LGA Lyceum

What Can an Environmental Advisory Council Accomplish for Your Community?

Local government is the seat of considerable legal authority in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Its areas of authority regularly encompass public safety, education, road maintenance, building and construction safety, water and sewer management, land use planning, recreation, and zoning.  Overlapping many of these functional areas are a range of environmental considerations, among them maintenance of open space, creation of nature preserves, stormwater management, maintenance and restoration of stream quality, and managing recycling. 

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code provides for municipalities to set up environmental advisory committees (EACs) to advise municipal government on environmental issues.   EACs are official bodies of municipal government typically made up of three to seven community members appointed by the municipal governing body (Council, Supervisors, Mayor, and so on.) and responsible to it.  EACs can identify potential problems and advise municipal officials on how to address them; recommend action and policy and implement projects to improve the environment of their municipality.  EACs are advisory, bodies, not regulatory bodies, and do not take the place of existing boards, commissions, and committees.  Likewise they do not engage in activism on issues.

Common EAC activities include open space preservation, planning, and acquisition; conducting Environmental Resource Inventories, studying environmental best practices (such as ordinances on steep slopes and riparian buffers), energy efficiency programs, and municipal greenhouse gas emissions inventories.

What EACs accomplish in their advisory capacity is helping municipal officials make environmentally sound decisions, serving as a liaison between the community and local government, engaging residents in natural resource protection, and engaging other municipalities to work jointly on issues involving natural systems (watersheds , for example) that span municipal boundaries.

On Thursday, May 3^rd, 2012 Local Government Academy will offer “Environmental Advisory Councils 101” between 6 PM and 9 PM at the Green Tree Municipal Building. Presented by Pennsylvania Environmental Council, this program will cover the various roles and responsibilities of EACs as well as detail some successful EAC projects. If you community has an EAC, this will be a great program for new appointed board members. If your community is considering implementing an EAC, this program will provide a wealth of information to get you started.

Submitted by:
Stan Kabala
LGA  Board Member
Associate Director, Center for Environmental Research and Education, Duquesne University

Opening Remarks from the "New Tools in the Blight Fight" Launch Event

Remarks provided by: Court Gould, Executive Director, Sustainable Pittsburgh

"This morning's 200 attendees is tribute to the sorry reality that blight and abandonment is pervasive across our towns and our Power of 32 county region.  It is wonderful to see such wide representation in the room from so many sectors and reaches of our region.   

You are also tribute to the robust movement that is weighing-in and approaching blight and abandonment to be untapped assets as core to the heart of the larger regional economic picture as they are to site specific, neighborhood by neighborhood quality of life.

Today is an exciting kick off to a series of programming coming from a "can do" attitude and shared sense of immediacy in the need to stem the tide of vacant properties.  We are the Local Government Academy, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, Sustainable Pittsburgh, and the Association of Municipal & School Solicitors Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.  And we enjoy support of The Buhl Foundation, The Benedum Foundation and other generous foundations and members that make our work possible.     

Once seemingly limited to the stereotypic image of urban decay, blight and abandonment is now a contemporary problem common to all communities.  Just as it is a new America where poverty is greater in rural than urban areas, our region is a study of changing socio-economics where pockets of pernicious decline are cropping up in rural, suburban, and urban forms alike.  A perspective we partners share is that not only is blight and abandonment ubiquitous across our landscape, but it is recognized to be a marker of larger region-scale concerns. 

In step with the Broken Window theory, blight and abandonment is appreciated to be both an outcome as well as precursor to a whole host of social, economic, and environmental concerns.  As vacant properties manifest, so begets community withdrawal and the onset of loss of control thus inviting a whole host of ills to take hold.  While that decaying property with its broken windows may seem to some to be a low civic priority, it actually stands as is either the neighborhood unraveling by blind-eye neglect or the diamond in the rough asset that cries out to be transformed into productive re-use. 

It is this "assets and opportunity" conviction that brings us together to explore the innovative and brave interventions our guest speakers will be sharing with you today.  These are our pioneers who are revitalizing communities, building new structures, policies, incentives, and tools for community and regional economic development.

Emblematic of that pioneering leadership, it is a pleasure to introduce The Honorable Richard King, Magisterial District Justice, City of Pittsburgh who has our respect and appreciation for front listing blight and abandonment as high among gravity of crimes on community where the legal system is representative of all branches of government and all sectors to be involved in the fight against blight."

 

For more information on the New Tools in the Blight Fight training series, please click here.

Recycling's Renaissance Can Save Your Community Time & Money

Taking advantage of technological advances in recycling can help your community save money and resources. Attend this upcoming program to find out how.

In these tough economic times, municipalities are looking for new sources of revenue to help offset the cost of programs that their communities have come to rely on. Your community's recycling program can provide one such opportunity. With new advancements in technology over the past 20 years, now is an ideal time for municipal officials to evaluate their recycling ordinances, contract, and community outreach program to identify potential savings and efficiencies.

Since Act 101 was adopted in 1988, the world of recycling has changed significantly. Processes have improved, advancements have been made with machinery, and new systems are in place for previously non-recyclable materials. With technological advancements more items than ever can be efficiently recycled. Recycling is experiencing a renaissance and these changes can be beneficial for municipalities, many of whom have been collecting recyclable items for years.

The "Reyclcing Renaissance" program on Thursday, March 15, 2012 (8:30 AM, Cranberry Township Municipal Building) will explore what's new in recycling and provide insight as to how municipal officials can benefit from these advancements. Having a greater understanding of these renaissance technologies is the first step in improving the effectiveness of your community's recycling program - and ensuring that fewer items enter the waste stream. Once you understand these developments, you can work with your residents and haulers on developing programs that can lead to savings and increased diversion rates.

At the Pennsylvania Resources Council, we've found that Act 101 is often misinterpreted among municipal officials and the citizens they represent. These misunderstandings often lead to missed opportunities for communities to apply for recycling program grant dollars. This workshop will provide an overview of the DEP regulations and the modifications municipalities should consider making to their ordinances to be eligible for these grant dollars.

Furthermore, it is important for municipalities to understand the options they may have with their current or future RFPs. With new technologies and changes in the way recyclable materials are handled, municipalities have more choices to consider. Revenue sharing, per ton versus per unit pricing, and pay as you throw are just a few examples to consider. Understanding these options can translate into short term and long term savings.

This workshop will focus on giving municipalities the tools they need to increase the effectiveness of their municipality's recycling program in a number of areas - from developing RFPs to enhancing community outreach efforts. Participants are encouraged to bring a copy of their municipality's waste ordinance to the workshop. All participants will be given a thumbnail drive with extensive resources to help their municipality increase residential recycling and commercial recycling and reporting.

In addition, all attendees will be entered into a drawing. Two winning municipalities will receive one-on-one design and production of an educational piece (either electronic or printed*) targeting either residential or commercial recycling participants in their municipalities.

(*limited number of printed pieces available)

Register on-line today for this interactive, informative program and take advantage of the opportunity to learn how your community can save money and the environment by updating your existing recyclign program.

 

Submitted by: Pennsylvania Resources Council