Press Release: Your Municipality’s Role in Climate Planning Highlighted in Ongoing Community Forums

Boiling Springs, PA – Changing climate has caused and will continue to cause impacts to public health, infrastructure, emergency services, and major economic contributors like agriculture, tourism, and recreation. On December 8, the second event in a series of community forums regarding Climate Action Planning will be held by community groups and agencies in the Cumberland Valley.

The forum series is covering what is already being done about changing climate, and how citizens, municipalities, and related organizations should get involved to expand and accelerate efforts.
The second event, coordinated by Carlisle Borough and partners, will be held virtually on Tuesday, December 8th from 7:00 to 8:30pm. The agenda includes an overview of Carlisle Borough’s approach to Climate Action Planning, greenhouse gas inventory, and launch of the Carlisle Action Commission (CAC) and five teams that take on different types of climate work. Speakers include Joel Hicks, CAC Chair; Tony Underwood, CAC Pathways and Analysis Team Lead; Sara Markowitz, CAC Community Engagement Team Lead; Mohamed Badissey, CAC Projects and Estimates Team Lead; and Karla Farrell, CAC Zoning Team Lead. The event will include a question and answer session.

The purpose of these forums is to learn more about the role and importance of local government, climate action planning programs available in Pennsylvania such as the Local Climate Action Program through the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, and Carlisle Borough’s commitment to climate change planning and mitigation. The recording of the first event, held in October, is available on the South Mountain Partnership’s YouTube page at https://bit.ly/3luHE95. The third event will highlight changing climate prevention and mitigation strategies being led by educational institutions such as local universities and high schools and will be held in February 2021.

All attendees must register (free) for the virtual event by visiting https://bit.ly/3eEqZNx. Logon instructions for the webinar will be emailed prior to the event. Series information and registration is also available on the South Mountain Partnership website at https://bit.ly/34UZrAw.

The series is a partnership between the Cumberland Conservation Collaborative, the South Mountain Partnership, Cumberland County Planning Department, the Center for Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg University, the Center for Sustainability at Dickinson College, Carlisle Borough, and the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association.

Media questions can be directed to Councilman Joel Hicks, Borough of Carlisle, jhicks@carlislepa.org