In 1969, a group of Pennsylvanians gathered in State College to discuss the establishment of a statewide organization to inform and influence decision making on environmental issues. The following year, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council was formally established.
All this year, we're celebrating our 50th anniversary with stories, images, and recollections from PEC's first half-century.
Read More
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. To many of a certain age, it may be difficult to imagine a time when the world seemed indifferent to the ravages of litter, air and water pollut...
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...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2019 CONTACT: Sally Tarhi, Pennsylvania Environmental Council EMAIL: starhi@pecpa.org Nominations Sought for Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards Pittsburgh—If you have an exciting environmental project to improve your c...
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today presented a draft rule to cut emissions of methane to the state’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB), kickstarting a rulemaking process that seeks to address climate impacts from the natural gas industry. The measure, which will yi...
As 2019 comes to an end, and more than a year since the release of the 4th National Climate Assessment, it remains clear that the federal government has abdicated responsibility for even trying to slow the accelerating march of climate change. The outlook here in Pennsylvania may not prove any b...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 9, 2019 CONTACT: Janet Sweeney, Pennsylvania Environmental Council PHONE: 570-718-6507 EMAIL: jsweeney@pecpa.org Voting to Begin for Pennsylvania’s 2020 River of the Year Harrisburg, PA – The public is invited to again vote online for the 2...
Back in January, PEC published a list of legislative and regulatory recommendations for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Pennsylvania's electricity sector. Since then, the governor and legislative leaders have embraced one of the report's key ideas: putting a price on carbon and investing the p...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2019 Contact: Marla Meyer Papernick, Pennsylvania Environmental Council Phone: 412-389-0178 Email: mpapernick@pecpa.org Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Mini-Grant Program Applications Open Pittsburgh— The Pennsylvania...
As Upstream Suburban Philadelphia (USP) coordinator for the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), one of PEC's responsibilities is to organize watershed tours. These outings are a chance for USP partners to showcase their stormwater management work to William Penn Foundation staff, learn f...
Trails beautify neighborhoods and make communities more livable -- but that's only the beginning. A 2019 report from the East Coast Greenway Alliance shows how every dollar spent developing the ECG corridor through the Delaware River Watershed comes back almost twofold in benefits to public health, ...
Saturday, October 26th was a glorious fall day for tree planting, as PEC -- with project partners -- brought to fruition the final phase of the Cornwells Elementary School Basin and Constructed Wetland project in Bensalem Township. This project helps resolve historic flooding, improves th...
In a state that's nearly 60 percent tree-covered, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry has a lot of ground to cover. But thanks to Penn State's Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship training program, DCNR has boots on the ground in every county, connecting Pennsylvanians...
The onetime railroad town of Corry, Pennsylvania celebrates the latest stage of its transformation into an Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition trail town. ...
Like many Philadelphians, I'm used to thinking of Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County and Southwest Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood as two entirely different places. Cobbs Creek is in the city, while Cheltenham is suburban. Cobbs Creek’s population is largely low-income, while Che...
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) protects and restores the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education, and advocacy. PEC believes in the value of partnerships with the private sector, government, communities, and individuals to improve the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.