by Bill George Bethlehem was born from a utopian, communal Moravian experiment in 1740 that dissolved in the face of the philosophy of progress, the industrial revolution and the domination of Bethlehem Steel. Then, in 1998, after an almost 150-year history building our nation, Bethlehem Steel shut down. To help our community work through that trauma, Touchstone Theatre … [Read more...] about Festival UnBound
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.
Place & Infrastructure
A Sustainability Narrative
by Brian Hillard When I had first planted my roots in Bethlehem thirteen-and-a-half years ago, it wasn't long before I had experienced my first taste of the community within. With a backyard full of yard debris and no truck to haul it to the compost center, my next-door neighbor offered to help me run it over with his truck then, unbeknownst to me, he took it over himself … [Read more...] about A Sustainability Narrative
Acknowledgments (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
First of all, the Alliance thanks the 5 student interns whose hard work made this project possible: Olivia Barz (Lehigh ’19)Ryan Dougherty (Lafayette ’19)Harris Eisenhardt (SUNY–ESF ’19)Ashley Kushner (Lafayette ’19)Brandy Moser (Boston University ‘21) The project team thanks the many community leaders for their assistance—and is especially grateful to Lin Erickson, … [Read more...] about Acknowledgments (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
Recommendations (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
The recommendations take a holistic view to mitigate the challenges associated with the Da Vinci Science City and explore opportunities. Each recommendation indicates which of the five impact areas (climate, community, local economy, health, and environment). All recommendations are directed to the Da Vinci Science Center unless otherwise stated. To operationalize … [Read more...] about Recommendations (Sustainability Impact Assessment)
Sustainability Impact Assessment
In 2018, a team of Alliance interns completed a preliminary sustainability impact assessment on a proposal to construct Da Vinci Science City (DVSC) in Easton. (See link at bottom of page for a PDF of the full report.) Prepared by: Olivia Barz (Lehigh ’19), Ryan Dougherty (Lafayette ’19), Harris Eisenhardt (SUNY–ESF ’19), Ashley Kushner (Lafayette ’19), and … [Read more...] about Sustainability Impact Assessment
Tax on Businesses that Generate Litter
"A city is judged by how clean it is" In February 2006 the City of Oakland, California, passed ordinance 12727, which enacts a fee on fast-food restaurants, gas stations, and convenience markets to cover litter and trash clean up. The fee is expected to raise $237,000 a year, which will be used solely to fund the clean up program. The ordinance is intended to discourage the … [Read more...] about Tax on Businesses that Generate Litter
Colonialism
The U.S. was built through settler colonialism, which involves taking over lands already in use by other people, displacing the people and often destroying their cultures. (Sometimes the goal was simply to use the land for their own settlements; in other cases the goal was to extract minerals & other resources. In the U.S. & Canada, settlers not only made war on the … [Read more...] about Colonialism
Creative Place-making: A Matter of Words
by Doug Roysdon Over the past few years, we have come to a new and better understanding of how this place we call our town represents a unique social and cultural opportunity. It is our place to celebrate, invest in and promote—our place to make. And, in this brave new world, a popular term full of promise and possibility—creative place-making—has come to resonate broadly as … [Read more...] about Creative Place-making: A Matter of Words
South Side Initiative
by Mary Catherine Foltz How can Universities and communities work together to promote sustainability? Lehigh University’s South Side Initiative (SSI) has developed a few different ways to answer this question in the past years. Recently, we worked with community partners and citizens of Bethlehem to develop community gardens and to begin the process of imaging a pedestrian … [Read more...] about South Side Initiative
Land Use and Development
By Zeke Zelker Land Use and Development As a teenager, I spent hours walking in the cornfields of Lower Macungie, searching for solace in the serene pastoral landscape. I would traverse this landscape alone, rummaging through my confused adolescent mind trying to figure out some big problems. Why do people act so irrationally? Why were people homeless? Why do people … [Read more...] about Land Use and Development