EAC Meeting - August 23

The Emmaus & Upper Milford Environmental Advisory Council meets Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7 p.m. at Emmaus Borough Hall. All members of the public are welcome to attend.

Hot topics for tonight's meeting include the e-waste recycling events being held local this fall, and ongoing discussion of education initiatives including the fall season of the Emmaus Farmers' Market!

Downloads to learn more...

August 23, 2010 Meeting Agenda

July EAC Meeting Notes

EAC Welcomes New Member!

Heather Deschenes is an Emmaus Borough resident who is actively involved in environmental issues both professionally and at home. At its June 2010 meeting, the borough appointed Heather to fill a vacant seat on the Environmental Advisory Council, and we welcome her aboard!

Remember, you don't have to be an EAC member to get involved! Just come to any of our meetings and let us know what you're interested in!

EAC Meeting tonight at Upper Milford!

The Emmaus & Upper Milford Environmental Advisory Council meets tonight at 7 p.m. at the Upper Milford Township building. All members of the public are welcome to attend.

Hot topics for tonight's meeting include a possible e-waste recycling event for late summer or early fall, and ongoing discussion of water quality protection and education initiatives.

Downloads to learn more...

July 26, 2010 Meeting Agenda

June EAC Meeting Notes

Emmaus garbage & recycling collection - 2010 Changes!

Effective July 1, some Emmaus residents' garbage and recycling pick-up days are changing, and we now have a new list of recyclable materials that will be collected. The newly expanded list of recyclables includes aluminum cans, glass, iron cans, plastics # 1 - 7, newsprint, cardboard, magazines, cereal boxes, printer/copier/office paper (without wax liners), and mail.

Download the Borough's full notice to residents.

June Meeting Agenda & May Minutes

EAC Meeting Tonight!
7 p.m. at Emmaus Borough Hall
Download meeting agenda.

Also, notes from the May meeting are available - download now.

Riparian Buffers in Emmaus?

The EAC is actively reviewing the zoning ordinances for the Borough of Emmaus to determine if increased protection for Lieberts Creek and wetland areas can be established through proper buffering along stream banks. While no formal recommendation has been reached, we have some resources available to help with this evaluation. If interested, please contact the EAC with your feedback or any additional resources you may have available.

Here's what we have so far:

Current Borough ordinance for riparian buffers

Upper Milford Township's riparian buffer ordinance language

Model ordinances by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission

Spring 2010 EAC Activities

All of our EAC members have been busy with springtime activities including our Earth Day cleanup, EAC meetings, opening of the Emmaus Farmers' market and much more! Here's a quick synopsis of what's been happening:

Earth Day! The Borough "Thanks" all community members who volunteered across Emmaus and Upper Milford to clean up litter and other trash for the annual Earth Day Clean-Up which was held on April 24. 2010. There were approximately 175 volunteers registered for the event, which began at 8:30 a.m. at the Emmaus Community Park. After receiving assignments, volunteers went to nearly a dozen areas of the Borough and Township most in need of cleanup. The volunteers covered approximately 14.5 miles of roadway and 8.5 acres of parks. Assistance, equipment, and manpower were provided by the Joint EAC Committee as well as the Public Works Departments of both Emmaus and Upper Milford. The chairperson of the event was William Ahlert. All totaled, there were 37, 55 gallon bags of recyclables, 87 bags of garbage, 16 tires, 1 car bumper, and 1 roll of carpeting collected and disposed of. In addition, 42 storm drains throughout the Borough of Emmaus were updated with stencils to educate residents that the drains flow to local waterways, so “no dumping”!

April 2010 meeting minutes

May 2010 meeting agenda

Emmaus Farmers Market: The EAC will be represented with a booth at the Emmaus Farmers' Market once a month throughout the market season. Please stop by and visit us!

EAC table at the Emmaus Farmers Market

We will have a table at the Emmaus Farmers Market on Sunday, May 9 from 10 am to 2 pm. To celebrate Compost Awareness week, we will have a display of a working worm farm and compost bin, and we can show you how to make compost tea. The Farmers Market is always a fun place to be - bring your mom!

Electronics recycling on May 8

Coming events: On Saturday, May 8, there will be an electronics recycling event at the Allentown Fairgrounds, 1825 West Chew Street in Allentown from 9 am to 2 pm. Items to be accepted will be laptops, printers, keyboards, copiers, lead acid batteries, small appliances, VCRs, DVD players, Fairgrounds, computer monitors, stereos and speakers, cables, dehumidifiers, computer parts and electronic toys. Televisions will be accepted for a $20 fee.

March Minutes & April Meeting Agenda

EAC Meeting Tonight!

All members of the public, interested residents, municipal officials, etc. are welcome to attend and provide feedback. We value the insights of our neighbors!

Meeting details:
Monday
April 26, 2010
7 p.m.
Emmaus Borough Hall (downstairs in the old police barracks)

Download Meeting Agenda

March EAC Meeting Notes

Local Cooperation on Local Environmental Issues

We are happy to report that Lower Macungie Township's EAC has joined forces with us for our Earth Day cleanup event on April 24. Groups all around the Lehigh Valley will be working together to spruce up our streets and remove garbage on Earth Day.

In addition, Lehigh County is offering another Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff event on Earth Day. If you have items to drop off, an appointment is required. Please visit Lehigh County's Office of Solid Waste web site for more information about how to participate.

Sustain-A-Ball

The Allentown Environmental Advisory Council invites you to its first Sustain-a-Ball,

Saturday, April 10 at the Allentown Brew Works from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Sustain-a-Ball is both a fundraiser and a celebration of past and present Lehigh Valley initiatives to protect and sustain Allentown’s natural resources. The evening will feature live music, dancing and the Brew Work’s wonderful hors d'oeuvres and dessert. Attire is dressy casual to fun formal.

The event will begin in the spirit of renewal with a solo dance, (re)birth, choreographed by Allentown-based choreographer Sarah Carlson and performed by Christine Michener to an original guitar score by Michael London. The dance literally blossoms from the ground up. A brief program and slide show will highlight many of Allentown's green initiatives.

Proceeds from the Sustain-a-Ball will be used by the EAC in their efforts to protect the City of Allentown’s environmental resources. For more information, visit www.sustainaball.org

Excessive Litter - Not Just in Emmaus & Upper Milford!

Today's edition of The Morning Call included a "Road Warrior" column about excessive litter along our local roadways. This time of year, it always seems more visible due to the snow melting and revealing all the trash underneath. A sad sight it is along many of the local roadways in and around Emmaus, Upper Milford Township, Lower Macungie Township, etc.

While we cannot always change people's behaviors, we can certainly try to educate them on the impacts of such activities! Join us for the 2010 Earth Day cleanup event in Emmaus on April 24 to help the EAC clear the litter and make a statement against litter!

March 22, 2010 Meeting Agenda

EAC Meeting Tonight!

All members of the public, interested residents, municipal officials, etc. are welcome to attend and provide feedback. We value the insights of our neighbors! Tonight we will be focusing primarily on planning the details of our upcoming Earth Day Cleanup Event to be held on April 24.

Meeting details:
Monday, March 22, 2010
7 p.m.
Emmaus Borough Hall
Download Meeting Agenda

February 2010 Meeting Notes

Notes from the EAC's 2-22-2010 meeting are available. Download a copy here!

Next meeting:
Monday, March 22, 2010
7 p.m.
Upper Milford Township Building

Earth Day Event - Suggest a Cleanup Location!

The EAC is expecting a large crowd at the April 24, 2010 event, and we want to be sure there are cleanup assignments for all our volunteers!

Driving through the Borough of Emmaus, Upper Milford Township or Lower Macungie Township, have you seen spots that are littered with trash? Let us know! The EAC will be meeting over the next 3 weeks to make final preparations for this event, and we will consider all suggested cleanup locations.

Email the EAC today with your feedback. Thanks!

Household Hazardous Wastes - Drop Off Event!

Did you know you could have Hazardous Waste in your home? It's true! The average American has between 3 and 10 pounds of hazardous materials in their home at any given time, and Pennsylvanians generate an average of 25,000 tons of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) each year!

The Lehigh County Office of Solid Waste has a solution to help you properly dispose of your HHWs. They are conducting a free drop-off program for County residents on April 24, 2010 and the Lehigh County Authority Wastewater Plant in Fogelsville.

Two ways to participate:

1. Register online for an appointment to drop off your HHWs at the April 24 event, and take your materials directly to the drop-off site.

2. Bring your used batteries, thermometers, thermostats and fluorescent bulbs to the EAC's Earth Day event, and we will take them to the HHW drop-off program for you! event details

Earth Day 2010 - Cleanup Event!

The Emmaus & Upper Milford EAC is pleased to offer another great event for Earth Day! Last year we were pleased to host about 200 volunteers for the cleanup event that included litter pick-up as well as storm-drain stenciling program.

Due to the growth of this event, a few things have changed for 2010. Here are the basic details:

April 24, 2010
8:30 a.m. Registration
Start at Emmaus Community Park

Download flier with full details.

January 2010 Meeting Notes

Meeting notes are available from the January 25, 2010 EAC meeting.

EAC Members: Please review the notes to ensure they accurately reflect your assignments for the next meeting!

January 2010 Meeting Notes

February 22, 2010 Meeting Agenda

EAC Monthly Meeting
February 22, 2010
7 p.m.
Emmaus Borough Hall (downstairs meeting room)

Primary agenda item is Earth Day event planning, plus miscellaneous project updates.

February 22, 2010 Meeting Agenda