Gabriela Sampaio Every day we are bombed with disruptive and sad news about what is going on in the world. War, robbery, injustice, and crisis are some of the words in the headlines of the news. But how often do we see the environment as the main character of these headlines? Everyone knows that Earth is in great danger, but why don’t we focus on what is being done to … [Read more...] about We Need to Stop Plastic Consumption
Focus on Pages
The "Focus On" section provides in-depth information and opinion on many facets of sustainability. (Although these topics may appear quite distinct and separate, it’s important to remember that they are interconnected and interdependent in multiple ways — in general, the 4 basic principles of ecology apply to all complex systems.)
When you select a Focus On… topic, the system will select all the articles and posts in that category with the most recent pages at the top, just under a brief introduction to the topic. (Many articles appear in multiple categories.)
Background & detail information is organized into the main categories listed in the left sidebar.
Climate
Although many climate topics are intertwined with energy use, this category may include some posts that relate to both. The climate category can also include discussion of how the climate is changing, causes other than energy, such as releases of methane, nitrous oxides, and most refrigerants; also deforestation and agriculture that is not organic/regenerative.
Climate Action — A Winning Strategy for Higher Ed.
Lindsay Meiman If I learned one thing from my undergraduate years at Lehigh University, it’s that any lasting progress for a just world happens through wielding our collective power, coming together across our differences, and challenging institutional and systemic status quo. I didn’t necessarily learn this sitting in lecture halls, but rather organizing both on-campus and … [Read more...] about Climate Action — A Winning Strategy for Higher Ed.
SLV 2023 Notes from the Editors
Notes from the Editors As we publish our 25th issue of this booklet, we’d like to pause and note a few changes along the way. In 2004, we started out with the first directory of organizations in the Lehigh Valley that promote sustainable communities. That first issue included a handful of opinion pieces, and we soon realized that a platform for others’ voices was an … [Read more...] about SLV 2023 Notes from the Editors
We need to focus on climate resilience!
What is climate resilience? In general, resilience is seen as the ability to “bounce back” fromadverse events. It doesn’t develop spontaneously — we have to take action to reduce climate disruption and adapt to the changes it is bringing to the world as we have known it. We can mitigate the threats by doing everything possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions … [Read more...] about We need to focus on climate resilience!
Teaching Climate
The Looming Climate Catastrophe & the Great Silence
Faramarz Farbod It’s a do-or-die moment for humanity as it comes face to face with a looming ecological catastrophe. Yet there is a great silence when it comes to seeing the root cause of the crisis:the rule of capital. “We’re going to lose everything,” said Dr. Peter Kalmus, a NASA scientist. He and other scientists had chained themselves to a JPMorgan Chase building in … [Read more...] about The Looming Climate Catastrophe & the Great Silence
We Need to Switch to Regenerative Organic Agriculture Now
Max Fern From water quality to climate change, how we treat our farmland affects so much of the environment around us. Agricultural chemicals run off into waterways, creating dead zones that strip marine ecosystems of life and poison the water that we drink – these same chemicals also destroy beneficial insect communities and weaken the food chains of the pollinators … [Read more...] about We Need to Switch to Regenerative Organic Agriculture Now
Solar Power in PA | Solar United Neighbors
Why is Pennsylvania So Far Behind Neighboring States on Solar Implementation And What Can We Do About It? Implementing solar energy technology, particularly solar PV, offers enormous opportunities including job creation and workforce development and economic growth. If properly implemented, it can also produce electricity bill savings for everyone (not only those … [Read more...] about Solar Power in PA | Solar United Neighbors
‘Youth Voices’
The following statements by students and young adults reflect their thoughts, their deepest hopes and fears on climate change and aspects of sustainability in the past, present, and/or future. We encourage you to share your thoughts with us: just email the editors or post a comment on the Alliance’s website! [A few quotes were very lightly edited to fit the print … [Read more...] about ‘Youth Voices’
#TeachTheTruth
Peter Crownfield and Devon Jewell Editors note: This essay is adapted from the Alliance summer internship report on Climate Change Education, for which Devon was the lead author, and from a longer article on environmental justice written that Devon and Peter wrote for the upcoming State of the Lehigh Valley report. Why do some serious, widespread problems persist year … [Read more...] about #TeachTheTruth