Ashley Barrasso, a student and the president of the Climate Action Network at Northampton Community College’s Bethlehem campus, is also hoping people take note of the climate strike, including one at Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem.
She was inspired by Thunberg’s trip across the Atlantic, and realized that her group needed to participate in the global climate strike. One will take place at NCC’s campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and another in front of City Hall from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lehigh University students are also planning a strike at 1 p.m. on campus and will move to Payrow Plaza.
It’s Friday, September 20, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Beth Behrend is a member of the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) and the guiding hand on the proposed ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags.
Gadfly:
At the end of last school year, I organized a drawing contest (Beth contest) in the Bethlehem schools with the theme “Designing for a Cleaner Future.” The purpose was to have students draw a picture that promoted a cleaner environment. Students could also include a motto or saying in their designs. I received over 100 submissions from kindergarteners to high school seniors. Four winners were chosen, and their designs were printed on reusable tote bags. These bags are being sold as a fundraiser to support environmental projects in the schools. We already have a 5th grade class who would like to use some of this money to start a pollinator garden at their school.
From left to right in the picture, the winners are a 3rd grader from Lincoln, a 7th grader from Nitschmann, a 5th grader from William Penn, and a senior from Liberty.
I sent a flyer to all principals and art teachers in the school district. Not all art teachers had an email posted on the BASD website, but a flyer was at least sent to the school’s email or principal’s email. Not all schools replied, and some replied but did not submit artwork. The youngest submissions were from kindergarteners and the oldest were high school seniors.
The bags are $8/each, and Gadfly followers can order bags (why not more than 1?) using the form attached: beth Order Form
Beth
It is Sunday, September 15, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
You know Gadfly loves the Environmental Action Council (EAC). They just don’t talk about things, they do them, and do them.
Here’s EAC chair Lynn Rothman pitching to City Council August 20 the letter with environmentally focused design suggestions for the Polk Street Garage that she sent to the Bethlehem Parking Authority on July 29. Follow-up is good.
And Ann Gastlinger reminds Council on September 3 that we’ve got a “plastic crisis” and pushes for passage of the plastic bag ban ordinance the EAC, led by Beth Behrend, sent them weeks ago, so that it will be ready for implementation as soon as the legislative moratorium enacted by the State ends. Not letting them forget.
Your non-tax dollars at work by your “neighbors” pitching in and volunteering!
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Here is interesting commentary on the (temporarily anyway) banning of the banning of single-use plastic bags, an ordinance proposed by our Environmental Advisory Council and point person Beth Behrend that Gadfly reported on a few weeks ago.
In the final days of budget negotiations, a powerful state senator quietly inserted language in a budget related bill that would prevent Pennsylvania from regulating single use plastic bags.
State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre) inserted a provision in the fiscal code that would prohibit the commonwealth and its municipalities from regulating single-use plastic bags and other containers for one year — ostensibly to allow more time to study the issue.
Sen. Corman’s district includes a single-use plastic bag manufacturing plant — Hilex Poly in Milesburg, Centre County. This plant is owned by Novolex, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of single-use plastic bags. Novolex has lobbied against plastic bag regulation in other states.
Given the backdrop of these national, state and municipal plastic bag programs, Corman’s assertion that another year of study is needed before Pennsylvania or its municipalities should consider enacting plastic bag regulations lacks plausibility. To the contrary, Corman’s actions are consistent with a continuing, parochial effort to protect the Novolex plastic bag manufacturing plant in his district.
Legislation to prevent plastic bag regulation has been opposed by most Pennsylvania municipal associations, including the Pennsylvania Municipal League, The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs. Local governments want the tools of plastic-bag fees and bans to help them deal with local problems such as litter, the clogging of storm drains and sewers, and the stressing of landfills.
Much-needed plastic bag regulations will be prevented or delayed because our elected officials in Harrisburg have allowed the actions of one powerful senator to carry the day.
(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)
Councilman Reynolds has been the main driver in the formation of a local Climate Action Plan, dating back to his “Bethlehem 2017” report, which can be found linked on the Gadfly sidebar.
Here we are two years later, and Gadfly was pleased to attend the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) meeting last night at Illick’s Mill at which members discussed proposals from four organizations to write a plan for the City.
The EAC is chaired by Lynn Rothman, and the members are Elizabeth Behrend, Elisabeth Cichonski, Kathy Fox, Brian Hillard, Brian Nicas, and Mike Topping. Nine other members of the public were also present.
As explained by chair Rothman, the EAC had input into the call for proposals and now was invited to make recommendations before the City made the final decision and awarded a contract to one of the bidders. The City has allocated funds for the project to begin this year, and it sounded to Gadfly that the project would take about a year to complete.
Next year we could have a Climate Action Plan!
Each of the four proposals was lengthy and densely packed with information. EAC members reviewed them beforehand and discussed them one-by-one at the meeting.
Gadfly is always proudly pleased to show our non-tax dollars profitably at work. Here to give you a taste of the meeting is the final section in which Council members ranked the proposals for their recommendation to the City. Most interesting in the later portion of this clip is a discussion of attention to underserved populations.
Nicely done!
It’s Friday, August 9, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Hey, speakin’ of the Environmental Advisory Council and the Climate Action Plan:
NOTICE is hereby given that the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) will conduct a special meeting on Thursday, August 8, 2019, at 6:30 PM, at Illick’s Mill, 100 Illick’s Mill Road, Bethlehem PA 18018. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and make any pertinent recommendations to the City regarding proposals from four environmental consulting firms to write a Climate Action Plan for the City of Bethlehem.
This is a public meeting and all interested parties may attend and be heard. Rescheduled or special meetings will be advertised in compliance with the Act of July 3, 1986, P.L. 84. Information about the EAC is available on the City of Bethlehem’s website at www.bethlehem-pa.gov, under Authorities & Boards.
Elisabeth Cichonski
Secretary, EAC
It is still Wednesday, August 7, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to parking, the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
The good ol’ Environmental Advisory Council (EAC). Love ’em!
Always a step ahead.
Look at this July 29 letter to the Bethlehem Parking Authority about the design of the Polk Street Garage (be sure to note the interesting photos):
The EAC has recommendations concerning electric vehicle charging stations, solar panels, stormwater management, tree replacement, and car idling impact.
This is exactly the kind of thing that Gadfly expressed concern about in a post yesterday when he said, “Gadfly is wondering, for instance, how the garage fits in with any related City goals — like walkability or Climate Action or whatever.”
Gadfly worries that the BPA works independently.
He hopes that the Polk Street Garage design will have plenty of public review as well as the routine technical scrutiny from the City departments.
He is not sure what “power” the EAC has, but you would think the City would be under great pressure to make sure the BPA follows such recommendations.
If we are serious about a Climate Action Plan, such recommendations must be followed.
It’s Wednesday, August 7, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
This disturbing article escaped Gadfly’s attention till a member of the “Next Door” blog posted:
West Bethlehem residents are at 4 or more times the risk of developing cancer as a result of ethylene oxide pollution from B. Braun’s plant in Hanover township. I, for one, am very concerned about this news and risk. Has anyone brought this up to city council or our state reps?
A medical device company suspended operations in a Chicago suburb for most of this year after mounting community pressure prompted the state to order the facility to stop releasing a carcinogenic chemical into the air.
But more than 700 miles to the east, a Lehigh Valley medical device company hasn’t faced the same pressure to stop emitting the chemical — ethylene oxide — even though it released about 50% more of the chemical than the Sterigenics plant outside Chicago in 2016, the latest year with EPA emission data for both companies.
B. Braun, a German medical and pharmaceutical device company with a plant in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, by Lehigh Valley International Airport, is the 12th biggest polluter of ethylene oxide nationwide, according to EPA’s latest cancer-causing pollution data. Ethylene oxide, a gas commonly used to sterilize medical equipment, is linked to breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, among others.Braun has broken no laws in its ethylene oxide emissions, which from 2008 to 2015 increased from about 1,900 pounds to 7,600 pounds, according to EPA data. The company is permitted to release up to 20,000 pounds of the gas per year, said Colleen Connolly, a spokeswoman with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Since 2015, B. Braun’s emissions have decreased each year to 4,660 pounds in 2018, according to the company and the EPA.
The EPA says there may be an elevated health risk in areas where the possibility of getting cancer from breathing the polluted air over a lifetime is greater than 1 in 10,000 people. The agency applies that standard when determining which facilities need to reduce emissions. On July 10, the EPA contacted the DEP with its concerns about ethylene oxide emissions from B. Braun, Connolly said. DEP likely will inspect the facility in the coming weeks, including reviewing possible ethylene oxide leaks, she added.
In 2014, the data show that B. Braun accounted for 92% of all of Pennsylvania’s ethylene oxide emissions, putting more than 41,000 residents near its plant at a higher risk of developing cancer under the federal standard.
“B. Braun’s highest priority is the health and safety of our employees, our community, and millions of patients who depend on our medical products,” he said in a prepared statement. “We would not operate our facility if we believed our operations created an unsafe environment for our employees or our neighbors.”
One Hanover Township neighborhood immediately surrounding the airport — bordered to the west by the Lehigh River and to the east by Schoenersville Road, and including Route 22 — has a cancer risk from ethylene oxide that is greater than 200 times that of the state average risk, which is 2.4 per 1 million people. Nationally, that ratio is 1.3 in 1 million.
U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, said last week she will ask the CDC to study the effects of ethylene oxide pollution on Lehigh Valley residents.
Braun’s manufacturing plant is in an industrial area, but just down the block from Hanover Township’s Allendale neighborhood, with townhouses, a playground and a dog park.
Unlike the situation with B. Braun, which has brought no public outcry, emissions from the Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook, Illinois, had people up in arms.
Gadfly gathers that data shows that air quality in Bethlehem is not good. For some odd reason Gadfy remembers that a speaker at the Martin Tower evening meeting at Nitschmann asked our Health Director why. If memory serves, she said, somewhat fatalistically, that we are in a valley. Didn’t seem like a good answer.
But we certainly don’t need this “present” to add to the mix.
It’s Thursday, August 1, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Peter Crownfield is officially retired but spends most of his time working with students in his role as internship coordinator for the Alliance for Sustainable Communities–Lehigh Valley.
Gadfly:
As Dana points out, quite a few local businesses are taking steps to be more sustainable, and it is definitely worth letting them know you appreciate it. In the case of serveware & packaging, it does increase their costs somewhat. When government does not act, less-responsible businesses may get a competitive edge.
“Biodegradable” take-away containers, utensils, plates, & cups are far better than the styrene and polypropylene they replace, largely because they reduce the horrible environmental health hazards associated with their manufacture. However, since local cities do not provide a way for the [items] to actually be composted, most of them wind up in the landfill anyway—and under those conditions, they can take hundreds of years to break down. The city should provide composting for food waste and compostable food-service products.
While we’re on this subject, it’s worth pointing out that the city still does not provide on-street recycling in the downtown areas and does not even require all food-service establishments to provide effective recycling in ways that encourage their customers to recycle.
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Gadfly,
Many local businesses are already taking steps by using bio-degradable take-away containers and brown paper bags, which can be recycled with flat board (non-corrugated cardboard that tears brown and grey). Voluntary action by business owners is an excellent step, and CM Reynolds is spot on about going different routes to circumvent the state legislation.
I always thank a business for taking these steps so that they know that I appreciate their efforts and its impact on the environment.
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Gadfly followers know that he loves the work of our Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), but their work on a proposed ban of single-use plastic bags has taken a bit of a hit.
Gov. Tom Wolf has signed legislation barring Pennsylvania’s municipalities from taxing or banning the sale or distribution of plastic bags and other containers, wrappings, and bags.
A three-paragraph provision prohibits municipal bans or taxes on plastic bags or packaging for one year while legislative agencies study the economic and environmental impact.
Senate Republican Leader Jake Corman of Centre County says he wanted the provision because his district includes a plastics manufacturer and a township considering a fee on plastic bags.
Wolf in 2017 vetoed legislation preventing counties and municipalities from taxing or banning plastic bags.
Prime EAC mover of the ban Beth Behrend announced the bad news at City Council Tuesday night and recommended how the City should react. Both the Mayor and Councilman Reynolds — prime mover of the in-process City Climate Action Plan — also suggested courses of action.
Behrend explained that because of the legislative timing, the Governor had no other choice but to sign the budget, but that this 11th hour addition to the budget is being challenged. Behrend recommended that the City continue to move forward toward adopting the ban as going into effect July 1, 2020, when this legislative prohibition would cease (or earlier if it is successfully challenged).
In his prepared statement, the Mayor said, “I support the State’s plan to study the issue” and, in the opinion of the City Solicitor, “At this time an ordinance is not possible,” but that the City should state its position and go on record, and therefore he supports a City Council resolution “in the spirit of the EAC recommendations.”
Councilman Reynolds, ever optimistic and ever resourceful, pushed the Mayor beyond the resolution idea, urging the Administration to look at “other strategies,” for instance, working with the business and school communities — “there’s a different strategy and a different manner that should seriously be looked at.”
Good for CM Reynolds! If it’s a good idea, let’s move ahead. And not wait for the sometimes slow-motion of the legislative process.
It’s Thursday, July 18, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
The Gadfly invites “local color” photos of this sort
Reusable straws at family gathering courtesy of grandkid Carson Gadfly, age 13.
Tara Zrinski, Northampton County Council, will discuss renewable energy at the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) meeting on Thursday July 11th, 7 pm, at Illick’s Mill.
It’s Sunday, July 7, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(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)
Our Environmental Advisory Council’s (EAC) Brian Nicas urged the Zoning Hearing Board to be aware of storm water considerations last night.
Took Gadfly by surprise — took the ZHB by surprise likewise — and he wasn’t prepared to record it.
Gadfly had not heard such a thing in the two years he’s been attending these meetings.
Good work, Brian!
But that EAC moment reminded me that I wanted to catch up on presentations he did record by EAC chair Lynn Rothman and member Kathy Fox on the EAC solar proposal (EAC Solar Ord. proposal) at the June 4 City Council Meeting.
(I’m reminded of Peter Crownfield’s comment on the Gadfly post about Lehigh’s new building — is Lehigh incorporating solar and other climate-relevant technologies? One would hope so even without an ordinance requiring it.)
EAC is not only active in producing good work (for example, the plastic bag ban proposal, a report on electric vehicles, etc.) but also active it promoting it.
We’ve all been reading about the legislators in Colorado who have left the state to avoid voting on Climate Action Plan proposals — I think our EAC has climate sheriffs posted at all the roads leading out of town to prevent such dastardly happenings here!
Listen to Lynn and Kathy’s pointed presentations:
Lynn Rothman
Kathy Fox
Gadfly loves to publish such voices as models of productive resident participation and as inspiration for us all to get involved.
Your non-tax dollars at work.
It’s Thursday, June 27, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
Despite a drumbeat of scientific warnings, the Trump administration Wednesday issued a new rule that cuts carbon emissions from power plants by less than half of what experts say is needed to avoid catastrophic global warming.
The Affordable Clean Energy rule, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents the Trump administration’s most significant action to unwind federal regulations aimed at addressing climate change. At the EPA on Wednesday, Trump’s top aides, Republican lawmakers and state business leaders celebrated it as proof that the president had delivered for his constituents in coal country.
On a day in which we learn of another effort by our national government to thwart progress in avoiding “catastrophic global warming,” it might be good to wonder outloud where the single-use plastic bag ban advanced some time ago by Beth Behrend and our Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is in the City ordinance-producing pipeline.
Gadfly notes that amid the tumult over the demonstration ordinance Tuesday at City Council, two residents made pitches for the plastic bag ban ordinance.
People aren’t forgetting about it.
Listen:
Dan Miller:
Mary Jo Miserindino:
Nothing is easy, right?
So Gadfly was curious how Narberth — the first and I believe still only town in Pennsylvania to enact such a ban — did it.
Narberth is described as “low hanging fruit” for such an ordinance. Small: 4500 residents compared to our 75,000. Small: two chain stores compared to dozens probably in our town. And long-standing eco-conscious as marked by the three-decade NarbEarth event.
There did not seem to be any concerted opposition in Narberth.
We probably should be prepared for more controversy, more struggle.
But, first, we could use an update on the whereabouts of the EAC proposal.
It’s Thursday, June 20, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
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?
Lots of good things percolating out of this citizen bunch chaired by Lynn Rothman, with members Elizabeth Behrend, Elisabeth Cichonski, (ubiquitous) Kathy Fox, Brian Hillard, and Mike Topping — in addition to a cluster of regular attendees known for their environmental knowledge and activism — and Councilman Reynolds often present as well.
Think EAC and think Climate Action Plan and the proposed plastic bag ordinance, and, as Gadfly reported not long ago, the EAC weighed in on the proposed Martin Tower site design.
(The EAC meets tonight, actually – 7PM at Illick’s Mill, with a presentation by Lehigh University graduate students on “Sustainability impact assessment on the future closure of Packer Avenue on Lehigh’s campus.” Yikes, remember the question Gadfly asked the candidates for Council last week????? Serendipability at work).
Inspired by EAC missionarying, Gadfly looked into solar heating. But that turned out not to be right for him. Damnation.
But Gadfly is close to needing a new car. Should he look into electric? He wishes someone would take him by the hand and walk him through the thought process and the economic and practical considerations of electric cars. He’s hoping the EAC will produce a decision-making guide aimed at people, like him, a little slow in technical and financial matters.
But EAC’s Brian Hillard has been doing some powerful producing aimed at helping the City think about electric vehicles for its fleet or certain parts of it.
Recently the EAC submitted Brian’s “cost analysis of electric vehicles versus gasoline vehicles for municipal operations.”
As Bethlehem strives to push forward with the Climate Action Plan, integration of electric vehicles into the fleet could be a key component to reducing emissions, while demonstrating to the public both the benefits of electric vehicles and the City’s commitment to sustainability.
Based on the most current and trusted information available, the five-year cost of integrating an electric vehicle is nearly identical to that of vehicles being used today. As the City of Bethlehem pushes forward with its Climate Action Plan, there will be many decisions to make as to how to reduce emissions while providing for its residents and maintaining government services. While many of these decisions could require tough decisions in regard to cost and practicality, the decision to integrate EVs into the municipal fleet should not be one. As demonstrated, the cost comparison is very favorable, especially with respect to unmeasured efficiency gains. In addition, there have been numerous assessments as to how air pollution can negatively affect children’s neurological development20, so there are considerable benefits that lie outside the scope of this assessment.
The City of Bethlehem has a history of providing its residents with a healthy and vibrant community, including environmental stewardship, which enhances our quality of life. In considering the integration of electric vehicles into its fleet, Bethlehem shall continue to exemplify what climate action planning means.
Pretty much break even and be a good steward as well. Can’t beat that!
Brian also made recent presentations to City Council and to the Bethlehem Parking Authority that Gadfly will report on later.
Your non-tax dollars at work
It’s Thursday, May 2, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
Lot going on. And Gadfly has let several topics fall behind. Martin Tower one of them.
He has a kind of wrap-up post on this current phase of the MT doings in mind, but first he wants to use the public response to the proposed MT plan for a different purpose.
The Gadfly project slogan is “Good conversation builds community.”
About a month ago in a private email a Gadfly follower called him “the Pied Piper of civic engagement.”
Now that was striking. A powerful branding. But kind of embarrassing and disconcerting too.
He tried to laugh it off. Then forget it. Wouldn’t work.
Might as well own it.
No question Gadfly before he was Gadfly fell in love with the sound of your voices in the public comment spaces at City Council meetings.
And wanted to capture them.
And — here goes — draw even more people to speak/write out.
Pied Pipering.
Somewhere the professor who reinvented himself as Gadfly learned that the Aztec word for teacher was “one who makes you put on a face.”
He would say that the goal of his classes was to make you put on a face. To speak/write your own individual thoughts in your own individual way and thereby to feel empowered and thereby to feel individual — and thereby to have a “face” recognized and respected by others.
Gadfly wants everybody to post here. Gadfly wants everybody to speak at Council. (President Waldron just fainted.)
But some people say they can’t be like you, Gadfly, without realizing that the professor who reinvented himself as Gadfly is painfully shy and would wall himself in his office the hour before class mustering courage. Listen to the modest proposal audio he posted a short while ago, and you can hear his voice crack part way through as the mustered courage wanes.
Everyone can do it. In his or her own way.
And I want to make that point by contrasting the polar opposite styles of Diane Szabo Backus and Brian Hillard during public comment at the April 16 City Council meeting, available on video here:
Brian (begin min. 13:10) is soft-spoken, calm, sober, focused, rational, cerebral, speaking a polished piece of writing.*** Beautiful.
Diane (begin min. 5:30) is “a little nervous,” reading from what look like handwritten scratched notes on a tear-off pad any of us might doodle on at the kitchen table, emotional, so emotional that her body has to move, her arms wave, her fists pump, her fingers point, her knees buckle and dance, she turns to the left, she turns to the right, she ups the Council president’s response to a question she shouldn’t have asked, she confronts the Mayor. Beautiful.
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
The New York Times printed this final paragraph of Nathaniel Rich’s new book Losing Earth:
“Everything is changing about the natural world and everything must change about the way we conduct our lives. It is easy to complain that the problem is too vast, and each of us is too small. But there is one thing that each of us can do ourselves, in our homes, at our own pace — something easier than taking out the recycling or turning down the thermostat, and something more valuable. We can call the threats to our future what they are. We can call the villains villains, the heroes heroes, the victims victims and ourselves complicit. We can realize that all this talk about the fate of Earth has nothing to do with the planet’s tolerance for higher temperatures and everything to do with our species’ tolerance for self-delusion. And we can understand that when we speak about things like fuel-efficiency standards or gasoline taxes or methane flaring, we are speaking about nothing less than all we love and all we are.”
The Gadfly invites other pictures or texts to help us think about what today means.
It’s Monday, April 22, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
Gadfly would like to stay on the Martin Tower beat a little longer. Lots of good stuff here.
Let’s back up a moment.
Gadfly caught the “City bug” in January 2018 and started going to meetings, not only the Council meetings but many of the citizen-based committees and commissions that most of us, frankly, don’t know much about.
He found that one of the most impressive and enjoyable groups is the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) chaired by Lynn Rothman, with members Elizabeth Behrend, Elisabeth Cichonski, (ubiquitous) Kathy Fox, Brian Hillard, and Mike Topping — in addition to a cluster of regular attendees known for their environmental knowledge and activism and Councilman Reynolds often present as well.
Think EAC and think CAP and PBO. That’s Climate Action Plan and the Plastic Bag Ordinance. Not only nice people but productive people.
So the EAC has weighed in significantly on Martin Tower, both past and present, and Gadfly would like to highlight their “public sapience” – the nerdy term you saw him coin recently and which he must use a few times to wash it out of his system!
In a phrase designed to make Gadfly’s palms sweat, blood race, breath heave, and loins leap, the EAC dreamed of the Martin Tower site as “a showpiece of sustainable design”!
As a prime location for a landmark redevelopment, this site could showcase cutting-edge green design, respect open space and utilize smart growth principles. Such a design could encompass transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, with mixed-use development. Many long-range sustainability and environmental goals articulated in the City’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan could be explored. EAC-Martin Tower-2016
Think of it! “A showpiece of sustainable design”!
Gadfly imagines the Town Hall lights dimmed (except for that one damn light that seems to have a mind of its own! You know the one I mean.) and a crescendo of pencils tapping on chair arms leading up to the dramatic unveiling of Bethlehem’s SHOWPIECE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN!
Followed by a collective gasp so strong it would suck the panels off the ceiling.
Be still my heart!
But – sigh – we live in a fallen world.
Common wisdom in the cheap seats is that the design for the Martin Tower site fell well short of a showcase.
In addition to submitting a detailed letter (EAC-Martin Tower-2019), EAC members Brian Hillard and Mike Topping attended the Planning Commission meeting April 11.
Listen to their different voices.
Brian, the younger guy, calm, diplomatic, showing just a trace of wry impatience at developer shortsightedness (“Looking at that pocket park, it’s like in the pocket”), even-temperedly calling attention to things you would think the developer would certainly have highlighted (Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, solar, etc.), and ending with an echo of the “showcase” dream: “This site was an icon to our city and our region, and we would be well served to continue with that thought. This could be an icon to the future as we remove the icon from the past.”
Mike, the older guy, experienced (“I used to sit on the other side of that table”), a bit gruff-voiced, tough talking, finding student designs better, forcefully invoking the specter of Levittown coming to Bethlehem, speaking definitively, authoritatively, for instance, about parking and subdividing (“It’s just wrong. It’s just not the way things are done”), attributing the design to an unimaginative engineer when real planning (by someone capable of creating a “showcase”) should be done.
A marvelous 1-2 presentation from these EACers.
Gadfly is not sure what impact these public voices can have on the Martin Tower project at this point. He doesn’t know as much as he needs to about the process of development. Such comments almost seem too late once the developer has presented a plan. Maybe not.
Gadfly is sure, though, that we’d all like a “showcase.”
And this isn’t it. Yet.
How do we get such ideas in on the “ground floor,” as it were – at the beginning of the design process?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Kathy Fox is a member of the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council, a co-chair of the Northampton County Council of Democratic Women’s Environmental Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Bethlehem Food Co-op. Kathy involves herself in positive organizations and activities that foster community, environmental awareness, education, and good health.
Gadfly:
I want to thank the Lehigh University Environmental Studies department for hosting a screening of “Paris to Pittsburgh” [watch trailer] and, specifically, Breena Holland for organizing the event. In attendance were a good mix of students, professors, and residents of Bethlehem. The basis of the film was to show that despite the federal government’s refusal to do anything about the dire issue of climate change, many local and state governments are working for change. The film focused on the fact that climate change is NOT a partisan issue. It profiled Miami, Florida, Iowa farmers and towns, California, Puerto Rico, and Pittsburgh, highlighting the fact that it does not matter where you live and/or what your politics are, you will be adversely affected by climate change, and it is our responsibility to do something to reverse or at least hold the course of temperature rise as much as possible.
“A searing look at the effects of climate change by regular people who are dealing with its effects in their local towns. ” ( Jennifer Kite-Powell)
The narrator talked about the need to scale-up from the bottom to reduce fossil fuel use by 80% by 2030 and 100% by the end of the century and showcased solutions that were currently being implemented. There were numerous examples of renewable energy as a local economy boaster/job creator, and the film talked about the true price of greenhouse gas emissions. It is will cost less to do more to remediate climate change than it will cost to repair all the damage caused by it. A Marshall Plan for climate was suggested. Ask your politicians how they plan to tackle climate change. On that note, Bethlehem City Council Candidate, Grace Crampsie Smith, was in attendance, and asked good questions about the solutions cities should use to do their part.
“We the people need to take action. Our lives are at stake here.” (from the film)
The panel for discussion included Professors Rudy Shankar, Dork Sahagian, and David Casagrande; Lehigh University graduate student and member of the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council’s Waste Reduction Task Force, Jackie Cook; and Martha Christine, co-chair of Citizens Climate Lobby LV Chapter and member of Bethlehem Backyards for Wildlife. Professor Sahagian also stressed the need for a united effort – where you and I take responsibility for reducing our energy consumption. Start local, speak up, and take action.
Kathy
It’s Thursday, March 28, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
from Lynn Rothman
Following is the recommendation from the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) advising the City of Bethlehem to enact legislation banning single-use plastic bags. The City may modify the proposal and will ensure it is in legal form, should they decide to move forward with the recommendation. The City has been receptive to the proposal, and, upon request, we have provided additional ordinances from other cities to serve as examples.
The work was done by the EAC’s Waste Reduction Task Force, chaired by Beth Behrend, with committee members Jackie Cook and Amanda Allekott, both graduate students at Lehigh University.
The EAC is chaired by Lynn Rothman, with members Elizabeth Behrend, Elisabeth Cichonski, Kathy Fox, Brian Hillard, and Mike Topping.
Reminder: Free showing of and panel discussion about the documentary Paris to Pittsburgh Wednesday, March 27, 7pm (reception at 6:30), STEPS building (catacorner from the Chapel on Packer Ave.), Lehigh University.
It’s Tuesday, March 26, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Free showing of and panel discussion about the documentary Paris to Pittsburgh Wednesday, March 27, 7pm (reception at 6:30), STEPS building (catercorner from the Chapel on Packer Ave.), Lehigh University.
Beth Behrend is a member of the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council and head of the Waste Reduction Committee of the EAC.
First, I want to start off by thanking the mayor for attending the Mayor’s conference on sustainability and showing a commitment to our planet.
The EAC recently submitted a proposal to city council to pass an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags and apply a fee on all paper bags given to customers at the point of sale. I would like to see city council move forward with this measure and ask for your support for a ban on plastic bags.
The majority of the world already lives in a place where these bags are banned or levied. We are the ones that are behind. Narberth became the first borough in Pennsylvania to ban plastic bags back in October 2018, and I think it is important that we put more effort into caring for our environment.
Most plastic bags are made from nonrenewable energy sources, thus contributing to air pollution and climate change, and while some can be recycled, they are not easy to recycle and they never fully break down. In terms of costs, it is expensive to remove them when they get caught in storm drains or recycling facilities that are not designed to handle that type of recycling. It’s the tax payers that end up paying those costs. Research shows the passing of an ordinance like the one we proposed will drastically reduce both plastic and paper bag usage.
While our committee was putting together information on the proposal, we surveyed business owners in Bethlehem, and the response was overwhelmingly in support of eliminating plastic bags. Eighty percent of business owners who responded were either in favor of eliminating plastic bags or are neutral on the subject. Bethlehem is ready for this change, and I ask that you follow the lead of Narberth, Pennsylvania, and ban these unnecessary items. Thank you.
Beth
You can see Beth make this presentation to City Council at their March 19 meeting via the link above or on YouTube <City of Bethlehem Council> starting at min. 5:50.
Stay tuned — in the next post in this series, we’ll post the EAC proposal to which Beth refers (note how craftily Gadfly avoided ending this sentence with a proposition).
It’s Sunday, March 24, do you know where your local Climate Action Plan is?
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Gadfly forgot to let you know about the free showing of and panel discussion about the documentary Paris to Pittsburgh Wednesday, March 27, 7pm (reception at 6:30), STEPS building (catacorner from the Chapel on Packer Ave.), Lehigh University. Tip o’ the hat to the ubiquitous Kathy Fox!
Dana Grubb is a lifelong resident of the City of Bethlehem who worked 27 years for the City of Bethlehem in the department of community and economic development, as sealer of weights and measures, housing rehabilitation finance specialist, grants administrator, acting director of community and economic development, and deputy director of community development.
Gadfly:
I would question the migration to artificial Christmas trees from live trees given that live Christmas trees are a renewable crop that are rather easily composted, and artificial trees are not. I believe this to be a false narrative that it is beneficial to the environment, rather that it is more a cost efficiency issue with their installation.
Also, I would agree that a new round of public education on recycling programs is very necessary, given that it’s been at least ten years since the City of Bethlehem undertook a comprehensive approach to advertising and education in order to get buy-in from residents and businesses.
I reside in one of the larger rental communities in the City. The solid waste container for my neighborhood is often stuffed with all kinds of recyclable materials such as cardboard, glass, plastic and metallic items. Although the complex is required as a commercial entity (not as a housing entity) to provide containers for the collection of these items, I’ve peered into those large roll-offs and have seen ordinary household waste co-mingled with what can and should be recycled. This contamination defeats the purpose and probably sends much of that material to landfills.
Finally, revising City ordinances to require solar energy panels on roofs of new development of a certain footprint would be a big step toward renewable energy independence given the proliferation of huge warehouses in our area. It would also allow for on property parking for tractor trailers and provide electric power to be used to service a rig, instead of it running constantly and spewing exhaust into the atmosphere.
Brian, the younger guy, calm, diplomatic, showing just a trace of wry impatience at developer shortsightedness (“Looking at that pocket park, it’s like in the pocket”), even-temperedly calling attention to things you would think the developer would certainly have highlighted (Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, solar, etc.), and ending with an echo of the “showcase” dream: “This site was an icon to our city and our region, and we would be well served to continue with that thought. This could be an icon to the future as we remove the icon from the past.”
Mike, the older guy, experienced (“I used to sit on the other side of that table”), a bit gruff-voiced, tough talking, finding student designs better, forcefully invoking the specter of Levittown coming to Bethlehem, speaking definitively, authoritatively, for instance, about parking and subdividing (“It’s just wrong. It’s just not the way things are done”), attributing the design to an unimaginative engineer when real planning (by someone capable of creating a “showcase”) should be done.
(The latest in a series of posts relating to the environment, Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, and Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council)
Gadfly,
Many local businesses are already taking steps by using bio-degradable take-away containers and brown paper bags, which can be recycled with flat board (non-corrugated cardboard that tears brown and grey). Voluntary action by business owners is an excellent step, and CM Reynolds is spot on about going different routes to circumvent the state legislation.
I always thank a business for taking these steps so that they know that I appreciate their efforts and its impact on the environment.
Dana