Already near the pre-registration attendance limit, robust walk-in traffic on the day of the event resulted in the EAC Fall Gathering for 2023 vastly exceeding its attendance goals, including some sessions with standing room only. Of the dozens of evaluations received, the vast majority rated all aspects of the event at a 5/5, so the crowded event did not take away from the quality of the experience as eager citizen advocates worked alongside municipal staff and heard from a plethora of experts about a range of topics related to their work.

Senator Carolyn Comitta

Hosted in the Sykes Student Union building on the campus of West Chester University, the day opened with long lines at the registration table, then commenced with a full plenary kicked off by state Senator Carolyn Comitta, who represents the West Chester area in the Pennsylvania legislature. Numerous speakers followed, highlighting an exciting range of projects their EACs have accomplished. Breakout discussions focused on a range of topics and saw robust discussions take place with focus, energy, and courtesy. EAC members found the exchange of ideas to be invigorating, with one attendee commenting, “It’s great to hear what surrounding communities are doing and gave us ideas for our township.”

Energetic networking continued after lunch and into the afternoon breakout sessions, where experts in a range of environmental topics helped inform and educate the EAC members and municipal staff in attendance about current best practices and challenges for the future in taking local action for improved water quality, zero waste initiatives, sustainable energy transitioning, and more.

Statistics:

Total number of attendees: 97 (representing 55 unique organizations, including 35 EACs)
Number of speakers: 17 (across 2.5 hours of plenary plus total of four breakout sessions)
Evaluation Results: (Event – 4.7 / Training – 4.7 / Location – 4.9)

Faran Savitz, PennEnvironment

Sample Feedback from Attendees:

  • “I found this meeting to be very educational and well organized.  I came away with new ideas, information, and new contacts.  Thank you very much for the hard work that went into organizing this symposium!”
  • “The event was great. I enjoyed each session and loved the opportunities I had to converse with others – like at the roundtable discussions.”
  • “Thanks to this, I was able to meet someone involved in my township, which I just moved to. I have been wanting to get more involved, and I now I have made a connection that will allow me to do so. I think it is extremely important to get involved in your neighborhood and I am happy that I will now be able to do so!”
  • “The variety of topics discussed throughout the conference really helped ideas develop for me and allowed me to be able to bring back a lot of knowledge to the township for next steps.  Networking and chatting with other local individuals and groups helps expand all our reach, and the change we make.”

 

EACs Represented:

Ambler EAC
Bethlehem EAC
Borough of Media EAC
Charlestown Township EAC
Conshohocken EAC
Doylestown EAC
East Nantmeal Township EAC
East Pikeland Township EAC
East Vincent Township EAC
Haverford Township EAC
Lansdale EAC
Lower Gwynedd Township EAC
Lower Merion Township EAC
Lower Saucon Township EAC
Media Borough EAC
Middletown Township EAC (Bucks County)
Middletown Township EAC (Delaware County)
New Hanover Township EAB
Newtown Township EAC (Delaware County)
Palmer Township ESC
Perkiomen Township EAC
Plymouth Township EAB
Springfield Township EAC
Swarthmore Borough EAC
Upper Darby EAC
Upper Dublin EPAB
Upper Merion Township EAC
Uwchlan Township EAC
Warminster EAC
West Norriton Township
West Pikeland EAC
West Vincent Township EAC
Westtown Township EAC
Whitehall Township EAC
Whitemarsh Township EAB
Whitpain Township EAC

Other Organizations Represented:

Berks County Planning Commission
Brodhead Watershed Association
Bucks County Office of Sustainability
CCA for PA
Delaware County Office of Sustainability
Delaware Valley Planning Commission
Haverford Township Parks and Recreation Department
Montgomery County Planning Commission
Mother Compost
Penn State University
PennEnvironment
Pennsylvania Bird Town
Phoenixville Green Team
Practical Energy Solutions
City of Reading
Stroud Water Research Center
Transition Town Greater Media
WeConservePA
West Chester Area Clean Energy Future
West Vincent Township Sustainability Committee
West Vincent Clean Energy Transition Team