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Events

Imagine What You Can Do Here!...On Board with Sustainability

The region's 250th is inspiring civic contemplation about our past, our future, and how to reconcile the two. Do we let go or embrace the past? What framework can be used to crystal ball the years ahead? Sustainability, we suggest, provides a bridge for harnessing our assets and opening up a world of future opportunity.

Toward realizing a sustainable economy, one is often led to believe only service industries live light enough on the planet to be considered sustainable. However, we can and must have a strong manufacturing economy again, but one of a different model.

While the region's heavy manufacturing economy of the past was not sustainable on multiple levels, it has endowed us with world-class assets now ripe to be re-tooled and deployed to usher in a new economy. For example, this region has a highly evolved supply chain industry that developed in support of dominant businesses of the past. Agility and innovation are the hallmark of this cluster, comprising a competitive advantage in the region's capacity to restructure for sustainable business enterprise.

Sustainability holds promise for enabling loads of industry but of a different production methodology where, for example, materials are non-toxic and fully recyclable or biodegradable. Clean Tech, Product Stewardship, Biomimicry, Cradle to Cradle, Living Machines, Living Wage, Green Design--these are all mantras of the new sustainable economy. Applying these approaches is a vehicle for economic growth, but only within reach of regions that have such latent capacity to innovate. Bridging our industrial legacy, we have what it takes to foster business enterprises that advance sustainable production and consumption to forge the new Sustainable Industrial Revolution. In this way, we can embrace the past and leverage it for the future. Imagine that!

Opinion 250: Defined by our past
So the choice between past, present and future is no choice at all. We often get hung up on the image we project to the rest of the nation and the role our past plays in shaping our future. Pittsburgh is transitioning between what it once was and what it will become.

3E Links readers, what do you think? Send us your thoughts at info@sustainablepittsburgh.org. We’ll feature a selection of responses in upcoming editions of 3E Links.

Resources

Green Democracy Political Forum at the University of Pittsburgh

Friday, February 1
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
University of Pittsburgh, David Lawrence Hall, Room 120 (Oakland)
For more information call 412-268-2125.

The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, La Roche College, Duquesne University, and Chatham University have invited city, county, state, and national civic leaders to engage in a Green Democracy political forum. Student representatives will open the forum with statements about what each campus is doing to address climate change. Civic leaders will then speak about their commitments to combat climate change. Representative Mike Doyle and Councilman Bill Peduto are among the attendees. Questions and comments will be entertained from the audience.

Know Your Codes Roundtable Series

Multiple dates in February 2008 (see dates below)
Each session will be held from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
CCAC Administration Building, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Fee: $10 per session
Free convenient parking
Details and registration information

"Know Your Codes" is being offered to convene local officials operating within a common code and to address questions and concerns unique to that form of government. There is no set agenda. Experienced municipal solicitors will field questions and participants will engage in discussion towards the goal of better understanding the local government environment and improving governing board performance. This program is an important opportunity for both new and experienced elected officials, managers, staff and learn and share knowledge. While not offering legal advice, this program will improve participants understanding of the basics and steer them in the right direction to get more information and specific counsel if needed.

Choose from the following code roundtables:
February 5 PA school code
February 6 Home rule
February 12 3rd class city
February 13 Borough
February 26 2nd class township
February 27 1st class township
February 28 Authority

"Creating Happy, Green Communities in the 21st Century - Intro to Cohousing"

Sunday, February 17
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Squirrel Hill Library, corner of Forbes and Murray Ave. Free parking under the library
Register: TPCHG@aol.com or 412-963-1971
Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cohousing Group

A FREE introduction to Cohousing in Pittsburgh and its history. Learn about creating, building and living in Pittsburgh's first Cohousing Community with sustainable features including: green building materials, energy efficient homes, shared resources, ecologically responsible community design, and residents committed to cooperative neighborhood living. Learn more about this community of diverse backgrounds, ages and families.

Architect’s Lecture: Martin Haas, Partner, Behnisch Architekten

Friday, February 22
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
CMA Theater, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland
Free admission
Reception follows
Heinz Architectural Center Galleries open until 8:30 p.m.

Martin Haas presents recent work by Behnisch Architekten. The lecture marks the opening of Ecology.Design.Synergy, a collaborative exhibition between Behnisch Architekten and Transsolar ClimateEngineering that includes the competition-winning RiverParc proposal for downtown Pittsburgh. The RiverParc project locates public spaces and recreational areas on the southern, sunny sides of residential streets and provides a wide range of opportunities for people to linger, meet, and interact. In accordance with Behnisch and Transsolar’s collaborative ethic, the plans are not only environmentally responsible but aim to produce a new architectural aesthetic and aid in Pittsburgh’s desire to be a leader in the development of “green architecture.” Ecology.Design.Synergy will be on view at Carnegie Museum of Art’s Heinz Architectural Center February 23–May 25, 2008. For more information about Carnegie Museum of Art, call 412-622-3131 or visit the web site at www.cmoa.org.

Green$ense Conference

Wednesday, March 5
7:30 am - 3:45 pm; Green building tour at 4pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Registration fees vary
Visit the conference website for more details.

Green$ense, hosted by the Green Building Alliance, is a one-day conference highlighting strategies in green building featuring breakout sessions and case studies with nationally recognized experts. Exhibit booths displaying green building products and an afternoon tour of Bakery Square is also available. The event features the Shades of Green Leadership awards recognizing Western Pennsylvanians who have contributed to the environmental transformation of the region.

Sustainability and Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum

Wednesday, March 12
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Fetterolf Room, 23rd Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend. Bring a bag lunch; refreshments and dessert provided.
RSVP info@sustainablepittsburgh.org
Featuring:
Ty Gorney, Institute of Politics
Regional Water Management Task Force

The Regional Water Management Task Force, created in mid-2006, is designed to build on previous studies of southwestern Pennsylvania’s water and sewage-related problems—which are widely considered to be among the most challenging in the nation—and to achieve consensus on policy solutions.

The Task Force is currently drafting its initial recommendations and will soon be seeking input from the region in order to improve them. This brownbag lunch will be one opportunity to be involved in providing feedback to the Task Force on its activities and eventual recommendations.

Endorsed by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the Task Force includes representatives of 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties. Carnegie Mellon University president Jared Cohon serves as chair.

Sponsored by:

Lunch and Learn: Ecology.Design.Synergy and Pittsburgh’s RiverParc project

Thursday, March 20
10:30 am - 2:00 pm Lunch included in the Carnegie Cafe
CMA Theater, $36 members/$45 non-members, including lunch
Call 412-622-3288 to register.

Heinz Architectural Center curator Raymund Ryan puts Pittsburgh’s RiverParc project in the context of green design by these two internationally renowned firms. Following lunch, Ryan gives a tour of the exhibition. For more information about Carnegie Museum of Art, call 412-622-3131 or visit our web site at www.cmoa.org.

Trees & Shrubs on Sale for Community/Backyard Projects

Order Deadline: Thursday, March 27
Seedling Pickup time: Saturday April 19, 9:00 am to noon
Location: Latodami Nature Center in North Park, 575 Brown Road, on North Park's north border
Costs vary by plant type and size. Order form and descriptive list available.
Contact: Marian Crossman via email, dmc@pitt.edu, Subject: SEEDLINGS.
Note, if you have msn or comcast email service, please phone Mrs. Crossman at 412-366-3339 to confirm that your information request arrives via email, or to arrange an alternative pick-up time.

Each year NATIVE species of EVERGREENS and Fruiting SHRUBS, are ordered in bulk by the North Area Environmental Council, a citizens non-profit conservation group in northern Allegheny County. The bulk order means savings for area planters. Plants are nursery grown in Western Pennsylvania. Types are selected to create improved wildlife habitat as well as for their beauty. The 2-4 year woody seedlings are hardy and an easy size to plant. Good for home or community projects, they can suit a variety of sites and conditions.

Climate Change Uncertainties: Opportunities for Business Innovation?

Thursday, March 27
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, 910 Sheraton Drive, Mars, Pennsylvania 16046
Contact Jerry Swart at 412-262-6291 - jerry.swart@fedex.com or John Quinlisk at 412-503-4537 - John_Quinlisk@URSCorp.com with any questions.

Three of Pittsburgh’s business, engineering and environmental professional organizations are coming together to convene a regional conversation about climate change, its impacts and responses. Climate change, global warming, greenhouse gases, carbon footprint--all of these terms and issues continue to appear in conversations in the media. Many of these conversations are heated and controversial. One thing is clear about this situation: these issues will present challenges to businesses and individuals, simply because of the degree of interest people have in the topics and resulting worldwide concern and debate. Interest in climate change topics has already prompted foreign, federal, and state governmental considerations and actions.

To meet these challenges, the Pittsburgh section of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE), and the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), in association with the Allegheny Mountain section of the Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA), and Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Champions for Sustainability (C4S) network invite the region’s business, engineering, and environmental professionals to a one-day seminar focusing on climate change.

SAVE THE DATE - 8th Annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference

Friday, May 16
Downtown Pittsburgh
Presented by Sustainable Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Keynote speaker: Christopher Leinberger
(More details to follow)

Christopher B. Leinberger is a metropolitan land use strategist, developer, teacher, consultant and author helping to make progressive development profitable. He is a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a real estate development firm serving to create walkable communities in harmony with nature.

Leinberger is a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution focusing on research and practices to help transform traditional and suburban downtowns to places that provide “walkable urbanism." He is also a professor and director of the Graduate Real Estate Program at the University of Michigan which focuses on downtown and suburban town center revitalization, transit-oriented development, new urbanism, and conservation development.

In his recently released book, The Option of Urbanism, Leinberger reviews how Americans are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a new type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance. He explains why government policies have tilted the playing field toward one form of development over the last sixty years: the drivable suburb. Conversely, Leinberger shows how the American Dream is now shifting to include cities as well as suburbs and how the financial and real estate communities need to respond by building communities that are more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.

Leinberger has written award-winning articles for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal and Urban Land magazine. He has been profiled by CNN, the Today Show, and National Public Radio.

From Leinberger's website: Over the past 15 years, many consumers have been demanding different options to the “one-size-fits-all” drivable sub-urbanism. While single-family homes on large lots and strip commercial will be a significant part of the market for decades to come, there are many segments of the population that want something different; what can be broadly called “walkable urbanism”. These alternatives include downtown and suburban downtown revitalization, New Urbanism, transit-oriented development, green field mixed-use development (“lifestyle centers”), regional mall redevelopment, among others. Progressive public policy responses that allow for and promote this kind of development include smart growth, strategy and management of walkable urban places, impact fees that “level the planning field”, affordable & workforce housing development and strategy and management of metropolitan areas.

There is pent-up market demand for the alternative to drivable sub-urbanism that is readily apparent and we in real estate are re-tooling how we design, plan, regulate and finance to serve these markets. There has been much accomplished in this regard over the past decade, led by real estate developers, political and civic leaders, and organizations.

Working with many like-minded people and institutions, we are all formulating and implementing the next American Dream.

SAVE THE DATES - Great Outdoors Week 2008

May 16-25, 2008

The seventh annual Great Outdoors Week runs from Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 25, 2008! Great Outdoors Week highlights the amazing outdoor recreation opportunities Southwestern Pennsylvania provides. Various events are scheduled around the region during this week. Stay tuned for more details.

Resources

Exercise Could Slow Aging Of Body, Study Suggests

Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off aging.

Green-tech investment topped $5 billion in 2007

Investments in environmentally friendly "clean-tech" companies rose 44 percent to more than $5 billion last year as soaring oil prices, climate change concerns and government incentives boosted interest in renewable energy, an industry group said. The Cleantech Group LLC, whose members include venture capital firms, investment banks, and other investors, on Thursday said 2007 venture investment in the alternative energy market in North America and Europe was $5.18 billion, compared with $3.6 billion the previous year.

More

As E-Waste Dump, Lagos Imperils People

Nigeria's commercial capital is arguably one of the largest dumps for obsolete electronic items otherwise called e-wastes. According to the Basel Action Network (BAN), a Seattle-based environmental group, an estimated 500 shipping containers with a load equal in volume to 400,000 computer monitors or 175,000 large TV sets enter Lagos each month. As much as 75 percent of some shipments are classified as e-waste. With no facilities to recycle e-wastes, they are indiscriminately discarded around the city. Some of them end up in dumpsites where they are burnt.

Energy Dept. Might Drop Support for FutureGen Power Plant

Energy Secretary Samuel P. Bodman told lawmakers yesterday that the Bush administration might drop its support for a $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant designed to store greenhouse gases underground, citing mounting cost estimates and other possible technologies.

Pittsburgh-based Consus Ethanol plans two multi-million dollar plants for region

Pittsburgh-based Consus Ethanol plans to build at least two multi-million dollar ethanol plants powered by waste coal in southwestern Pennsylvania with the potential of creating 3,000 jobs in the region. . ."This exemplifies our region's expanding role as a leader in the development of green fuel technologies, solidifies our ability to retain engineering and business talent, and provides another example of how environmental solutions can become economic development opportunities,” says Nathaniel Doyno, executive director of Steel City Biofuels and coordinator of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities.

Budget living options on rise Downtown

Downtown abodes largely have been the domain of luxury condo developers and wealthy residents, but Jacobowitz is eager to join a small vanguard of landlords renovating empty pockets of building space into nonluxury lofts, making the new wave of Downtown living affordable to young professionals.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Public Transit Human Services Coordinated Transportation Plan

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission adopted the Southwestern Pennsylvania Public Transit Human Services Coordinated Transportation Plan on January 28, 2008. The purpose of the Plan is to:
- Provide an inventory of, and information on, current transportation services.
- Provide an assessment of the transportation needs of the transportation disadvantaged,
including persons with disabilities and senior citizens, persons with low income, and welfare-to-work clients.
- Identify unmet transportation needs and gaps in service for the transportation disadvantaged.
- Identify duplication of transportation services or areas where coordination of services is feasible.
- Recommend strategies to correct deficiencies and duplication of services and improve efficiency and cost effectiveness in the delivery of services.

City Cycling and Sustainable Landscaping

While we've talked often on the show about sustainability, there are two related topics that haven't had much attention: cycling as an alternative means of transportation and landscaping using sustainable practices.

Mayor Bloomberg Outlines Strategy for a Sustainable New York City

Referring to the "strategy for creating the world's first truly sustainable city," New York City Independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his seventh State of the City speech, pledges further efforts to reduce the city's carbon footprint by making construction and old buildings greener, and by introducing the nation's first system of congestion pricing, which "will help us achieve four critical, interconnected goals: reducing traffic congestion; raising money for mass transit; improving our air quality; and fighting climate change."

Suburbs revitalize their old downtowns, or build new ones, as community focal points

Stonehenge owner Mo Dioun said suburban communities redeveloping their downtowns is a national trend. "Their goal is a gathering place for residents, a point of identification for the community," he said. "These are not easy projects," Dioun said. "These are the most sensitive, valuable pieces of each community. We're basically going into the heart of a community. We want to make sure what we build will stand the test of time." Resurrecting downtowns makes environmental sense, Morrow-Jones said. "It's reusable land without using new land," she said. "The infrastructure is there, although it may need maintenance."

Greenbacks for greenhouse gas

With their hands on the spigot of trillions of dollars, bankers play a crucial role in how the world responds to the threat of rising sea levels, drought, and extreme weather events. But the survey, commissioned by Ceres, a Boston-based group of investors and environmentalists concerned about sustainability, found that the industry has far to go in confronting global warming.

2% Solution Focus The Nation

A national, interactive webcast, featuring Stanford climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, and green jobs pioneer Van Jones is available for viewing. In the next few years, we as a nation will make, or fail to make, critical decisions regarding global warming pollution and clean technology investments. These decisions will have far-reaching and irreversible impacts on the lives of today’s students and the lives of their children. At this moment in time, we owe our young people at least a day of focused discussion about global warming solutions for America. Requires Flash Player

Path to Sustainability: Green Chemistry

This PennFuture Podcast features Dr. Terry Collins, Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry and director of the Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. LaRoche College near Pittsburgh recently sponsored the "Global Problems, Global Solutions" conference, with a focus on the need to reduce toxics in the environment. Dr. Collins spoke at this event.

There is a clear relationship between sustainability and chemistry, in that the more than 80,000 chemical compounds that are today in commercial use have not, for the most part, been adequately assessed for their toxic effects on humans or the environment. Obviously chemicals can and do cause many serious problems. For the first time in nearly 150 years, chemists are beginning to think very carefully about how to solve those problems in advance, by creating chemical products and using chemical processes that remove hazards before chemicals get to the marketplace.

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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 2008 from:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
The Heinz Endowments
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation

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