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.
-
A half-dozen city leaders and environmental advocates highlighted the economic, environmental and public health benefits the implementation of clean truck standards could reap across the Valley. -
More than 100 businesses, officials, organizations and environmental advocates statewide — including two from the Lehigh Valley — signed a letter to Shapiro arguing his economic development plan, “Pennsylvania Gets It Done,” fails to prioritize sustainable industries and instead doubles down on fossil fuels.
-
Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity was one of 17 libraries in 14 counties statewide to receive Keystone Grants.
-
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission last week released a draft of its Priority Climate Action Plan, a document almost a year in the making aimed at tamping down the region’s carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.
-
Five farms, three in Lehigh County and two in Northampton County, were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program, along with more than a dozen others across the state.
-
A Lehigh Valley resident was recognized as a “Volunteer of the Year” for 2023 by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit that focuses on litter cleanups and community improvements.
-
One area of potential concern at the Allentown State Hospital had been the presence of dioxins in the soil. Dioxins are a group of toxic chemical compounds that take a long time to break down in the environment, and can cause health problems in people.
-
It’s a special year for cicadas, insects known for their high-pitched mating songs. Two adjacent broods are expected to co-emerge for the first time in 221 years. Here's the next time they emerge in the Valley.
-
Stanley cups have skyrocketed in popularity, following other trends in reusable drinkware. But, fads like these can encourage overconsumption, experts said.
-
This weekend is the 27th annual Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch. Officials are calling for volunteers.
-
The Martin OM Biosphere guitar, which costs $2,299, received the Preferred by Nature Sustainability Framework certification, officials said Thursday. The Nazareth guitar maker is the first company to achieve the certification in the U.S., and only the second worldwide.
-
Hoping or wishing that an item is recyclable, without actually confirming it, can do more harm than good, and it’s an increasing issue for Lehigh Valley haulers, as well as the recovery facilities where those items are sorted.
-
Thousands of raptors — from vultures, eagles and kites to hawks, kestrels and falcons — are expected to make their annual trek through the region over the next three months, and researchers at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center are in need of volunteers.
-
Musikfest attracts tens of thousands of people to the city each day during its 10-day run. Officials said they’re continuously working to lessen the event’s impact on the environment.
-
From lack of parking and gridlock traffic to the increased prices for headliner tickets, as well as upticks in costs for food and beverages, there are plenty of reasons why some of the Lehigh Valley’s residents don’t like — with a contingent even going so far as to actively avoid — Musikfest.
-
Starting at 9 a.m., officials from Princeton Hydro, a New Jersey-based engineering consultant, will treat the lake’s shoreline via airboat to tamp down invasive Phragmites, a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses.
-
Called “Lehigh Valley Breathes,” the more than $100,000 project includes installing 40 PurpleAir monitors throughout the region. Officials plan to collect data for a year.
-
The center's annual Bake Oven Knob Autumn Hawk Watch begins in just over two weeks. Officials are hosting an informational Zoom session at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 to share the history of the count and volunteer opportunities, as well as how to count migrating raptors and some tips for identification.
-
While the Canadian wildfire smoke is only the latest threat, experts and professionals said there are ways to monitor and improve the indoor air residents are breathing.
-
In the Lehigh Valley, one vape is thrown away every 105 seconds. When they end up as litter or in landfills, hazardous materials can leach into soil and contaminate groundwater.
-
Extending from Allentown to north of Coplay, the gap, made up of two main sections delineated by the Lehigh River, is expected to be closed in a little over a decade, officials said.
-
A second round of black fly treatments was slated to begin 10 a.m. Thursday in Bushkill Creek between Easton and Tatamy.
