Narberth’s Environmental Advisory Council (EAC):

Since its inception, Narberth Greens has served as the borough’s informal Environmental Advisory Council. For more information on what an EAC is and what it does, follow this link.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SE Pennsylvania EAC Conference, 3/8/08, by Dr. Dan Wolk

On 3/8/08, I represented Narberth Greens at the EAC conference, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)and the EAC Network. Environmental Advisory Councils, or EAC's, serve as educational and advisory resources for municipal governments all over PA. Narberth Greens has begun to serve the borough as such unofficially.

It was a thrill to meet people from all over SE PA who are helping their towns and cities protect their natural resources and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There were also people from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) , PA DEP, EPA, PennFuture, solar and wind energy experts.

Here are the major pearls I took away from the conference:

1. I met many people from boroughs similar to Narberth, such as Ambler and Media, who have been working on many of the same issues as Narberth Greens, such as limiting vehicle idling, promoting recycling, and getting our community to act on the climate crisis. For example, Maplewood, NJ, was mentioned for its successful “no-idling” program.

2. The climate crisis: Brian Hill, president and CEO of PEC, presented a “Climate change roadmap for PA.” Our state emits 1% of the world’s man-made greenhouse gases, and, if it were a country, would rank 22nd. Based on climate scientists’ projections, a working group - including representatives from utilities, government, non-profits such as PEC and the Sierra Club, and the public – has set a goal of reducing the keystone state’s emissions to 25% below year 2000 levels by 2025. If we accomplish this, people all over the world will be able to say, “You’ve got a friend in PA!”

3. Cool Cities: As you know, our borough, working with Narberth Greens, has become a “Cool City”! We’re preparing to work together, using software provided by and organization called ICLEI, to do an inventory of the borough’s greenhouse gas emissions. Students from Lower Merion HS will be helping out, putting data from the municipal utility bills into the database. The ICLEI will allow brought management to compare the cost-effectiveness of various ways to save energy and use less fossil fuels. At the conference, I found out that our job just got easier: the DVRPC, is working on a regional GHG inventory, in cooperation with the Cool Cities program and ICLEI. They will put data on residential and transportation emissions into ICLEI, so we can focus on municipal functions. Moreover, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will soon issue a Request for Proposals from municipalities to provide funding (from a $300,000 fund) for their GHG inventories.

4. Alternative energy: we heard from experts from PennFuture and industry about the status and future of small- and large-scale wind and solar energy in our state. According to Thomas Tuffey, of PennFuture, electric rates are likely to increase 30-40% when the caps end in 2011, and then increase further. This will make solar, wind, and other non-fossil-fuel-based electricity much more competitive. It also underscores the urgency of conservation measures now, to lessen the impact of the rate increases. Before considering solar for your home, business, or municipality, you should maximize conservation. We hope to hear soon about state grants to fund energy conservation and alternative energy projects.

5. There is a wealth of geographical, demographic, and environmental mapping resources available on the internet, through DVRPC, including the Trail Clearinghouse. Check it out!