3E Links readers are early adopters of sustainable policies, products, and practices, and agents of change who educate friends and colleagues about the triple bottom line. Please share your issue of 3E Links with others and encourage them to subscribe by e-mailing info@sustainablepittsburgh.org.

Events

Forum Summary: The Cranberry Plan Embraces Sustainability

On March 6, 2009 the American Planning Association, Pennsylvania Chapter, Southwest Section presented, "Great Communities Don’t Just Happen" for residents and municipal officials of Cranberry Township and other interested individuals. The event featured a presentation by John Trant, Jr., Chief Strategic Planning Officer, Cranberry Township and Court Gould, Executive Director, Sustainable Pittsburgh. Co-hosted by Cranberry Township, the subject was Cranberry's civic process for updating its comprehensive land use and development agenda, called The Cranberry Plan. Particular focus was on the way in which Cranberry adopted the framework of sustainable development to guide public input and assess alternative growth scenarios.

Several neighboring communities expressed interest in Cranberry's leadership in terms of increased accountability for growth management. Consensus was on the value of the process of sustainable development to guide growth and development to simultaneously enhance social equity, the environment and prosperous local economies.

View full summary here.

Resources

Not Just Leed: Leading the Way to Practical, Cost-Saving, Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions

Thursday, March 26
7:30 am – 4:30 pm (Breakfast and lunch included)
Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods, Cranberry Township
Cost: $90 for ASCE, EWRI, AEI, and C4S members/ $120 for non-members
Deadline to register: March 24, 2009
Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html
For more information, contact: Matthew Mehalik, Sustainable Pittsburgh, at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644 or Bob Dengler at rdengler@GFNET.com or 412-922-5575 x 378

This all-day conference features renowned experts on real-world, practical, cost-saving, sustainable solutions for infrastructure design, including energy policy, water resources systems, buildings and community sustainability initiatives. Come learn about the latest advancements and solutions. This conference is perfect for businesses, engineers, architects, non-profits, and government agencies interested in our region’s infrastructure from a sustainability perspective.
Hosted by:
American Society of Civil Engineers, Pittsburgh Section
Environmental & Water Resources Institute
Architectural Engineering Institute
Champions for Sustainability

Celebrate Green

Thursday, April 9
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
William Pitt Union and Schenley Plaza, Oakland
More information

Join friends and colleagues for the first-ever University of Pittsburgh Blue Gold & Green celebration! Learn how to make your home, workplace, and neighborhood more sustainable. Sustainable Pittsburgh's Matthew Mehalik will present on the "Latest Trends in Sustainable Business." Other session topics include (but are not limited to): Practicing Sustainability: Green Chemistry Initiatives in Pittsburgh, Sustainability and Green Initiatives at the University of Pittsburgh, Bike Commuting 101, and Go Green Oakland: A Sustainable Community Campaign.

Register Now: 2009 9th annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference

"Sustainable Community Essentials: applying the policy and practice"
Thursday, May 21
9:00 am - 6:15 pm (continental breakfast and lunch included; cash bar during evening reception)
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Keynote speaker: Douglas Farr, AIA, author of Sustainable Urbanism and founding principal of Farr Associates
Cost: (Conference with lunch) Early Registration: $30. After May 1: $50 (free to elected officials)
Register Now

- Keynote: Douglas Farr, AIA, author of Sustainable Urbanism and founding principal of Farr Associates, an architecture and planning firm regarded as one of the most sustainable design practices in the country. Having a mission to create sustainable human environments, Farr Associates; unique niche is in applying the principles of LEED at the scale of the neighborhood.

- Update by James Ritzman, Deputy Secretary for Planning, PennDOT, on the Federal Stimulus Package and PennDOT Smart Transportation Initiative

- Panel review of sustainable community initiatives around the region featuring:
Mark Alan Hughes, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia
Lindsay Baxter, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
Murray Rust, Montgomery & Rust, Inc.
Jason Dailey, Cranberry Township
Jesse Jon Salensky, Vandergrift Improvement Program
Nathan Wildfire, Sustainable Policy Coordinator, East Liberty Development, Inc.

- Workshops tracking new "Essentials of Sustainable Communities" resources (14 topics from which to choose via conference registration)

- Reception featuring table displays by lead organizations per the 14 Essentials of Sustainable Communities

Today's difficult times are placing extraordinary strains on our region's communities. Rising costs of all types are putting a tight squeeze on municipalities and residents. Expectations and needs are also increasing. The policy and practice of sustainable development offers solutions. Come learn how your community, municipality, or county can put sustainability to work to save taxpayer dollars and avoid costs, meet needs equitably, conserve resources, and attract investment. Sustainability is central to professional management of local government and a collective imperative for Southwestern Pennsylvania's competitiveness and quality of life. Learn how to accelerate your community's success on environmental stewardship, social equity, economic development as well as fiscal viability and organizational capacity to learn, innovate and adapt.

Presented by:
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh
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 Community Development Network, Sustainable Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics

Using Transportation Recovery Dollars to Build Communities of Opportunity

Conference Call
Friday, March 20
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern (10-11 am Pacific)
Space is limited.
To RSVP and receive call-in information, email conferencecall@policylink.org
View webpage

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes nearly $50 billion to improve our nation's bridges, transit systems, roads, rails, and ports. Please join PolicyLink and the Transportation Equity Network to hear about strategies and tactics to make sure those dollars expand opportunity and equity for millions of Americans. During the call, Radhika Fox of PolicyLink and Laura Barrett of the Transportation Equity Network will discuss how advocates and decision-makers can help build healthy communities, expand access to jobs for lower-income people, and foster greater accountability and transparency.

Citywide "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" Summit

Monday, March 23
9:00 am
Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Wintergarden-Conference Center
4800 Friendship Avenue, Pittsburgh
Contact: Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation 412-441-9833 ext. 10

The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation invites the public to a summit discussing how dollars from the economic stimulus package will be spent in Pittsburgh. The event features remarks from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and a presentation by Adam Pope, Community Affairs Coordinator for U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, and Chris Rosselot, Field Representative for U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr. Additional presentations will cover:
Healthcare (Karen Wolk Feinstein, President, Jewish Healthcare Foundation)
Education (Christopher Berdnik, Chief Financial Officer/Chief of Operations, Pittsburgh Public Schools)
Family Support and Social Services (Julie DeSeyn, Manager, Agency Initiatives/Mayor's Office, City of Pittsburgh)
Employment (Kim Graziani, Director of Neighborhood Initiatives, Mayor's Office, City of Pittsburgh)
Economic Development (Robert Stephany, Executive Director, Urban Redevelopment Authority)

Feel free to bring questions during a 30-minute Q & A or email them in advance to RFlanag@aol.com.

Growing a Greener Economy: A Regional Strategy Session on Workforce, Infrastructure & Entrepreneurism

Friday, March 27
8:30 am – 11:00 am
Heinz History Center, Strip District
Due to limited seating, RSVP by March 23 to GreenStrategyRSVP@alleghenycounty.us

Join County Executive Dan Onorato to discuss how Southwestern Pennsylvania can position itself to become a national leader in the green economy by promoting green jobs, buildings and entrepreneurs. Executives from some of the region’s largest employers including, U.S. Steel, Consol Energy, Westinghouse Electric, and PPG Industries, as well as community leaders, labor leaders, and green experts, will participate in panel discussions on green technologies and preparing our workforce for new opportunities.

Worm Composting!

Saturday March 28
10:00 am - Noon
Harrison Hills Park Environmental Education Center, Natrona Heights
Cost: $45 Single/$55 Couple (Includes one compost unit per registration)
To register, contact Lauren Seiple at 412-431-4449 ext.325 or laurens@ccicenter.org. Class space is limited. For more information, including dates for upcoming backyard composting classes, visit www.prc.org.

Learn about the benefits of composting with worms. It’s easy, fun, odorless and produces a great soil additive! Class participants will learn how to house, feed, harvest and care for their own worms. Be prepared to roll-up your sleeves and make your own worm composting bin! Each participant or couple will be provided with a bin, instructions, and worms. You will go home with a complete, ready to use vermiculture system!

Global Warming: Making the Transition to a Just and Sustainable World

Sunday, March 29
1:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, Oakland
Cost: Free for PennFuture and Phipps members; $10 for non-members
To register: www.pennfuture.org/events or by calling 1-800-321-7775

Join PennFuture for their 4th annual global warming conference and hear nationally-known Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance, speak about green jobs, environmental justice, and global warming.

James Thorne, senior director of science from Natural Lands Trust will be discussing global warming impacts in Pennsylvania. Other presenters include Kasey Gillette, legislative director to Sen. Bob Casey; Lindsay Baxter, Pittsburgh's new sustainability coordinator; and PennFuture policy experts.

During the Action Expo, many tabling organizations will provide information about how to address global warming such as buying residential renewable energy, finding biofuels, getting energy audits, locating sustainable foods, etc.

Green$ense

Tuesday, March 31
8:15 am - 5:30 pm (Registration begins at 7:15am)
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Registration fees vary.
More details

From green jobs and the economy to entire neighborhoods and the implementation of innovative new ideas, Green$ense 2009 is a premier regional conference that offers a series of sessions outlining key steps to address these subjects. Whether you’re a professional in the building field or an interested citizen, the time has arrived to rethink and collaborate on best practices for buildings, neighborhood planning, and economic development.

"Business of Brownfields" Conference

April 15-17, 2009
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Registration information available online at www.eswp.com/brownfields

This year's event begins with a river cruise aboard the Pittsburgh Explorer, the first environmentally "green" boat of its kind. The tour will examine some of Pittsburgh's best and brightest examples of brownfield developments along the 3 rivers. The reception will feature Allegheny County Director of Economic Development, Dennis Davin. Mr. Davin will discuss many of the developments and opportunities in and around the region. At the conclusion of the reception, join fellow conference attendees at PNC Park to see an early season game with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Technical Conference will begin on Thursday, April 16 with an Opening Session featuring Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Following this session, attendees can choose from 2 concurrent breakout sessions on a variety of topics including:
• Sustainable Development
• Regulatory Perspectives
• Innovative Site Investigation
• Remediation Technologies
• Visions for Redevelopment

Sessions will be offered throughout the entire day on Thursday, April 16 and until 12:00 noon on Friday, April 17. Additionally, more than 20 exhibitors will be on hand presenting information on the technical, legal financial, governmental and social importance of brownfields development.

2009 Student Sustainability Symposium

Thursday, April 16
9:00 am – 2:00 pm (lunch provided)
31st Floor Conference Room
425 Sixth Avenue, Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown Pittsburgh
For more information contact: Ward Allebach (412) 606-9075

Learn what local students and universities are doing to promote sustainability on-campus and in the City of Pittsburgh. “One Step at a Time: Shrinking the Campus Footprint” is a cooperative project of Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University. Hosted by Sustainable Pittsburgh; supported by a grant from The Heinz Endowments.

Design Excellence Lecture Series: Walter J. Hood

Monday, April 20
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Cost: $20 (Includes lecture, a panel discussion, and a reception)
For tickets please visit the CDCP website or call 412-391-4144 for more information.

Landscape architect, architect, and UC Berkeley College of Environmental Planning and Urban Design professor Walter J. Hood is guest speaker at the final event of the inaugural season of the CDCP's Design Excellence Lecture Series. The topic - Multiplying and Enlarging: Improving Ecologies - touches upon his advocacy of improvisation as a design process because he believes it demands creativity and collaborative thinking. Neighborhood development, community planning, and citizen participation - particularly ethnic groups - are central to his approach. A recent interest of Walter's seems particularly relevant to Pittsburgh: how, staying in the community scale, you look at the larger scale and understand its role on the small scale. Come and hear Walter Hood, and join the discussion on the recurring Design Excellence Lecture Series themes of city-building, visionary planning, sustainability, community engagement, and civic awareness.

29th Annual National Association for Recreation Resource Planners Conference

Get to the Point: Pittsburgh 2009
April 27 - May 1, 2009
Hilton Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Early Bird Registration Extended to March 20!
Visit www.narrp.org for more details.

This event is the premier annual conference focusing on the topic and profession of outdoor recreation planning. The 2009 conference theme, Creating Sustainable Communities through Regional Recreation Planning, is an important and timely concept to convene around (and in what better a place than Pittsburgh!). Join NARRP and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to foster connections among the nation's leading recreation planners, to learn from each other, generate new ideas for collaborative approaches among planners within state and federal agencies, the private sector, as well as university programs.

Mayoral Forum

Thursday, May 7
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Lecture Hall 406 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
RSVP 412-281-0995 or design@judith-kelly.com by Friday, May 1, 2009.

The Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition (PCDC) is hosting its third Mayoral Forum in as many mayoral elections on Thursday, May 7, with a reception to follow. Councilman Patrick Dowd and attorney Carmen L. Robinson are confirmed to participate; the PCDC hasn’t received confirmation of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s appearance from his campaign yet, but is confident he will participate as he did in September, 2007. Katherine Fink of WDUQ Radio will moderate.

Resources

Outdoor Activities for Spring in Western PA

KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh Today Live morning show launched a new "Walls are Bad" segment this week to cover outdoor recreation in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This month, Ginette Vinski, representing the Walls are Bad collaborative, talked about gearing up for Spring: Outdoor Recreation 101. Be sure to watch the Walls are Bad segment on KDKA the second Friday of every month. Pittsburgh Today Live airs from 9:00 am - 10:00 am.

Leave no child inside: Get kids outside more often and watch the stimulus work

We could improve children's health, reduce crime and build a smarter workforce simply by fully funding parks and recreation at every level of government. Sound crazy? Maybe. But sometimes we miss a simple solution when it is staring us in the face.

Coen brothers' TV ad ridicules 'clean coal'

The ad is humorous, but the stakes are serious. Coal is the bedrock of U.S. electricity generation. About half of the nation's power is supplied by 600 coal-burning plants. The fuel is reliable, cheap and plentiful. The U.S. possesses about one-quarter of the planet's coal reserves. But some scientists say that weaning the world off coal is crucial to slowing the devastating effects of climate change.

A Clean Coal Confrontation

The larger question posed by these dueling ad campaigns is implied rather than stated outright. Can coal can be "clean" in the future? Is "clean coal" a laudable, achievable goal as Obama and the coal miners and electric utilities would have us believe? Or is it a ridiculous oxymoron on par with "controlled chaos," as Gore and other environmental groups suggest? This is partly a matter of opinion, and it's certainly a matter of speculation. We don't know what the future will bring. But we expect to see this debate play out in months to come, and we can offer some basic facts about what research has produced so far.

City putting energy into first-of-kind initiative to go green

The goal of the citywide campaign -- the first of its kind in the nation -- is to inspire broad-based participation from individuals, businesses, universities and governments to make a small lifestyle or operational change each month for the rest of the year that will save energy and money and reduce emissions of climate changing gases.

Cast-Off Medical Supplies Find Home in Cuba

There's a world of difference between healthcare in the US and the care in most developing countries. A Pittsburgh-based aid group is trying to narrow the gap. Global Links works with local hospitals and volunteers to get surplus medical supplies to Latin America and the Caribbean -- tons of materials that would otherwise end up in US landfills. The Allegheny Front's Ann Murray traveled with Global Links to Cuba to learn more.

Supreme Court Restricts Voting Rights Act's Scope: N.C. Redistricting Plan Favoring Minority Group Is Tossed

A fractured Supreme Court yesterday narrowed the protections of the Voting Rights Act, saying it does not require governments to draw electoral districts favorable to minority candidates in places where minorities make up less than half the population. By a 5 to 4 vote, the court said race must be considered only in drawing boundaries where a "geographically compact group of minority voters" make up at least 50 percent of a single-member district.

Green Building Materials Market May Expand To $80 Billion By 2013

In 2008 the U.S. market for 'green' building materials generated sales of almost $57 billion, according to a study from the Freedonia Group, Inc.," and "this market is projected to expand 7.2% annually to over $80 billion in 2013, outpacing the growth of building construction expenditures over that period." The study found that, while "green building materials are expected to account for an increasing share of materials used, growth will be driven primarily by the recovery of the residential market through 2013 as it rises from its depressed 2008 level." Among the particular "products expected to see fast growth through 2013" are "water-efficient plumbing fixtures and fittings, and energy-efficient lighting fixtures," as well as "green floor coverings" and "concrete made from recycled materials.

Transit ridership up, highway travel down

Millar said riders like Broberg indicate a clear demand for more service and increased investment at the federal, state and local levels. He points to the November elections, in which voters approved 76 percent of transit-related ballot initiatives authorizing more than $75 billion in funding. "I think this is one of those issues where the public is far ahead of many politicians and others," he said.

GMIC’s Million Tons of Trash Challenge

The Green Meeting Industry Council, an association dedicated to sustainability for meetings and events, has a challenge for the industry: Divert, recycle, or compost a million tons of trash between Earth Day, April 22, and the end of 2009. . .Meeting planners, venues, and hotels around the world are invited to measure the waste they recycle or compost and enter the total weight in an online system where GMIC will tabulate a running total. Those with the best recycling and waste diversion rates will be recognized, and the results of the challenge will serve as a best practices guide for the entire industry.

China Demands West Takes Responsibility for Imports' Carbon Footprint

One of China's top climate change negotiators has this week proposed that importers of Chinese-made goods should take financial responsibility for the resulting carbon emissions under any new international climate change deal. . ."We produce products and these products are consumed by other countries, especially the developed countries," he said. "This share of emissions should be taken by the consumers but not the producers."

Rolling out a new image: A longtime recycler makes green a selling point

The 76-year-old recycler and manufacturer, which emerged from bankruptcy protection 10 months ago, is gambling that increasingly environment-conscious consumers will buy more Marcal products if they know the goods are made of 100 percent recycled material. . .Marcal, of Elmwood Park, N.J., recycled paper long before it became a mainstream cause, but has never before made conservation the central element of the company's brand image. . .The green campaign, he said, grew out of focus groups in which consumer interest spiked at the mention of environment-friendly paper.

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 2009 from:

Bayer Corporation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
The Giant Eagle Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Dylan Todd Simonds 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