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Events

Resources

Less than two weeks away!

Sustainability and Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum

Wednesday, March 12
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
NOTE ROOM CHANGE--Davis Room, 23rd Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend. Bring a bag lunch; refreshments and dessert provided.
RSVP info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Featuring:
Ty Gourley, 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:

Resources Continued

Clean-up Coordinator Training Workshops

Multiple dates/times in February and March
Multiple locations throughout Allegheny County
$10/organization for up to five people
Registration required
Contact Allegheny CleanWays at 412-381-1301

Allegheny CleanWays is offering Clean-up Coordinator Training workshops to help community groups prepare for the 2008 Great PA Cleanup/Spring Redd-Up! These workshops provide tools and information needed to manage a successful event. Allegheny CleanWays can also provide bags, gloves, and vests for clean-up volunteers. An affiliate of PA CleanWays, Inc., Allegheny CleanWays’ mission is to engage and empower people to eliminate litter and illegal dumping in Allegheny County.

SPRING 2008 Clean-up Coordinator Training Workshops
6:30 P.M. Monday, March 3: Northside
7:00 P.M. Monday, March 10 Millvale
6:30 P.M. Tuesday, March 11 Green Tree
6:30 P.M. Tuesday, Feb. 26: South Park

Transportation 101

February 26 in Beaver County
9:00 am – 1:00 pm OR Noon – 4:00 pm; bus ride between noon and 1
Location: Beaver County Transit Authority
Free to the first 20 attendees – Registration deadline Feb. 15

March 31 in Westmoreland County
9:00 am – 11:45 am AND 1:00 pm – 3:45 pm; bus ride for both sessions between noon and 1
Location: PA CareerLink Westmoreland County
Free to the first 25 attendees – Registration deadline March 14

For more information and to register, contact Lisa Kay Schweyer at 412-391-5590 ext. 375 or lkschweyer@spcregion.org

Transportation 101 is a 3 – 4 hour session designed for human services professionals and employers who are interested in learning more about the transportation options available in their area. The approach is to train the participants so they can take the information back to their workplace and share it with co-workers, clients, employees, etc. The sessions are facilitated by the local transit operator, the local transportation management association (if there is one in the area) and CommuteInfo. There is no fee to attend.

• Find out more about the various transportation options available
• Discover valuable resources
• Learn how to read a transit schedule
• Learn which transit routes to take
• Learn how to “transfer” from bus to bus
• Take a ride on one of the transit vehicles

Heart Health & Air Quality – What’s the Connection?

Wednesday, February 27
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Wightman School Community Bldg, 5604 Solway St., Room 205 (Squirrel Hill)
Free admission
Register by contacting GASP at 412-325-7382 or lee@gasp-pgh.org
Heart Healthy Snacks Provided.

Please join GASP and cardiologist Dr. Don Grandis for an informative discussion of Hearth Health and Air Quality. Southwestern PA faces many air quality challenges, including some of the highest levels of fine particulates in the nation. A February 2007 article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that for every 10 ug/m3 rise in PM 2.5 readings at air quality monitors in their zip code, the risk for suffering any type of cardiovascular event rose by 24%, and risk of death from cardiovascular disease rose by 76%. In addition, a study in Germany, published in July 2007, found that the distance of a person’s home from a major road, ranging from >200 m to within 50 m, was associated with their risk for a high level of coronary artery calcification.

Town Hall Meeting on White Oak Park

Saturday, March 1
10:00 am - 11:30 am
McClure Middle School, 500 Longvue Drive, McKeesport, PA 15131

This is the third in a series of nine town hall meetings to discuss the Allegheny County Park system and the creation of the Allegheny Park Foundation. Please join County Executive Dan Onorato to learn about his County Parks Action Plan and share your suggestions on future improvements to the park. If you are unable to attend, you can read about the action plan and fill out a survey at: www.alleghenycounty.us/parks.

Design Guidelines for Small Towns and Rural Communities

Wednesday, March 5
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
American Planning Association – Audio/Web Conference Training Series
1.25 AICP CM credits
COST: Free
To register, call the Smart Growth Office 724-838-8020 (space is limited)
SPONSORED BY: SGPWC and the American Institute of Certified Planners
www.planning.org/audioconference/

Planners often must turn traditional urban design principles inside-out to develop design guidelines for small towns and rural communities. Explore the unique approaches planners are using to develop commercial and residential guidelines that are mindful of small-town and rural character.

The Course in ZONING

March 11, 18, 25, 2008 (all Tuesdays)
6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg - Hempfield Room, Chambers Hall
COST: $95.00 payable to the PA State Association of Boroughs
Contact: Ms. Terri Dickow of PSAB at 800-232-7722 ext. 42 or download the registration form
SPONSORED BY: Local Government Academy and SGPWC

The 3-night PA Municipal Planning Education Institute (PMPEI) Course in Zoning is an in-depth “nuts and bolts” course in the drafting, amending, administering, and monitoring of zoning ordinances. Course topics include the MPC authority for zoning, basic and advanced zoning techniques such as overlay and performance zoning, flexible regulatory techniques, planned residential and traditional neighborhood development regulations. Ordinance reviews, map problems, and ethical issues are included in the course.

Sustainability and Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum

Wednesday, March 12
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
NOTE ROOM CHANGE: Davis Room, 23rd Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend. Bring a bag lunch; refreshments and dessert provided.
RSVP info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Featuring:
Ty Gourley, 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:

National Green Jobs Conference Set for Pittsburgh

March 13-14, 2008
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
For more information and to register, visit www.greenjobsconference.org.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs: A National Green Jobs Conference will launch a nationwide dialogue about moving our country rapidly toward leadership in promoting the benefits of a new green economy.

The conference is been designed for advocates representing local, state and federal policy makers; labor; business; the environment and public health; economic and workforce development specialists; investors; and scientists and technology experts. It will accomplish three objectives:
• Provide a forum for strategic interaction between the different constituents comprising the developing new green economy;
• Showcase key policy initiatives for the rapid expansion of green job growth and economic development; and
• Demonstrate to the importance of public and private investments in the emerging green economy and launch the public discussion on these ideas.

Climate Change Uncertainties: Opportunities for Business Innovation?

Thursday, March 27
7:45 am - 5:00 pm
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, Mars, PA
Registration: $100/person; Special Student Rate: $35 Registration fee includes continental breakfast and lunch.
Registration form available online at www.asce-pgh.org.
Contact: Jerry Swart at 412-262-6291 - jerry.swart@fedex.com
John Quinlisk at 412-503-4537 - John_Quinlisk@URSCorp.com

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.

Following is a listing of topics covered and corresponding speakers:
Human impact on climate change – William Easterling (Dean, PSU, College of Earth and Mineral Science)
Natural cycles on climate change - Dr. S. Fred Singer (Science & Environmental Policy Project)- invited
Impact on business - Kathryn Klaber, Vice President (Allegheny Conference on Community Development)- invited
Regulatory issues – Krish Ramamurthy (Chief, Division of Permits, Bureau of Air Quality, PA DEP)
Legal framework and carbon emissions trading – Harry Klodowski, Esq. (Betts, Hull, & Klodowski LLC)
Measuring our impact – carbon footprint – H. Scott Matthews (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Publbic Policy at Carnegie Mellon University)
Possibilities of offsetting carbon – George Hoguet
Climate action and leadership – Chris Steffy P.E. (Industrial Energy Engineering)

The Inside Scoop on the New Pennsylvania Standards For Residential Site Development

Professional Development Program for professional planners and municipal officials
Friday, March 28
Noon Registration; Program from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg - Hempfield Room, Chambers Hall
3 AICP CM credits
COST: $50 for members of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association $60 for non-members (Checks Payable to PPA)
SPONSORED BY: Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association and SGPWC
Registration information

Current planning trends encourage more sustainable, low-impact forms of design. However, a gap exists between the desire for these and barriers to their implementation in local ordinances. A new set of recommended standards -- backed up with research and case studies -- provide guidance to fill that gap. A comprehensive overview of this new document is the focus of this workshop. This course was developed by the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC).

Farm to Table: A RECIPE FOR A HEALTHY PITTSBURGH

Friday, March 28, Noon – 6:00 pm
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
David Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh
Regular admission fee: $15; Kids under 12: free; Students (ages 14-18): $10
More information: Visit https://www.pathwayswellnessprogram.com/farm_to_table_conference.html or call 412-563-8800.

The speakers and exhibitors will assist Western Pennsylvania consumers in understanding the benefits of eating locally grown food. Businesses that grow, sell or prepare farm raised produce, livestock, and value added products will be featured. Organizations providing health and wellness opportunities will also be an integral part of this conference. Giant Eagle and American HealthCare Group are sponsors of the event.

Global Wealth Environmental Film Festival

March 31 - April 4
April 7 - April 10
7:30 pm
Advanced Technology Auditorium, Slippery Rock University
Free to the public
More information: 724-738-2030 or www.pafilminstitute.com

The PA Film Institute presents the largest environmental film festival in Pennsylvania. Featured films include, but are not limited to:
Monday, March 31 - "Hurricane on the Bayou"
Tuesday, April 1 - "Saving the American Wild Horse"
Wednesday, April 2 - "ToxicBust"

8th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference

Revitalize the Region: Seize Market Interest to Redevelop Core Communities
Friday, May 16
Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh
8:30 am - 3:30 pm (continental breakfast and lunch included)
Keynote speaker: Christopher Leinberger, Metropolitan Land Strategist & Developer
Cost: Early Registration: $30. After May 1: $40 (free to elected officials)
To register call (412) 258-6642 or info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Presented by:
Local Government Academy
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development
Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Sustainable Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics

For sponsorship and tabling opportunities call 412-258-6643.

This conference, designed for communities in the region that desire to accelerate their redevelopment, will be rich in content, featuring tools, case studies, and technical assistance opportunities. A window of opportunity is growing for communities that are prepared to foster smart growth in step with the shift in the development market that is now occurring. Renewed interest in urban and core communities by developers and investors spells opportunity for restoring prosperity. This shift is fueled by demographic, economic, and cultural trends that are serving to revalue our core communities. Want to be better prepared to seize this market interest? This Smart Growth conference will help communities better understand the changing market, appreciate how to capitalize on their assets, comprehend what needs to done to participate in the market-based renaissance, and engage in a network to pursue mutual interests. Our region's sustainable growth depends on it.

Conference Highlights:
Project Region: The new regional transportation and development plan, plots a new smart growth course for Southwestern Pennsylvania focused on restoring and reinvesting in the region’s existing communities. Learn how the Region's Plan is aligned with emerging market interest in reinforcing existing places and targeted corridors with a strong emphasis on preservation, maintenance and operation of existing infrastructure.

Deal Makers and Breakers: To fully benefit from the Region's Plan, it's incumbent on existing communities to understand what developers and investors are looking for when they scan a region for opportunity. In a unique undertaking, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University (CURP) have collaborated to investigate new approaches municipal officials can employ to help attract new development to their communities. Project leader, David Soule will engage conference participants in discovering what is takes to attract smart growth investment. Furthermore, a consultancy will be launched to work with communities around the region to take a proactive, aggressive stance to meet the complex needs of firms looking to start up operations, relocate, or add new facilities.

Window of Opportunity: Keynote, Christopher Leinberger (see below), will demonstrate the shifting market now brewing in favor of “walkable urbanism” -- downtown and suburban downtown revitalization, New Urbanism, transit-oriented development, green field mixed-use development (“lifestyle centers”), regional mall redevelopment, among others. He will review ways the real estate sector is re-tooling how it designs, plans, regulates and finances to serve these markets to formulate and implement the next American Dream. A panel of regional developers and government leaders will discuss the trend of revaluing urbanity now stirring in our SWPA and how to accelerate market readiness.

Zoning for Smart Growth: Too often zoning techniques that shaped the growth of the American suburb create barriers to meeting today's community visions for traditional types of development. Gregory Heller of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will be on hand to explore new innovations in zoning that provide flexibility to respond to changes in private market demand. Learn from Gregory and local leaders how your community can be an early adopter and zone the way to seize market interest to redevelop core communities.

Keynote Speaker:
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.

Conference support provided by:
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
The Richard King Mellon Foundation

Great Outdoors Week 2008

May 16-25, 2008

Come one, come all! 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, including five signature events:
5/16 – National Bike to Work Day
5/17 – Venture Outdoors Festival
5/18 – Pedal Pittsburgh
5/20 – “Learn to Row” Indoor Session
5/25 – Rachel’s Sustainable Feast

Individuals from all skill levels and backgrounds are invited to participate. Stay tuned for more details!

Resources

Saving the Earth Inside the Office, Discovery Turns Its Spotlight Inward

"...the rapid acceptance of the Green Building Council's system has led to a transformation of the commercial real estate industry. New buildings are being erected to meet the new standards while real estate brokers seek accreditation from the council to better market existing office space to prospective clients. Green investment funds have been created by major real estate companies to pay for upgrades to existing buildings. "

Geologic feature is battleground of mining vs. preservation

A lumpy, round-shouldered ridge of sand and stone deposited by melting glaciers during the last Ice Age is the target of a mining proposal in western Butler County and a battleground for the rural way of life. The six-mile-long Jacksville Esker, a 23,000-year-old glacial formation 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, is the best esker left in Pennsylvania, and a destination for hikers, birders, scouting expeditions, geological researchers, and university and high school field trips. More

Clear the air: The county should fix the pollution program

Post-Gazette editorial : In a letter and in public comments at a press conference last week, Clean Water Action and the Group Against Smog and Pollution asked Mr. Onorato for a pledge to keep the air program under local control, where it has existed as part of the health department for 50 years. Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Sierra Club Allegheny Chapter supported the request. We wholeheartedly agree, as we've said before, that the quality of the region's air should remain in the county's hands, where there has been a long history of improvement and citizen involvement.

Eroding Alaska town sues oil, power companies

A tiny Alaska village eroding into the Arctic Ocean sued two dozen oil, power and coal companies, claiming that the large amounts of greenhouse gases they emit contribute to global warming that threatens the community's existence. The city of Kivalina and a federally recognized tribe, the Alaska Native village of Kivalina, sued Exxon Mobil Corp. and BP PLC, seven other oil companies, 14 power companies and one coal company in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco.

Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison

More than one in 100 adult Americans is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal government, according to a report released today. With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.

'Eco-awakening' affects personal lifestyle choices

The new ecologists are guided by a principle that goes something like this: Meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. That means reducing all kinds of waste by, for instance, using less water, electricity and gasoline. . .“In 10 years,” he said, “we won't even be having this debate because these sustainability programs . . . will be embedded into everything we do.”

Environmental movement finds a place in companies' marketing/promotional plans

The company hopes the choice will send a message to clients and employees that its standards match theirs. That's true for potential employees, too. "Almost every graduate these days wants to know what our company's sustainability program is," said Mr. Wirtel.

Environmentally friendly investments becoming ever more popular today

With that much financial muscle behind the effort, says Pennsylvania Treasurer Robin L. Wiessmann, "green investing" soon could go mainstream as institutional investors incorporate environmental and geopolitical factors into the investing equation. . .Pennsylvania began testing these waters this month, when Ms. Wiessmann, on the dais at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, announced that the state would be investing $15 million in publicly traded funds that hold stock in companies that either deal directly with energy and environmental issues, or have been recognized for their Earth-friendly business practices...It's part of the state's new "Keystone Green Investment Strategy." The second component is direct investing, perhaps $50 million, in publicly held, yet-unidentified green energy companies based in Pennsylvania.

World Clock

The World Clock shows many stats including population, global warming and health issues

Project BudBurst is starting on February 15th!

Join Project BudBurst in collecting important climate change data on the timing of leafing and flowering in your area! This national field campaign targets native tree and flower species across the country. With your help, this group will be compiling valuable environmental and climate change information around the United States.

University gets $3M endowment gift to go green

Developing properties in sustainable ways is becoming not only a desire but essential to being a successful real estate developer, she said. The industry sits on the precipice of reusable, sustainable development, said Colvin, principal of Questar of Baltimore, a group of real estate development firms.

Lutherans purchase 'eco-palms' for upcoming Palm Sunday

"Purchasing the eco-palms benefits farmers, families and communities in cooperatives where they are grown. It's a way each of us can walk the walk with Jesus on Palm Sunday," said Patricia Zerega, director of ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh.

Building Green Pathways out of Poverty: Van Jones on the Green Collar Jobs Movement

Podcast: Jones' work is focused on getting and keeping urban youth out of jail and into jobs in the “green” economy. Called “Green Collar Job Creation”, and operating under Jones’ slogan “Green Jobs, Not Jails”, the program was established in 2005, and is emerging as a powerful beacon of hope for both the underprivileged youth of America, and the future of the environment in which we all live, work, and play.

Mt. Lebanon plans residential developments near transit, central business district

“We’re taking advantage of an untapped asset we have in the T, and its proximity to our central business district. There’s a trend around the country of people moving back into urban centers,” says Mt. Lebanon’s commercial districts manager, Dan Woodske. “It calls for more high-density residential. It makes sense for people who work in Pittsburgh.”

China imposes green policy on companies; Polluters must clear hurdles to expand

Beijing has put into effect a "green securities" plan aimed at making it harder for companies that pollute heavily to raise capital and requiring listed companies to disclose more information about their environmental records. . ."It will curb excessive growth in highly polluting sectors, reduce capital-market risk and spur listed firms to improve their environmental performance," Pan Yue, deputy head of the agency, said Monday on its Web site.

US ready for 'binding' reductions of greenhouse gases: official

The United States is ready to accept "binding international obligations" to reduce greenhouse gases, which could be announced as soon as July, a senior White House official said here Monday. Daniel Price, assistant to President George W. Bush for International Economic Affairs, said the undertaking would have to be made as part of a "global agreement" in which all major economies would make the same commitment.

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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