3E Links readers are early adopters of sustainable policies, products, and practices, and the people who educate their friends and family about the benefits of sustainable development. Be sure to pass your issue of 3E Links along to friends and colleagues. Subscribe by e-mailing info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Events

A special thanks to Sustainable Pittsburgh member The Mall at Robinson

7th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference "Focusing Growth for Regional Prosperity"

To become a sponsor call: 412-258-6643

Friday, May 18, 2007
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Omni William Penn Hotel
530 William Penn Place, downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend

Featuring:
- Keynote address by Don Chen, Smart Growth America
- Public Comment Session: Draft Long Range Transportation and Development Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania (Project Region)
- Public input on work to date by the SWPA Smart Growth Community Committees
- Reaction panel featuring state, regional and local leaders

This year’s conference picks up from past Smart Growth Conferences in serving again as a public comment session to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's process of updating the region's Long Range Transportation and Development Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania (called Project Region).

Attendees will also hear progress reports and provide input to the on-going work of the three Smart Growth Community Committees that were created in response to the regional priorities voted upon at last year's conference:
- Leveling the Field for Redevelopment
- Promoting Regionalism
- Funding Public Transportation

Toward addressing the challenges of revitalizing the region's communities, these committees are working on practical policy options and practices, the type of which will be necessary to realize the regional plan's focused growth strategy for regional development and prosperity.

Project Region: The Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth Plan, will be the mechanism for connecting the region’s vision to an official, coordinated implementation program of projects and actions. Through Project Region, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission looks to raise the level of transparency in regional planning, and further improve its utility, by focusing on the functional rather than the jurisdictional/geographic aspects of desired improvements.

Come be part of this important regional planning process which represents a milestone in the region's heightened resolve to integrate and focus transportation and development for quality of life and competitiveness in the global economy.

Presented by:
PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development
Regional Coalition of Community Builders
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Sustainable Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics

Supported by:
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments

To register:
Call: 412-258-6642
Email: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Resources

Allison Williams: Architect of the August Wilson Center to speak

Monday, March 19
6:30 pm
Carnegie Mellon University - Giant Eagle Auditorium (Room A51 Baker Hall)
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Cost: Free

Allison Williams, FAIA, architect of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture will speak about her work on the Wilson Center.

Urban Farming with Youth

Tuesday, March 20
5:30 - 7 pm
Carnegie Mellon University - Rangos Hall, University Center
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Cost: Free
Click for More Information

The Food Project has been farming with young people for over 15 years. For 10 of those years, we have farmed in Dorchester and Roxbury, two low-income neighborhoods in Boston, MA. We now farm on two and a half acres, including a rooftop site. The food we grow on our urban farms is distributed through three streams: farmers' markets, donations to hunger relief organizations, and our kitchen and culinary businesses. This workshop will focus on the Food Project's work in the City of Boston: finding and procuring usable land, distributing local, fresh food to those who have little access to it, working in a community, running successful farmers' markets and involving youth in all aspects of this work.

Pittsburgh: A More Humane Metropolis

Friday, March 23
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Omni William Penn Hotel
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
More information

This one-day course will explore new “pathways” by which Pittsburgh and other cities are becoming more “humane.” Topics to be considered will include urban stream and wetland restoration, urban gardens on vacant lots and school sites, promoting healthful outdoor activities (e.g. rail trails), brownfield reuse, environmental education, and designing people-friendly public spaces.

The workshop will involve a series of speakers and panels, and provide opportunity for informal conversation. Presenters and participants will include both local experts and invited speakers from other cities with significant experience to share. The program will balance practitioners, researchers, and citizen advocates from a variety of backgrounds and specialties. NGO staff and interested students are particularly welcome.

Carnegie Mellon's Dickson Prize Award Ceremony honors Dr. Jared Diamond

Monday, March 26
4:30 pm
McConomy Auditorium (Carnegie Mellon University)
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
More Information

The Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education & Research is excited to invite you to Carnegie Mellon's Dickson Prize Award Ceremony honoring Dr. Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies. Dr. Diamond will give a lecture based on his most recent work, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Global Warming in Polar Regions: Is the Canary Singing?

Monday, March 26
7:30 pm
Carnegie Museum of Natural History auditorium
Cost: $10
To purchase tickets, call: 412-622-3288. Info: 412-622-3131

Energy expert, political scientist and author Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon will speak at Carnegie Museum of Natural History about global warming and how events in the Polar Regions have implications for all life on the planet. Dr. Homer-Dixon is one of the leading experts on issues related to climate change and was a top advisor to Vice President Al Gore during the making of An Inconvenient Truth, which won the Academy Award for best documentary.

Land Acquisition for Community Developers

Tuesday, March 27
11:45 am – 1 pm
1901 Centre Ave., Suite 200
Pittsburgh
Cost: $7 PCRG Members, $10 Government, $15 Non-Members
Register: aaul@pcrg.org

Each year, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group’s Vacant Property Working Group (VPWG) hosts a training session for community developers on how to utilize the Treasurer’s Sale and Land Reserve Process. The Land Reserve is a mechanism for acquiring and assembling land affordably and is available only to non- profit community organizations and Community Development Corporations. This Lunch & Learn session on Land Acquisition is not only a great training course for staff and organizations new to the process, but also an opportunity for experienced practitioners to ask questions and share best practices.

Water Task Force Announces Public Meetings

Various days March 28 - May 17
All counties in Southwestern PA
The list of public meetings is available at www.iop.pitt.edu/water

The Regional Water Management Task Force has scheduled a series of 14 meetings throughout southwestern Pennsylvania as it seeks public input on ways to improve how the region addresses its water-related problems. The Task Force will go to all 11 counties within its geographic scope, beginning on March 28 in Waynesburg, Greene County, and ending with a May 17 session in downtown Pittsburgh. The meetings will provide crucial input as the Task Force determines what planning and management arrangements can achieve broad support and solve the region’s varied and imposing challenges. Each meeting will include a presentation of the Task Force’s work thus far but will allot the bulk of its two hours for public comment and open discussion.

Environmental Justice: A Weekend of Lectures, Analysis, and Discussion

March 30 - April 1
Adamson Wing, Baker Hall
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
More

The Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon University invites you to attend an in-depth weekend program that will be devoted to the complex issues of environmental justice and the pressing problem that it has become in the United States and around the world. Please visit our website for all of the complete details about this important educational event Register your interest in attending at the website before the event reaches capacity.

Nanotechnology, Environmental Ethics, and Environmental Justice

Friday March 30
4:30 pm
Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136 A
Carnegie Mellon University (Oakland)

The Carnegie Mellon Steinbrenner Institute for the Environment will present Ronald Sandler, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Northeastern University, Boston to speak on the subject of "Nanotechnology, Environmental Ethics, and Environmental Justice" as part of the Spring 2007 Environmental Lecture Series. The University Lecture Series was developed by Dr. Indira Nair, Vice Provost of Education and EPP Faculty.

Save the Date: Farm to Table: Nourishing a Sustainable Pittsburgh

Saturday, March 31
9 am - 4 pm
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
Pittsburgh (North Shore)
Contact: (412)563-8800 or ehagan@american-healthcare.net

This educational conference is aimed at helping Western Pennsylvania consumers understand 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.

Global Warming 2007: It’s Time for Action

Saturday, March 31
9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mercy Hospital - Sister Ferdinand Clark Auditorium
1400 Locust Street
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Registration free but required: 1-800-321-7775 or Click here to register

Learn the latest on federal and state legislation, policies, and global warming science. Discuss what Pennsylvania can (and is) doing to slow global warming. Network with citizens across the region and state taking action on global warming. Hear experts and policymakers, including: United States Senator Bob Casey, Jr.; Angela Anderson, Director, Clear the Air; Jeanne Dworetzky, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority; Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, Climate Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists; John Hanger, President and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future; Sister M. Christopher Moore, Provincial Minister, Felician Sisters of Pennsylvania; State Representative Jake Wheatley, Jr. (District 19) and other experts in global warming and clean energy policy.

Research in Sustainable Community Development

Friday, April 13
8 am - 5 pm
Saturday, April 14
8 am - 12:30 pm
University of Pittsburgh, Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
Second Avenue in the Pittsburgh Technology Center
RSVP: 412-648-7391 or amaguina@ucis.pitt.edu by March 30, 2007

International researchers and practitioners in sustainable development and green design from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Universidad de Campinas, Brazil and University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez will discuss a series of issues related to the topics of urbanization and air quality; greening the built environment; and water quality and management.

Engineering Sustainability 2007 Innovations that Span Boundaries

Saturday, April 15 - Wednesday, April 18
Sheraton Station Square Hotel
Pittsburgh
Info

Conference topical areas will include: green building design and construction; sustainable distributed power for the built environment; design of more sustainable transportation grids; housing and water solutions for megacities; water solutions for the developing world; water intensity in industry; economics of sustainability; toward the "zero operating costs" building; and the intersection of technology and policy.

Nonprofit Leadership Institute Special Session

Friday, April 20
8 am - 4:15 pm
United Cerebral Palsy - 4638 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Cost: $150 (Scholarships available)
Register/More Information or call 412-396-6231

Network with and learn from other leaders in the nonprofit community and the private sector, and receive valuable resource materials to take back and share with your colleagues. Staff and board members are encouraged to attend. Speakers for the April session will include: Doreen E. Boyce, Dee Jay Oshry, Terry Beggy, Colleen Fedor, James McConomy, Paul Klein, Carolyn Falk, and Allison Jones.

Women’s Health and the Environment: New Science, New Solutions Conference

Friday, April 20
9 am - 4:30 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
Register Online

Join women – and men who care about the women in their lives – from around the region and beyond for Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions, a free day-long conference being held on Friday, April 20, 2007, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The conference features nationally renowned scientists, environmentalists and activists who will inform women – and men who care about women’s health – about environmental health risks and the protective steps they can take as they make everyday decisions about their health and lifestyles. This free conference is sponsored by: Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments, and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.

2007 Nonprofit Summit

Thursday, May 10
8 am - 4:45 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
Cost: $100 for the first person and $75 for each additional person from the same organization
Register: Click to Register

The 2007 Nonprofit Summit is a follow up to the 2006 Summit, which consisted of an electronic town hall designed to increase participants' vision of their potential for collective community action. The 2006 Summit was devoted to thinking and planning; the 2007 Summit is focused on action. The 2007 Summit is designed to: contribute to the effectiveness of individual nonprofit leaders; help to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations; and build the collective strength of the nonprofit sector.

Save the Date: 2007 Smart Growth Conference

Friday, May 18
Omni William Penn Hotel
Downtown Pittsburgh
For sponsorship opportunities, contact: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

See 3E Links Center for more information

Save the Date! Great Outdoors Week 2007

Friday, May 18 - Sunday, May 27

Leading the region to fun and healthy lifestyles one week at a time!

The sixth annual Great Outdoors Week begins on Friday, May 18 thru Sunday, May 27, 2007!

While Great Outdoors is a great communications campaign to highlight the amazing number of outdoor happenings scheduled throughout the week, it is also a great opportunity to sample many fun ways to start a healthier lifestyle!

2007 Great Outdoors Week partners include: Bike Pittsburgh, Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Rachael Carson Homestead, Rack ‘n Roll, REI, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Rowing Association, Venture Outdoors, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Everyone is invited to participate! To explore how to engage your constituents in taking part in Great Outdoors Week and reap year-long benefits, call (412) 258-6646 or kadams@sustainablepittsburgh.org.

Save the Date: Venture Outdoors Festival

Saturday, May 19
Pittsburgh's North Shore
http://www.ventureoutdoors.org/

The seventh annual Venture Outdoors Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, 2007. The festival is an all day event and is being held on Pittsburgh's North Shore - right in front of Heinz Field. As always, the goal of Venture Outdoors is to introduce as many people as possible to the wide variety of outdoor recreational activities easily accessible right here in Western Pennsylvania. Together with the region's abundant environmental assets & the rivers, the mountains, and numerous bike and walking trails - these activities demonstrate the terrific quality of life available to residents and visitors. We invite you to be a part of the excitement so please save the date!

Resources

World's First Green-Designed Passenger Boat Departs Florida Today for Educational Mission in Pittsburgh

Explorer, RiverQuest's newly constructed boat leaving Freeport, Florida today for its home port in Pittsburgh, is a state-of-the-art environmental classroom, a world benchmark "green" commercial vessel and a tourist attraction that is the first of its kind.

Binding' carbon targets proposed

Britain could become the first country to set legally binding carbon reduction targets under plans unveiled by Environment Secretary David Miliband. The draft Climate Change Bill calls for an independent panel to set ministers a "carbon budget" every five years, in a bid to cut emissions by 60% by 2050. If they miss the figure, future governments could be taken to court.

Cuyahoga County creates office of sustainability

Cuyahoga County announced yesterday that it is creating a new office of sustainability to review the environmental impact of current operations and coordinate green development across the region. This follows the example of City of Cleveland, which hired a sustainability program manager in 2005 (with the assistance of EcoCity Cleveland and other local sustainability groups). The Cleveland program has already identified several million dollars of savings, while making the city greener and healthier.

Saving the world - one plastic bag at a time

Businesses are taking up the issue. The Swedish home furnishings store Ikea says that, starting March 15, it will charge 5 cents for plastic bags, and sell reusable cloth bags at cost, for 59 cents, as part of its "Bag the Plastic Bag" initiative. Ikea will donate the 5 cents that it gets for each plastic bag to the non-profit American Forests to plant trees. What's wrong with plastic bags? Lots. They often wind up as litter, or in trees. They drift into oceans and rivers and kill fish. They can take 1,000 years to decompose. And every time we use a plastic bag, we drive up the demand for oil - which is used to make plastics.

Singapore, ADB to promote sustainable urban development in Asian countries

"The rate of urbanization that Asia is experiencing is a phenomenon that is unprecedented in human history," Shyam Bajpai, deputy director-general of the bank's regional and sustainable development department, was quoted as saying in a statement posted on the bank's Web site. "The challenge is to achieve more balanced and sustainable urban development."

Wal-Mart to Score Electronics Environmentally

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said on Monday that, starting next year, it will ask its electronics suppliers to evaluate the environmental impact of their products, and it will use the assessment to determine which merchandise to sell in its stores. The world's largest retailer said suppliers will be asked to fill out a scorecard evaluating their electronics based on criteria such as energy efficiency, durability and the size of the package containing the product. Wal-Mart buyers can then use the scorecard results to make purchasing decisions.

Big 3, Toyota to Congress: Emissions not just car issue

The hearing comes as Europe is poised to aggressively regulate tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions, rather than miles per gallon. California has proposed reducing the carbon content of fuels by 10 percent by 2020, which would put part of the burden on highly profitable oil companies.

Ireland Sets 33 Percent Green Electricity Goal by 2020

A third of electricity used in Ireland will come from renewable sources by 2020, the government said on Monday as it unveiled plans to reduce dependence on imported fuels and protect itself against supply disruptions.

Climate report: Droughts, starvation, disease

The harmful effects of global warming on daily life are already showing up, and within a couple of decades hundreds of millions of people won’t have enough water, top scientists will say next month at a meeting in Belgium....And co-author Terry Root of Stanford University said: “We truly are standing at the edge of mass extinction” of species.

Study says coal industry could face bleak future

The coal industry faces a bleak future unless ways are developed on a commercial scale to capture and store carbon dioxide in the campaign against global warming, according to a study released Wednesday.

Saving service: Port Authority's compensation cuts are a start

Port Authority customers deserve more fresh thinking at the top aimed at rescuing the system and preserving service. These proposals show Steve Bland and the system's management headed down that road. It's time for Harrisburg to take notice and likewise commit itself to a transit solution.

€1.25 billion of "sustainability" VC raised – Eurosif

"We are seeing an extraordinary upward growth curve in private equity/venture capital, which, in 2006, hit record levels of financing in both Europe and the US," said Matt Christensen, Eurosif executive director. "At the same time, venture capital and sustainability are increasingly being linked together as investors see that financial returns can also coincide with societal benefits."

Smart Growth Readiness Assessment Tool

The Smart Growth Readiness Assessment Tool (SGRAT) is a set of online assessments for scoring how well a community is prepared to develop according to Smart Growth principles. The assessments provide communities with a baseline score, and can be used to measure progress. SGRAT also provides extensive resources for communities interested in growing smart, including case studies of Michigan communities successfully following Smart Growth principles. SGRAT was developed for individual and collective communities to assess how smart they are growing. The SGRAT provides the community with an assessment tool as well as access to a considerable set of Smart Growth resources. In addition, professional assistance is available for communities that need it.

Louisville is considering the Complete Streets policy

As part of the proposed Complete Streets policy to be introduced to a Louisville Metro Planning Commission panel today, new streets would have to have dedicated lanes or paths for bicyclists and sidewalks and curbs accessible to wheelchairs. And when existing roads are repaved, they would have to include bike paths and sidewalks where possible. Across the country, 22 cities have adopted "Complete Streets" design guidelines recognized by the Thunderhead Alliance, a national nonprofit organization made up of local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups..."For decades, we in Louisville -- and cities around the nation -- have built roads only for vehicles," Abramson said in a statement. "That was an urban planning mistake. The Complete Streets policy will help rectify that."

Dysfunctional metros a drag on future economy, Brookings' Katz tells Congress

Third, federal transportation and housing policy—in design and execution—needs to be substantially overhauled to respond to the new demographic, economic, environmental and spatial realities in our country. Policies forged in the 1950s and 1970s have little if any relevance to the challenges faced by people living and firms located in cities and suburbs today or the environmental imperatives created by global warming and climate change. In fact, many existing federal policies are ill-suited to the new metropolitan order and are either exacerbating unbalanced growth patterns or failing to leverage the economic potential of older communities.

Westmoreland company to develop solar roof

Solar Power Industries is positioning itself for dramatic growth. Experts say growing demand for clean energy is fueling a surge in investment and new technology development to improve the performance of solar-generated electricity..."The United States has slipped behind Germany and Japan because they have been much more focused and action oriented. We talk, they act," said J. Peter Lynch, president of Salem Financial Inc., a financial consulting firm. Lynch, considered an expert in the renewable energy sector, is former manager of the Fidelity Magellan Fund. "It (solar power) is not anywhere close to mainstream yet. The reason for growth is that people realize that oil and gas will only get more expensive, and coal is dirty, and that intuitively, solar is better," Lynch said in an e-mail.

Choosing Our Community’s Future: A Citizen’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of New Development

Choosing Our Community’s Future is the rare resource designed specifically for regular citizens who want to make a positive contribution to shaping the growth and development of their neighborhoods, towns and regions. The guidebook will help readers make rational, compelling arguments against poorly conceived plans, but more importantly, it will help them paint a vision of what they do want...The guidebook also is intended as a helpful companion to participants in design charettes, community planning processes, symposia and seminars on planning issues, education programs for newly-elected officials and civic leaders, or for anyone who wants to get a leg up on development. Written in everyday language by a veteran journalist and citizen advocate in conjunction with experts in various arenas, the book is easy on the eye, with an appealing format, abundant photographs and illustrative examples.

Smart growth is newly fashionable. But what will it take to turn fashion into national policy?

Quite quickly in this decade, the familiar definition of "green" has advanced from trees and plants and parks to a much more inclusive vision of city and metropolitan planning. Moreover, it now comprises an array of environmental issues, including energy saving and renewable sources, reduced burning of fossil fuels, cleaner air and water, improved wastewater removal systems, and redevelopment of "brownfields" sites...Today we're stuck with sterile zoning and restrictions on building materials and methods alarmingly out of sync with present-day needs. A concerted effort by state and local governments to untangle obsolete building codes and set straightforward new standards, and to revamp outmoded zoning with modern and more flexible codes, could give a strong boost to the emerging green revolution. For example, zoning of the post–World War II era encourages "pods" of development -- residential, office, and retail. The result is multiple auto trips that mitigate against compact, mixed-use, energy-efficient development...Green value sounds and is environmental. But it's so much more. It also stands for connectivity, intelligence, smart systems, and creating a 21st-century world that has a chance of being truly sustainable.

For information on becoming a Member of Sustainable Pittsburgh, please visit our website.

3E Links is sent as a service to Sustainable Pittsburgh Members and interested parties and is being distributed for informational purposes. The information above was provided by or obtained from the organizing institution or one of its representatives. Our distribution does not imply endorsement. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Click here to access the 3E Links Archive. Use "Search" on SP's homepage for a great resource.

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 2007 from:

Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Dollar Bank
The Heinz Endowments
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
University of Pittsburgh


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