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Events

The Green Chemistry Debate is ON!

POLICY ISSUES AND REFORM OF THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT (TSCA)

Thursday, March 18
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny Square East, North Side

Join Sustainable Pittsburgh's Champions for Sustainability and the Rachel Carson Homestead Association for what promises to be a GREAT debate on Green Chemistry, Policy Issues and the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This formal debate, Session #2 of the Green Chemistry Roundtable Series, will feature key representatives from industry, environmental groups and other experts, and includes the American Chemistry Council, the Environmental Working Group and Bayer Corporation.

Green Chemistry is happening now and is already changing the way major corporations and green-tech start-ups are designing the products people use every day. With the upcoming reform of TSCA - originally passed in 1976 - is there a need to put greater emphasis on safety and public health when it comes to a new chemicals policy in the United States? Learn why TSCA is so important to your business, your health and the environment - and the future of green chemistry.

Get more details!

Resources

The Green Chemistry Debate is ON!

POLICY ISSUES AND REFORM OF THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT (TSCA)
Thursday, March 18
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny Square East, North Side
Cost: $30; Light refreshments will be served.
More information and registration

Join Sustainable Pittsburgh's Champions for Sustainability and the Rachel Carson Homestead Association for what promises to be a GREAT debate on Green Chemistry, Policy Issues and the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This formal debate will feature key representatives from industry, environmental groups and other experts, and includes the American Chemistry Council, Environmental Working Group and Bayer Corporation. Green Chemistry is happening now and is already changing the way major corporations and green-tech start-ups are designing the products people use every day. With the upcoming reform of TSCA - originally passed in 1976 - is there a need to put greater emphasis on safety and public health when it comes to a new chemicals policy in the United States? Learn why TSCA is so important to your business, your health and the environment - and the future of green chemistry.

Moderator:
Gordon Mitchell, Director, William Pitt Debating Union, University of Pittsburgh (to be confirmed)

Debaters:
Michael P. Walls, Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs, American Chemistry Council
Timothy Jones, Regulatory Affairs - Material Science, Bayer Corporation
Jason Rano, Legislative Analyst, Environmental Working Group
Maryann Donovan, Ph.D., MPH, Director, UPCI Center for Environmental Oncology

Panel of Questioners:
Terry Collins, Ph.D., Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University
Student(s),William Pitt Debating Union, University of Pittsburgh
(other names to be published)

Know Your Codes Roundtable Discussions
Coming up - 2nd Class Townships

Monday, February 15
2nd Class Townships
5:00 pm - 7 pm

LGA Offices, CCAC Administration Building, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh 15233
Fee: $10 per session
Free convenient parking
More information and registration

The Local Government Academy is hosting two more programs in February regarding Pennsylvania's municipal and school district codes. The programs have been 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. The final program date and topic is as follows:

Tuesday, February 16
1st Class Townships
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

“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.

"Endocrine Disruption: An Overview of the History"

Thursday February 18
4:30 pm
Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall), Carnegie Mellon University, Oakland
More information

Join the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research in the Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy. The 2010 Series is: Toward Sustainability: Changing our Physical and Chemical Environment. This final lecture features John McLachlan, Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, New Orleans, in discussing "Endocrine Disruption: An Overview of the History." This series is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Education, Carnegie Mellon University and Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc.

"It IS Easy Being Green"

Thursday, February 18
6:30 – 9:00 pm
Magee-Womens Hospital, Oakland
For more information or to register, please call 412-802-8299 or visit www.magee.upmc.com and click “classes and events."

Are you concerned about what you have heard or read about the effect of environmental toxins on your family's health? Are you confused about how to sort through all of this information? Come and Learn ways to protect yourself and your family. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is pleased to invite you to "It IS Easy Being Green," a research-based program devoted solely to the environmental health of the families of expectant and new parents.

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.

Design Excellence Lecture Series featuring Alan Greenberger, Executive Director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission

Monday, February 22
6pm
George Rowland White Theatre, Point Park University, 414 Wood St., Downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: $20 (Includes lecture, panel discussion and reception)
For more information, call (412) 391-4144 or click here.

The Design Excellence Lecture Series, produced by the Community Design Center Of Pittsburgh (CDCP), provides a forum for planners and civic officials, architects, landscape architects, community and civic organizations, design enthusiasts and students to hear from nationally-acclaimed professionals in the field of civic planning and design. This season's theme is "The Intentional City." The Community Design Center of Pittsburgh is a non-profit organization that improves quality of life through good design of the built environment.

The U.S. and the EU: From Pittsburgh to the G-20 Summits in 2010

Luncheon Discussion Group
Monday, February 22
Noon - 1:45 pm
Location: Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh
Costs: World Affairs Council Members & Partners: $45 | Non-Council Members: $60 | Table of eight (8): $360
More information

The Pittsburgh G-20 Summit and the upcoming G-20 summits in Ontario and Seoul address major global challenges - economic recovery, energy sustainability, and environmental issues - through partnerships on multiple levels. The transatlantic alliance is crucial in defining the way forward. How are Europe and the U.S. working together on the recovery of the global economy? What are our shared goals in promoting energy sustainability and effectively tackling climate change?

Dr. Horst Freitag is the German Consul General in New York. From 2007-2008, he was a Visiting Fellow with the Brookings Institution's Center on the United States and Europe. Previously, Dr. Freitag served as the Commissioner for Near and Middle East Affairs in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Dr. Freitag's extensive diplomatic career has taken him to postings in Tegucigalpa, Washington, and Ramallah.

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.

Healthy Choices Workshop: We Are What We Eat

Wednesday, February 24
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Carnegie Science Museum, 1 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh 15212
Free to the public; registration is required.
More information and registration

We are all exposed to a complex "stew" of man-made chemicals in our water, in our food, in the air, and in personal care products. The potential for health effects resulting from the accumulation of more than 40 years of environmental pollution by some contaminants draws our attention to the unintended consequences - to our health and the environment - resulting from the synthetic materials we use every day. This series of Healthy Choices Workshops will look at the science and provide you with better options for making healthier decisions in your selection of personal care products, performing home and garden maintenance, reducing contaminants in your food and water. Knowledge is power. Becoming better informed about the products you purchase will help to bring safer products to the marketplace.

Expert speakers include:
Maryann Donovan, Ph.D., MPH, Director, Center for Environmental Oncology-UPCI
Judith Focareta RN, MEd, Coordinator Environmental Health Initiatives, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., Executive Director, Rachel Carson Homestead Association

Moderator: Bill Couzens, advisor to the Center for Environmental Oncology; Founder of Less Cancer Campaign and Next Generation Choices Foundation
Audience Q&A is a very important part of this program.
Presentation organizers will also be showing FRESH, the movie produced and directed by ana Sofia joanes. FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

The Sun Food Agenda
A Talk by Michael Pollan

Thursday, February 25
6:00 pm
Shafer Auditorium, Henderson Campus Center, Allegheny College, Meadville
Free and open to the public

As part of the Year of Social Change at Allegheny College, Author Michael Pollan will speak on the costs of replacing the energy of the sun with energy from fossil fuels in industrial agriculture, and how that has made food impressively cheap and abundant. Pollan believes that our present food system is implicated in three of the most critical problems facing our society: the energy crisis, the climate crisis, and the health care crisis. None of these problems can be addressed without reforming the way America eats. In his inspiring multimedia presentation, Pollan connects the dots between food and health (personal as well as environmental), and introduces us to some of the visionaries who are "re-solarizing" the food system. The Sun Food Agenda - involving change at the level of the farm, the marketplace and the culture - promises to improve our health, cut our dependence on fossil fuel, and help solve the climate crisis.

At 7:30PM, Pollan will be signing his new book, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, in the Penelac - Bowman Gallery. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual is an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food.

Save the Dates: The Business of Brownfields Conference

April 19 - 21, 2010
Sheraton Station Square Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA
Questions: Call 412-261-0710, ext. 11 or e-mail c.mcgarvey@eswp.com
More information

Plans are underway for the 15th Annual Business of Brownfields Conference (BoB)! The 2010 event will highlight the technical, legal and financial aspects of brownfields reclamation and development, and will feature experience and research-based presentations from stakeholders who are involved with the assessment, cleanup and reuse of abandoned, idled or under-used commercial and industrial sites.

If you are associated with brownfields development, the "BoB" is the place to be!

The 2010 Technical program of the "BoB" will feature the five main actions of brownfields development:
* Public Health/Institutional Controls
* Marketing & Finance
* Site Characterization
* Site Remediation
* Working within Legal/Regulatory Framework

Resources

CMU green startup GTECH in the running for $50K Pepsi Refresh Project grant

Growth Through Energy & Community Health (GTECH) is close to winning $50,000 through the Pepsi Refresh Project, a competition that awards grants based on online votes. . . Click here to vote for GTECH in the Pepsi Refresh Project.

New Report: Largest Companies Fall Short in Managing, Disclosing Water Scarcity Risks

The report assesses companies in eight key sectors: beverage, chemicals, electric power, food, homebuilding, mining, oil and gas and semiconductors. "We chose sectors where water security concerns are likely to have a material impact on business, whether through regulatory, legal or reputational constraints that in some cases can go so far as to threaten a firm's very 'license to operate'," said Julie Hudson, global head of SRI and Sustainability Research at UBS Investment Bank. "It is clear that any threat to water security could have a significant impact on the bottom-line of such companies."

Water: Not just a drop in the bucket

"In Portland, Oregon, rows of sedge plantings and aspen trees sit on what used to be an asphalt parking lot. In Las Vegas, homeowners trade their lawns for vast wads of cash. Birds flying over Chicago see fields of sedum on rooftops, and wastewater in Orange County is transformed into water that’s as clean as what comes out of the tap. The common thread to all of these examples? A desire to better manage water," writes Amara Holstein.

Road Salt Damage

Each year about 118,000 people are hurt and 1,300 people are killed on the roads during snowy and icy conditions. So, snowplows hit the roads, scraping snow and ice off the surface...and spreading incredible amounts of salt on highways, streets and roads to help keep them clear. Lester Graham reports there's some concern about the long-term effects of all that salt.

More

Working the Green Scene: Pittsburgh's Sustainability Coordinators

Still, the sustainability officers at the county and city both are trying to achieve the same objectives of providing essential government services using equipment and processes that are efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable. With a mandate that broad, the sustainability opportunities are virtually limitless. . .Leadership and access are essential because both city and county government also are funding conduits and facilitators for state, federal, philanthropic and public-interest initiatives. Sustainability officers often are the front door for such campaigns.

Slumburbia

Drive along foreclosure alley, through new planned communities that look like tile-roofed versions of a 21st century ghost town, and you see what happens when people gamble with houses instead of casino chips. Dirty flags advertise rock-bottom discounts on empty starter mansions. On the ground, foreclosure signs are tagged with gang graffiti. Empty lots are untended, cratered with mud puddles from the winter storms that have hammered California’s San Joaquin Valley. Nobody is home in the cities of the future. . . In the meantime, during these low, ragged years, a few lessons about urban planning can be picked from the stucco pile.

Proposed change in law would benefit those who live in dwellings they don't own

There is no way to know exactly how many Pennsylvanians are in similar predicaments, maintaining property and acting as the owner in the absence of the true owner, but the problem is believed to be widespread. A bill sponsored by state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, is meant to address the issue by reducing the required time frame for filing a so-called Adverse Possession lawsuit from 21 to 10 years, and in some rare cases only three years. "If the roof needs to be fixed and there's no owner to fix it and the person living there can't even apply for a loan because [he] can't prove ownership, it lends itself to blight issues," Mr. Wheatley said.

Cabinet officials affirm commitment to smart growth and livability at national conference

A few of the record-breaking 1,700 attendees at the New Partners for Smart Growth conference in Seattle might have been pinching themselves on Thursday night after hearing three of President Obama’s cabinet secretaries emphasize the importance of smart growth, sustainability and livability as core goals shaping the work of their three massive federal agencies.

Federal partnership promises a smarter, cleaner way to create jobs

To ensure those proposals have the biggest impact, communities must have what they need to grow sustainably. We need communities where residents have easy access to jobs; where there are clean, reliable options for transportation to work and school; where housing is affordable and energy efficient; and where clean and renewable energy is abundant. For the first time, the federal government has embraced these principles of smart growth. The Obama Administration recognizes that making urban, suburban and rural communities more livable is essential to our nation's shared economic future. Last June, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created an interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. For the first time, our agencies will work hand-in-hand to spur the creation of affordable homes and thriving businesses in clean, healthy communities. Tearing down the "silos" between our government agencies will also make it easier to partner with cities and states and provide them with federal resources. We recognize the best ideas for nurturing sustainable economic growth often come from local innovations. But the federal government has an opportunity — and a responsibility — to help.

Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives

Planetizen talks with Anne Lutz Fernandez, author of the new book Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives, about how Americans feel about their cars, the Starbucks Effect, and the built environment. Sisters Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez are not planners- Catherine is a professor of anthropology, and Anne is a former marketer and investment banker. After a couple of friends died in car accidents, Cathy and Anne thought it would be worth taking a closer look at the automobile and what it means to us as Americans. Do we derive pleasure from driving, and how? What awareness do we have of the role the car plays in our everyday life? Managing editor Tim Halbur has this interview with Anne Lutz Fernandez.

EPA Water Quality Scorecard -- Incorporating Green Infrastructure Practices at the Municipal, Neighborhood, and Site Scales

EPA’s Water Quality Scorecard was developed to help local governments identify opportunities to remove barriers, and revise and create codes, ordinances, and incentives for better water quality protection. It guides municipal staff through a review of relevant local codes and ordinances, across multiple municipal departments and at the three scales within the jurisdiction of a local government (municipality, neighborhood, and site) to ensure that these codes work together to protect water quality goals. The two main goals of this tool are to: (1) help communities protect water quality by identifying ways to reduce the amount of stormwater flows in a community and (2) educate stakeholders on the wide range of policies and regulations that have water quality implications.

Smart Growth Guidelines for Sustainable Design & Development

The guidelines were developed for communities in Connecticut and around the country striving to get development and future growth that result in stronger neighborhoods, protected open space and watersheds, and healthier and more affordable homes.

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
FedEx Ground
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