I see on the website that the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group offers grants for various environmental initiatives, can you tell me how many are given out per year? How many have been given so far? What are some examples of projects that received those awards? Who should be encouraged to apply?
With this latest round of awards, each ranging up to $500, a total of 95 Lancaster County organizations have received Green Grants from the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group over the past nine years. Each of the organizations, in submitted proposals, revealed a need for support of a venture that promotes sustainability, expands environmental awareness and improves green infrastructure.
A few examples of 2024 grant recipients include:
- Columbia Public Library to acquire Nature Explorer Bags,
- the Conservation Foundation of Lancaster County to purchase hands-on materials for a three-day professional development workshop for public and private teachers on how to incorporate environmental studies in their classes,
- to Historic Poole Forge to revitalize several embankment areas to improve water drainage and stabilize steeper sections that had been covered with non-native honeysuckles and grass.
After a year off, the Polar 5K is back, are there any changes to the format or anything new for 2025?
We’re excited for the return of the Polar Bear 5K on January 18, 2025. The event will mirror past years with only minor changes in merchandising. Registration will open soon!
Does the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group partner with other local environmental/conservation organizations or generally operate on its own?
We love to partner with other groups! In the past, we’ve joined with organizations like the Lancaster Conservancy and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for tree plantings, riparian buffer maintenance, educational presentations, and other outdoor and conservation efforts.
According to the site’s calendar, it looks like meetings are the 3rd Wednesday of the month, what topics are currently being discussed? Does one need to be a member to attend?
Everyone is welcome. You don’t need to be a member to attend meetings or events. A few upcoming opportunities to meet our group include an educational session about Green Burials on November 20th and our holiday potluck dinner on December 18th. Visit our events calendar to register and learn more: https://lancastersierraclub.org/
After reading some articles about the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group, it looks like air quality issues are a major focus for the chapter, specifically, the Purple Air Initiative. Lancaster County apparently received an “F” score from the American Lung Association, do you think residents of the county are aware of the low quality of their air? What’s contributing to this failing grade? Was this score a surprise to the LSC?
Yes, we launched the PurpleAir Initiative earlier this year. We felt that many residents had heard about Lancaster's poor air quality, but they may be less familiar with the sources of air pollution in the county, as well as the potential health concerns associated with this pollution.
Lancaster County's failing grade is due to its number of high particle pollution days. The county has wide-open farm fields, relatively few trees, busy highways and is geographically downwind of other metropolitan areas, power plants and manufacturing facilities. Sources of particulate air pollution in the county include vehicle exhaust, agricultural activities, wood burning stoves, and manufacturing and power plant emissions.
The State of the Air report, issued every year, analyzes and compiles a score of the preceding three years of official air quality monitoring data. The county regularly scores poorly, so the most recent report was not surprising, but it highlights the need for attention to this issue.
Lancaster currently has two government-monitored sensors, why did the Sierra Club feel the county needed ten additional monitors from PurpleAir? How many are set up as of now?
The county’s official PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) air monitors provide a general depiction of the region’s air. However, air quality can vary across a landscape depending on local sources of pollution.
PurpleAir is a hyper-local air quality monitoring network which makes air sensors that are affordable, easy to set up, and transmit data through a wifi connection to a real-time, public access map. While not as robust as regulatory sensors, these sensors are becoming a popular supplement to regional air monitors as they are considered fairly accurate for particulate matter and a good indicator of the local air quality. We wanted to use these monitors to paint a better picture of the air quality across the county.
As of now, we have 9 monitors set up.
Is the data from either the two government monitors, or the PurpleAir ones available to the public? Where can it be found, if yes?
Yes, anyone can view the real-time data for both the government and the PurpleAir monitors. Go to https://www.airnow.gov/ and https://map.purpleair.com/
Pending the new data, what actions are being considered to improve the quality?
PurpleAir monitors serve to educate the public about the air quality in their neighborhood in real time. It can help at-risk populations determine if it's a good day for outdoor activities, or if it is safer to stay indoors. The data can be used to identify areas of concern that can be brought to the attention of regulators and policy makers. Our initiative is in the early stages.
Are there other environmental concerns being monitored by the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group or is air quality currently the only focus?
While air quality is definitely top of mind right now, we also focus on watershed issues and a wide range of environmental conservation topics. We love Lancaster County and care deeply about the impacts of pollution and environmental degradation on our community!
As a first-time attendee of the Gift Fair, what three “gifts” will be for sale to visitors and what price points?
We’ve chosen “gifts” that connect directly with our areas of focus in 2025. For $10, gifters can purchase a share of a Green Project Grant, which will go towards projects promoting sustainability and green infrastructure. For $20, gifters can purchase a share of an Air Quality Monitor, to capture real-time pollution data in Lancaster County.
What can you tell readers about attending meetings, or joining the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group?
We hope to meet folks at one of our outdoor experiences or educational events, but we also welcome virtual participation. Most of our meetings and programs are also broadcast virtually via Zoom. To stay up to date with all the happenings in Lancaster County, we encourage folks to sign up for our email list: https://bit.ly/SCPANewContact
It’s also easy to become an official, card-carrying member of the Sierra Club! Although you don’t need to be a member to get engaged, you won’t regret taking this step to support our work. Become a member through this link: https://bit.ly/40hOkOY
Answers attributable to:
Jane Druce, Executive Committee, Sierra Club - Lancaster Group
Jim Meenan, Executive Committee, Sierra Club - Lancaster Group
Allison Zechman, Executive Committee, Sierra Club - Lancaster Group
Melissa Farr, Senior Distributed Organizer, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter
