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Events

Invitation - Capitol Hill Summit

As related follow-up to the Transit-Oriented Development symposium convened this week, please consider attending the upcoming Revitalizing Cities Summit being held in D.C., on the hill, February 11-12. This is a remarkable opportunity to represent the Pittsburgh region's commitment to revitalizing our existing communities as an express strategy for regional sustainability. The Summit's focus will be on a new agenda for transportation, housing, water, workforce and economic development, and green jobs all linked to promoting sustainable development.

To facilitate a Southwestern PA delegation and defray costs, motor coach transportation to and from is being offered at $50.00 payable to Sustainable Pittsburgh on-line at www.sustainablepittsburgh.org. To reserve your seat, email lbutler@sustainablepittsburgh.org by Monday, January 26.

Presented by Northeast-Midwest Institute together with the Brookings Institution, Smart Growth America, and PolicyLink, the Summit venues are Union Station and the Cannon Office Building. This proximity and an agenda featuring access to many of the nation's leaders, provides a not-to-miss opportunity to reach the new Congress and administration.

There is no fee to attend the Summit (includes program, reception and two lunches). Summit pre-registration per the links below is required. Attendees are on their own for overnight accommodations in D.C., with the Hotel Liaison holding a block of rooms at $239.

The bus will depart from the Regional Enterprise Tower on Wed. Feb. 11 at 6:00 am. returning on Thurs. Feb. 12 at approx. 9:30 pm.

To register for the Summit, send name, address, and email address to glewis@nemw.org or call 202-464-4005. More information is found at: http://www.nemw.org/ROC_Summit.htm

Resources

DUQ to broadcast Keynote from Regional Equitable Development Summit

Sunday, January 11
6:00 pm
Listen to 90.5 WDUQ-FM
www.wduq.org

WDUQ will broadcast the keynote presentation by Dr. Chris Benner from the 5th Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit: “The Employment Priority - Inclusion in the Workforce: Positioning Our Region to Prosper and Compete”, held on December 11, 2008. Dr. Benner, Associate Professor of Community and Regional Development and Chair of the Community Development Graduate Group at the University of California, Davis, presented a landmark framing paper, coauthored with PolicyLink and specific to southwestern PA, that acknowledges prosperity is directly linked to ensuring all residents are contributing through good jobs and opportunity. The purpose of the Summit was for participants to help shape this paper and to advance partnerships and practical steps the region will take to remove barriers and to seize on inclusion in employment as a vital part of our region’s economic development strategy and success among business and industry.

Contemplating Governing: A Course for Potential Candidates for Local Office

January 2009 – starts next week
Still taking registrations for the Green Tree Borough and Donohoe Center (Greensburg) locations
All sessions held from 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Program Fee: $45 per person
Pre-registration is required.
For more information call 412-237-3171 or visit www.localgovernmentacademy.org

Contemplating Governing is an introduction to serving in local government. These sessions will help individuals decide if local government service is right for them and encourage responsible campaigning. This program will provide citizens the opportunity to consider the challenges, requirements, opportunities, and reasons to serve in local elected office. The course seeks to inform the office seeker as they embark on the campaign process.

This 3-part program will include information on:
• Overcoming obstacles to running and meeting legal requirements
• Understanding the Pennsylvania local government environment including powers and duties of various boards and commissions such as City and Borough Councils, Township Commissioners or Supervisors, School Directors
• Measuring board effectiveness
• Determining what is a responsible campaign pledge
• Understanding local government taxation and services
• Local government’s important role in community sustainability

These sessions are being held prior to the first day to circulate and file nomination petitions on February 17, 2009. Upon successful election, the program fee will be credited towards the tuition of the 2009 - 2010 Newly Elected Officials Course.

Running for Public Office

January 22 through April 9, 2009
5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Includes 42 hours of seminar, conducted in twelve consecutive Thursday sessions
Registration is FREE
Cost for enrolling is $150 upon acceptance into the program.
More information

Running for Public Office is an experiential learning program of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership. The vision of Running for Public Office is to strengthen citizen participation in public elections and to increase the diversity and level of preparation of candidates running for office in Greater Pittsburgh. Course is open to prospective candidates and campaign staff who are now contemplating running for office.

Warren Miller's Children of Winter

Saturday, January 10
1:30 pm - Matinee Showing - $6
Perfect for families and includes an inspirational talk with Chris Anthony (one of the athletes from Children of Winter.)
8:00 pm - Evening Showing - $10
Includes the feature film Children of Winter and a unique behind the scenes film about the making of Children of Winter.
4:30 PM - VIP Option - $55
Includes a tapas, craft beer tasting and meet and greet with Chris Anthony before the Evening Showing.

Carnegie Library in Homestead
More information

Deep powder. Huge airs. World-class cinematography. It’s all part of Warren Miller’s Children of Winter, the world’s largest action sports film, which is set to music by Radiohead, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Beck and others. Shown in crystal-clear high definition, the film tour crisscrosses the nation and nine countries worldwide. Join Venture Outdoors in bringing the excitement to Pittsburgh for the first time.

LED Advertising Signs: Public Meeting

Wednesday, January 14
5:30 pm
City Planning Commission Conference Room (First Floor)
200 Ross Street
More information

This past summer considerable controversy arose when Lamar attempted to place a LED advertising sign (billboard) on the new Grant Street Transportation Center. As a result of that controversy City Councilman Burgess, working with the City Law Department, crafted legislation that defines regulations for LED advertising signs. Join the City Planning Commission at this public meeting to discuss the new LED sign legislation and its impacts.

Martin Luther King Jr Leadership & Diversity Awards 2009

Thursday, January 15
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Heinz Field, East Club Lounge, 100 Art Rooney Ave.
Tickets: $100
More information

Please join the Coro Center for Civic Leadership in honoring: David S. Shapira, Giant Eagle Inc. | 2009 Leadership Honoree and Ernst & Young | 2009 Diversity Honoree. Keynote presented by Donald T. Phillips. Dr. Phillips is the bestselling author of several books, including Lincoln on Leadership, The Founding Fathers on Leadership and Martin Luther King Jr. on Leadership.

A Special Program for SWPA Planners, Developers, and Elected Officials

Exploring Suburbia - Regional trends, Cultural forces and Changing economies
An exhibition viewing (final weekend) of: "Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes" at Carnegie Museum of Art's Heinz Architectural Center
Saturday, January 17
8:30 am - Noon (8:30 continental breakfast and networking; 9:00 - 10:30 panel; 10:30 exhibition tour)
Carnegie Museum of Art Theater, parking in adjacent lot/garage (for a modest fee)
No fee to attend
For more information and to register, click here

In today’s expanding metropolitan areas, the lines between urban and suburban are rapidly blurring. Population growth, changing demographics, and transportation patterns are among the many factors that city planners, designers, developers, and elected officials confront as they prepare for sustainable growth in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Come attend this exhibit tour and panel discussion about the challenges and successes of the suburban design, how suburbs are evolving, and the cultural and regional implications of these shifts.

Featuring:
- Continental breakfast and networking
- Panel discussion featuring local elected officials
- Exhibition tour by Tracy Myers, Curator of Architecture, The Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, and co-organizer of the exhibition.

Presented by:
The Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art
Sustainable Pittsburgh - Sustainable Community Development Network
Local Government Academy - Newly Elected Officials Course Alumni Association

Climate Change Legislation - What to Expect from the New Administration and Congress

Thursday, January 22
7:15 am - 11:00 am
Westin Convention Center Hotel
Cost: $45 Pittsburgh Technology Council Member/Catalyst Connection Client; $90 Non-Member
More information

The issue of climate change and the anticipated global regulatory response of global regulators has been a primary concern for the business community as well as a main discussion point in the recent presidential election. Join the Green Technology Network for an informative discussion with national experts on climate change policy. Learn what the projected impact could be to this region's companies from SAIC's Assistant Vice President and Senior Policy Analyst, Michael Mondshine. Tom Dower, a former member of Senator Arlen Specter's staff and co-author of the Bingaman-Specter "Low Carbon Economy Act," will provide attendees with an inside perspective on what direction the new Congress and Administration will lean toward when writing climate change legislation.

Corporate Workshops on Carbon Emissions and Life Cycle Assessment

Thursday, January 29 - "Corporate Carbon Emission Inventories"
Friday, January 30 - "Carbon Footprinting and Life Cycle Assessment for Corporate Decision-Making"
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, Oakland
Cost: GDI Consortium Members can participate in both workshops free of charge. Cost for non-members is $1,000 per workshop, $1,600 for both.
More information

Business executives have noted that issues related to corporate and supply chain carbon emissions are a top priority for managers to address in the coming months. To assist managers in targeting issues related to carbon management, the Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon and the CMU Tepper School of Business Executive Education Center are offering two workshops in January 2009.

The workshop on Corporate Carbon Emissions Inventories will focus on challenges with estimating carbon emissions, including setting the boundary for different activities within a company and along its supply chain, examining options to register and disclose carbon emission reduction efforts and how these connect to potential future regulations.

The workshop on Carbon Footprinting and Life Cycle Assessment for Corporate Decision-Making will focus on the basics of life cycle assessment as a tool for estimating carbon footprints. We will discuss various software applications available for LCA projects, including the Green Design Institute's free on-line Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment tool.

Both workshops are designed as stand-alone seminars, but together provide an encompassing perspective of corporate carbon emissions issues.

CityLive! Building Blocks for Urban Education

Thursday, February 19
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater
rsvp@citylive.org

Providing quality public education for all has been called the civil rights issue of our time. Why doesn't every child in American today have access to the best education possible? When will we get there? How can we bring about the transformation? Featuring: Geoffrey Canada, Mark Roosevelt, and Marion Heard. Moderated by B.J. Leber. Cocktails and conversation to follow.

DCNR 2009 Grants Workshop

Thursday, February 19
9:00 am - Noon (check in at 8:30 am)
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North
Free
Continuing Education Credits available for this workshop. For more information, including registration, click here.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) is proud to present the 2009 grant workshops for the Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) which is funded in part by the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and Growing Greener funds. These workshops will feature the new DCNR e-Grants application process and “the Greening” of the C2P2 grant program. Grant applications are due in Harrisburg on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 4:00 pm.

Resources

Less Driving, Gas-Buying Spur Call For Tax Boost

Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs. A federal commission created by Congress to find a way to make up the growing revenue shortfall in the program that funds highway repairs and construction is talking about increasing federal gas and diesel taxes. A roughly 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the commission until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.

Beyond Green Building

If we look at getting beyond buildings to sustainable communities, and the [national work] on climate change, it all comes back to the need to build capacity, to educate.

More

Three PA Projects Among 40 Receiving National Audubon Together Green Grants

Three Pennsylvania projects are among 40 projects in 24 states to receive TogetherGreen Conservation Innovation Grants totaling $1.4 million dollars: PA Audubon At Home Program, Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance, Kittatinny Ridge Important Bird Area Habitat.

Braddock, Pennsylvania: Out of the Furnace and into the Fire

There is a strong environmental subtext to Fetterman’s program in Braddock. The first new businesses to open up there under Mayor Fetterman’s time in office are two workshops—one that converts diesel engines to run on the ecologically sustainable alternative “bio-diesel,” and another that builds furniture from recycled materials. Moreover, Braddock has gone from having no parks to having both a large urban garden and farm—and Fetterman sits on the board of the agency working to turn the nearby abandoned Rankin steel mill into a national park and open-air museum of the area’s industrial history. Beyond such grassroots efforts, there is a larger ecological vision implied in the entire project of reclaiming devastated urban space. In an age of skyrocketing fuel prices and global warming, in the coming decades the United States will be forced to cut its carbon footprint to a sustainable size. However, the built environment the country has constructed in the past fifty years will make such frugality incredibly difficult. The miles and miles of suburban sprawl that extend from rust belt to sun belt, full of enormous McMansions and ninety-minute commutes, will be a source of deep economic pain as energy costs continue rising.

Wanted: Manager of Corporate Sustainability at PNC

PNC is currently seeking a Manager of Corporate Sustainability. This person will be responsible for establishing and managing PNC's Sustainable Practices and will be the single point of contact for all sustainable activities including: monitoring PNC's carbon footprint, developing a standard measurement process, and reporting the status of all carbon reduction initiatives.

Wanted: Sustainability Programs Manager at Del Monte

The Sustainability Programs Manager is responsible for the overall development and implementation of Del Monte’s sustainability strategy and initiatives which is to promote efficient, cost effective technologies and operations at all levels of the company with the objective of being environmentally responsible and economically viable. This position can be based in the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Pittsburgh, PA offices.

Living Cities Clean Energy Sector Jobs Initiative

Living Cities seeks to fund sector workforce initiatives for the purpose of preparing workers and jobsseekers for employment in clean energy industries, specifically energy efficiency, retrofitting, renewable energy and/or green building. These projects will help low-skilled jobseekers or incumbent workers enter into career paths and good jobs and customize workforce solutions for employers in clean energy industries within the regional labor market. Quick Summary: proposal due February 6; $150,000 - $300,000 grant range.

Transit authority waits word on train to Pittsburgh

HDR Engineer Inc. in Pittsburgh, the consultant hired last year to conduct the feasibility study, has been compiling statistics about whether the proposed train line would have enough riders. It also is examining potential station locations and possible funding options. Funding remains a great unknown. Local officials want to tap into state and federal money to pay for the system.

For Pittsburgh, There’s Life After Steel

This is what life in one American city looks like after an industrial collapse: Unemployment is 5.5 percent, far below the national average. While housing prices sank nearly everywhere in the last year, they rose here. Wages are also up. Foreclosures are comparatively uncommon. A generation ago, the steel industry that built Pittsburgh and still dominated its economy entered its death throes. In the early 1980s, the city was being talked about the way Detroit is now. Its very survival was in question. Deindustrialization in Pittsburgh was a protracted and painful experience. Yet it set the stage for an economy that is the envy of many recession-plagued communities, particularly those where the automobile industry is struggling for its life.

Going Green to Save the Green

. . .IT leaders, analysts and environmental advocates say there are plenty of opportunities for tech organizations to create more Earth-friendly operations that cut energy needs and slash a company's carbon footprint while saving money, too. . .Mark O'Gara, vice president of infrastructure management at Highmark Inc., a health insurance company in Pittsburgh, says he's examining the need for any device that draws power -- any fax machine, printer or copier -- and figuring how to reduce its energy demands by either using power management tools or getting rid of the device. He says he's working with the company's facilities department to get baseline readings so he'll be able to measure progress.

The road to yesteryear - Please don't fund the Mon-Fayette Expressway

Now that we have moved to bail out America's great industry of the 20th century, the automobile, the question looming for President-elect Barack Obama and his huge stimulus package is whether we will keep bailing out the economy of the past or lay the foundation for the economy of the future. Specifically, will we use the stimulus money to prop up the old petroleum-based infrastructure of the 20th-century or to embrace an innovative infrastructure for the 21st century? The perfect test case is right here in southwestern Pennsylvania: the $5 billion and counting Mon-Fayette Expressway. As the Mon-Fayette goes, so goes the stimulus plan and the nation.

Transit: Long-Scorned, Key to Metros’ Future?

Plus, Rose argues, a strong and expanding transit system can organize and help grow the region so that it cuts back sharply on its carbon emissions, competes efficiently with other leading world cities by reducing wasteful traffic congestion, and advances social equity by making jobs accessible to all residents. . .But the secret’s not just having more transit lines–though the commission recommends the MTA do just that. It’s about shifting zoning and other policies to make sure the lion’s share of new residential and business development is located in transit-accessible city and neighborhood cores. And then insisting the “last mile” of transit accessibility be covered by flexible feeder buses as well as pedestrian and bike improvements.

Obama Has One Chance to Get Infrastructure Spending Right

In the process, that deal would have significantly improved the efficiency of state government. The state would have been left with one highway department, PennDOT, rather than the two it now has in PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission. Motorists would have had to pay the current 25 percent toll increase and the 3 percent annual increases under either plan. But under the current situation they pay the penalty of funding two highway departments, getting less revenue in the long term, and still facing ever-increasing turnpike tolls and the prospect of I-80 tolls if the state tries yet again to establish them, and succeeds. The turnpike can take Pennsylvanians many places, but thanks to too many lawmakers who prize politics above progress, it won’t be to innovative transportation funding.

The biggest bang for the buck

President-elect Obama is already in Washington and negotiating a major economic stimulus package with the newly-sworn in Congress. Relief for Pennsylvania’s citizens, economy and environment could be coming very soon. But will the stimulus package really give us the biggest bang for the buck, or will it be a victim of pork barrel politics, and stimulate the exact problems we’re trying solve? We’ll soon know.

For information on becoming a Member of Sustainable Pittsburgh, please visit our website.

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Sustainable Pittsburgh affects decision-making in the Pittsburgh Region to integrate economic prosperity, social equity and environmental quality bringing sustainable solutions to communities and businesses.

Sustainable Pittsburgh benefits from support in 2009 from:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Giant Eagle Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Dylan Todd Simonds Foundation
University of Pittsburgh


Special thanks to the SP Members

Sustainable Pittsburgh
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1335
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 258-6642
fax (412) 258-6645
E-mail SP