
Molly Bilinski
Environment & Science reporterI cover environment and science for LehighValleyNews.com. Originally from Schuylkill County, I got my start in journalism writing obituaries for the Reading Eagle in 2014 after graduating from Kutztown University. I’ve also reported for The Press of Atlantic City, covering municipalities, crime and courts, and The Morning Call, where I was part of the audience team. In 2022, I won first place in the diversity category of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Keystone Media Awards. Contact me at mollyb@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8225.
-
The city was awarded the grant through the WalkWorks program. Officials now have $35,000 and a year to create an Active Transportation Plan aimed at bolstering connectivity across the city.
-
Development has divided wildlife habitats across Pennsylvania, leading to more vehicle-animal collisions. A new report from the state Legislature argues reconnecting the pieces through wildlife corridors would help.
-
The National Scenic Visitors Center’s “Earthwalk Explorer” exhibit is at the Banana Factory Arts and Education Center, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem. The traveling, tactile exhibit is centered around a 3D map of the northeastern United States and is in town all next week.
-
Keystone Cement Co. in East Allen Township is renewing its hazardous waste permit with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Part of the company's plan is to change how it transports waste, from trucks to rail.
-
Mosquitos carrying West Nile virus were recorded within city limits. Here's where officials are spraying Wednesday.
-
Applications for a seat on the council, launched in 2022 and aimed at growing public participation, are being accepted through the end of the month. Here's how to apply.
-
Gov. John Shapiro last month signed HB 1333 into law, which allows for recycled materials to be used in stuffed toys manufactured and sold statewide. In the Lehigh Valley, one toy manufacturer plans to launch a sustainable line.
-
For almost a century, hikers have trekked the Appalachian Trail, the world’s longest hiking-only footpath. A thru-hiker documenting her trek on social media recently stopped in the Lehigh Valley.
-
The position, budgeted for one year after the annual process turned contentious, focuses on creating and facilitating sustainability initiatives while capturing grant funding to cover the cost of related projects.
-
The start of Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s annual hawk watch is just over a month out, and preparations are well underway. A tradition in its 64th year, volunteers count birds of prey as they migrate along the raptor "superhighway" in the Lehigh Valley’s backyard.
-
North Whitehall Township's Klusaritz Family Farm was recognized at the Pennsylvania Farm Show as one of six farms across the state that had been in the same family for more than 100 years.
-
A Muhlenberg College professor has launched a campaign this month to inform residents about the health risks of radon, as well as improve access to testing and mitigation. The Lehigh Valley is home to the highest radon levels ever recorded in Pennsylvania.
-
Olivia Louise McMahon traveled to Dubai last month as part of Penn State University's delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Officials from around the world discussed how to limit the effects of climate change already present and prepare for further impacts.
-
The funding for four projects came from the Growing Greener and Act 167 grant programs, both through the state Department of Environmental Protection.
-
Five farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.
-
Officials behind the longest running raptor migration count in the world have posted the results of the 2023 season. Here's how many birds of prey were spotted.
-
January is National Radon Action Month, and officials from the American Lung Association are offering a limited supply of free radon test kits for commonwealth residents, including those in the the Lehigh Valley.
-
From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, college officials are opening up the Fahy Commons for Public Engagement and Innovation, 2400 W. Chew St., for residents and community members to explore.
-
This New Year’s Day, tens of thousands of people across the country, including dozens in the Valley, will take a guided hike through a state park to mark the beginning of 2024.
-
It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.
-
Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.
-
More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.