Building Community
Community can mean people who share a physical space, those who share beliefs or goals, or people who act together. When people who live together or have interests in common don’t have a sense of connection, they may need to create activities to build community.
Sustainability in the Workplace
by Rachel LeWitt — In an era where even Walmart has pushed attempts to “go green”, the average consumer has been faced with the sustainability movement and its efforts in many different forms by 2011. Most if not all of these initiatives … more
Global Transition Movement
by Joris Rosse — In the absence of common sense and ability to act appropriately in high places, “Think Globally and Act Locally”. Enter Transition towns, cities, valleys, forest regions, and yes whole countries. The following is a very brief summary of … more
Social Entrepreneurs
It’s vitally important to realize that while some social ventures can be looked at as a business that happens to have a special type of mission and product or service, others are not market-driven, market-based, or market-financed. In these ventures, traditional business & … more
Working for a Sustainable Williams Township
By Alisa Baratta, Kathy Lilley, and Jennifer Petrozzo — The small, rural community of Williams Township has a 35-year history of residents fighting the corporate interests of a local landfill. Community members have been responsible for documenting and calling attention to … more
Evolve Towards Involvement
How can a disconnected, unresponsive population be empowered to take responsibility for their community? This questions is not easy to answer, but is at the heart of any discussion on community governance and justice. In Fall 2009, I decided to … more
Regional Thinking Must Rely on Broad Community Involvement
By Deana Zosky and Steven Bliss — Broad-based community participation is fundamental to Renew Lehigh Valley’s work. The organization seeks to draw on a range of perspectives in determining our overall direction and in developing our policy agenda. This collaborative … more
Rekindling Local Democracy
By Jessica Stuart — The American democracy that has been embraced by citizens as a means of equality and justice is in a state of decline. In our flawed democratic system, certain groups of citizens are deprived the opportunity to … more
Theatre Transforming Community
By Pana Columbus — As our theatre company’s work is dedicated to community transformation, community-decision making is an essential component to what we do. We need to know what changes our friends and neighbors want and to hear how they … more
Local for the Future
by Christina Bianco — In a market economy, the main goal is to achieve efficiency. Given that this statement is true, why do businesses ship products across state and international borders when the local community is capable of supplying the … more
Urban Ecology in Easton
The West Ward Neighborhood Partnership (WWNP) was established by the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV) to help mobilize resources for the economic development of Easton’s West Ward neighborhood. WWNP also operates the Commonwealth’s Elm Street Program. Recently, … more