Pennsylvania Legacies

Last month the PA state House unanimously approved legislation requiring utilities to consider Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) -- hardware and software innovations that make the electric grid smarter and more efficient -- in their infrastructure planning. As the Senate takes up HB 2223, we're republishing our 2025 interview with Jenny Netherton of the Pew Charitable Trusts and Chris D'Ag...

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) occur when nutrient-rich runoff enters lakes and ponds, creating favorable conditions for bacteria that produce potent cyanotoxins. In addition to the usual negative environmental impacts associated with too much algae in freshwater, HABs can seriously sicken people and animals. A new Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District project funded through PEC's Pocono F...

Phoenix Contact USA's facility near Harrisburg is more than a green workplace -- it's a proving ground for the technologies driving Pennsylvania's transition to clean energy and electrification. Learn about the sustainability innovations that have won the company five Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence.

Conversation with Meg Lemieur, Sierra Weir, and Spencer Verney -- the talented inaugural cohort of PEC's new artist residency program -- about their experiences learning about and depicting special places in the Susquehanna River Basin.

"Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds" is a manual for postindustrial communities looking to leverage nature-based tourism for economic development. But it's much more than that -- it's also the story of author Ta Enos's journey from rural northwestern Pennsylvania to the world beyond, and the vision that brought her back home to help rein...

Clean energy sources are available to meet fast-rising demand for electricity at a manageable cost -- but the grid isn't ready. Can advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) help Pennsylvania keep up?

In places like Pennsylvania, where ice and snow can create dangerous driving conditions, road salting is a necessity. But in the absence of statewide regulations, municipalities and property managers wary of legal liability often use far more salt than is necessary -- which doesn't make anyone safer. In fact, excess salt accumulating underground degrades water quality, harms ecosystems, and affect...

The Higher Ground gravel ride will return to Johnstown on November 2. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council is partnering with race coordinators Dave Pryor and Michael Cook, with support from the Community Foundation of the Alleghenies. This year's event will take riders through some of the most scenic and historic parts of the Laurel Highlands, such as the Path of the Flood Trail (this year's Pe...

PEC Program Manager Rachael Stark is on a mission: visit all 63 of America’s National Parks before her 30th birthday this July. With just a few weeks left, she’s off to Alaska to cross the last few parks off her list. Before heading out, Rachael spoke with PEC’s Derek Maiolo about the journey so far.

It's easy to generate excitement around building new miles of trail. More difficult, but arguably more important, is maintaining existing trails. To help under-resourced trail managers get a handle on the complex challenge of maintenance, PEC's Trails team developed an extensive guidebook and companion app for collecting and analyzing data, allocating resources, and planning for long-term sustaina...

April is a big month for the environment. From Earth Day, first observed in the same year PEC was founded, to Arbor Day (April 25), to Celebrate Trails Day (April 26), to International Dark Sky Week (April 21-28), there's an occasion to celebrate almost every aspect of the work PEC and our partners do. As we wrap up our April donor campaign, we're sharing excerpts from past podcast episodes that r...

You know what geothermal energy is. But did you know that Pennsylvania has enough to heat and cool our homes and businesses, power our industries, and meet our carbon-reduction goals in just a few years? The best part: PA's long history of oil and gas production means we already have much of the data, infrastructure, and knowhow needed to seize the opportunity AND keep skilled energy workers emplo...

When it comes to public awareness of invasive species in the northeastern U.S., spotted lanternfly is the undisputed media darling. But in PA, the big picture is both more complex and less visible -- calling for a collaborative and landscape-specific approach to management. Amy Jewitt, an expert with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and a member of the Governor's Invasive Species Council, expl...

Three Rivers Waterkeeper is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit whose mission is to steward the region's three main rivers and their tributaries. That work led to a remarkable discovery that reveals the resiliency of nature.

On today's special holiday-themed episode, we dig into some of the holiday season's evergreen questions with a Pennsylvania Christmas tree expert, such as what's better for the environment — a real or a fake tree? We also discuss the local Christmas tree industry, its threat under climate change, and efforts to develop climate-resilient conifers that could, quite literally, save the future of Chri...

As living ecosystems that can sequester carbon and use it to feed a hungry planet, farms have an important role to play in the fight against climate change. Emerging sensor technologies originally developed for healthcare applications hold the promise of equipping farmers with robust realtime data on the health of their soil.

In Pennsylvania and beyond, the food industry's economic importance is rivaled only by its environmental and climate impacts. Pittsburgh-based Chef Christopher Galarza has made it his mission to green up the food system by building more energy-efficient commercial kitchens, promoting environmentally friendly and community-supporting food production, and educating restauranteurs and their customers...

Building collisions kill more than a billion birds each year in the U.S. and Canada. A product-testing program at Powdermill Avian Research Center in southwestern PA is helping manufacturers make windows more visible and less hazardous to birds, but what will it take to implement bird-safe design throughout the built environment?

Leaders and experts from across the country gathered in Pittsburgh to discuss the potential for outdoor recreation to grow rural economies. What can Pennsylvania learn about their challenges and successes?

For the first time since its 2019 launch, this year the PEC Public Lands Ride was a sold-out event. PEC's Derek Maiolo joins 150+ happy cyclists on the trails and gravel backroads of Black Moshannon State Park and Moshannon State Forest.

The outdoor industry employs thousands of Pennsylvanians in bike shops, outfitters and retailers, hospitality services, and even manufacturing. It also produces niche products like maps, guides, and information resources to help users make the most of their outdoor experience. We talk with Mike Hermann of State College-based Purple Lizard Maps, PA's homegrown publisher of beautiful and rugged maps...

The Great Rivers Greenway is advancing its mission to make the St. Louis region more vibrant by developing a network of trails and greenways. We learned all about it from our hosts at this year's Collaboration of Regional Trail Initiatives. PEC played an instrumental role in launching CRTI several years ago on the premise that trail professionals around the country can learn a lot from one another...

Pittsburgh’s bike share organization launched a new adaptive rental program this summer to provide riders of various cognitive and physical abilities the chance to enjoy local trails. We speak with the people behind POGOH to learn more about the program and bike share in Pittsburgh.

Landslides are occurring more frequently in Pennsylvania, and projected increases in the frequency and severity of rain events will only compound the problem. But vulnerable property owners can’t get landslide insurance because commercial insurers don’t offer it. A state-run program proposed by two state representatives from western PA would provide not only coverage, but also resources to help co...

As competing legislative priorities battled it out in the state budget endgame, one measure sailed through the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The newly enacted Solar for Schools program leverages federal funding to cover up to 100% of installation costs for solar arrays at PA public schools -- delivering major cost savings for school districts, new educational opportunities...