ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown Environmental Advisory Council has made huge strides and deepened its impact throughout the city over the past year — with a skeleton crew.
It successfully lobbied Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and Allentown City Council to this year hire a sustainability coordinator who’s been instrumental in several key projects.
The council has also forged a good relationship with Allentown officials to boost energy efficiency at city facilities.
Its four members now are looking to loosen eligibility requirements to serve so the council can do even more.
“Allentown has a very large number of people who live in marginalized communities. It's a city that almost cries out for more to be done on environmental justice and on addressing underserved communities. There are many people who want to be involved with the Allentown EAC to do that, but they can't, not directly as a member.”Allentown Environmental Advisory Council member Tinku Khanwalkar
On Monday it unanimously passed a measure asking city lawmakers to amend the advisory council’s establishing ordinance to let the mayor nominate people from outside the city.
The ordinance now says the EAC “shall be composed of seven residents of this city,” who are appointed by the mayor and approved by city council.
That has been “a bit of a stumbling block” for the EAC as it works to deepen its reach, member Tinku Khanwalkar said.
“Allentown has a very large number of people who live in marginalized communities," Khanwalkar said Monday.
"It's a city that almost cries out for more to be done on environmental justice and on addressing underserved communities.
"There are many people who want to be involved with the Allentown EAC to do that, but they can't, not directly as a member.”
'Get more work done'
EAC members want their counterparts on city council to drop the residency requirement, but not entirely.
The measure approved Monday urges city council to rewrite the EAC’s rules to require a majority of its members to be residents. That would let some nonresidents serve on the council.
Filling out the EAC’s ranks would help current members “get more work done,” as each member works toward a specific goal each year, Khanwalkar said.
More members means more diversity and differing perspectives, “which is going to provide better input” for the EAC and the city as a whole, according to Chairman Kyle Ropski.
Ropski said he supports language to ensure most EAC members are Allentown residents, “but we also want to make sure that we're giving opportunities to as many people as possible to present their perspectives and engagement.”
Sustainability coordinator making moves
EAC members on Monday credited new Sustainability Coordinator Veronika Vostinak for much of its progress on environmental issues.
Vostinak became the Lehigh Valley’s first municipal sustainability coordinator when she was hired in March.
“Veronika has been working unbelievably hard on a litany of projects across the board, and a lot of them are going to be sort of coming into play and coming to fruition next year.”Allentown Environmental Advisory Council Chairman Kyle Ropski.
Her position is focused on creating and facilitating sustainability initiatives while capturing grant funding to cover the cost of related projects.
“Veronika has been working unbelievably hard on a litany of projects across the board, and a lot of them are going to be sort of coming into play and coming to fruition next year,” Ropski said Monday.
City Council initially approved Vostinak’s position for one year during a contentious process to build the 2024 budget. But Mayor Tuerk’s 2025 budget proposal maintains the sustainability coordinator job.
Bethlehem now is looking to hire its own sustainability manager after working for several years with an engineering firm to reduce greenhouse emissions and address local effects of climate change.
Unlike Allentown, Bethlehem has a Climate Action Plan in place. Based in Bethlehem’s Public Works Department, the position’s salary is listed at $64,000 to $88,000.
The position requires a bachelor's degree in environmental science, sustainability, environmental engineering or a related field and “at least five years of increasingly professional experience in the field of conservation and sustainability, preferably in the public sector,” according to the job posting.
