Community Initiatives/Lehigh Valley

The Alliance for Sustainable Communities, Lehigh Valley
Contributed by Peter Crownfield

The Alliance for Sustainable Communities - Lehigh Valley supports progressive environmental and social justice goals in the greater Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. We work with individuals and organizations to increase awareness and understanding of the need to make communities truly sustainable and to build a culture of peace. Current interests include sustainable agriculture, local economies, smart growth, global climate change, renewable energy, environmental stewardship, locally-grown food, fair trade, holistic approaches to nutrition & health, media democratization, racism & race relations, and community revitalization.

The Alliance develops and promotes discussion forums, public dialogues, speakers on a variety of topics, organizational directories, partnerships where organizations have a common interest, coordinated activity calendars, retreat opportunities, and more.

Background and Goals

In 2003, a group of individuals, organizations, small businesses, and farmers concerned about the welfare of the greater Lehigh Valley came together to discuss ways to work together. Out of those discussions came the Alliance for Sustainable Communities - Lehigh Valley.

We envision a sustainable, regenerative society, and we set the following overall goals when the Alliance was formed in 2004:

1. Protect the natural environment on which our communities depend;

2. Protect and extend fundamental rights and opportunities throughout the range of human diversity;

3. Promote broad, meaningful participation in decision making to advance community interests and ensure that communities can assert their needs as a higher priority than the rights and priorities that corporations assert for themselves;

4. Foster strong local economies that provide secure and fulfilling livelihoods, foster enjoyable community life, work in harmony with nature, and strengthen the viability of independent local businesses and farms;

5. Encourage people to consume food that is whole, locally produced, and grown in ways that sustain and rebuild soil, water, wildlife, vegetation, and the lives of all of us;

6. Promote discussion, education, and understanding of ways to maximize the health of individuals and communities.

One of the Alliance's first projects was to publish a 'Directory of Organizations That Promote Sustainable Communities' to make people aware of the many groups working throughout the Valley and to encourage partnerships among these organizations. In 2004, we also launched a website <www.sustainlv.org> to foster cooperation and connectivity among individuals, organizations, and businesses.

Now in its third annual edition, the Directory currently lists over 125 organizations, businesses, and professional practitioners. Along with the Directory, we publish a calendar of local Earth Days events (70+ events this year) to make the media and public aware of these important sustainability efforts.

Since its inception, the Alliance has conducted community dialogues and other special events to raise awareness on a regular basis, and these continue today.

Ongoing Initiatives

Current work includes coordinating efforts to establish a regional energy center; conducting workshops to bring more whole-systems thinking and permaculture concepts to the Valley; exploring land and water issues throughout the Valley (with a special focus on farming); working with parents and schools to develop meaningful wellness policies and awareness of school-food connections; developing a sustainable energy center; promoting a local living economy; and assisting with efforts to develop awareness and outline a comprehensive plan for the time after peak oil.

In these efforts, we work closely with a variety of individuals, government officials, and other organizations, including the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, Green Valley Coalition, Lehigh Valley Beyond Oil, the Lehigh Valley Green Builders Forum, Lehigh Valley Progressive Student Alliance, the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association, and Renew Lehigh Valley. (Check the online edition of our Directory for more information and links to these organizations.) The Alliance is also a sponsor of current efforts to form a Sustainable Business Network in the greater Lehigh Valley.

We see all these initiatives as complementary and interdependent facets of the move to a sustainable, regenerative society. For more information check out our website <www.sustainlv.org>.