000 miles of rivers and streams. With online voting set to close in a matter of days, we hear campaign pitches from the sponsoring organizations that nomin...