When asked by the City of Philadelphia what they were looking for in the Spring Garden Street Greenway, the response from the city’s public was clear: they wanted a corridor that was safe, accessible, and attractive. These desires were little changed from PEC’s feasibility assessment conducted n...

One year ago, COVID-19 was only just beginning to make its presence felt in the U.S. By the end of March, Pennsylvania and much of the rest of the country were in lockdown, and already, it was clear that our relationship to trails and open space was changing. News coverage and anecdotal reports indi...

Want to do something to protect and improve the environment around your home, community, and waterways? Interested in observing natural spaces and providing valuable information to scientists monitoring water quality, protecting wildlife, or studying climate change? You can do all of that and...

You may remember learning in our video, How to Regrow a Forest, how PEC restores native forests on formerly mined lands by implementing the Forest Reclamation Approach with partners in the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). You may also remember from this video that there are cl...

In celebration of our 50th anniversary, PEC commissioned OPR Group to create a commemorative book exploring the past, present, and future of our organization and of the places we have worked to protect and restore. While the print edition of this volume is no longer available, we invite everyone...

Position Description Events and Administration Coordinator (Philadelphia Office) February 12, 2021 About PEC: The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that protects and restores the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration,...

Pittsburgh's rivers made the city an industrial titan at a time when environmental damage was accepted as the price of progress. Now they're being put back to work generating low cost, carbon-free electricity -- without creating new environmental or land use impacts. Allegheny County Executive Ri...

Since 1983, Pennsylvanians have had the opportunity to rally around their favorite state waterway and vote for the River of the Year. This year’s winner is the Shenango River, which runs for 82 miles in Western Pennsylvania, eventually joining with the Mahoning to form the Beaver River northwest o...

Join the Rail Trail Council of NEPA and the Northeast Chapter of Get Your Tail on the Trail and celebrate with a Tail on the Trail Kickoff Winter Challenge — 30 miles in 30 days. The event will begin with a celebration on Saturday, February 6th, from noon to 3 PM at the Union Dale Trailhead of...

This is a great time to have access to trails and a challenging time to manage them. For the past year the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, in an effort to better understand how the increased number of people getting out on trails during the Pandemic was impacting those recreational resource...

All over the country, consumers want locally grown food. But much of the demand is concentrated in densely populated areas, where farmers have to compete with developers over a finite amount of arable land. Montgomery County has a solution: fully a third of its farmland will remain in agricultura...

Last week PEC joined the Environmental Defense Fund in submitting comments to the Environmental Quality Board in support of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) proposal to set a declining limit on carbon pollution emitted by in-state fossil fuel generating units by ...

Motivated by the resilient commitment and dynamic energy of community watershed organizations across the state, The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) took on the task of redesigning its website to provide better access to the tools and resources that will support the eff...

Which of five finalists will be Pennsylvania's River of the Year for 2021? With less than a week remaining to vote, nominating watershed groups make their final pitch for your vote. Pennsylvania Environmental Council · Watershed Showdown Links VOTE HERE for 2020 PA River of the Year ...

Over the last year, we’ve celebrated PEC’s 50th anniversary by looking back at our history and impact on Pennsylvania’s environment. As we enter a new year, that legacy will help guide us and serve as a reminder of the many tasks ahead.  This is the final piece in our 50th anniversary seri...

“Where can I take a short hike with a great view?” “My kids are hot, is there a swimming hole nearby?” “We want to visit another state park, what do you recommend for biking?” “What’s The Fort?” “Have you been to the Flight 93 National Memorial?” These are just a...

In September, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted to advance to public comment a proposed rulemaking for Pennsylvania to link to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a market-based collaboration between Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states committed to reducing greenhouse gas emiss...

On its 100th anniversary, a new book explores the chain of unlikely historical events that gave us Presque Isle State Park. Authors David Frew and Jerry Skrypzak discuss the book, the Isle, and their hometown of Erie, PA. Pennsylvania Environmental Council · Accidental Paradise Links: Ac...

Updated December 18: The Hazelwood Green Riverfront team has released a report on their community collaboration events from this fall, including the October community workshops, online survey, stakeholder interviews, and meetings with community orgs. Read the report here. Visit ...

The Bicycle Film Festival, an international celebration of all things cycling, began in NYC in 2001 and now spans the globe. For 2020, the Film Festival has partnered with local organizations to move the festival to a virtual format that still champions the impact that bikes have on communities arou...

Over the last year, we’ve celebrated PEC’s 50th anniversary by looking back at our history and impact on Pennsylvania's environment. But as we look toward year 51 and beyond, there is plenty more work to be done. You can find other pieces commemorating our 50th anniversary here.  ...

Every year, PEC hosts regional awards dinners to celebrate the exceptional work being done by groups and individuals across the Commonwealth to help the environment. This year, those events looked a little different. While we were not able to gather in person, the virtual events presented new opport...