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Events

SAVE THE DATE

10th annual Great Outdoors Week!

Mark your calendars: Sustainable Pittsburgh and its outdoor partners are hosting the 10th annual Great Outdoors Week from Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 22, 2011.

The purpose of Great Outdoors Week (GOW) is twofold: to encourage the public to participate in outdoor-related activities like hiking or biking (even picnicking!), and to raise appreciation of the abundant natural amenities available in southwestern Pennsylvania from our rivers to our trails to our parks and lakes.

Each year over 60 GOW events are held, organized by numerous outdoor clubs and organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania. Akin to nature's abundance, activities are available for all ages and skill levels.

Five major events are part of GOW this year, beginning with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on May 15. Rounding out the rest of the week are the following signature GOW events:
Friday, May 20 - National Bike to Work Day (hosted by Bike Pittsburgh)
Friday, May 20 - Learn to Row and Paddle (hosted by Three Rivers Rowing Association)
Saturday, May 21 - Venture Outdoors Festival (hosted by Venture Outdoors)
Sunday, May 22 - Pedal Pittsburgh (hosted by the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh)

More details are forthcoming. In the meantime, think Snow, and Spring too. See what else is happening outdoors in southwestern Pennsylvania by visiting www.wallsarebad.com. Remember--Walls are Bad. Outside is Good!

Resources

"Changing the Way We Eat" - Special Web Forum, TEDxManhattan

Saturday, February 12
9:30 am - 6:00 pm (breaks included)
Duquesne University, College Hall, Room 104
No fee to attend. On-site parking $6
Seating is limited
All-day engaging program
Registration please to: info@womenforahealthyenvironment.org
Presented by: Women for a Healthy Environment and Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)

Come participate in a special local, live viewing event for this national, one-day virtual conference. TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” highlights the sustainable food movement and the work being done to shift the food system from industrially-based agriculture to one in which healthy, nutritious food is accessible to all. The event is scheduled into three sessions that are approximately an hour and a half each, "What went wrong?"; "Where we are?"; and "Where we are going?" with a 45 minute break between each session.

The local viewing will feature a panel of local sustainable food system leaders. Your participation is key to the discussion of continuing to accelerate this region's sustainable food movement.

The TEDxManhattan broadcast features TEDTalks video and live speakers. For more background: http://tedxmanhattan.org/
Schedule:
9:30 am – 10:30 am Registration
10:30 am – 12:15 pm Session 1 – What Happened?
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch Break (on your own)
1:30 pm – 3:15 pm Session 2 – Where are we?
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm Local Panel discussion
4:00 pm – 5:45/6:00 pm Session 3 – Where are we going?
6:00 pm END Webcast

LEED Test Prep training

February 15, February 22, and March 1, 2011
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Master Builders' Association, 631 Iron City Drive, Pittsburgh 15205
Registration fee: $200 - Participants MUST be a GBA or MBA member to attend.
All registrations must be received by February 10, 2011.
Questions? Contact Karen Puff at karenp@gbapgh.org
More information

The LEED Test Prep training is a signature GBA education program, designed to prepare participants to sit for the LEED (Green Associate) professional accreditation exam. This instructor-led study class focuses on the basic requirements of each LEED credit, regulations and intents, reference standards, and an overview of the LEED certification process. Upon conclusion of the three-week module, attendees will receive an official GBA Certificate of Completion.

Innovation for Sustainability

Featuring Dr. Robert Kumpf, CAO, Bayer MaterialScience

February 16
4:00 pm
MEDRAD, 100 Global View Drive, Warrendale
Fee: $30
Registration Page
Pittsburgh Chapter of PDMA

- How does a world-class company think about sustainability when considering a new product?
- How do they think about the cost of sustainability?
- How does sustainability apply to product development at companies of all sizes?

Learn about Bayer MaterialScience's journey to Product Stewardship. Hear how they've built a sustainability effort based on science and engineering, not PR.

The Pittsburgh Chapter of the PDMA is proud to host Dr. Robert Kumpf in presenting “Innovation for Sustainability.” Dr. Kumpf is Chief Administrative Officer of Bayer MaterialScience LLC and Head of the Bayer North American Corporate Sustainability Community Council. He will speak about the Bayer experience with innovating new products and processes in view of the global emphasis on sustainability. He will share his perspectives on the steps that Bayer has taken to innovate for sustainability across several dimensions including packaging, products, and manufacturing processes.

Agenda
4:00pm PDMA Networking
4:30pm Robert Kumpf "Innovation for Sustainability"
Q & A

Healthy Body, Healthy Home, Healthy Planet Workshop

Wednesday, February 16
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ohio Twp Municipal Park
(325 Nicholson Road Sewickley 15143)

Tuesday, March 15
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
CCI Center
(64 South 14th Street, Pittsburgh 15203)

Cost: $20 per person/$25 per couple (all participants/couple receive a comprehensive green cleaning kit for attending)
Contact: Sarah Alessio Shea at saraha@ccicenter.org || (412) 488-7490 ext. 236 || www.prc.org
Register online

In 1962 Rachel Carson stated that for the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death. This statement was true then and continues to be true today.

We all are exposed to a number of different chemicals, carcinogens, and toxins in our environment on a daily basis, but while we may have no control over some exposures, there are many that we do. These exposures can come from our cell phones, parabens in our personal care products, or BPA in our plastics – so how can we seek these out and avoid them?

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.

Education Advocacy Forum

Wednesday, February 16
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Forbes Road Career & Technology Center, 607 Beatty Rd. Building 1, Monroeville 15146
Light refreshments will be served.
R.S.V.P to Aimee LeFevers at aimee.lefevers@gmail.com or (412) 377-4486

Are you a constituent or know someone who is a constituent of newly elected Senator James Brewster and/or Representative Joseph Markosek? If so, please come for an update on the state of public education from Ron Cowell, President of the Education Policy and Leadership Center. Come and learn how your voice added to the Pennsylvania Education Advocacy Network can shape the future of public education. Representative Markosek and Senator Brewster were voted into their leadership roles to represent their constituents and make decisions that will best serve those constituents. But how can the Representatives do this effectively if they don't hear from their constituents?!

Preserving Pittsburgh's Trees: Action and Recovery - Public Meeting

Thursday, February 17
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Frick Fine Arts Building Auditorium, University of Pittsburgh Campus, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (across from Schenley Plaza).
Free of charge
RSVP

Trees are synonymous with Pittsburgh's image--they are part of what has helped Pittsburgh recover from the negative perceptions of its industrial heritage, and part of what makes Pittsburgh a preeminent green city. Additionally, trees stabilize hillsides, control storm water, clean the air and reduce air temperature, while providing habitat for wildlife.

Pittsburgh's four RAD-funded parks make up almost 2,000 acres of land, and almost half of that is dense urban forest. More than half of the native tree population in these parks is currently threatened with extensive loss due to diseases, invasive species, and deer.

The City of Pittsburgh, in partnership with several local conservation groups, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is developing a Tree Action Plan to minimize loss and speed recovery.

You're invited to a free public presentation on Thursday, February 17 at 6:30pm about the state of Pittsburgh's urban forest and plans to combat current threats. Several experts will be featured along with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission.

Your support will be critical to preserving trees in the parks. Your attendance at this meeting is the first step to learning how you can be a part of the movement to keep Pittsburgh's urban forest healthy and thriving.

Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century

Wednesday, February 23
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

As part of the Reed Smith Spring 2011 Speaker Series, the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Center on Race and Social Problems presents Hazel Markus, Professor, and Paula Moya, Associate Professor, of Stanford University.

Hazel Markus has been a professor of psychology at Stanford University since 1994. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a former John Simon Guggenheim fellow, former President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), and the 2002 recipient of the Donald T. Campbell award from SPSP for contributions to social psychology. She has received numerous grants from various organizations including the National Institutes of Health, The Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Aging, American Psychological Association, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Hewlett Foundation, and others. Hazel was recently recognized for her groundbreaking work on culture and ethnicity in 2008 when she received the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. Currently, Hazel serves as Director of Stanford's Research Institute of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.

Paula M. L. Moya is Associate Professor at Stanford University. Her publications include essays on race and ethnicity, feminist theory, multicultural pedagogy, and Latina/o and Chicana/o literature and identity. Professor Moya is a founding organizer and coordinating team member of The Future of Minority Studies research project (FMS), an inter-institutional, interdisciplinary, and multigenerational research project facilitating focused and productive discussions about the democratizing role of minority identity and participation in a multicultural society. In 2000-01, Professor Moya received the Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, and in 2001-02 a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for Minorities. She served as Vice Chair of the English Department from 2005-2008, as Director of the Undergraduate Program of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), and Chair of the Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CSRE) major from 2002-2005, and was a Stanford Fellow from 2003-05.

Invitation to premier of new food security tool

Thursday, February 24
8:00 am - 9:00 am
University Club, 123 University Place, Pittsburgh 15260
RSVP by Tuesday, February 15
To RSVP: Call (412) 648-2169 or email: jwsharma@pitt.edu
View invitation

The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh is releasing a new tool called the "Food Abundance Index" that helps measure the level of food security in local neighborhoods and communities. The FAI also detects 'food deserts' which are areas that lack access to healthy and affordable food sources. This tool can help efforts to assess, track and eliminate food deserts and food insecurity both locally and nationally and lay the foundation for improving the economic status, health and overall well being of communities.

WEBINAR: Getting Bike Shops and Advocates To Collaborate on Safe Routes to School

Thursday, March 3
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST
More information--including registration.

Are you looking to engage your local bike shop in Safe Routes to School programs? Or, as a local bike shop, have you been looking for ways to get involved in the Safe Routes to School movement but haven’t quite figured out how you fit?

This webinar will highlight success stories in Colorado and Austin, Texas that have teamed a local program with a bike shop to enhance Safe Routes to School efforts. In addition to programmatic highlights, presenters will explain the benefits of involving bike shops, describe a strategy for approaching local bike shops, and discuss concrete ideas for collaboration ranging from low hanging fruit to full-fledged sponsorship.

Involving bike shops in Safe Routes to School projects is key to creating a sustainable program that encourages more bicycling. Any parent, program staff, manager or bike shop staffer that has struggled to implement bicycling within Safe Routes to School activities should attend this webinar!

Presenters:
Jenna Berman, Education Director, Bicycle Colorado
Leslie Luciano, Director of Advocacy, Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin, TX
David Cowan, Program Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Robert Ping, State Network Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership

CityLive: Best and Brightest

Wednesday, March 16
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater
RSVP

In addition to the myriad of great things Pittsburgh has to offer, the region also has some of the brightest minds and best ideas. cityLIVE! has a history of featuring some of the most established of these brilliant minds and ideas, but now it’s time to hear from the up-and-comers!

This event features some of this region’s best and brightest college students. Guests will hear about their passions, creative innovations and current projects.

Derrick Lopez, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, Pittsburgh Public Schools, will moderate these bright young minds, who include Mary Beatrice Dias, a Ph.D. student at CMU, who is conducting research in the field of Information Communication Technology for Development in collaboration with TechBridgeWorld; Alise Kuwahara, a fifth year Architecture student at CMU, interested in the relationship between architecture and social issues; Mackenzie Smith, a creative writing major in the English Department at CMU who hiked the Appalachian trail and traveled in the Middle East before beginning her studies; Micah Toll, a senior at Pitt, who is a serial inventor and entrepreneur, submitted his first patent application at 15 and started his first company at 17; and Chas Wagner, a second year MBA student at Pitt, who has launched Fanattix Media, a mobile applications company building iPhone and Android apps that will make it more fun and competitive for sports fans to root for their favorite college or professional team.

Does Pittsburgh's future look bright or what? Break out your shades and stop by ...

Unconventional Gas Development from Shale Plays: Myths and Realities

Friday, March 18
3:00 pm
Swanson School of Engineering, Benedum Hall, Room 921, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland, 15213
More information

Dr. Tony Ingraffea to present "Unconventional Gas Development from Shale Plays: Myths and Realities." A. R. Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E. is a Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering and Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow from Cornell University. This lecture will explore some myths and realities concerning large-scale development of the unconventional natural gas resource in Marcellus and other shale deposits in the Northeast. On a local scale, these concern geological aspects of the plays, and the resulting development and use of directional drilling, high-volume, slickwater, hydraulic fracturing, multi-well pad arrangements, and the impacts of these technologies on waste production and disposal. On a global scale, Dr. Ingraffea will explore the cumulative impact of unconventional gas development on greenhouse gas loading of the atmosphere.

The Art and Science of Regional Resilience

Thursday, March 24
9:00 am - 10:30 am (Continental Breakfast 8:30 am)
University Club, Ballroom A, University of Pittsburgh
Event is free and open to the public.
RSVPs are requested: GSPIAIC@pitt.edu or (412)648-2282
Flyer

The Innovation Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh will be hosting Dr. Kathryn Foster of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Dr. Foster, Director of the UB Regional Institute and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, will be presenting a lecture on “The Art and Science of Regional Resilience.”

Dr. Foster’s areas of expertise include regions, governance, and regional decision-making. Her current work examines regional resilience, focusing on the role of governance in shaping resilience outcomes. In 2007, Dr. Foster was selected by Business First as its Woman of Influence in public policy and she was appointed to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.

5th annual Farm to Table Pittsburgh local food conference

March 25 - 26, 2011
10:00 am - 5:00 pm both days
David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh
Ticket prices vary.
More information is available at: www.FarmToTablePA.com

Come to the conference to meet local food producers face to face. The two day conference is an immersion into the local food scene in Pittsburgh and the Southwest Region of Pennsylvania. Over 75 vendors including farms, farmers markets, restaurants and other local food producers are expected to be on hand. Conference highlights include speakers, cooking demonstrations, food samples and the ability to purchase food and wine directly from the vendors.

Engineering Sustainability 2011: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line

April 10-12, 2011
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh
Conference registration fees vary.
Questions? Please contact Gena Kovalcik at 412-624-9698 or gmk9@pitt.edu
Kim Wisniewski at 412-624-6718 or kaw54@pitt.edu
Deb Lange at 412- 268-7121 or dlange@cmu.edu
More information

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon University, are pleased to host Engineering Sustainability 2011: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line. This conference will bring together engineers and scientists from academia, government, industry, and nonprofits to share results of cutting-edge research and practice directed at development of environmentally sustainable buildings and infrastructure.

Conference Topical Areas:
- Green building design and construction
- Greening the indoor environment
- Sustainable distributed power for the built environment
- Sustainable urban drinking water, stormwater & wastewater infrastructure
- Design of more sustainable transportation grids
- Using principles of sustainability to foster innovation and economic development

Resources

Report: Clean air regulations will create jobs

The report by Ceres and the Political Economy Research Institute predicts the EPA regulations will trigger capital improvements by the electric power industry totaling $200 billion in 36 Eastern and Midwestern states over the next five years and create about 290,000 new jobs on average in each of those years.

The Marcellus Shale should benefit everyone - The only way Pennsylvania can benefit from natural gas is to tax its extraction

Without a mechanism in place to capture energy revenue, little to none of the wealth created by this industry remains locally. The majority of new jobs and businesses in gas field services will leave when the build-up phase ends, while the bulk of profits will accrue to multinational corporations and their shareholders. The only way to ensure that local governments and the citizens they represent benefit over the lifetime of natural gas extraction is to require that a small portion of the wealth created by the energy development is returned to local and state governments.

More

Marcellus Shale Severance Tax Bill Introduced in Pennsylvania House

House Bill 33 would tax Marcellus Shale natural gas production to fund environmental programs, assist local government with costs related to the industry and help fill a $4 billion shortfall in next year's state budget, according to sponsor and democratic State Rep. Greg Vitali. . . The rate of the tax under H.B. 33 would be slightly less than West Virginia’s. . .

Transportation funding faces uncertain future in Congress

Public- and private-sector transportation leaders are pressing Congress to get moving on a long-term funding bill, saying the nation's economic recovery is being harmed by layoffs and business losses.

Transportation needs won't be met - Spending cuts and budget restraints mean infrastructure investments will wait.

But those same advocates face a new reality this year as the priority in Washington and Pennsylvania — under new Republican leadership in the U.S. House and the governor's mansion — is to cut spending. And the money that pays for surface transportation — gasoline taxes — has come in so slowly that the gap between capital needs and what revenues are available to fulfill those needs is $137 billion.

A new tool for fighting rural sprawl

Developers can already buy up development rights in farmland and nearby forests, transfering the rights to increase density in cities and towns. This new proposal from Cascade Land Conservancy would tap the increased taxes to help pay for urban infrastructure and amenities. It solves economic and legal issues that have held back such transfers.

The Explosive Growth of Bus Rapid Transit

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) existed in just a few cities twenty years ago but has quickly turned into a viable solution for the massive transportation challenges facing cities. With more than half of the world now living in cities and total global population expected to reach nine billion, perhaps more cities should be looking at how to include BRT, a relatively cheap, sustainable, and flexible transportation option in comparison with building more highway overpasses and underground metro systems.

The Future of the Strip: Downhill

For years planners have tried to contain and improve the strip. Now they are getting help from consumers and the marketplace. The era of strip development is coming to an end. Evolving consumer behavior, changing demographics, high priced gasoline, internet shopping — are all pointing to a new paradigm for commercial development.

Vote for TerraShift!

TerraShift is a Pittsburgh-based organization that supports regional sustainability by providing mission-driven organizations with on-demand project staffing. Recently, TerraShift was selected as a Finalist to attend this year’s prestigious Unreasonable Institute, which incubates social ventures from around the world. The Institute provides mentoring, legal and financial services, and access to seed capital to help attendees scale up their businesses.

The first 25 Finalists to raise $8,000 will get to attend the Institute. TerraShift is more than halfway to that goal already, and its acceptance to the Institute would build momentum for the company and help cement Pittsburgh’s place as an international hub of social innovation.

Local supporters can go to TerraShift’s profile on the Unreasonable Marketplace, watch a short video that explains how the company works, and make a small contribution to help TerraShift become an Unreasonable Venture.

GE Partners with EPA on Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Landfill Waste

GE Appliances & Lighting today became the first appliance manufacturer to partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program to help protect the ozone layer and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The EPA's voluntary program focuses on refrigeration appliance recycling best practices, including the recovery of foam in used refrigerators, and is consistent with GE's ecomagination initiative to deploy solutions for today's energy and environmental challenges.

How Nike's Green Design Recycled 82 Million Plastic Bottles

"From our vision, we smashed our target: we ended up where 98 percent of all our new product is going to be Considered," Vogel said. "We've reduced waste by 19 percent across the board within footwear. We've increased our use of environmentally preferred materials by 20 percent. And we have maintained our reductions in VOCs: 95 percent as a company." That amount of waste reduction is the equivalent of simply not producing 15 million pairs of shoes. And Nike's overall use of recycled polyester, like for the World Cup jersey, doubled between 2009 and 2010, and has now taken 82 million plastic bottles out of landfills and back into the product stream.

Administration Pitches Big Rail Projects

The Obama administration, whose efforts to bring high-speed rail to the United States were sidetracked by Republican governors in a couple of states, pressed ahead with its vision of building a national rail network on Tuesday when it called for spending $53 billion on passenger trains and high-speed rail projects over the next six years.

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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
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
BNY Mellon
FedEx Ground
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Pashek Associates LTD
PNC Financial Services Group
Port Authority of Allegheny County
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