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Events

Our Municipalities are Moving the Ball on Sustainability

With so many units of local government, this region would be well-served for its municipalities to become sustainability pacesetters. Our local governments have a profound role to play in the way we organize ourselves to live lighter, more justly, and with rising prosperity. Good news. Data from the 129 municipalities around the region that completed the on-line Sustainable Community Essentials Rapid Assessment demonstrate sustainability at the local level is taking hold. There is now an encouraging body of insight (91 policies and practices in the Rapid Assessment) serving to demystify what is means to be a sustainable community. And the many exemplar initiatives revealed a set convincing and inspiring precedent for municipalities to emulate the swelling tide of best sustainability practices among their peers. Toward accelerating this trend, in 2012, Sustainable Pittsburgh will be working with the Community Sustainability Coordinators and additional municipal leaders to evolve the Rapid Assessment into a formal SWPA Sustainable Community Essentials Certification Program. In the meantime, have a look at the following summary of the Rapid Assessment results and thank your municipal leaders for working to formally adopt sustainability as the way of ensuring the good life in our region.

View the summary.

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Resources

REGISTER NOW: What Local Governments Need to Know About Woodsmoke & Outdoor Burners

Webinar on Woodsmoke Regulations, a program of the Sustainable Development Academy
Wednesday, January 25
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
View Flyer

The Sustainable Development Academy is a partnership between Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh. This particular webinar will be presented by GASP (Group Against Smog and Pollution). Topics include:
- New regulatory measures that start May 31, 2012
- Where and how to report complaints
- Environmental hazards proposed by Outdoor Wood-Fired Boilers
- Guidelines for adopting local ordinances that regulate the use of outdoor wood burners
- Effects of Woodsmoke Pollution

For more information including registration, please visit www.localgovernmentacademy.org

Attend the Green Workplace Challenge 1st Qtr celebration/Workshop #4

See who the leaders are!

Friday, January 27
8:00 am – 11:45 am
Fairmont Pittsburgh, 510 Market Street, Downtown Pittsburgh
FREE for Green Workplace Challenge participants; $25.00 for non-participants.
Breakfast Provided
For more information, including registration and agenda, please visit the registration page.

Come celebrate the early achievements of the bold cadre of companies and organizations that have risen to the call for action and competition through the Green Workplace Challenge (GWC)!

Learn from and interact with a panel of competing companies to learn what drives them to compete in the GWC, what actions they have implemented, and how different strategies are paying off.

The event begins with an inspirational keynote by Dr. Valerie Patrick, Bayer Corporation's Sustainability Coordinator, about the market opportunities, innovation drivers, and the financial returns that Bayer is pursuing in the spirit of competition embodied in the GWC. Dr. Patrick's remarks will be followed by a formal recognition of all competition participants.

For the second portion of the program, attendees can engage with a panel on innovative lighting and energy efficiency technologies that have direct benefits to energy savings (and GWC competition points). Lastly, workshop organizers invite attendees to share their concerns and needs about their own greening strategies with experts during a closing networking session.

Discover what regional impact the competition has already accomplished in just 4 months, recognize the achievements of the competitors, and learn how your organization can adopt what has worked for these leaders.

Who should attend: This workshop is ideal for representatives from businesses and organizations that are looking to gain insight on strategies that result in reduced costs, utility savings, and more sustainable operations. The media is invited to attend.

Informational Public Meeting on Bus Rapid Transit in Pittsburgh

Thursday, January 12
Two sessions: Noon - 2:00 pm; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall Ballroom, 4227 Fifth Ave. (between Lytton & Tennyson avenues), Oakland
For more information, visit GetTherePGH.org

Get There PGH, a partnership of more than 30 community organizations, is advancing a plan for Bus Rapid Transit linking Downtown Pittsburgh and Uptown with Oakland and possibly other East End neighborhoods. Bus Rapid Transit is designed to improve reliability and efficiency while reducing travel times and operating costs. In other cities, Bus Rapid Transit has been shown to support community revitalization initiatives and act as a catalyst for development. Get There PGH believes Pittsburgh can enjoy similar benefits from the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit in this corridor.

All members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the project, provide ideas and discuss Bus Rapid Transit with project representatives. Brief presentations will be provided at 12:15 pm and 6:15 pm.

The public meeting location is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require special assistance due to disability or limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English, or otherwise need additional information, please contact:
Ginette Walker Vinski
Sustainable Pittsburgh
(412) 258-6646
gvinski@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Presented by Sustainable Pittsburgh on behalf of Get There PGH and the BRT Stakeholders Advisory Committee.

Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership Winter Meeting

Friday, January 13
8:15 am - Noon
Botany Hall at the Phipps Conservatory, 1 Schenley Park, Oakland
Please RSVP to rpatchan@achd.net; (412) 578-8120

Agenda:

8:15 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 Greetings – Jayme Graham, Chair, SPAQP
9:10 Welcoming Address, Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes
9:35 On the Move: Greening Transportation – Speakers on:
- Growth of natural gas vehicle use in the region
- Southwest Pa electric vehicles and public charging stations
- Bicycling to work
- New initiatives in the Region
11:10 2011 Air Quality in Review - Sean Nolan, DEP
11:30 Break
11:40 Business Meeting
- Financial and Activities Report
- Goals for 2012
12:00 Close

Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Expo

Friday, January 13
10:00 am – 1:00 am
Community College of Allegheny County, West Hills Center, 1000 McKee Road, Oakdale, PA
Free and open to the public
Pittsburgh Clean Cities Website

This event, hosted by Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC), features speakers from the Original Equipment Manufacturers, Companies Using CNG, OEM Up fitters and Conversion Companies, Fuel Station Providers and CNG vehicles. Come and listen to companies who use compressed natural gas as a transportation fuel as well as vehicle manufacturers, conversion companies, fuel and station providers. Participants will also be able to test drive a CNG vehicle. Community College of Allegheny College – West Hills Center is the only alternative fuel training center in Pennsylvania and has partnered with the Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities to help educate the public about alternative fuels.

Presentations include:
· Gladstein Nedross & Associates – Barbara Brentano
· Peters Township – Paul Lauer
· Giant Eagle – Mike Lickert
· Upper St. Clair Township – Ron Sarrick
· Monaca Borough- Mario Leone Jr
· EQT- Eduardo Sande
· Zoresco – Buzz Tabone
· BAF – Barry Carr
· FYDA Freightliner – Tim Hooker
· Landi Renzo USA – John Sledge
· General Motors – Andrew Reyntjes
· Ford – Dr. Jon Coleman
· P.C. McKenzie – Mark Good
· Eco Friendly, LLC – Paul Giankos

Vehicles on display include:
· 2012 Honda Civic
· 2012 CNG Ford Transit
· 2008 Ford F150 Van Bi-fuel
· 2010 Honda Civic
· MACK Dual Fuel Tri-axile Dump

Lectures and Conversations Series, featuring Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Columnist Tony Norman

Wednesday, January 18
7:15 pm
Allegheny Y, 600 West North Avenue, North Side 15212
There is no charge for attendance, but donations to the YMCA’s Building Bridges Campaign will be gratefully accepted.

Topic: Culture and Politics in Pittsburgh and Beyond

Tony Norman, award-winning columnist for the Post-Gazette, will reflect on his career reporting on culture and politics in Pittsburgh and beyond. Although decidedly left in his thinking, Tony is known for taking on the sacred cows of all sides. He is as likely to criticize NPR as the GOP, as likely to defend Mormons as Occupy Wall Street. Love him or loath him, Tony practices journalism that makes a difference.

Sponsored By The Pittsburgh Steelers and First Niagara

Business Preparation for Proposed Transit Cuts

Thursday, January 19
8:30 am - 9:30 am (Registration begins at 8:00 am)
Omni William Penn, 530 William Penn Place, Downtown Pittsburgh
Please RSVP at events@alleghenyconference.org.

In January, the Port Authority will outline a 35% service cut that will be necessary if the agency does not secure additional state funding and significant concessions from its labor union.

To help businesses understand the proposal and begin planning on how to cope with these significant changes, the Allegheny Conference and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership are holding this special information session.

In addition to learning about the proposed cuts, businesses will gain a better understanding of how a transit cutback of this magnitude might affect their workforce and operations.

Please feel free to pass this invitation along to executives within your organization, as well as to any clients, customers, or other associates who may be interested in this important issue.

Novel Geothermal Heating and Cooling Technology

Thursday January 19
11:30am Registration
11:45-12:15pm Lunch
12:15-1:15pm Presentation
Penn Brewery, 800 Vinial Street, Troy Hill 15212
Association of Energy Engineers' Members $25.00 || Non Members $35.00
More information and registration

Geothermal (Geoexchange) or Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems have been utilized for decades in the residential and commercial heating and cooling markets. These systems provide substantial energy savings using 40%-70% less energy than conventional HVAC systems.

These energy savings have lead to more than 7,700 MWt of installed geothermal systems capacity in the U.S. Yet despite its proven track record, the U.S. geothermal market is still only about 1% of the of the available HVAC U.S. market.

An overview of the conventional geothermal market and overall market potential will be presented. Conventional Geothermal Heating and Cooling system will be compared and contrasted with Thar Geothermal’s novel approach. The talk will conclude with projected system performance based on internally developed load models refined with on real world system data.

Mr. Portnoff is the Manager of New Technology for Thar Geothermal where he provides technical and management support. His primary focus is the commercial development of a novel all natural geothermal heating and cooling technology utilizing the company’s experience with supercritical fluid processing technologies. Mr. Portnoff successfully completed the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association Driller’s Workshop and is a certified geo-loop installer. As lead engineer with Thar Geothermal he has overseen the installation of a well field deploying small diameter ground source geo-loops. He is also the co-inventor of a method to lower the cost of installing high performance geo-loop systems. Prior to joining Thar Geothermal, Mr. Portnoff work at Carnegie Mellon University for 32 years where he managed product development and technology assessment projects for over fifty industrial sponsors and five governmental agencies.

In 2002, Mr. Portnoff co-founded Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Advanced Fuel Technology and served as Co-Director and Principal Investigator. His focus was on the development of advanced catalysts and hydroprocessing systems for the production of clean and sustainable fuels. He also collaborated with Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics on the selection and use of clean energy technologies. He is a conference speaker, author and co-author of several dozen technical papers and patents. He earned a Bachelor degree from Vanderbilt University and a Masters degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering.

Reed Smith Spring 2012 Lecture Series: "The Supplemental Poverty Measure"

Wednesday, January 25
The Supplemental Poverty Measure
Kathleen Short, Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, United States Census Bureau

Wednesday, February 22
Inequality and the American City: Implications of the Neighborhood Effect
Robert Sampson, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences; Director of the Social Sciences Program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University

Lectures are from noon to 1:30 pm in the School of Social Work Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, at the University of Pittsburgh. More information will be available at www.crsp.pitt.edu

Farm to Table Lunch and Learn

Friday, January 27
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh Public Market, Smallman St & 17th St, Strip District 15222
Contact: Erin Hart, American HealthCare Group, (412) 563-8800 or ehart@american-healthcare.net
Register

Learn how to 'Eat Seasonal' with the Farm to Table staff. In addition to a presentation about local food resources, experts will be on hand each month to highlight or demonstrate the positive benefits of eating local. A complimentary lunch will be available from the food merchants, sponsored by Farm to Table and American HealthCare Group.

The January 27 event features Leah Lizarondo Shannon from Brazen Kitchen in a soup demonstration: Creamy Soups & Desserts...Without the Cream!

Farm to Table Pittsburgh is an educational program that provides opportunities for eating healthy local food in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Its goal is to bridge the connection between consumers and local food producers. Eating locally grown food benefits both one's physical health as well as local economic health. Farm to Table Pittsburgh is sponsored by American HealthCare Group, a local family business delivering wellness programs to corporations, school districts and community groups.

PA DEP Secretary to Discuss Marcellus Shale and Innovation

Wednesday, February 1
11:30 am - Registration and Networking
12:00 pm - Program and Lunch
1:15 pm - Adjourn
Rivers Club, 301 Grant St #411, Downtown Pittsburgh
$49 Pittsburgh Technology Council Member | $175 Non-Member
Register: Online or at events@pghtech.org

Join Secretary Michael Krancer, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as he outlines the Commonwealth’s strategy to ensure and promote the responsible development of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale industry. As a key part of his presentation, Secretary Krancer will discuss the important areas where innovation and technology could improve the ways that we produce and consume energy in Pennsylvania.

Appointed by Gov. Tom Corbett in 2011, Secretary Krancer previously served as the Chief Judge and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Environmental hearing board, under former Gov. Ed Rendell.

The Pennsylvania DEP is charged with administering Pennsylvania’s environmental laws and regulations including those that deal with reducing air pollution, promoting safe water and ensuring that waste products are handled correctly. Additionally, the department is responsible for promoting advanced energy technologies and community revitalization.

For all of these reasons, don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a key member of the Corbett administration as he discusses issues that are important to Pennsylvania.

Resources

The People's Court: Cleveland housing court Judge Raymond Pianka uses innovative legal tactics to achieve code compliance, but is it enough to stabilize neighborhoods?

Pianka’s attempts to bring far-flung speculators to account for their effects on Cleveland’s neighborhoods are bucking conventional legal practice on several fronts...While there’s still much to be done in the way of stabilizing neighborhoods, particularly in Cleveland, the Cleveland Housing Court is a beacon to others fighting for stable neighborhoods, and all those who believe that protecting people and property and the rule of local law do matter.

Online Map Shows Biggest Greenhouse Gas Emitters

The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time is making available detailed information on sources of greenhouse gas emissions, from the Mount Sinai Hospital heating plant in Manhattan to the nation’s largest coal-burning power plant in Georgia. The agency unveiled a searchable computerized map on Wednesday that allows users to identify the nation’s major stationary sources of carbon dioxide and other climate-changing gases, including power plants, refineries, chemical factories and paper mills. The agency said the data, which was drawn from 6,157 sources and is current through 2010, covered nearly 80 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases from large industrial sources. Major emitters are required under a 2008 law signed by President George W. Bush to provide detailed annual reports of their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases that contribute to global warming.

Leveraging State Clean Energy Funds for Economic Development

State clean energy funds (CEFs) have emerged as effective tools that states can use to accelerate the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These clean energy funds, which exist in over 20 states, generate about $500 million per year in dedicated support from utility surcharges and other sources, making them significant public investors in thousands of clean energy projects...State clean energy funds also need to pay attention to other critical aspects of building a robust clean energy industry, including cleantech innovation support through research and development funding, financial support for early-stage cleantech companies and emerging technologies, and various other industry development efforts.

More

Sempra, BP To Build Two New Large Wind Power Farms

Wind power developers are racing to build new plants ahead of the expected expiration of a tax credit at the end of 2012, an incentive the industry is seeking to have extended to help make the renewable power source competitive against fossil fuel power stations.

Five rules for exploiting natural gas

It turns out that the way one develops natural gas will determine whether it is a serious help to our energy and climate problems or a dangerous extension of bad habits. . . No leaks in the system. . . Use gas to shut down old coal. . . Strong standards for wells, with effective monitoring and enforcement. . . Don't allow these toxic streams to poison the land. . . Finally, choosing where and how to drill is important.

DEP's Marcellus Shale drilling numbers do not add up

PG research shows almost 500 more gas wells than state has recorded as ever being drilled The data discrepancies and other significant problems with DEP's Marcellus Shale data have caused problems for information companies, environmental organizations and drillers that rely on it to analyze the industry. The discrepancies have caused headaches for Senate and House staff who have been trying to make accurate projections about how much revenue an impact fee on wells might generate for local governments, and where.

Honda to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Global Products by 30%

Honda will strengthen its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions through its entire corporate activities, including production and supply chain. The company will also develop total energy management technology to reduce CO2 emissions both from personal mobility and daily lives.

Insurance payouts point to climate change

Natural disasters in 2011 exerted the costliest toll in history — a whopping $380 billion worth of losses from earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis and more. Only a third of those costs were covered by insurance. And the tally ignores completely any expenses associated with sickness or injuries triggered by the disasters. Known as Munich RE, his firm is among a handful of major international corporations that insure insurance companies against failing. So it’s crucial that reinsurers know natural disasters intimately — where they’ve happened, how often, what’s caused them, how much damage they wreak and what recovery from them will cost. Munich RE has compiled one of the largest databases of natural catastrophes going back to 1980 globally, and to 1970 for U.S. and select European events. After sifting through it, on Jan. 4 Rauch and a few others professional disaster analysts attempted to put 2011 in context. [W]hat hasn’t maintained a constant pace over time have been the numbers of storms, droughts and wildfires. These weather and climate-related events have been climbing steadily since 1980, increasing in number, severity (such as average wind intensity) and often in lives lost. That trend, Rauch said, provides strong evidence that climate change is already impacting human suffering and the world’s economies.

New bulbs? What would Edison say?

If my great-grandfather, Thomas Edison, were alive today, I have no doubt he’d view Congress as most Americans do — with anger and disgust. His reasons would be personal, however. [Efforts] to stifle lighting innovation flies in the face of everything this great American innovator and path-breaking businessman stood for. So what’s the light bulb kerfuffle about? Starting Jan. 1, the bulbs you buy must be more efficient and use less electricity, under a 2007 law signed by President George W. Bush. This would have thrilled my great-grandfather. Edison was one of history’s most prolific inventors, with nearly 1,100 patents involving electricity, the phonograph, one of the first ticker tapes and much more. Many, if not most, of his inventions involved making things work better and more efficiently. He would have been at the forefront of efforts to do the same with his light bulb. After all, innovation and invention defined him. Starting last Sunday, the new standards required manufacturers to make new 100-watt bulbs that use at least 28 percent less energy. The same goes for 75-watt bulbs in 2013 and 40- and 60-watt bulbs in 2014. This can save consumers real money; an estimated $100 to $200 per household each year — or $12 billion annually for the nation. This lighting revolution also opens new doors for some of America’s most talented inventors and engineers to create advances we can’t even imagine. It’s the kind of American invention and choice our nation is famous for. And it’s what my great-grandfather embraced. Before he died 80 years ago, my great-grandfather told his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone that America needed to end its reliance on oil and fossil fuels. He favored solar power and other renewable energy sources. So Edison would have been delighted that the new efficiency standards significantly cut carbon pollution—cutting the need for 30 large power plants, equal to taking an astonishing 17 million cars off the road.

Barry Edison Sloane, great-grandson of Thomas A. Edison, is on the board of trustees of the Edison Birthplace Museum. He is a consultant for J.A. Montgomery Risk Control.

Letters to the business editor for 01/07/12: Just whites, males influential?

Thank you for jump-starting my engines in the new year with "The Most Influential People in Business in 2011," Jan. 1. While your list included many smart, dynamic men, I was a bit disappointed that it did not include any women or people of color.

Here are just some of the many people who could have been included:

Gov. Corbett to roll out transportation plan by Feb. 7

The proposal is likely to fall short of the recommendations of the governor's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, which presented a plan in August to raise up to $2.5 billion in new annual revenue for roads, bridges and public transit. . . In a recent interview, Mr. Schoch said the governor was considering rejiggering the retail and wholesale gasoline taxes to produce a revenue stream that grows over time, but was unlikely to embrace the commission's proposals to raise registration and license fees for the first time since 1997 to catch them up with inflation.

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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 ($1,000 and up) in 2012 from:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
BNY Mellon
FedEx Ground
The Heinz Endowments
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Pashek Associates LTD
PNC Financial Services Group
UPMC


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