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Events

Sustainable Solutions Consultancy Commences - Wilkinsburg Sustainability Assessment

Sustainable Pittsburgh is privileged to engage with Wilkinsburg Borough to initiate a Sustainability Assessment of municipal systems. Building on experience gained in working with other clients* in its Sustainable Solutions consultancy, Sustainable Pittsburgh's team will address areas including: Transportation Access; Waste & Recycling; Environmentally Preferable Procurement; Curbside Residential Recycling Collection; Energy; Water; Municipal Street Lights; Land Use Administration and Green Design Guidelines; Vacant Properties; and Sustainability Principles.

*clients include: The Mall at Robinson, Cranberry Township, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh

Through collaboration with the state, county, local businesses and nonprofits, Wilkinsburg is laying the foundation for future prosperity where sustainability is the framework for maximizing social, economic, and environmental wins. The Sustainability Assessment will provide quantified recommendations for practical means Wilkinsburg can take to save money, conserve resources, and integrate sustainability into management systems for the long haul.

The Wilkinsburg project is made possible through the generosity of Sustainable Pittsburgh's funders as well as donations through The Pittsburgh Foundation's Day of Giving.

Learn more about the ways Wilkinsburg is innovating and their green initiatives by visiting www.wilkinsburgpa.gov.

Resources

Suburban/Urban Permaculture Course and Workshop

January 31, 2010 - Introduction Workshop
NOTE: TIME CHANGE - 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Lipp Homestead, West View
Cost: $30

Course Details:
75 hour Permaculture Certification Course (Weekends and 2 evenings)
February 20-21, 9-5 PM
February 24, 6-10 PM
February 27-28, 9-5PM
March 13-14, 9-5 PM
March 17, 6-10 PM
March 20-21, 9-5 PM
Cost: $1200
To register contact Darrell Frey at defrey@bioshelter.com or call 724-376-2797 OR 412-931-3723.

Permaculture design is an ecological design system that incorporates principles of ecology, sustainable technologies and earth care ethics. Completion of a Permaculture certificate course entitles the participant to offer goods and services as a Permaculture consultant.

Where: LIPP Homestead is a 1.3 acre site in West View, two miles from the City line and just off of 279N. A 5000 foot organic garden space, stream, and original 1898 farmhouse and dairy house are what remain of the Lipp family farm. Course participants will work to increase the sustainability of the site through the application of ecological design principles and practices. A day will be spent at Three Sisters Farm and Bioshelter. Course leader Darrell Frey has been practicing and teaching Permaculture since 1986. Other guest presenters will participate.

"Haiti's Road to Recovery"

Tuesday, February 2
4:00 pm
Ballroom A of the University Club, 123 University Place in Oakland
Open to the public
For more information, call 412-624-6985 or visit the website, www.globalhealth.pitt.edu.

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Global Health is sponsoring a panel discussion, "Haiti's Road to Recovery," to feature key experts familiar with the impact the earthquake has had on the island nation. The panel will discuss the monumental challenge Haiti faces in the wake of infrastructure destruction caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake that leveled much of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince.

The discussion will focus on whether Haiti can achieve what former President Bill Clinton suggested as an opportunity to transform the impoverished nation into a better place, or whether Haiti's history, poverty and other circumstances will prevent such a transformation.

The panel will include:
• Donald S. Burke, associate vice chancellor for Global Health and UPMC-Jonas Salk chairman of Global Health.
• Mary Carrasco, director of the international and community initiatives of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System.
• Louise Comfort, professor of Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
• Kent Harries, associate professor of Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering.
• Kathleen Hower, executive director and co-founder of Global Links.
• Samuel Stebbins, associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health.

Know Your Codes
Roundtable Discussions

PA School Code
Tuesday, February 2
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
LGA Offices, CCAC Administration Building, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh 15233
Fee: $10 per session
Free convenient parking
More information and registration

Throughout February, the Local Government Academy will host several different programs regarding Pennsylvania's municipal and school district codes. The programs are organized by code and will give new and experienced elected officials, managers and staff the opportunity to learn and share knowledge.

There is no set agenda for this program. An experienced municipal solicitor will field questions and participants will engage in discussion towards the goal of better understanding the local government environment and improving governing board performance. Additional dates and topics are as follows:

Wednesday, February 3
Home Rule
5 - 7 p.m.

Monday, February 8
Authorities Code
4 - 6 p.m.

Tuesday, February 9
3rd Class Cities
5 - 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 10
Boroughs
5 - 7 p.m.

Monday, February 15
2nd Class Townships
5 - 7 p.m.

Tuesday, February 16
1st Class Townships
4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

ALCOSAN Public Meetings

Pittsburgh
February 3, 2010
7:00 pm
IBEW Hall, 5 Hot Metal Street, South Side, 15203

ALCOSAN is hosting the last of its public meetings on February 3 to inform the public of its progress on meeting the federal requirements to address sewer overflows in this region. The event is free and open to the public. No RSVP is necessary. For more information contact ALCOSAN's Public Relations department at 412-734-8353 or visit www.alcosan.org.

"Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability:
Design as Catalyser of Diffuse Creativity for Sustainable Changes"

Wednesday February 3
4:30 Baker Hall A51 (Giant Eagle Auditorium), Carnegie Mellon University
Additional information available at www.cmu.edu/uls

Featuring Ezio Manzini, Professor, Design and Innovation for Sustainability, Milan Polytechnic University, Italy, this is the first in the 2010 Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy. Hosted by the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research, the theme for the 2010 Series is "Toward Sustainability: Changing our Physical and Chemical Environment."

Additonal lectures include:
"Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Plastic: The Conflict over Safety between Scientists and Government Regulatory Agencies"
Frederick vom Saal
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri - Columbia Monday February 8, 2010 4:30 Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)
"Endocrine Disruption: An Overview of the History"
John McLachlan
Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, New Orleans Thursday February 18, 2010 4:30 Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)

Vegetables, Cornography and Agricraft

Friday, February 5
5:30 pm
Society for Contemporary Craft, 2100 Smallman Street, Strip District
$5 suggested donation.
For more information, visit www.contemporarycraft.org or call Kati Fishbein at 412-261-7003 ext. 26.

Exhibiting artist Craig Nutt will present a gallery talk, Flying Vegetables, Cornography and Agricraft, in conjunction with Cornography, an installation of his work currently on view in the Society for Contemporary Craft’s alternative space, EAT: An Art Space About Food. An organic gardener, Nutt has coined the term agricraft to refer both to his work and to the application of a craft-related viewpoint to agriculture.

Once a venerable foodstuff of the Americas, corn has become a symbol of the transformation of farm into factory - and of a system that uses subsidies, promises of higher yields and the threat of bankruptcy to seduce farmers into a life of chemical dependency in order to supply the vast quantity of raw materials to satisfy our lust for cheap, sweet, highly-manufactured foods. For his lecture Nutt will talk about his work, which celebrates the heritage of hyperbole and idealism of farming and gardening while questioning whether the prevailing methods of food production are moral, healthful, or sustainable. Event also features: Jamie Moore, director of sourcing for Eat’n Park Restaurant Group and Mindy Joy Schwartz, owner of Garden Dreams Urban Farm.

Register TODAY for the 2010 Census Lunch & Learn!

Wednesday, February 10
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG), 1901 Centre Avenue, Suite 200, 15219. Lunch will be provided.
Cost: FREE for all PCRG Members; $12 for all PCRG government and bank partners; $15 for non-member organizations
RSVP: Jared at programs@pcrg.org or 412-391-6732 ext. 210
All RSVPs must be received by noon on Monday, February 8th. Space is limited.

Benita Johnson, Partnership Specialist with the US Census Bureau, will be discuss the 2010 Census. The Census is more than just a simple counting of every person within the United States of America. It plays an important role in the amount of federal funds that get distributed for hospitals, schools, job training centers, and many more social services for our communities. The discussion will center on how imperative it is for neighborhoods to complete the census and its effects on businesses, non-profit organizations, and our communities.

Screening of "Flow"

Wednesday, February 10
7:00 pm
Room 105, College Hall, Duquesne University, Uptown
More information

"Flow", a film focusing on the global water crisis, will be shown at the Duquesne University Human Rights Film Festival. It will be introduced by Karen Piper, a Fellow at the Humanities Center at CMU and associate professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"Flow" investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century—the world water crisis. Irena Salina's award-winning documentary builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab while asking a fundamental question—-Can anyone really own water?”

Beyond merely identifying and dramatizing the problem, Flow gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are rapidly becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

Human Health and the Environment

Wednesday, February 10
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
CCI Center, 64 S. 14th Street South Side, 15203
Cost: $20 per person; PRC Members: $15
Contact: Sarah Alessio at 412-488-7490 ext. 236 or visit www.prc.org

This Workshop is designed to heighten awareness and encourage action around the issue of carcinogens and toxins that we come into contact with daily in our environment through the products we use and the food we eat. The workshop also focuses on the consequences of these toxins on our health and how we can avoid exposure. The program provides the public with practical solutions such as safe alternatives and healthy lifestyle choices. All workshop participants will receive a non-toxic green cleaning kit.

Proscribed Floods, Prescribed Fires

The Roles of The Corps of Engineers and The Nature Conservancy
It All Happens Right Here in Pennsylvania!

Wednesday, February 10
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Phipps Civic Garden Center, Fifth and Shady Avenues, Squirrel Hill
Free and Open to the Public
Contact: Donald L. Gibbon at 412-362-8451 or dongibbon@earthlink.net

Join the Allegheny Group, Sierra Club at its monthly meeting to hear Colonel Michael P. Crall, Pittsburgh District Engineer, and Pat McElhenny and Jenny Case, Nature Conservancy. The Corps is involved in vital aspects of conservation and regulation of the area's waterways, from flood prevention to control of disposal of wastes from Mountain-Top Removal Mining. Col. Crall is an articulate spokesman for the Corps’ activities and can answer any questions, including those about new regulations about to be promulgated which may break the back of MTR mining. On the other hand, the Nature Conservancy is doing exciting work at trying to lower the risk of out-of-control forest fires here in the East and to raise the germination rate for oaks, near zero without fire. This is controversial stuff in the forestry profession. Come hear what it’s all about. Refreshments and conversation after the program.

“Wedge Politics: The Structure and Function of Racial Group Cues in American Politics”

Monday, February 15
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
School of Social Work Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 20th Floor, University of Pittsburgh
Lunch will be provided; registration is not required.
Contact: 412-624-7382 / www.crsp.pitt.edu

Vincent Hutchings, Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan is the guest speaker for the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Center on Race and Social Problems Reed Smith Spring 2010 Speaker Series.

Professor Hutchings' general interests include public opinion, elections, voting behavior, and African American politics. He recently published a book at Princeton University Press entitled "Public Opinion and Democratic Accountability: How Citizens Learn About Politics," that focuses on how, and under what circumstances, citizens monitor (and consequently influence) their elected representative's voting behavior. In addition to this project, Professor Hutchings also studies how the size of the African American constituency in congressional districts can influence legislative responsiveness to Black interests. The most recent product of this research has been published in the Journal of Politics. Finally, he is also interested in the ways that campaign communications can "prime" various group identities and subsequently affect candidate evaluations. This study examines how campaign communications can subtly--and not so subtly--prime voter's racial (and other group-based) attitudes and subsequently affect their political decisions. Research from this project has been published in the American Political Science Review.

Revolutionizing Construction

Thursday, February 18
Noon – 2:00 pm
Westin Convention Center Hotel, 1000 Penn Ave, Downtown, 15222
Cost: $55 Members of GBA, AIA , ASID | $85 Non-Member
Register online or by contacting Karen Puff.

This luncheon event, sponsored by Haworth, features a panel discussion addressing the current state of the construction industry and how it needs to improve and adapt to global, environmental, and economic challenges. Our diverse and prominent panel will discuss several topics, including BIM (Building Information Modeling), Lean Construction, Integrated Platform Delivery (IPD), and the many laws related to construction and contracts. Furthermore, they will discuss the award-winning corporate real estate consortium, Mindshift. Featured panelists are:
Bill Black (moderator) – Haworth, National Director of Strategic Business Solutions
Greg Smith – Turner Construction, Lean Construction Expert
Michael Paul Warren – WARREN Architectural, Owner (specializes in Building Information Modeling, BIM)
Robert Ray - Burt Hill, General Counsel (specializes in construction and contract law)
Peter Levasseur – KDA Architects, Director of Sustainable Design (Integrated Platform Delivery (IPD) expert)

Who should attend: C-level executives, owner/developers, and any professional working in building design, operations, products, and consulting.

Living Legends: An Afternoon with John Marshall (son of Thurgood Marshall) and Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. (son of Charles Hamilton Houston)

Tuesday, February, 23
3:00 pm
Power Center Ballroom, Duquesne University
The event is free and open to the public.
More information

This historic event, bringing together the sons of two of the most significant civil rights figures in American history, is the first time these men have come together to talk about the remarkable contributions of their fathers --- and their roles in achieving a civil rights revolution that transformed the United States and guaranteed equal justice for all. The event will also feature the national premiere of a 15-minute film, regarding the singular achievements of Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston, introduced and narrated by their sons. Moderated by Interim Dean Ken Gormley.

CityLive! Beyond LEED: The Future of Green Buildings

Tuesday, February 23
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater, North Side
RSVP
Cocktails and conversation to follow

The Pittsburgh region has been a leader in the green building wave. With innovative thinkers in its ranks and technological advances happening in its midst, Pittsburgh is poised to remain in the lead. Will progress come solely from within the region, or are there advances happening elsewhere that Pittsburghers can learn from? Will there be economic benefits? Is the biggest green bang for our buck only for new buildings, or can larger efficiencies be made in older buildings?

CityLive speakers will discuss the latest advances in the green building movement, what to expect in the future and what can be learned from innovation elsewhere. Anne Swager, Executive Director of AIA Pittsburgh will moderate. Speakers include former Ambassador Charles Ries, who is a Senior Fellow in the Rand, Washington, DC office and Maureen Guttman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor's Green Government Council. Ambassador Ries has written about energy performance of buildings and what can be learned from the UK and Australia. Ms. Guttman, who sits on the International Construction Code panel, will discuss the national movement to implement green construction codes and what that means for Pennsylvania and area businesses.

Save the Date: Marcellus Shale Policy Conference

May 3-4, 2010
More details to come.
For information, call: Pennsylvania Environmental Council at 412-481-9400 or marcelluspolicyconference@pecpa.org

How should Pennsylvania construct an effective regulatory framework that allows the natural gas industry to prosper. . .while protecting environmental and conservation values? If you have a stake in the development of regulatory policy and decision-making pertaining to Marcellus shale gas production in Pennsylvania, then you should attend this important conference!

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Duquesne University invite you to the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Policy Conference, which will work to identify strategies and practices for the effective and sustainable development of this extraordinary resource. Among the topics we'll discuss include:
- The economics of Marcellus shale development in America's energy mix
- Regulatory obstacles and opportunities in Pennsylvania
- Opportunities and benefits of a successful Marcellus gas development industry in Pennsylvania
- Finding the balance between conservation and gas resource development
- Local community considerations
- Environmental issues
- Best management practices and long-term conservation methods
- Policy recommendations
...and much, much more.

Resources

World Environment Day Pittsburgh 2010

The six-week period of Earth Day 40th (April 22) to World Environment Day (June 5) is a remarkable opportunity for the Pittsburgh region. The range of events and initiatives that were already planned and those inspired to occur during this period is growing. Individually and together your activity will help comprise a critical mass of energy and teachable moments enabling World Environment Day (WED) to make real impact.

Click to see a tentative schedule of events surrounding World Environment Day Pittsburgh. It is now time to formalize the list. This calls for your taking a few minutes to formally register and present your event online. The entry page is: http://www.pittsburghwed.com/events/submit_event.html

Plans are coming together for an umbrella PR campaign that will point the public to the WED website which will be enriched by your event. In turn, this amounts to extra outreach to benefit your efforts. Also, do feel free to download the WED logos and use them to brand your event.

WED is yours for the making. Help add to and benefit from the surge of energy and inspiration.

Stay in touch with PittsburghWED and spread the news:
Twitter: PittsburghWED
Facebook: Become a fan of Pittsburgh World Environment Day 2010 on Facebook.

Subvert the Dominant Chemistry

What do European style toilets with two buttons and roadway speed bumps have to do with so-called green chemistry? The Allegheny Front's Kara Holsopple finds out.

A chemical engineer and sustainability advocate seeks cultural solutions, not technological ones, to the environmental crisis

Ehrenfeld spoke at the Jan. 13 installment of the Rachel Carson Green Chemistry Roundtable. The program, organized by the Rachel Carson Homestead Association and Champions for Sustainability, was titled "Preventing Pollution by Design," but Ehrenfeld's talk went much further. The chemical engineer and former director of the MIT Program on Technology, Business and the Environment has spent years exploring why industry, in particular, still wreaks environmental havoc -- even though we know how to do better.

More

Peduto pushes for Pennsylvania cities to unite - Coalition of leaders would deal with financial struggles

Mr. Peduto on Wednesday sent letters to top officials at every other city in the state saying, basically, that they'd better unite their municipal islands against a rising tide of red ink. "We need statewide reform and we need it now," he wrote to mayors, council presidents, and some top finance officials. "The future of your city will be contingent on tax reform, pension reform, and health care reform. ... [W]e need to be unified to create a new agenda for older communities throughout Pennsylvania." The timing was driven by politics. "It has to be this year, because this year is the governor's race, and there needs to be an urban agenda on the table for these candidates to discuss," he said in an interview.

Here comes the sun: The bright side of solar energy

"Solar energy is not a panacea, but it is an important piece in the energy-solution puzzle," says Rich Rothhaar, director of business development for Conservation Consultants Inc. on the South Side. . . Stephen Lee, head of the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland, says it is not difficult to see how solar power can work in this area. "We have had a solar array generating power here since 2006," he says. "It works every day without any maintenance."

Elisa Beck has big — and green — plans for site of South Side neighborhood market

But the Schwartz Market project is different, Beck said, because it has so many more possible dimensions. It’s a project that can educate the neighborhood about sustainable habits, it can be a showcase and market for urban farmers, cooks and other food producers. It can be a central location for recycling of waste, and a potential incubator for green businesses. “This can be the epicenter of Main Street sustainability,” Beck said.

Bicyclists can park safely at new commuter center

They are among the first of 26 bicyclists who can keep their bikes safe from vandalism, rain and snow-elements as well as theft, by leasing space in the Bicycle Commuter Center, on the northern side of the Century Building on Seventh Street, in the Cultural District.

“The Market Grows where Water Flows”

In an effort to ensure that diverse groups of actors whose decisions impact our planet's water resources can make better and more informed decisions, UN Water has produced ten short “messages” for business based on the findings of the 3rd World Water Development Report. Each message addresses a particular influential group of decision-makers.

Tackling climate change on the ground - Corporate case studies on land use and climate change

The various cases demonstrate that there is no single, globally applicable sustainable management solution for land use. Business is only part of the solution and must work with governments, civil society and others to develop a range of land-use approaches that tackle climate change.

Move PGH effort would analyze city's disjointed transportation system

"We're trying to put [city transportation planning] ahead of the curve, trying to put ourselves in a better position when that next round of transportation funding comes out," said Planning Director Noor Ismail. . . Another goal is to use mobility to spur development, said Ms. Ismail. "There is no real connection between transportation and land use right now," she said, but a study could start to change that by linking the next 20 years of transportation improvements to development goals.

Q&A: Ken Greenberg on the Future of Urban Planning

One of the great treats in working on our "1-5-10 Issue" was talking to experts and inviting them-—urging them, really—-to speculate on the future. Toronto-based Ken Greenberg-—our urban planning talking head-—is currently working on a book, due out next year, on the future of cities, and he took the opportunity to ruminate on all of the changes he sees on the horizon. It was a fascinating and far-ranging talk. We took highlights from our interview for the print edition, but Greenberg’s expansive view of cities is worth a longer look online. Zoning, as a tool, is essentially about separating things. Now we talk about mixed used zoning, but we are still trying to use a hammer to turn a screw. There are so many examples of that, where what we have are analytical tools that broke the world down into fragments. It was about separating things, and what we need now are synthetic tools. This goes to the way city departments are organized, the way in which tasks are apportioned among people, the way in which political decisions are made, the whole ball of wax. And it’s all changing.

East Tennessee doctor weighs in on the health-transportation connection

The problem is that Tennessee, like other states throughout the country, has neglected to address core transportation challenges in its five major metropolitan areas. Instead, we have provided an illusory and one-dimensional economic stimulus. In transportation policy, “my way or the highway” literally means “my way is the highway.” We need a fresh look at policy, funding and accountability that addresses the challenges of local metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Congress Steps Up for Healthy Food for All

Please join PolicyLink, The Food Trust and The Reinvestment Fund to support the National Fresh Food Financing Initiative

The NFFFI would:
· Build healthier communities
· Expand access to healthy food
· Create up to 190,000 retail and construction jobs

Sign on to have your voice heard. Tell Congress all communities deserve good jobs, fresh food, and smart, long-term investment

Legislative Task Force Revives State Focus to Improve Transportation

Created by House Speaker Armond Budish and 20 other Democratic co-sponsors in March 2009, the bipartisan Compact with Ohio Cities Task Force has released its 20-point urban redevelopment and smart growth report. The report urges extra incentives to help cities regain residents and businesses and seeks a dedicated funding source for transit.

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 ($1,000 and up) in 2010 from:

Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Atkins Family Foundation
BNY Mellon
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
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