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January 4, 2007 |
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3E Links readers are early adopters of sustainable policies, products, and practices, and the people who educate their friends and family about the benefits of sustainable development. Be sure to pass your issue of 3E Links along to friends and colleagues. Subscribe by e-mailing info@sustainablepittsburgh.org |
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Events
Champions of Sustainability:
Pennsylvania State Planning Board 2006 Report Public Input Forum Resources
Report Reveals 2.2 Million
Borrowers Face Foreclosure on Subprime Home Loans |
Pittsburgh to Ring in the New Year by Fighting Global WarmingGlobal Warming and the Economy
The effects of global warming have direct consequences on the economy and
industry. Changes in the earth's climate are creating a change in the
business climate too. The urgency for reversing global warming was recently
taken up exponentially with the Oct. 31 release of a World Bank economist
report commissioned by Tony Blair that warns that failure to act swiftly on
global warming would have cataclysmic effect on the global economy and
predicts apocalyptic effects from climate change, not in generations but in a
life time. The report estimates that success in slowing carbon emissions
could bring savings to world economy in range of $2.5 trillion a year. |
Resources ContinuedGreat new
towns: gift to a nation |
Champions of Sustainability: Pennsylvania State Planning Board 2006 Report Public Input ForumFriday, January 26 This forum is the first regional public input meeting for the State
Planning Board's recently released 2006 Report. Governor Rendell directed the
Board to develop recommendations for state policies and actions, including
possible legislation, addressing development, conservation, and land use
issues vital to the “present and future welfare of the Commonwealth.” |
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Biodiesel Process in Yellowstone National ParkTuesday, January 9 Join us for an evening with Jim Evanoff, Environmental Manager for
Yellowstone National Park. Jim will explore Yellowstone’s rich history as the
world's first national park and how Yellowstone has emerged as a sustainable
flagship for the National Park Service. |
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Allegheny Group Sierra Club Monthly Meeting: Organic and Small Farming in SW PAWednesday, January 10 One of the hottest books of the season is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by
Michael Pollan, and one of the most interesting parts of the book is his
fascinating description of Joel Sallatin’s Polyface Farm in Virginia. The
farm is run according to the interlocking cycles of growth of the cattle and
chickens with the grass, a most delicate dance of timing, to which Sallatin
is exquisitely attuned. The Sierra Club will show part of the “Polyface Farm”
film to learn about how that dance is choreographed. |
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The 3rd Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit to air on WDUQ 90.5 FMSunday, January 14 The 3rd annual Regional Equitable Development Summit, will air on WDUQ on
Sunday, January 14 at 6 pm, featuring john a. powell, Director of Ohio State
University's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, speaking
on equitable development in the Southwestern PA region and best emerging
practices around the nation. Click
here to view his PowerPoint presentation. |
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Lecture: Pittsburgh: Urban Food Forest of the Future?Thursday, January 18 The Carnegie Mellon Steinbrenner Institute for the Environment will present David Jacke, author and Ecological Designer of Dynamics of Ecological Design to speak on the subject of "Pittsburgh: Urban Food Forest of the Future?" as part of the Spring 2007 Environmental Lecture Series. The University Lecture Series was developed and nurtured by Dr. Indira Nair, Vice Provost of Education and EPP Faculty. |
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Local Government Academy: 2007 Appointed Officials SeriesAs municipalities start a new year and reorganize, they typically appoint
individuals to a variety of boards and commissions. To assure a smooth
transition and to develop the capabilities of these newly appointed
officials, the Local Government Academy is pleased to offer the following
programs, designed specifically for appointed boards and commissions: |
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Green Building 101: Getting Going with Green BuildingTuesday, January 18 This introductory brown bag lunch presentation delivered by the Green Building Alliance provides basic information to embark on your green projects including an overview of sustainability, integrated design and the economics of green building. Presenters will introduce the LEED® process, including LEED online, discussion on effective use of modeling, commissioning and measurement & verification, and green operations. |
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Summit against Racism: “Building Bridges from The Dream to a New Reality: A Fresh Look at Diversity”Saturday January 20 -Exploring the Continuing Impact of Racism on Economic and Social
Conditions and Personal Relationships |
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Champions Connection - Celebrating DiversityWednesday, January 31 Celebrating Diversity: A major regional event is being planned for August, 2007. Join us to get a sneak-peak and learn how you can get involved by visiting: http://www.diversecitypittsburgh.org/about.html This event is osted by Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., The Allegheny Conference on Community Development, The World Affairs Council, and Sustainable Pittsburgh |
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Save the Date: Farm to Table: Nourishing a Sustainable PittsburghSaturday, March 31 This educational conference is aimed at helping Western Pennsylvania consumers understand the benefits of eating locally grown food. Businesses that grow, sell or prepare farm raised produce, livestock, and value added products will be featured. Organizations providing health and wellness opportunities will also be an integral part of this conference. |
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Report Reveals 2.2 Million Borrowers Face Foreclosure
on Subprime Home Loans
"In the subprime sector, the most vulnerable borrowers are sold the
most dangerous loans," said Mike Calhoun, CRL president. "At $164
billion, the losses from foreclosures could pay for the college educations of
four million kids. For families who lose their houses because their loans
fail, savings and economic security will be way out of reach." The
report discusses a number of factors that drive subprime foreclosures -- in
the majority of cases, borrowers receive high-risk loan features, packed into
an adjustable rate mortgage with a low start rate, that is approved without
considering whether the homeowner can afford to pay the loan after the rate
rises...Although white families receive more subprime loans overall, African
Americans and Latinos receive a higher proportion of high-cost loans than any
other group, a fact consistently verified annually by data lenders submit
under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). "Losing Ground"
estimates that 8 to 10 percent of all African American and Latino families
who received a home loan in 2005 will be affected by subprime foreclosures. |
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Making transit a funding priorityVoters across America are saying yes to investments in transportation alternatives. They want alternatives to ever-more-expensive driving, ever-longer commutes, ever-more traffic deaths and injuries. They want alternatives to downtowns choked with cars, trucks and pollution. Whether it's buses, light rail, regional and high-speed trains, transit villages or just plain walkable, bikeable communities, Americans are willing to invest. |
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Business Leaders Join County Global Warming Task ForceBusiness leaders have been included in Westchester County's new
"Climate Protection: Westchester Global Warming Task Force" charged
with developing an action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
promoting balanced or "sustainable" development. The business
people, along with leaders from the county's education, environmental and
government sectors, will spend the next several months crafting environmental
policy advice for Westchester as it seeks to go greener. Task force members
will also develop environmental action plans for their own sectors. |
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Ride for Climate Coming to Pittsburgh in May 2007In April, two climate experts from California will leave Boston on a round-the-country bicycle tour to raise global warming awareness. One of the riders is David Kroodsma, a climate scientist who was profiled in the May 2006 issue of Bicycling Magazine. David has been traveling from Palo Alto, Ca, to Patagonia by bike for the last year, giving presentations on global warming and meeting with colleagues as he goes. He and his partner, Bill Bradlee, a long-time environmental activist, are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh on May 8th. Plans are currently in the works for two presentations in the Pittsburgh area, along with a bike-related event. These talks will include information on David’s epic tour of Latin America, as well as in-depth information on the issue of global warming. These talks promise to be both fun and informative. For more information on Ride for Climate, go to the following links: |
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Great new towns: gift to a nationBoth communities have roots in the New Urbanist movement of focused neighborhood development; famed architect Peter Calthorpe played a role in Prairie Crossing's design while Andres Duany was Habersham's planner. Houses are closer together, open and shared space more prevalent, the layout walkable. Both are developing attractive town centers for shops and civic functions. |
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Sustainability is central to survivalIt's not enough simply to wear the badge of corporate responsibility. Business must accept that real change is the only response to the global crisis of sustainability |
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Penn Future Video Podcast: Mon-Fayette Toll RoadPennFuture celebrates one year of podcasting this month with its first ever video podcast, Hands Off! Protect Communities from Destruction in the Monongahela River Valley. |
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Europeans Pass Chemical Regulation LawThe law, a compromise balancing health and environmental concerns against fears that excessive red tape would stifle business, puts the burden of proof on companies to show that industrial chemicals and substances used in everyday products are safe...Companies will be required to gradually replace the most high-risk chemicals - so-called persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances - where safer alternatives exist. If no alternative exists, producers will have to submit a plan to develop one...The United States has also expressed concern about the law, worried about its effect on U.S. exports. But EU leaders said the legislation would set a global standard and called on the Americans and other nations to adopt similar restrictions. |
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New German Community Models Car-free LivingWelcome to Germany's best-known environmentally friendly neighborhood and a successful experiment in green urban living. The Vauban development - 2,000 new homes on a former military base 10 minutes by bike from the heart of Freiburg - has put into practice many ideas that were once dismissed as eco-fantasy but which are now moving to the center of public policy...Environmental research also became a backbone of the region's economy, which boasts Germany's largest solar-research center and an international center for renewable energy. Services such as installing solar panels and purifying wastewater account for 3 percent of jobs in the region, according to city figures...As Germany's population ages - and shrinks - experts say Vauban's model will become more important as officials increasingly tailor-make communities in an effort to attract citizens ."We have fewer young people. What you need now is a good quality of life with good services, a good infrastructure for kids and older people," says Thomas Schleifnecker, a Hannover-based urban planner...But what makes Vauban unique, say experts, is that "it's as much a grass-roots initiative as it is pursued by the city council," says Mr. Scheurer. "It brings together the community, the government, and the private sector at every state of the game." |
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Building a sustainable economySustainability is more than green building and clean energy. It cuts across a range of industries, and could create business opportunities in financial services, health care, technology, professional services and manufacturing. |
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Road (out)rage: Find the funding for the Mon-Fayette or kill itBut it's all for naught if the Legislature can't find a funding source to finish the project. Enough of promises and speculation that raise the public's hopes. Enough of property acquisition for dirt that's not turned. It's time, as Mr. Brimmeier says, to figure out how to fund this highway. Or bulldoze the whole idea. More |
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'Adventure city'Western Pennsylvania didn't start shedding its image as an Industrial Revolution hub by rising from the ashes of an abandoned steel mill. Its rebirth as a mecca for outdoor recreation instead began two decades ago on the railroads that once snaked through the Allegheny Mountains to feed the region's smoke-spewing factories. |
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Pittsburgh is 13th in magazine's list of '20 Best Cities'Cooking Light magazine announced today that it has ranked Pittsburgh 13th in a list of the "20 Best Cities" in America that "encompass the finest in healthful cuisine and lifestyle." Editor-in-chief Mary Kay Culpepper said common traits among the honorees -- led by Seattle -- "offer abundant healthful choices for the people who live in them. From innovative restaurants to vibrant farmers markets to abundant green space and parkland, these cities exemplify the best of American healthy living." |
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Port Authority is proposing service and fare changes to its systemPlease review the Port Authority Web site for further details and information: |
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$1 billion to help clean up mine sites across Pa.The bulk of the money will be used at 5,100 of the most dangerous abandoned mine sites in the state to reclaim cliff-like "highwalls" at old strip mines, douse underground mine fires, plug open deep mine entrances, remove coal waste and slag piles that pollute streams with their runoff, and build mine drainage treatment projects. |
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Taxes will have to go up to pay for Pennsylvania's physical and human infrastructureNo matter what politicians promise at campaign time, the truth is that more tax revenues, rather than fewer, will be needed in the years ahead to bring our infrastructure up to snuff, not to mention meeting pay-off-later obligations incurred over the years...Another response is to foster economic growth and jobs. That often requires offering tax breaks and subsidies to corporations that increase the tax share of individuals. But putting off the evil day can mean broken road, water and school systems, with the resulting outflow of talented people if the quality of life deteriorates too much. |
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Tech industry shifts towards greenCarl Guardino, the tech group's CEO, says the position on global warming has the support of all 210 member companies, which includes virtually all of the area's major technology players. Mr. Guardino says his group will be spending this year challenging business groups around the U.S. to follow the example set by his association, such as to greatly increase car pooling at local companies. |
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Former Westinghouse exec outspoken as everIn the interview this week, he worried openly about the region's ongoing population loss, its slow economic progress and the perception of Pittsburgh as a high-tax, un-competitive area more interested in political protection than economic development. While he believes Pittsburgh is a "wonderful place" that has a lot to be proud of, "if we don't figure out how to reverse these root cause trends, we ... are going to end up being Toledo with a football team," he said. |
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New construction rules aim to promote more landscapingLandscaping can be much more than a pretty face on urban development. That's the idea behind pioneering new construction rules Seattle lawmakers recently approved to encourage builders to construct "green roofs," "vegetated walls" and other features that clean the air, insulate buildings and ease the burden of Seattle's wet climate on the city's drains and creek beds. |
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'Sustainability' gains status on US campuses"We have always looked to academia to think creatively about the larger problems of our day," says Carter Roberts, president of the World Wildlife Fund in Washington. "There is not a more complicated problem than how to survive and flourish with a growing population and finite resources." |
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Homes planned for transit-orientedRichard Bickel, director of planning for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, said there are nine similar projects targeting commuters under way across the state, including one near the Pennbrook station in Lansdale. That number could grow because of strong state support for these types of developments. |
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Turning train station into an assetThe best-laid plans for improving Lansdale in the next five years are rooted in the success of the train station. It is the core of a development project set to begin in spring 2008 that will see the Madison Parking Lot transformed into a parking garage with surrounding development‚ and Main and Mill streets beautified with infrastructure upgrades. |
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