The speed of bicycle travel allows us to see the world through a different set of eyes. We are immersed in it, feeling the elements, smelling the smells, seeing snippets of places we would miss if we were flying by in a car on the interstate. To arrive at a destination covered in sweat and dust,...

Every spring, PEC is proud to co-host the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence dinner along with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Today, DEP announced it will begin accepting nominations for the 2020 awards later this month: “These awards bring much-deser...

Governor Wolf’s proposal to bring Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Initiative (RGGI), announced today, is the first concrete and meaningful step that the Commonwealth has taken to directly address its role in exacerbating climate change. For that, the Governor is to be congratulated. A...

To help the Philadelphia Water Department meet their MS4 permit requirement, PEC provides public education and outreach to residents, businesses, and schools. Our boots-on-the-ground in this effort is Community Engagement Specialist Kadafi El-Kardah, who shared this account of his summer activities....

You've heard of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC) and its vision for 1,500 miles of interconnected trails across the Rust Belt. But did you know that more than half of those miles are already open, and packed with things to see and do? The recently updated and expanded Trail Trips col...

Republican and Democratic lawmakers join environmentalists, faith leaders, and community organizations in pushing Governor Tom Wolf to advance meaningful regulations on methane emissions from Pennsylvania's oil and gas industry. ...

Allegheny College's "Creek Connections" program gets students out of the classroom and into local waterways for a hands-on learning experience. Watershed educator Laura Branby explains how Creek Connections is sparking kids' interest in the sciences and building their relationship with the natural w...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2019 CONTACT: Kelsey Emch, P3R 412-586-7785 or Kelsey.Emch@P3R.org Josh Raulerson, PEC 412-481-9400 or jraulerson@pecpa.org   2019 GAP Relay Presented by UPMC Health Plan Aims to be First Carbon Neutral Trail Relay in U.S. P3R and the Allegheny Trai...

Did you know that September is Trails Month in PA? For 2019, PEC has partnered with DCNR to promote events that encourage people to get out and explore. Trails not only take us from point A to B, they open us to new experiences and help to reaffirm our sense of place in the world.  If you c...

In honor of Ohiopyle, PA’s bid for Top Adventure Town honors in the “Tiny Towns” division, a tiny podcast episode to tide you through the holiday weekend. Anna Weltz of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau drops in to ask for your vote in the competition sponsored by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazi...

This September, cyclists will gather at Black Moshannon State Park for the first Public Lands Ride, presented by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. The ride is a non-competitive event, and two different distances offer options to a variety of abilities and experience levels. Its purpose ...

PBS39 News Tonight for Aug. 21, 2019. Stories include back-to-school shopping on a budget at thrift shops; a $1.8 million plan to turn an old SEPTA rail line into three miles of trail in Richland Township, Bucks County; and a 17-year-old Moravian Academy student who formed a nonprofit group after hi...

The end goal of any trail project is to create a public asset that's accessible, welcoming, and beneficial to everyone in the community. But to succeed, inclusivity has to be baked into every project from its inception. Julia Raskin, trail planner and author of PEC's new Inclusionary Trail Planning ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2019 NEWS FROM: Northeast Environmental Partners CONTACT: Angela Vitkoski, Pennsylvania Environmental Council PHONE: 570-718-6507 EMAIL: avitkoski@pecpa.org   NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCE AWARDS DINNER & AWARD RECIPIENTS &n...

The governors of five Great Lakes states, including Pennsylvania's Tom Wolf, are banding together in an effort to make the health of the lakes a campaign issue in the 2020 presidential election. We dive into the Great Lakes 2020 Platform in conversation with Gov. Wolf's Deputy Chief of Staff, Sam Ro...

Pennsylvania has two coastlines, did you know that? The tidal portion of the Delaware River connects via Delaware Bay to the Atlantic. Though it’s freshwater, it experiences a daily tidal influence of six feet. The other coastline is Lake Erie, with the jewel of Presque Isle State Park. Sad...

Transforming abandoned strip mines into healthy native forest isn't as easy as it sounds! Learn how PEC and our partners in the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) are restoring Penn's woods, one legacy mining site at a time. ...

Though Pennsylvania enjoys an abundance of world-class opportunities for outdoor recreation, access is often limited by racial, socioeconomic, and other disparities. For Pennsylvanians with disabilities, adventure sports like kayaking can be especially difficult to break into. But proponents of "ada...

A stand of old-​growth hemlocks with trunks nearly four feet in diameter towers over a trail cut along a creek shrouded in mountain laurel that ripples through Laurel Hill State Park, part of one of the largest state park systems in the nation. It rose from a Depression-​era work program that em...

Before you can attempt to solve a problem, you have to understand it in depth. You have to identify whatever resources are available and learn how to apply them to a solution. You have to be willing to embrace your failures, and always ready to adapt. You have to think ahead, anticipating challe...

Pennsylvania Legacies is on summer break through mid July. We leave you with an audio postcard from the recent unveiling of two exciting new improvements along Bucks County's Delaware & Lehigh Trail. Links: Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Wolf Administration Highl...

On June 19, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an editorial in which it called out both PEC and PEC President Davitt Woodwell, a Pennsylvania Commissioner on the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), as “irresponsible and cowardly” and “disgracing ORSANCO’s rich legacy�...

PEC Vice President Janet Sweeney appeared on WBRE-TV's "PA Live!" to talk about the kickoff of the Get Your Tail on the Trail Northeast PA Chapter: ...

The 49th Philadelphia Environmental Partnership Dinner was held on Thursday, June 13, at the Crystal Tea Room in Center City Philadelphia. Hundreds of the city's environmental movers and shakers turned out to celebrate innovation, service, and leadership exhibited by the winners of this year's Curti...

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shiny dibble bar,” joked the Forest Technician as crew leaders unloaded planting bars from the back of a rented pickup truck at Weiser State Forest on the afternoon of April 19th. But those shiny new tools didn’t stay clean for long. The Weiser site was ...

It's not just Pennsylvania -- trails and greenways are becoming must-have amenities for communities throughout the U.S. and around the world. But the trend isn't universal, and the scarcity of trails in many areas is reflected in lower public health, wellness, and quality-of-life ratings. We assess ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 6, 2019   Contact: Josh Raulerson, Pennsylvania Environmental Council Phone: 412-481-9400 Email: jraulerson@pecpa.org   Riverfront North Partnership Recognizes Patrick Starr   Philadelphia — The Board of Directors of the Riverfront North Par...

Today Senator Jay Costa circulated a cosponsor memo for legislation that will reduce carbon pollution from Pennsylvania’s power sector to help address climate change and ensure that Pennsylvania remains economically competitive in a zero-carbon energy future. The legislation requires at least a...