The EAC at the BPA

Climate Action Plan, Environment, Environmental Advisory Council, Parking, Serious Issues 1 Minute

(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)

“There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil.
The triumph of anything is a matter of organization.”
(Kurt Vonnegut)

Gadfly is moving to catch up on the series of good works that have come out of our Environmental Advisory Council (EAC).

In a previous post he highlighted a report on electric vehicles done by EAC member Brian Hillard.

Brian presented the report to City Council, but then on April 24 he went directly to the Bethlehem Parking Authority board meeting to present his report.

Listen to his 3-minute pitch accompanying delivery of the report — good stuff!

I wanted to suggest to the City that they integrate electric vehicles into their fleet.

Even with initial cost considerations . . . the significant savings in fuel costs and the significant savings in maintenance costs would actually make it very cost-comparable to including electric vehicles in the Bethlehem fleet.

Even in the cost comparison of the fuel comparison here, there is even more significant savings to be made.

Bethlehem’s undergoing a Climate Action Plan, and we are trying to reduce emissions in the City, and electric vehicles are a very easy way to do it.

There have been studies that urban pollution, especially from cars, has a notable negative impact on the development of children’s brains.

We are actually improving the health of our residents.

Anything that we can do to incentivize electric vehicles to clean up our air, to clean up our cities is going to be a [health] benefit.

And there is economic impact.

Your non-tax dollars at work

It’s Friday, June 7, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?

Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.

Published

2 thoughts on “The EAC at the BPA”

  1. Brian makes an excellent point. The larger version of that point is that the city should carefully consider climate impacts, mitigation, and adaptation in every decision or policy.

  2. People who are deciding or contributing to public policy should probably read Bill McKibben’s latest:
    Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

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