by Elijah Zemsky Food waste in our country has devastating and lasting effects on the environment and our communities. The food supply chain pumps unneeded food into homes and businesses, then completely mismanages the waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 40 million tons of food are produced in America every year, and 40% of that — 16 million … [Read more...] about Food Waste in Bethlehem
poverty
Let’s Talk About Climate Justice
by Audrey Dai Climate justice. These two simple words are probably not as familiar as the now politically infused “climate change”. Instead, these words emphasize how environmental changes are an issue of civil rights, and how these changes will affect each of us living on this planet, just some more than others. And this is regardless of your political standing. In the … [Read more...] about Let’s Talk About Climate Justice
Climate Justice
by Audrey Dai Climate justice. These two simple words are probably not as familiar as the now politically infused “climate change”. Instead, these words emphasize how environmental changes are an issue of civil rights, and how these changes will disproportionately affect each of us living on this planet, just some more than others. And this is regardless of your political … [Read more...] about Climate Justice
How Che Guevara Taught Cuba to Confront COVID-19
by Don Fitz Beginning in December 1951, Ernesto “Che” Guevara took a nine-month break from medical school to travel by motorcycle through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. One of his goals was gaining practical experience with leprosy. On the night of his twenty-fourth birthday, Che was at La Colonia de San Pablo in Peru swimming across the river to join the … [Read more...] about How Che Guevara Taught Cuba to Confront COVID-19
Dollar Meals and Diabetes
Elizabeth Oram Logan County, West Virginia was the epicenter of the final battle of the “mine wars” of the 20th century: the Battle of Blair Mountain. In 1921, thousands of miners—white, black and immigrant—stood together and took up arms against the forces of state and corporate terror that held them hostage in coal country. They were proud workers and they knew they … [Read more...] about Dollar Meals and Diabetes
Is Peace an Environmental Issue?
by Nancy Tate Should those of us working for a sustainable Lehigh Valley and a sustainable world make peace and anti-war work a priority? LEPOCO, of course, answers this question in the affirmative. One of our earliest flyers hints at this by quoting then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the … [Read more...] about Is Peace an Environmental Issue?
Strategies for Change
Three recent newsletters discuss their organization's perspectives on how to bring about change. One talks about nonviolent direct action, another about securing rights via home rule charters and constitutions, and the third about achieving change goals via the development of organizational strength and resilience. But you don't have to worry about which strategy is right -- … [Read more...] about Strategies for Change
Education and Sustainability
Do schools and our current educational system function in sustainable ways—and do they prepare students to live sustainable lives? Hundreds of years ago, the people knew waht this meant, but many of us seem to have forgotten. One of the Great Laws of the Iroquois was ‘In every deliberation we must consider the impact on the seventh generation.’ In 2000, Penn State issued a … [Read more...] about Education and Sustainability