How to be green with less stress, more happiness, and a community of your peers

Social Issues newsletter

Organic white pumpkins and Jerusalem Artichokes invoke happiness for this grower.
Organic white pumpkins and Jerusalem Artichokes invoke happiness for this grower.
Photo credit: 
Photo: A. Fry


Kermit's right, "it's not easy being green", and yet so many of us have found ourselves fighting the "good fight" for clean air and water, endangered species, forest preservation, sustainable development... Whatever catches our hearts and imaginations.  Because there are countless reasons to stress out or freak out, it's important to have a community of your peers to provide support and inspiration to get you through bouts of pessimism.  Finding that support where we live isn't easy for everyone, but the Lehigh Valley is lucky in that it has a good sampling of Eco-aware businesses, neighborhood parks, co-ops, and farmers markets.


Co-ops:


In Emmaus:  Lehigh Valley Food Co-op


In Trexlertown:   Pure Sprouts Organic Delivery


and many others to the east and west...


Farmers markets:


The Plaza Grower's Market on 9th and Hamilton St. in Allentown (Open Wednesdays until November/ 11:30-1:30/ Call (610) 437-7530 for info. on when they resume business this year)


The Catasauqua Farmers Market which is associated with a broader program, The Food Trust, based out of Philadelphia.


and many others to the north and south...


There are excellent resources for finding local sustainable businesses in the area:  


  1. The local SBNLV


  2. Local Harvest


  3. The Sustainability Store


  4. Green People


  5. Green America's National Greenpages


*In some or all of these places you are bound to find people who are as committed as you, or more so, to improving their environment. Become a customer, join a community club, and make some new friends.  You may find a few souls who help you shed your stress and bring you some happiness by giving you a different perspective and motivation to continue in your collective struggle.


>>Visiting the diverse natural areas of Lehigh, Carbon, and neighboring counties, where a person can find inspiration and peace in the scenic mountains, rolling farmlands, and hidden lakes, is a gift we should all give ourselves as frequently as we can.  Those natural places help us to remember what we stand to lose and why we need to fight for them.

 

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, Allentown Green Culture Examiner

April Fry is an avid environmentalist, gardener and birdwatcher. She has a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies, which enabled her to teach, as a naturalist, ecological concepts and wilderness survival skills to children at various environmental education centers in New York and...

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