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Alliance for Sustainable Communities

Lehigh Valley PA

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local economy

Increasing Community Access to Fresh, Local Foods

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Jessica Levy When I first moved to Bethlehem, I was disappointed at how far away my favorite restaurants were from where I was living. Coming from a town with more fast food chains than local restaurants, I was accustomed to picking up Chipotle on my way home from school or stopping at Panera before heading to a friend’s house. Living on Lehigh University’s campus as a first … [Read more...] about Increasing Community Access to Fresh, Local Foods

Land and Green Space Preservation

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by Maclaine Oskin Development and construction through the years has overtaken our land with asphalt and concrete, making commercial districts and office buildings abundant while the number of trees and open space dwindles. The Lehigh Valley, with an ever-growing population and robust mixed economy, continues to develop. As a result, it becomes even more critical to protect … [Read more...] about Land and Green Space Preservation

The slower crises continue

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I hope you're doing well as we hunker down to weather the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, the other, slower crises don't go dormant just because there's a pandemic raging. The climate emergency has slowed down a little while factories and shops are shuttered and people aren't driving nearly as much — but that respite will end when they 'reopen the economy'. Coronavirus … [Read more...] about The slower crises continue

Impacts (Sustainability Impacts Assessment)

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This project examines the inter-related facets of climate, community, health, environment, and local economy. While the project focused on the proposed Da Vinci Science City project in Easton, the descriptions below provide an introduction to the various types of impacts to be potentially considered for any new development project. Climate   Climate change effects … [Read more...] about Impacts (Sustainability Impacts Assessment)

Sustainability Impact Assessment

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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

Local Economic Systems

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by Rich Fegley It is estimated that the average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate. If our food is grown that far from where we live, it is safe to assume that a fair percentage of the money that we spend to purchase food will go to the grower who is located 1500 miles away and to the food distributor, possibly located in Texas or Illinois. It … [Read more...] about Local Economic Systems

Empowerment and Engagement for Sustainability and Climate Action

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by Joyce Marin We are hearing a choir of voices around the world rising in urgency regarding Climate Action. Many people, especially young people, are gaining the courage to look at, inform themselves about, discuss and ask for Climate Action. Why? “Because there is no Planet B,” a young friend of mine says. In my role as executive director of RenewLV, the regional … [Read more...] about Empowerment and Engagement for Sustainability and Climate Action

Sustainable Living

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by Julia Ward After attending a "Brown Bag" luncheon given by Professor Ben Cohen of the Engineering Studies Department, I learned about the numerous efforts to build a sustainable local food system. It is no surprise to me that there are many ways that someone can become apart of creating a sustainable food and agriculture system. When it all comes down to it, it depends on … [Read more...] about Sustainable Living