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Environment Information

Cool Cities Sustainability Action Plan

In the quest for sustainability, communities around the world are implementing sustainability action plans to reduce energy consumption and green house gas emissions. The Sierra Club, in conjunction with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, developed Cool Cities to encourage widespread action at the local level across the country. Communities in Pennsylvania who are participating include: Allentown, Bethlehem, Braddock, Easton, Erie, Forest Hills, Harrisburg, Kutztown, Mount Lebanon, Nether Providence, Oxford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, and York. Lower Makefield Township (LMT), in keeping with its continuing environmentally active orientation, has joined this enlightened group of communities.

Parks and Recreation Pathway to Zero Waste

This Plan will allow Lower Makefield Township Parks and Recreation Department (Department) to promote environmental sustainability throughout the Township. The Department along with the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) developed this plan to better use our public land and resources while eliminating as much waste from our landfills as possible.

The plan will:

  • Identify opportunities for waste reduction within our parks.
  • Create a plan that will empower park users to participate in social responsibility through personal waste reduction.
  • Provide a schedule for taking the steps necessary to achieve compliance.
  • Provide opportunities for reallocation of Township Resources.
  • Provide a marketing and education plan for implementation.

Open Space Plan

Lower Makefield Township has prepared this updated Open Space Plan as a statement of its vision for open space preservation. In developing the vision, the township examined the current state of development, the areas that are under threat from development, past actions that have resulted in open space preservation, opportunities for preservation in the future, and action steps that will be taken to implement the open space vision.

Yearly EAC Reviews

Current EAC Projects

  • Increasing the amount of Open Space in the Township
  • Make recommendation to the Township on becoming more energy efficient and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • Increasing the amount of recycling in the Township
  • Ensuring new developments comply with the Township’s environmental ordinances and goals
  • Educating the Township’s citizens on environmental issues through the sponsorship of public lectures and the EAC newsletters

EAC Initiated Ordinances

Recycling Corner

Lower Makefield Township has expanded the list of items that residents can recycle for curbside pick-up. Recycling saves energy, resources, reduces pollution and helps to keep taxes lower.

View the Bucks County Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Schedule and additional information.

More information on recycling can be found at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on “Pennsylvania’s Recycling Page“.

Environmental Stewardship Award

This year the EAC is recognizing the individuals, businesses and groups who, through their outstanding and creative efforts, have made significant achievements in improving and sustaining the quality of our environment. We will review all environmentally-related nominations but we are specifically soliciting nominations for achievements related to:

  • Pollution Prevention
  • Resource Conservation
  • Sustainability
  • Environmental Education
  • Environmental Leadership

Environmental Stewardship Award Winners

Why Go Native?

Click the links below for listings of Native Plants that:

We will be updating this page with other native plant lists in the future.