e Lehigh Dialogue Center is partnering with the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Conference of Churches for the 16th Annual Friendship Dinner, a community discussion of “The Water We Share,” on February 20, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley in Allentown.

This interfaith dinner and discussion will have a keynote address by David Brandes, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lafayette College, discussing our regional climate, the impact of flooding in residential areas, and how stormwater runoff affects the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers.

Prof. Brandes’ talk provides the scientific focus of the evening.

"There are two factors that are contributing to increased flooding in the Lehigh Valley -- the changing climate, meaning more rainfall and more intense storms, and changes in the landscape due to development,” Prof. Brandes said. “Those two things together contribute to increased flood risk. This is not some future scenario, we are seeing these effects now."

Prof. Brandes will also discuss tangible, on-the-ground techniques we can all implement in our own yards like planting a rain garden or converting part of our lawn to a meadow.

“These nature-based solutions have storm water benefits as well as habitat and aesthetic value,” he said.

Faith leaders from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities will bring forward the religious focus to the evening, giving talks about each faith’s special relation to water and our shared responsibilities to care for this necessary resource.

The speakers will be Rabbi Melody Davis from Temple Covenant of Peace, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin from Al-Maqasid, and the Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens from The Lehigh Conference of Churches.

As Rachel Rosenfeld, community outreach coordinator for the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, envisions the event: “This dinner will focus on what we can do as a community, as a group of organized faiths, to bring about action and awareness. This is an issue we’re all going to have to deal with going into the future.”

Dinner is free, but reservations are required. Call 484-893-0584 or visit 16th Annual Friendship Dinner webpage.

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[Posted: February 14, 2020]

2/17/2020