Waste
Waste threatens to overwhelm natural ecosystems and the health of people and other life, primarily because our society produces so much waste in the form of short-lived or single-use materials and products that do not lend themselves to re-use or even recycling.
Social Research | Social Justice Conference
A unique and excellent addition to the Lehigh Valley’s offerings, the Social Research Social Justice Conference began in 2003 as a collaboration between faculty and students in the Department of Media and Communication at Muhlenberg College, with the goal to … more
Commit to Leadership in Sustainability
The benefits of making a clear commitment can be dramatic, especially over the long term. When students, faculty, staff, and alumni know that the college or university is making a broad and comprehensive commitment to sustainability, they are more likely … more
Endowment Investments with High Return & Ultra-Low Risk
This is another no-brainer. Recently, colleges and universities have been earning an average 6–8% return on their endowment funds. Most facilities projects to reduce energy & greenhouse gas emissions [GHG] have a 5–7 year payback — a 14%–20% return—which means … more
‘Green Revolving Funds’
A ‘Green Revolving Fund’ provides funds for small projects such as the one described above, projects that will make the college or university more sustainable and, in most cases, pay for itself by reducing expenses for energy. Any project that … more
Environmental Advisory Statement on DTE Incinerator
Allentown Environmental Advisory Council May 13, 2012 On March 29, 2012 Allentown signed a 35-year contract with a private NJ company, Delta Thermo Energy (DTE), to build an incinerator on Kline’s Island in Allentown for disposal of the city’s trash … more
Allentown incinerator plan – Documents
Waste Incinerator in Allentown – Documents Documents related to the waste incinerator to be built in downtown Allentown: Documents from the Sierra Club and other experts: Al Wurth – March 6 message to Allentown City Council Sierra Club letter to … more
Waste Incineration
Note: Much of this material was originally posted as a call to action regarding the City of Allentown’s proposal to contract with Delta Thermo Energy to build a ‘Waste to energy’ plant in downtown Allentown. That proposal was approved and … more
Sustainability Is Good Business
Forward thinking companies realize value in providing sustainable, renewable, organic, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, sweatshop free, biodegradable, and locally-produced products and services. In the long run, our steadfast demand for such ethical products will yield greater profits to ethical suppliers. I believe … more
Protecting the Interests of the People
When the residents of Lynn Township, Lehigh County discovered E.coli in their water wells, they approached their township supervisors, asking them to tell a local farmer to stop using fertilizer made from treated sewage sludge that goes by the green- … more
Saying No to Toxic Waste Dumping
Bangor, Pennsylvania was once the slate-producing capital of the world. Now the abandoned quarries are candidates for toxic dumping. For over 30 years, one particular quarry has been receiving truckloads of ash from the GenOn coal plant in Mt.Bethel. The … more