The Pennsylvania Environmental Council has received a 2007 Community Excellence Award from the Berks County Conservancy for the Council’s work to expand the Environmental Advisory Council Network in Berks County.

The council has helped establish EAC’s in Berks County, including the Berks County EAC, the first county-wide EAC ever.

“I’m delighted with the recognition, but it is important to know that our success in Berks County would not have been possible with our partners like Berks County Conservancy and others,” state Jeanne Barrett Ortiz, the Council’s Director of EAC Programs. The council maintains technical assistance programs for EAC’s and holds annual conferences and workshops around the state.

The goal of the EAC network is to assist municipalities with sustainable development, farmland preservation, and conservation planning. Municipalities are authorized to establish EACs through Act 177 of 1996, originally Act 148 of 1973.

By promoting the establishment and support of EACs across the Commonwealth, the EAC Network is helping local officials to make sound environmental decisions within and across municipal boundaries.

Environmental Advisory Councils are appointed volunteers at work protecting the environment through project implementation, site plan and ordinance review and community education. PEC has helped establish more than 100 EAC’s across the Commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council is also pleased to announce that Khiet Luong, Watershed/EAC Programs Associate, has been selected as one of 24 Fellows for the Environmental Leadership Program’s Delaware Valley Regional Network of Fellows Class of 2007.

The Environmental Leadership Program is an organization that nurtures the next generation of environmental leaders and stimulates a broad discussion of the future of the environmental movement.

As a member of the 2007 Class, Khiet will undergo intensive training and have the opportunity to collaborate with an array of current and emerging environmental leaders through three retreats held over six months. As an ELP Fellow, Khiet will be expected to devote an average of 8-10 hours a month on ELP activities and communications, including the creation of a Personal Leadership Plan, completion of a variety of assignments, and participation in small group learning “pods.”

“Personally, I’m excited to use this opportunity to talk about my Vietnamese American eco-theology ontology,” said Luong, “it is also an opportunity for the Council to integrate our work with other initiatives in the region.”

3/16/2007