Pennsylvania Legacies

Feb 25 2025 254 ep. 25 mins 51
Pennsylvania Legacies Podcast artwork

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.

  Government
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Counterinvasion

Feb 25 2025 43 mins  
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 Speci

Making Waves

Jan 23 2025 27 mins  
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.

How Green Is Your Christmas Tree?

Dec 15 2024 32 mins  
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

Ground Breaking

Dec 05 2024 53 mins  
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.

Food For Thought

Nov 14 2024 48 mins  
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

Flight Risk

Oct 31 2024 34 mins  
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?

Outside Perspectives

Oct 19 2024 41 mins  
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?

Smiles for Miles

Oct 04 2024 17 mins  
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.

Putting Recreation On the Map

Sep 20 2024 34 mins  
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

Great Rivers Greenway

Sep 09 2024 54 mins  
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