Spring is here and so is the event season at PEC’s incredible property at Roundabout Meadows in Aldie, VA. Over the next few months, we are so excited to be offering a number of educational ‘walk and talks’ along the Old Carolina Road Trail and through the pastures of Roundabout Meadows, providing an opportunity to connect more deeply with the work PEC is doing to protect the air and water, habitat, and working farms of the Virginia Piedmont.
Our Work
Safeguarding the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. Learn more about our work by browsing the subject areas below and find out how to get involved!
Charlottesville and surrounding areas Buy Fresh Buy Local guides arriving in mailboxes soon
With the spring growing season upon the Virginia Piedmont, The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce the release of its 2023-2024 Buy Fresh Buy Local Charlottesville area guide, offering a one-stop source connecting consumers to fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and more, by way of local farmers and farmers markets.
PEC Brings Home the Platinum
We are honored that our work highlighting climate change and impacts in Albemarle County has been recognized by the 17th Annual Hermes Creative Awards. The Hermes Creative Awards, one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world, honor creative professionals who are the messengers and creators of the information revolution.
A Walk Along Cedar Run
Earlier this month, friends new and old joined us for the 20th Annual Bluebell Walk: Benefits of Beavers, Birds & Battling Invasives for Native Biodiversity along the banks of Cedar Run in Catlett, VA.
Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. announces 1 million acres conserved since Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit went into effect, highlights importance of land conservation moving forward
Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) has led to the permanent protection of over 1 million acres of land in Virginia, Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. announced today in Harrisonburg at the Virginia Land and Greenways Conference sponsored by Virginia’s United Land Trusts.
Wilderness Crossing Board of Supervisors Public Hearing Tomorrow
Please consider joining your neighbors and groups like PEC in person to be seen and heard at the public hearing. You can also submit written comments to the Board of Supervisors until noon on Tuesday.
Questions Swirl Around Data Centers – How Many, Where and at What Cost?
Although DEQ’s proposed variance for data center diesel generator has been pulled, the underlying issue remains: Is this continued boom in data center development sustainable?
Video: Gilberts Corner Regional Park: A Conservation Success Story
Over 300 acres of land is conserved around Gilberts Corner, where Rt. 15 and Rt. 50 meet. The Piedmont Environmental Council has been working with NOVA Parks for over a decade to permanently protect the land there through conservation easements, while also opening significant parts of it up for the public to use. The results of this work are evident to anyone driving by and will be for generations to come.
Decision Time Nears for Wilderness Crossing Rezoning
On April 6, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend approval of the project. The decision now rests with the Board of Supervisors, which will hold its own public hearing on the proposed Wilderness Crossing rezoning on April 25.
Piedmont Environmental Council Statement on Department of Environmental Quality Variance Withdrawal
The Virginia Department of Environmental Equality’s withdrawal of its proposed variance that would have allowed data centers to circumvent Virginia’s air pollution control regulations limiting the use of heavily polluting, industrial sized, emergency diesel generators is a step in the right direction, and although we’d like to think it’s an indication that DEQ recognizes its waiver would be harmful to human health and the environment, the DEQ notice unfortunately makes it clear that the agency has done the right thing for the wrong reason.