BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The city’s Climate Action Plan isn’t just an environmental document, officials said Thursday, but a blueprint for the future.
“The core vision of the CAP is to build a city that is resilient, equitable and economically vibrant, where climate health is synonymous with human health and financial opportunity,” city Sustainability Manager Sarah DeGrendel said.
“The CAP is Bethlehem's chance to change in ways that are positive for everyone. We are working toward cleaner air, new jobs, lower energy bills and a more equitable, resilient community that is ready for the future.”
Officials gathered Thursday in the City Hall’s rotunda, 10 E Church St., for an annual update on the city’s Climate Action Plan, a document that outlines strategies to decrease carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
“These targets ... will reduce costs, make energy more affordable, improve local health by reducing pollution and, ultimately, address systemic injustice and environmental justice considerations across the community, reducing energy burden and historic disproportional impacts of the fossil fuel infrastructure that we've relied on for many decades.”Jeff Irvine, a project consultant with WSP
“We have top-down goals such as communitywide targets for reducing emissions and city targets for reducing the impact of city operations and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from city buildings, the fleet and so on,” said Jeff Irvine, a project consultant with WSP, the firm that helped the city develop its CAP.
“These targets are based in terms of emissions, but they also have other impacts.
"They will reduce costs, make energy more affordable, improve local health by reducing pollution and, ultimately, address systemic injustice and environmental justice considerations across the community, reducing energy burden and historic disproportional impacts of the fossil fuel infrastructure that we've relied on for many decades.”
‘We made huge strides’
During the update, DeGrendel, along with other city officials leading the CAP’s nine implementation committees, spoke about progress made in each area, as well as goals for the upcoming year.
“We made huge strides with me integrating into this position,” DeGrendal, who was hired this year, said.
“So as the first update, the sustainability manager was successfully integrated into major committees throughout the community, as well as internally, within the city.
“Advancing sustainable infrastructure and capital projects, we made strides toward that, strengthening policy planning and regional climate leadership, as well as expanding community engagement, access and education.”
Overall, the CAP’s goals include reducing community greenhouse gas emissions 33% by 2025, a 60% reduction by 2030 and hitting net-zero status by 2040, relative to the 2017 baseline.
The municipal operations target is 67% reduction by 2025 and net zero by 2030, relative to the 2005 baseline.
It was unclear Thursday whether the CAP’s 2025 community emissions targets have been reached. Generally, emissions reporting and calculations can take months, or even a year, to complete.
However, DeGrendel said the city has achieved about a 70% reduction in emissions from municipal operations, exceeding 2025’s goal.
“So what caused this reduction? It's a two-part story,” she said.
“About one-third reduction from the 2005 baseline is due to efficiency improvements and reduced oil use, and the bulk of the reduction is due to the purchase of renewable electricity.”
A significant portion of the remaining emissions comes from natural gas used in City Hall, she said. To address it, officials are buying green gas certificates for renewable natural gas.
Environmental Justice
In addition to municipal operations, implementation committees include: environmental justice, buildings, electricity sourcing, transportation and mobility, land use and green space, local food and waste, public engagement and large organizations and institutions.
Janine Santoro, the city’s director of equity and inclusion, listed progress from the Environmental Justice Committee, which included planting 10 new trees in Bayard Park, 1544 Geraldine St., an identified environmental justice, or EJ, area.
EJ areas are census tracts in which 20% or more people live at or below the federal poverty line, and/or 30% or more identify as a non-white minority, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the federal guidelines.
All of the Lehigh Valley’s major cities — Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — have tracts categorized as an Environmental Justice Area, according to PennEnviroScreen, the state’s mapping and screening tool.
“There were a number of park improvements, in which we invested in a lot of major park projects, including a new pathway, LED lighting and benches at the Rose Garden,” she said.
“And folks can expect construction to be complete in Friendship Park by the end of the year.”
Transportation, green space
Cathy Fletcher, city director of planning and zoning, presented on the transportation and mobility, as well as the land use and green space committees.
For the former, progress this year included kicking off the Complete Streets plan, aimed at creating safer options for walking, biking, driving and public transportation.
“The city has also engaged residents through education programs, constructed pedestrian safety improvements at key intersections and promoted biking through events such as the Bike to Work Day,” she said.
“We also passed the brand new SALDO, which was its first full update in 50 years.”
The city’s subdivision and land development ordinance, more commonly known as a SALDO, clarifies procedures for land development and subdivision submission, simplifies lot consolidation procedures and incorporates site layout and design standards.
It was unanimously adopted in September by City Council.
Goals for next year include implementing “some long-planned safety improvements,” she said.
They include converting Linden Street to two-way traffic and closing the gap on two major trail systems, the South Bethlehem Greenway and Monocacy Way Trail.
For land use and green space, Fletcher said progress was made on the 40-in-10 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The final plan is set to be presented early next year.
Buildings, electricity, local food
Director of Community and Economic Development Sean L. Ziller said the Buildings Committee “has really made tremendous progress” this past year.
“We actively supported weatherization programs and energy efficiency incentives through vital partnerships with groups like Community Action of the Lehigh Valley and local utilities,” he said.
“We successfully promoted the federal energy tax credit before its expiration, hoping to maximize resident savings.”
Goals include consolidating “utility outreach to create one clear, easy to understand campaign about free energy audits and utility rebates,” he said.
For the Electricity Sourcing Committee, DeGrendel said progress included expanding solar readiness, including assessing solar as an option for the Bethlehem Area Public Library, as well as pursuing a ground-mounted solar system at the water filtration plant.
The city also upgraded 238 brand new LED light bulbs in the Bethlehem star, resulting in a 75% monthly savings on electricity bills for the iconic landmark.
Goals include launching a dedicated solar page on the city web website to simplify the process for residents and businesses, as well as working to create a community solar co-op buying program.
Sherri L. Penchishen, the city’s director of chronic disease programs, said the Local Food and Waste Committee “is grounded in a simple principle — reduce first.”
“Before we recycle, before we compost, we must reduce the amount of waste we create in the first place,” she said.
“This means rethinking how we consume, how we design systems and how we support our community, and making sustainable choices.”
In addition to lending 15 out of 30 community garden plots, the committee also held a weekly farm stand with 19 CSA memberships and deployed 16 Bigbelly smart trash cans to improve waste collection and reduce litter.
Goals include increasing participation at the community garden, as well as other efforts.
“We will be hoping to explore and continue and pilot a targeted public recycling program, which is a key step in maximizing waste diversion from landfills,” Penchishen said.
“We'll be implementing cost effective waste reduction strategies at large festivals, where we know waste volumes can be high.
"We will be conducting research on household composting and encourage more residents to participate in this vital practice.”
Public engagement, large organizations
Angela Stein, director of mayor's initiatives, gave the update for both the Public Engagement Committee, as well as the Large Organization and Institutions Committee.
Over the past year, the Public Engagement Committee’s “focus was on establishing foundational digital resources, expanding accessibility and significantly boosting community and regional engagement,” Stein said.
“We increased social media sustainability outreach and successfully launched a new sustainability area on the city's website,” she said. “We ensured accessibility by translating the CAP project folders on our We Build Bethlehem page for Spanish-friendly access.”
There were more than 16 public events and lectures throughout the year, including four tabling events, four guest appearances, one field trip and two presentations.
In the coming year, the committee plans to transition to formalizing programs, deepening engagement efforts and building strong educational partnerships.
For the Large Organization and Institutions Committee, Stein said progress this year centered on building the key governmental and institutional alliances.
And next year will include formalizing those partnerships, launching key regional initiatives and deepening institutional collaboration.
For more information about the CAP, go to the city’s website.
