Environmental Voices: The PennFuture Podcast

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is one of Pennsylvania’s best chances at reducing our climate pollution. For years there’s been legislation and litigation to get PA to join this critical cap-and-invest program.

On Tuesday, December 12, our policy and legal experts provided updates on where PA stands with RGGI now and answered questions from participants.

PennFuture's RGGI Defenders program overview begins at 13:00
Q&A begins at 15:58

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

PennFuture's President & CEO interviews renowned climate scientist and author, Michael E. Mann, on his journey from physics to climate science and his latest book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis. 

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. The city of Erie is the main access point for Pennsylvanians to the Great Lakes. The 3,200 acre Presque Isle state park, featuring 13 public beaches, is the most popular of all of Pennsylvania’s state parks, with almost 4 million people visiting it every year. This “almost an island” reaches out into lake Erie creating both Pennsylvania’s only seashore, as well as the Presque Isle Bay that the city of Erie sits on.

First Segment:

First we'll  talk with filmmakers Melissa A. Troutman and John C. Lyons, who are the team behind the two-part documentary “Lake Erie, Our Kin” which was just released by WQLN public broadcasting in Erie. 

Melissa wrote it and she and John co-directed it and also conducted all the interviews for it. Included among her long list of credits, Melissa produced and directed the Rights of Nature documentary, “Invisible Hand” with executive producer and Emmy winner Mark Ruffalo. 

Born in Erie, John is an award winning filmmaker who had produced a number of feature length works and shorter documentaries. In 2020 he release the environmental horror film, UNEARTH about the evils that are released into the world when fracking goes wrong. 

If you would like to watch the two-part documentary, "Lake Erie, Our Kin” visit the website for WQLN, Erie’s public broadcasting station, Chronicles Page - https://www.wqln.org/shows/chronicles

Second Segment:

For a number of years, a small but mighty group of activists in Erie have called themselves “Hold Erie Coke Accountable” which is exactly they have been doing in their efforts to require the Erie Coke factory, which sat right on the bay, from violating air quality emissions and spilling contaminants into the lake. The two leaders of Hold Erie Coke Accountable are Erie Benedictine Sister Pat Lupo and Dr. Mike Campbell, a distinguished professor of biology at Mercyhurst University.

Third Segment:

PennFuture is a statewide environmental advocacy organization, with offices in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and the Poconos. Since 2020 we have also been in Erie. Jenny Tompkins is PennFuture’s Campaign Manager for Clean Water Advocacy - Lake Erie Watershed

Environmental Voices is sponsored by Envinity.  Designing and installing solar power systems for homes and businesses in Central and Western PA since 2005. Information on how Envinity can help to achieve net-zero energy can be found at Envinity.com

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It was originally the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson and was inspired by the protests of the 1960s, and so Earth Day began as a “national teach-in on the environment” and was held on April 22 to maximize the number of students that could be reached on university campuses.

Earth Day now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. 

To talk about how PennFuture will be celebrating Earth Day, as well as how it connects to our work in Environmental Justice and Democracy work, we’ve invited two special guests to the show today. 

Maria Ocasio serves as PennFuture’s Lehigh Valley Field Coordinator. She is responsible for identifying, engaging, and mobilizing a strong base of volunteers within the community to bring about change and awareness on environmental issues in the Lehigh Valley. 

Through PennFuture’s Democracy for All program, Emily Gale is PennFuture's Director of Civic Engagement. In this role, Emily has created a new non-partisan voter registration program for PennFuture, which is currently active in active Monroe, Northampton, Lehigh, Dauphin, York, Lancaster, and Luzerne counties.

Links referred to in this episode:
https://www.pennfuture.org/join-the-ace-program

https://www.democracyforall-pennfuture.com/

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Last year we aired seven episodes of Environmental Voices – and they all ran roughly an hour long. Today, we’re doing something a bit different. A shorter episode, about 20 minutes, and just one guest.

For this episode we’re featuring a special interview with Jeanne Bonnie Van Alen. Bonnie recently stepped down from the position of Executive Director and President of Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT), a nonprofit land trust and conservation organization she founded over twenty-five years ago in Chester County, outside of Philadelphia. 

Bonnie is also being honored this year as one of the women receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award in Conservation from PennFuture’s 2023 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards presented by Ecosave. 

Each year, PennFuture honors the accomplishments of outstanding women conservationists across Pennsylvania. The Ecosave presents 2023 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards will tell the stories of 11 amazing women from Southeastern PA, and will take place live at the Fitler Club in Philly from 6-9pm on Tuesday, March 21st.  Along with the awards, the evening will feature drinks & a  dinner with an environmentally conscientious vegetarian menu. 

You can visit pennfuture.org to purchase tickets and for more information about all the women being honored at the event. 

Unfortunately, Jeanne Bonnie Van Alen will not be able to attend the live event, so we have instead asked her to join this special podcast to learn more about, and to celebrate, her life’s work. 

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Since we launched our Environmental Voices podcast in early 2022 we’ve produced 6 podcasts featuring interviews with 22 different people fighting to protect the environment in Pennsylvania and beyond. We’ve heard from artists and activists, authors and attorneys. We’ve been able to interview some pretty well-known voices including climate scientist Michael Mann, Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Dunn, and acclaimed activist Bill McKibben, and we’ve brought some new voices to you that you may not have heard from otherwise.  

For our last podcast of 2022, we bring you two influential voices, each a leader in advocating for environmental protections in the Commonwealth: PennFuture’s new CEO & President, Patrick McDonnell and author, activist, and Delaware River Keeper Maya van Rossum who will talk about her new book, The Green Amendment.  

Maya van Rossum has served as the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network since 1994. She was one of the original petitioners in the landmark Robinson Township v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania case decided by the PA Supreme Court in 2013 which strengthened environmental standing opportunities, declared unconstitutional key sections of the pro-drilling Act 13 legislation, and reinvigorated the strength of Pennsylvania Constitution’s Environmental Rights Amendment. Since then she has created the Green Amendments for the Generations organization. Most recently, Disruption Books has published the second edition of her book The Green Amendment – the people’s fight for a clean, safe, and healthy environment.

Patrick McDonnell, the new CEO & President of PennFuture. Based in Harrisburg, Patrick brings over 20 years of experience on climate, clean energy and environmental issues to PennFuture. Prior to joining the nonprofit, he spent six years as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, leading key initiatives like passage of the state’s first carbon trading regulation, acceleration of the Commonwealth’s cleanup of waterways and a new focus on environmental justice issues. He also served as President of the Environmental Council of the States, the voice of state environmental agencies nationally. 

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Environmental Voices: The PennFuture Podcast -  Episode 6: The Inflation Reduction Act and the Environment

On August 16, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 also known as the IRA. This landmark 273 page statute includes several important provisions: such as extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, and raising $738 billion in new revenue, $238 billion being used for deficit reduction. 

However, for today’s conversation we are going to focus on the IRA’s climate and energy provisions. With an historic $391 billion allocated to address domestic energy and climate change, it is the largest investment in combatting the climate crisis in United States history.  

To help us unravel the details of this incredibly important law, we are excited to feature four fantastic guests today. 

• Jessica Arriens, Program Manager, Climate & Energy Policy at the National Wildlife Federation
• Prof. Michael Mann, Director of the Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media at the University of Pennsylvania and as a member of the National Academy of Science
• Jeaneen Zappa, Executive Director of the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance 
• Bishop Marcia Dinkins, Executive Director of Black Women Rising and founder of the the Black Appalachian Coalition

Hosted by Travis DiNicola, PennFuture Director of Development 

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Environmental Voices: The PennFuture Podcast -  Episode 5: A Shared Vision for Pennsylvania's Environment and Communities 

As we approach the fall elections, securing our shared vision has never been more urgent. Tune into our latest episode to learn about the behind-the-scenes efforts by more than 30 advocacy organizations to develop  “A Shared Vision for Pennsylvania’s Environment and Communities.” This bold document is designed to put Pennsylvania at the forefront of action on climate change and environmental justice to protect our families, create jobs and ensure that every Pennsylvania community benefits. Speakers include organizers from PennFuture, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, Sierra Club, and Make the Road Pennsylvania. 

• Katie Blume, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Political Director
• Michelle Giles, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Policy Analyst
• Michael Mehrazar, PennFuture Campaign Manager for Watershed Advocacy
• Jenn Quinn, Sierra Club of Pennsylvania Legislative and Political Director
• Diana Robinson, Make the Road Pennsylvania Civic Engagement Director

Hosted by Travis DiNicola, PennFuture Director of Development 

The Shared Vision document can be found at: https://www.pennfuture.org/Files/Admin/PA_CommonAgenda_July2022_3.pdf

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Episode 4 of “Environmental Voices: The PennFuture Podcast” celebrates the career and advocacy of Jacquelyn Bonomo, PennFuture's President and CEO who will retire in July after a brilliant 40-year career.  

Bonomo, who first came to PennFuture as the organization’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in August 2016, has served as the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer since October of 2017. Her work in environmental advocacy started as a volunteer with the Sierra Club, and concludes with her leading a period of sustained growth at one of Pennsylvania’s most influential environmental organizations, PennFuture. In between, Bonomo has had a front row seat to some of the most important conservation developments of the last four decades, working at the national level and in 24 states and U.S. territories. 

In this episode, we tried to honor Bonomo's tremendous career by chatting with people who have worked closely with her over the last 40 years. 

Our guests include:  

· Charles Bier, who is the Senior Director for Conservation Science at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Before coming to PennFuture, Bonomo spent nearly a decade at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy as that organization’s vice president of conservation programs. From 1999 to 2008, Jacqui was responsible for budgeting, planning and administration of the largest natural resource conservation program in the region, with staff in eight locations. She also increased the organization’s operating budget from $1 million to $5.7 million and grew staff from eleven to over 80 through 2007. 

· Cindy Adams Dunn, who has served as the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 2015. From 2013 to 2015, Dunn served as the president
and CEO of PennFuture. Like Bonomo, Dunn is one of the most noteworthy
environmental advocates in Pennsylvania over the last several decades. 

· Tim Ference, with Friends of the Nescopeck, which is where Bonomo's environmental advocacy began.  

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org

Episode 3 of “Environmental Voices: The PennFuture Podcast” catches up with three previous Celebrating Women in Conservation Awardees who continue to do big things in Pennsylvania. One recently edited a book on EcoArt, another serves as a nature columnist for the Pottsville Republican Herald, and the third got appointed by President Biden to serve as the State Executive Director for the USDA Pennsylvania Farm Service Agency. 

Our guests include: 

• Leah Zerbe won PennFuture’s 2019 Woman of Environmental Media, Marketing & Communications award for her outstanding environmental writings at publications such as Dr. Axe, Rodale Publishing, the Bucks County Courier Times, and the Philadelphia Daily News. Since that time, she has been an active participant in her community, including serving as the chair of the Pottsville Citizens Climate Lobby chapter, running after-school educational programs, studying to become a Master Watershed Steward, and most recently serving as a columnist with the Pottsville Republican Herald.
• Ann Rosenthal won PennFuture’s 2020 Women of Environmental Arts award recognizing her over 40 years’ experience as an artist, writer, and for her work which examines the intersections of nature and culture through timely issues, including climate change and biodiversity, Recently she co-edited Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities, a collection that seeks to showcase how teachers, citizens, policymakers, and scientists can find inspiration in art. 
• Heidi Secord is a winner of PennFuture’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. Heidi owns and operates her 48-acre Josie Porter Farm with her husband Gary Bloss in Northeastern PA. Josie Porter Farm is a farmer led community-based food hub that supports other local and regional farmers and provides fresh produce to the community. Heidi also served as State President of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union and sat on the National Farmers Union Board of Directors. And Heidi was recently appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Farm Service Agency. 
• Susanne Whitehead is PennFuture’s Donors Relations Manager. Susanne is instrumental in organizing all aspects of our Celebrating Women in Conversation awards, including evaluating nominees.

BONUS: CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW NOMINATE A WOMAN FOR THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATING WOMEN IN CONSERVATION AWARDS - THE DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, MAY 13TH

For more information about PennFuture, visit pennfuture.org