BETHLEHEM, Pa. — On an April day more than a half century ago, as the Lehigh Valley bustled with the success of Bethlehem Steel, 20 million people across the United States demonstrated, demanding officials do more to protect and support the environment.
And it worked.
“It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic smoke into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. “They could not be taken to court to stop it.”
How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment.Environmental Protection Agency
Months after the first Earth Day demonstrations on April 22, 1970, Congress authorized the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and in the years that followed, laws were strengthened or created to regulate air and water quality.
While not federally recognized, residents across the country each year since have acknowledged Earth Day by demonstrating for more environmental protections, cleaning up their communities or learning more about the planet they call home through educational initiatives.
In the decades since, the celebration has overflowed into the rest of the month, with many recognizing April as Earth Month. In addition to Earth Day, Arbor Day is acknowledged April 26.
Below, find events open to Lehigh Valley residents throughout the month of April aimed at environmental conservation and education:
Monday, April 22, Earth Day
Event: Spring Cleaning and Mulching of Covered Bridge Park
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Location: 2466 Wehr Mill Road, South Whitehall Township
Cost: n/a
Description: Volunteers can work side by side with staff to help get [the] community park ready for the warmer weather! [Participants] will be mulching throughout the park and picking up debris. [Participants] are often joined by our local youth associations who help prepare various sport fields. Get more information here.
Event: LV Trash Pact clean-up at Yosko Park
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: 610 Atlantic St., Bethlehem
Cost: n/a
Description: Garbage bags, gloves will be provided. Register here.
Thursday, April 25
Event: Weekly Weeders at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Location: 400 Belfast Road, Nazareth
Cost: n/a
Description: Interested in learning more about gardening with native plants? Volunteer to mulch, pull weeds, divide plants, and amend soil in the center's native plant garden every Thursday morning. We provide instruction, tools and weeding mats. Registration is required.
Event: Bethlehem Farmers' Market Opening Day
Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Farrington Square
Cost: n/a
Description: The Bethlehem Farmers' Market is a local, producer-only farmers' market located in Farrington Square at Lehigh University. The market offers fresh produce, lunch items, baked goods, natural goods, and more to Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley residents. The market is a proud member of Buy Fresh Buy Local - Greater Lehigh Valley.
Friday, April 26
Event: Arbor Day event
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Wire Mill Meadow, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Allentown
Cost: Free
Description: The city has partnered with the Allentown Garden Club to plant trees in the area among other things to commemorate Earth Month. This is free and open to the public and anyone can be part of the event.
Event: Free tree seedlings at Bethlehem’s City Hall
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: 10 E. Church St.
Cost: Free
Description: The City of Bethlehem this year is celebrating Arbor Day with free tree seedlings at City Hall. The seedlings range in species but are free to City of Bethlehem residents on a first come, first serve basis (one per person). We will be posting more information on the seedlings when it gets closer. Just to note, these seedlings cannot be planted between the curb and the sidewalk because they do not meet the size requirement for street trees.
Saturday, April 27
Event: D&L History Hike: Jim Thorpe South
Time: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Jim Thorpe South Trailhead, 1 Susquehanna St.
Cost: Free
Description: Join DLNHC for a 4-mile, Get Your Tail on the Trail trek along the D&L Trail starting in Jim Thorpe and heading south. View locks 1-4 and the weigh lock at lock No. 2. Walk the same path that Louis Tiffany, a famous American artist and designer, photographed in the 1880s. Other ruins will be highlighted, including an old hydroelectric plant and the home where Robert Heysham Sayer once lived. Find out more information here.
Event: D&L Trail Tenders at Hugh Moore Park
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Location: 2750 Hugh Moore Park Road, Easton
Cost: n/a
Description: For Celebrate Trails Day, join DLNHC for our annual clean up at Hugh Moore Park, home of the National Canal Museum and the D&L Trail. Volunteers will break into groups for various activities including litter clean-up along trails, prepping for educational field trips, clearing branches, planting flowers, painting, and more. Find more information here.
Event: LV Trash Pact clean-up at Elmwood Park
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: 820 Dellwood St., Bethlehem
Cost: n/a
Description: Garbage bags, gloves will be provided. Register here.
Event: LV Trash Pact clean-up at Hugh Moore Park Easton
Time: noon
Location: 2750 Hugh Moore Park Road, Easton
Cost: n/a
Description: Garbage bags, gloves will be provided. Register here.
Sunday, April 28
Event: LV Trash Pact clean-up at Hokendauqua Park
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: 3417 Lehigh St., Hokendauqua
Cost: n/a
Description: Garbage bags, gloves will be provided. Register here.
Event: LV Trash Pact clean-up at Dimmick Park Hellertown
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: 570 Durham St., Hellertown
Cost: n/a
Description: Garbage bags, gloves will be provided. Register here.
Tuesday, April 30
Event: The Dual Challenge of Energy and Climate: A Talk by Scott Tinker
Time: 8:10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Location: Lehigh University, Neville Hall, Auditorium 1
Cost: n/a
Description: All forms of energy impact the environment, and all forms have societal benefits. The dual challenge facing a world of over 8 billion people, living in conditions that range from extreme poverty to extreme wealth, is how to increase human flourishing while protecting the environment. Bio: Dr. Scott W. Tinker has traveled to over 60 countries on his mission to bring industry, government, academia, and nongovernmental organizations together to address the dual challenge of energy access for human flourishing and environmental protection. Dr. Tinker wears many hats, including speaker, educator, researcher, professor, filmmaker, author, TV and radio host, investor, board member, and more.
This is not an exhaustive list of upcoming clean–ups or events. To find more, go to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s website.
