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.
-
‘Please hire a dedicated sustainability manager’: Letter campaign aims to pressure Allentown CouncilThe letter-writing campaign began Sept. 9. It is unclear how many emails city councilmembers have so far received. -
Released Tuesday, results from Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion’s National Surveys on Energy and the Environment show Americans want to prevent future global warming, and also believe adaptation to climate change will require major lifestyle changes.
-
The fellowship focuses on bolstering students who show interest and promise in leadership and social impact. Of the more than 44,000 applications submitted, only 4,000 were accepted.
-
This year's Bake Oven Knob Autumn Hawk Watch has so far recorded more than 1,000 migrating birds of prey, not including the dozens logged Thursday morning.
-
Officials at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center on Wednesday held their annual "Monarch Madness" tagging event. Four male and two female monarchs were tagged.
-
Leaf-peeper season is right around the corner. Here's when to be on the lookout for pops of brilliant yellows, oranges and reds across the landscape.
-
Kathleen Covalt, who teaches online classes through Northampton Community College for adults interested in learning about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, said there's hope for future disclosures.
-
The 17-year-old Allentown Central Catholic senior has been monitoring the creek's surface lead concentrations, and plans to continue researching.
-
It could take two weeks to fix operational issues at Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on Union Street. Officials described the sewer odor as an ‘"earthy" or "rotten egg" smell, but said it is not harmful to human health.
-
This first round of designations included 483 tracts across the country, with only one in the Lehigh Valley. Officials said additional designations are slated for the next 12 to 18 months.
-
The Allentown Environmental Advisory Council on Monday unanimously approved a letter and draft resolution, urging city officials to use non-chemical methods to dispatch invasive plants.
-
The Walking Purchase, a 1737 land grab perpetrated by William Penn's sons, shaped the Lehigh Valley as residents know it today. But, the land wasn’t actually purchased, as the name might suggest — it was swindled from the Lenni-Lenape.
-
More than 130 people attended the panel, which focused on efforts across the state to tamp down on light pollution, not only to benefit star-gazers, but for fireflies and migrating birds, too.
-
Twenty-seven city restaurants and eateries have so far responded to a single-use plastics survey.
-
Veronika Vostinak, Allentown's sustainability coordinator, on Wednesday gave a hourlong presentation to the Lehigh Valley Environmental Advisory Council Network on her experience with plastic reduction efforts, targeting single-use foodwares and reusables for dine-in.
-
While a full report is expected next year, researchers behind Lehigh Valley Breathes have released a data analysis, which includes three comparisons looking at fine particulate pollution across eight monitoring locations.
-
The Environmental Advisory Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to send City Council a letter stating the EAC’s intent to work on a dark skies ordinance and urging city officials to consider collaborating, then adopting it when the time comes.
-
State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2026 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.
-
Between changes in federal policy and an unprecedented demand for energy, it's a tough time for sustainability. An hour-long panel Monday with industry experts focused on how to address those changes.
-
More than two dozen events are scheduled, all focused on mitigating the impacts of climate change through educating and engaging the community.
-
‘A meaningful difference’: Easton to give away 200 trees to residents in disadvantaged neighborhoodsProperty-owning residents in Environmental Justice Areas are eligible for one free tree. The giveaway is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the city’s Recycling Drop-off Center.
-
State officials on Thursday released the first fall foliage forecast of the year, an annual effort that maps the state’s six-week leaf-peeping season.
