\u201cWe\u2019ve been focused on a vision of resilience in many of our past projects, and now we\u2019re looking at turning that vision, turning that plan that we have, into action with CREATE Connections.”<\/p>\n
Lauren Fosbenner, Nurture Nature Center\u2019s project specialist<\/p>\n
The program seeks to engage residents through outreach, events and education centered on climate action plans both in the city<\/a> and Easton<\/a>. <\/p>\n Started in 2023, it’s funded through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Environmental Literacy Program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been focused on a vision of resilience in many of our past projects, and now we\u2019re looking at turning that vision, turning that plan that we have, into action with CREATE Connections,\u201d Fosbenner said.<\/p>\n Climate past, present and future<\/p>\n In addition to NNC\u2019s annual Youth Climate Summit<\/a>, center staff over the past year also held eight programs at libraries in both the city and Easton and, in October, organized 18 different events during Climate Action Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n Screenshot<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Nurture Nature Center<\/p>\n Nurture Nature Center’s Youth Climate Summit, held in April, is an annual effort that aims to engage middle and high school students in climate change issues, as well as seek solutions.<\/p>\n NNC also recently launched a Sustainable Holiday Guide, highlighting Valley businesses that have participated in the center\u2019s Sustainable Business Program, Fosbenner said.<\/p>\n To participate, business owners fill out an application on NNC\u2019s website<\/a>, reporting actions that they\u2019ve taken in six categories: energy, water, food, waste, transportation and community.<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on how many actions they\u2019ve already attained, they\u2019re recognized in four different tiers of sustainable businesses,\u201d Fosbenner said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also have a business network, where business owners can come learn from one another, discuss their challenges in being more sustainable [and] the things that they\u2019ve done that have worked really well.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving into the new year, the next event will be the Youth Climate Summit, set for April 24 and 25 at Northampton Community College, as the center\u2019s 518 Northampton St. location is closed as construction continues on the new Earth & Sky Dome<\/a>.<\/p>\n The theme is \u201cClimate Past, Present and Future,\u201d a nod to the 250th anniversary of American independence.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s aiming to kind of dovetail with the 250th anniversary celebrations and encourage students to look at a place that’s significant to them and how it’s changed in terms of climate or environment from the last 250 years to the present and how they’d like to see it change in the next 250 years in the future,\u201d Fosbenner said.<\/p>\n \u2018Implementing, educating, doing outreach\u2019<\/p>\n In the final year of the grant, NNC staff will create a final report \u201cthat hopefully can serve as a model for other communities who have a climate action plan or resiliency plan or a sustainability plan to move from having the written plan to implementing, educating, doing outreach and putting those things into action.\u201d<\/p>\n While describing NNC\u2019s efforts over the past year as \u201cfantastic,\u201d EAC member Steve Olshevski, noted many of the programs were geared toward youth, and asked about plans to engage more adults.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say, when our center is open, at least, a lot of the people that we engage with at Nurture Nature Center are adults,\u201d Fosbenner said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that can be challenging is you get your kind of usual suspects, the typical audience that’s interested, that knows you, that comes to many different events, and then branching out into, \u2018How do you get new people?\u2019 is more challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think one thing that we’ve found to be successful is just working with more partners, which is kind of why the create connections project is called CREATE connections.\u201d<\/p>\n A \u2018truly remarkable\u2019 elm tree<\/p>\n Also during the meeting, members unanimously voted to accept a nomination for the EAC\u2019s heritage tree program \u2014 an elm tree on Moravian University\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n \u201cMoravian University has an elm tree on its southern campus that is around 250 years old,\u201d Olshevski said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you haven\u2019t seen it in all of its glory, when springtime comes around, you should definitely visit it next time you\u2019re on Main Street and go back there and see it. It\u2019s truly an amazing tree.\u201d<\/p>\n Screenshot<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council<\/p>\n An elm tree, likely more than 250-years-old, on Moravian University’s campus is the latest to be accepted into the EAC’s heritage tree program. <\/p>\n Olshevski also noted how Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cI think most people are aware that Dutch elm disease killed most elm in the United States about 100 years ago, so to have this one still in our presence is truly remarkable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A fungal infection, the disease was in the 1930s first introduced to the United States<\/a>, and cut through healthy tree populations<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Youth](\"https:\/\/static.lehigh-v.lehigh-valley.production.k1.m1.brightspot.cloud\/dims4\/default\/2b3cc37\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1210x658+0+0\/resize\/880x479!\/quality\/90\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flehigh-valley-brightspot.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2F4f%2Fca%2Fb4c0e1fb472b8b65c59ed6ee6a47%2Fyouth-climate-summit.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Moravian](\"https:\/\/static.lehigh-v.lehigh-valley.production.k1.m1.brightspot.cloud\/dims4\/default\/9558b1c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1058x579+0+0\/resize\/880x482!\/quality\/90\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flehigh-valley-brightspot.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2F36%2Fa2%2F5a4677404086a5dbb821679d78bf%2Fmoravian-tree-2.jpg\")
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