Piedmont Environmental Council

Our Mission

The Piedmont Environmental Council works to safeguard the landscape, communities and heritage of Virginia's Piedmont by involving citizens in related public policy and land conservation. PEC's service area encompasses nine counties of the Piedmont. Our work integrates four mutually interdependent goals and programs:   *Better Define the Piedmont- PEC is creating a sense of place in our communities through engaging activities and the identification and support of our unique assets and history.  * Protect What Can Be Protected: Land Conservation & Watershed Protection - We are protecting threatened land and natural and cultural resources as efficiently as possible through an aggressive and multi-tiered land conservation program.  *Respond to the Forces of Change: Land Use and Transportation- We consistently promote good planning to reduce threats to our region, address issues of local importance, and surmount individual pressures on our historic landscape.  *Direct Growth to the Right Places - We are helping visualize a better future by presenting positive solutions to the problems caused by poorly planned development. These concrete principles recognize that growth is inevitable, but that we can effectively manage the population and economic growth coming to this region and create healthy communities to live, work and play.  PEC also provides direct assistance to those working on parallel missions in neighboring counties. PEC is a founding member and fiscal sponsor for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization extending a parallel mission in Washington DC. PEC also serves as fiscal sponsor for the Shenandoah Valley Network. Additionally, PEC coordinates with many partners across the Commonwealth to address regional issues that affect the Piedmont directly.