Organizations and Individuals Recognized for their Contributions to
Environmental Sustainability in Allentown 
at the Sustain-a-Ball 4/16/11

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES – LEHIGH VALLEY –  A non-profit organization dedicated to fostering collaboration and connectivity among individuals, organizations, and businesses working to promote sustainability in the Lehigh Valley.  The organization’s actions include education, community outreach, advocacy, and partnership-building.  The Alliance is being acknowledged this evening for all the good work it does, but more specifically for its beautiful little directory of regional organizations which promote sustainable communities.  It would be difficult to overstate the value of this work and the work Martin Boksenbaum, Peter Crownfield, Chiharu Tokura, and their interns put into this effort.

THE ARTS

MID-ATLANTIC RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION – MAREA is an organization committed to education about, and the promotion of, environmentally friendly energy and lifestyle choices to individuals and businesses.  The organization’s Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival held in Kempton each year is a celebration of sustainable living.  Each year, the organization seeks local artists to create sculptural artwork that reflects energy issues and solutions.  For last year’s event, under the arts-and-entertainment direction of Janice Eshelman, French artist Oscar Lloveras created the marvelous, six-story landscape sculpture shown here.

GOVERNMENT

ALLENTOWN DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – In 2009, while Joyce Marin was the director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development, Lauren Giguere, the assistant director at that time, crafted a successful $1 million grant request to the U.S. Department of Energy.  The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) provided about $750,000 for specific energy-saving projects in the city, such as fuel-saving devices for all the city’s diesel vehicles, “smart” light controls for City Hall, a center-city bike-route plan, and more.  The grant also provided $250,000 to create incentives, in the form of interest-rate “buy-downs” and reimbursement grants for residential, commercial, and non-profit property owners in the city. The buy-down/rebate program is ongoing and has leveraged over a half-million dollars in energy-saving projects in the city.

MEDIA

NATURAL AWAKENINGS MAGAZINE – Natural Awakenings is a monthly healthy-living, healthy-planet magazine devoted to natural health, fitness, nutrition, environment, personal growth, and creative expression.  Founded in Naples, Florida over 16 years ago, Natural Awakenings is now published in over 80 metropolitan areas across the U.S.  Local publisher Reid Boyer published the first Pennsylvania edition in 2007 and distributes free to over 950 locations in the greater Lehigh Valley and Warren County, New Jersey.  The magazine’s unique blend of local and national editorial, news, resource guides, and calendar of events is designed to assist readers on their personal path to wellness while fostering environmental responsibility in our communities.

TRANSPORTATION

ALLENTOWN DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION – While it may seem unusual for a parks-and-rec department to be acknowledged for transportation improvements and innovations, department director Greg Weitzel, since his arrival on the job in 2007, has laid the groundwork for vast improvements in the city’s green infrastructure which will significantly impact our ability to access the city by foot and by bicycle.  Several recently completed plans are important to this end, but perhaps the most specifically significant is the Connecting Our Community plan completed in 2010.  Its stated purpose is “ … to identify potential trail projects, programs, policies, and guidelines that will better connect pedestrians and bicyclists to Allentown’s excellent system of parks and trails.”  Walk or take a bike to school, the store, the library, the parks, or wherever – and leave the car in the garage.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

TREATMENT TRENDS, INC. – This organization, which recently established the Veterans Sanctuary to provide residential treatment of addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder for our veterans, has been renovating the St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church School building on South Fifth Street in Allentown for two years. Robert Csandl and his team have approached the project with “green” in mind wherever possible.  The building, constructed in 1934, is solid, but was severely lacking in the efficiencies needed to make it economically sustainable. A grant from the city’s EECBG program (mentioned previously) helped Treatment Trends purchase some of the high-efficiency replacement windows for the building.  They also installed solar panels to heat water, an eco-friendly elevator that uses little electricity, energy-efficient lighting with motion detectors, bamboo flooring, low-flow showers, Energy Star kitchen appliances, and much more. 

URBAN REVITALIZATION

SUSTAINABLE URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY – SUN*LV works with organizations and residents to help start and support community gardens in neighborhoods across the Lehigh Valley.   Lou Cinquino and other volunteers work through a website, the social network, personal contact, and collaboration with individuals and for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.  SUN*LV’s organization’s intent is for community gardens to provide immediate benefits in terms of physical activity and fresh food for its participants.  The gardens can also serve as neighborhood hubs that foster community building and spur economic development in our cities.

GREEN BUILDINGS AND ARCHITECTURE

BRUCE WILSON CONTRACTING – Bruce Wilson and Annie Prince are the co-owners of Bruce Wilson Contracting, a general contracting company which specializes in green building, renewable energy, and historic preservation.  It is a registered Pennsylvania contracting firm and a registered “lead-safe” contractor celebrating 34 years in business, making it the oldest green-building contracting company in the region. Bruce Wilson is a “LEED -Accredited Professional” and a nationally known speaker and consultant on green building. In 2003, Bruce and Annie co-founded Lehigh Valley Green Builders, a non-profit organization, which is a sponsor of this event.  This picture shows them being honored at the organization’s first “expo,” which Bruce Wilson Contracting produced.

BUSINESS (LOCAL)

AFC FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION – Founded in 1947 and based in Allentown, AFC First Financial Corporation is a national leader in energy-efficiency and renewable lending and rebate programs.  Across the U.S., it works in partnerships with states, utilities, manufacturers, and municipalities.  In 2010, AFC First and the City of Allentown established an interest-rate buy-down program. This partnership, funded in part by the city’s EECBG program, provides low-interest loans for Allentown’s residential property owners.  The company was one of the first independent lending institutions licensed by the commonwealth. Peter Krajsa, the son of the founder, is the chairman and chief executive officer.

WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY

CLEAN WATER ACTION – This effective organization is a statewide, non-profit citizens’ environmental organization which works for clean water, clean air, safe and affordable drinking water, and healthy communities.  CWA helps citizens find a voice for their concerns about environmental problems, and represents them vigorously to elected officials and law- and regulation-makers.  The organization also engages in critical research on various environmental issues. Cathy Frankenberg is the local CWA representative and has been active in numerous environmental issues that affect the city and the region.

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE

DELAWARE & LEHIGH NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR – A non-profit organization that strives to be the leader in the preservation, protection, conservation, interpretation, and enrichment of the cultural and natural resources that distinguish the valleys of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers as being nationally significant. This is accomplished by serving local agencies, empowering partnerships, guiding stewardship, and undertaking actions that respect our rich heritage and enhance the prosperity of our communities. Director Allen Sachse has led the D & L’s efforts for over 12 years. 

FOOD AND GARDENING WITHIN OUR “FOODSHED”

RODALE INSTITUTE – This unique non-profit organization has been pioneering organics since 1947 and improving the health and well-being of people and the planet.  Building on the prescient visions of J.I. Rodale and Robert Rodale, Mark “Coach” Smallwood and his team are involved in innovative research, education, and outreach advocating organic food-production techniques as a means of renewing human and environmental health.  The Institute began this work long before the environment and organics were trendy.  Millions of people around the globe have been taught how to transform their lives and their communities by the Institute.

INDIVIDUAL

DAN KUNKLE – Dan Kunkle has been hurling himself at conservation issues for many years. While some might mistakenly think he tilts at windmills, in fact he has won most of his encounters against seemly insurmountable odds.  Re-vegetate a mountain?  OK. Start a successful 756-acre refuge with a beautiful new nature center and effective education program? Done.  Publish four significant wildlife periodicals a year?  No problem.  The success of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center involves more people than just Dan, of course, but no one believes it would have succeeded without his selfless devotion to the difficult and complicated tasks involved with its development.  Dan is the quintessential environmentalist.  He’s enthused, yet balanced; knowledgeable, yet humble; persevering, but friendly – a model for the rational conservationist.