Abby Weiss joined the Chestnut Hill Local on July 7. On Friday, Sept. 12, she joined me on G-Town Radio’s “A Local Lens” to talk about her experiences as the Local’s new environmental reporter.

Weiss is a Report for America corps journalist who moved to Northwest Philadelphia with the specific purpose of covering environmental issues for the Local. As she shared on the air, there’s a lot to cover on her new “beat.”

“It’s a very wide spectrum,” Weiss explained. “Environmental issues intersect with all facets of society: policy, infrastructure, mental health, even. Stories that I have reported on so far include covering the Wissahickon Valley Park, right in our backyard. I wrote a few stories about the wildlife there. People were interested in coyote sightings. I also wrote about a bunch of threatening pests in the area. Spotted lanternflies are a huge story in Pennsylvania, as well as ticks.”

As Weiss continued listing the scope of her coverage, I reflected on the Local’s Report for America grant application. When selecting a coverage focus area, development associate Samantha Gibb Roff, editor Carla Robinson, and I were unanimous about the need for a dedicated environmental reporter. We knew that our readers, and area organizations and individuals are invested in greening, preservation, conservation, gardening, recycling, waste removal, invasive species, trees, and many other initiatives that will make the planet and our neighborhoods sustainable for future generations.

Abby shared that everyone can do something to improve the environment, especially in our own backyards. She recounted one of her recent articles, a piece about Chuck Reisse, a Wyndmoor native, who has been picking up trash around Devil’s Pool in Wissahickon Valley Park for more than a decade, and how his presence can act as inspiration. She said each of us can play a role in making a positive impact on our local environment, even if (or perhaps, especially if) we suffer from “eco-anxiety,” something she experienced, which led her to steer clear of environmental reporting for nearly two years.

As she explained, “ eco-anxiety is basically when climate change makes you anxious. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss in that way.” Weiss found her way back to writing about environmental issues while working for Hearst Media in Connecticut, a full-circle return, considering that her path to reporting began with a passion for climate education.

“Originally, I was interested in environmental issues when I learned about climate change in early high school. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to do something about that,” she said. “It’s an existential threat and I wanted to contribute to solutions in some way.”

Weiss attended Syracuse University’s prestigious Newhouse School of Public Communications and studied newspaper journalism, environmental science, and history.

For anyone experiencing their own eco-anxiety, she has some useful advice: “It’s very easy to lose hope, but what I’ve learned from my personal experience and a lot of people in this area, is just do what you can. Even if it seems like the smallest effort, you can see the change that you make, and it helps a lot.”

Some of the actions Weiss takes are recycling, composting, making a yearly donation to the World Wildlife Fund, abstaining from eating land animals, and carrying her own silverware and water bottle, so she’s not contributing to the plastic problem.

“They seem like the littlest things,” she said, “but it adds up.”

She added, “I think the most impactful thing that people can do [to address environmental issues] is vote.”

Something else people can do is support and enable others’ work. There are a plethora of local organizations working to improve air and water quality, to address climate issues, reduce waste, and more. At the Local, we’re working to raise awareness of these topics and we hope that will have an impact.

If you’d like to support Abby’s work, you can make a tax deductible donation, something Rob and Susan Fleming did the day before Abby’s on-air interview. The Flemings generously pledged $3,000 in support of Abby’s first-year salary, bringing us closer to our goal of supporting her work and raising the necessary funds to match Report for America’s grant dollars, and to ensure she is able to continue generating critical coverage.

To contact Abby with a story tip, email her at Abby@chestnuthilllocal.com. To make a contribution, contact me at Daralyse@chestnuthilllocal.com. You can hear Abby’s full interview on the Chestnut Hill Local website, and be sure to tune in at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, for another installment of “A Local Lens.”