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

Connecting Transit to Land Use and Sustainability

Sustainable Pittsburgh was invited to give testimony at this week's PA House Committee on Appropriations hearing on Mass Transit in Green Tree. "By investing in transit we: curb sprawl, reduce pollution and traffic congestion, help the public get to where it needs to go, save the farm and rebuild the city, ready ourselves for a carbon-constrained economy and we signal to the international investment and workforce community that our state is committed to being a world-class, and economically competitive place to be." Read more at: SustainablePittsburgh.org

Campos Inc. Voice of the Region Survey - Outdoor Recreation

Earlier this month, many of you answered the call to help us determine awareness and usage of outdoor recreation amenities and programs in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Read the results of the at: SustainablePittsburgh.org

Smart Growth Conference

Be sure to register for the 7th Annual Smart Growth Conference
Featuring:
- Keynote address by Don Chen, Smart Growth America
- Public Presentation and Comment on 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
     Leveling the Field for Redevelopment
     (Diane Sheets & Laura Zinski)
     Promoting Regionalism
     (Commissioner Tom Ceraso & David Miller)
     Funding Public Transportation
     (Steve Bland & Mary Jo Morandini)
- Reaction panel featuring state, regional and local leaders
To register:
Call: 412-258-6642 Email: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org"
http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/2007_Conference/main.html
To learn what it means to be a sponsor, call: 412-258-6643

Resources

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 Academic Partnership Workshop: Research in Sustainable Community Development 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
(On Second Avenue in the Pittsburgh Technology Center)
Pittsburgh
RSVP: 412-648-7391 or amaguina@ucis.pitt.edu by March 30

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. Dr. Gilberto Januzzi, Universidad de Campinas, Brazil, Dean of the Graduate Program in Energy Planning and Executive Director of the International Energy Initiative will keynote the workshop.

Rally on the River for Global Warming Solutions

Saturday, April 14
11 am - 3 pm
The Homestead Pump House E. Waterfront Dr.
Munhall
More Information

Join the Blue-Green Alliance - a strategic alliance of the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers - for a Rally on the River for Global Warming Solutions. This event will be an opportunity to learn about how we can solve global warming and create good jobs through smart energy solutions, have some fun, and take action. Featuring live music, speakers, food, door prizes, and activities for kids and adults.

Steel Mills to Windmills: A Pittsburgh Climate Action Rally

Saturday, April 14
12 - 2 pm
Corner of Forbes Ave. and Braddock Ave.
http://stepitup2007.org/

This rally, to be held in beautiful Frick Park, will include live music, information booths, a letter-writing campaign, and a park clean-up (especially fun for families with young children). City Councilman Bill Peduto will be there, as will representatives from Penn Future, the Audubon Society, and other organizations including The Climate Project--volunteers trained by Al Gore to present the slideshow that was the basis of "An Inconvenient Truth"

The Business of Brownfields Conference

April 18-20
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
More information and registration

The charter of the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania is “to advance the professions of engineering, architecture, and applied sciences through technical activities” such as the Business of Brownfields Conference. The 12th brownfields conference will return to the Society's technical roots, targeting a program that is not for the fainthearted. Building on the foundations of previous brownfields conferences and years of collective experience, we aim to provide our audience with the latest advances in subjects such as investigation methodologies, remediation technologies, legal considerations, financial strategies and insurance options.

Air, Art & Life: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Air Quality in the Pittsburgh Region

Saturday, April 14
9-3 pm
GASP office
Wightman School Community Building
5604 Solway Street, #204
Pittsburgh

Saturday, June 9
9 - 3 pm
Conservation Consultants, Inc.
64 S. 14th St.
Pittsburgh
Information: 412-325-7382 or www.gasp-pgh.org

With funding provided by the PA DEP, this workshop will examine the connection between the Donora Smog Disaster of 1948 and current air quality regulations and concerns in Southwestern PA. Science, art and regional history will be used to provide teachers with a strong background to air quality as well as exciting ways to present the information in the classroom.

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.

Business Strategies in a Carbon-Constrained World

Wednesday, April 18
1 - 4 pm
Carnegie Mellon University
Chosky Theatre, Purnell Center for the Arts
Reception 4 pm
Regina Miller Gallery, Purnell Center for the Arts
No fee to attend
RSVP by April 13
412.268.5280 or mmgrelli@andrew.cmu.edu

Host: Dr. Jared Cohon, President, Carnegie Mellon University

Featuring: Pete Engardio, Senior Writer, Business Week

Panelists:
Christopher Flavin, Worldwatch Institute
M. Granger Morgan, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
William Rosenberg, Harvard University
Kevin Fay, VP of Environmental Health & Safety, PPG
Robert Bear, Chief Environmental Officer, Alcoa

For the Pittsburgh region, which is emerging as a leader in the policy, practice, and business of sustainable development, addressing climate change presents an economic opportunity and necessity. Challenge can create opportunity. The coming of a carbon-constrained future is drawing entrepreneurs at all levels and the Pittsburgh region is well-served to be out front of the changing landscape.

Business Strategies in a Carbon Constrained World will explore sustainable business strategies and highlight initiatives that address the challenges and opportunities inherent in climate change. Representatives from Environmental Health and Safety, Marketing, Public Relations, Finance, Research and Development, Real Estate, Strategic Planning, and Investor Relations departments are encouraged to attend.

Presented by The Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon in partnership with Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), Sustainable Pittsburgh, and World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

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.

GASP 2007 Spring Teacher Workshops: Fueling the Future

Saturday, April 28
9 am - 1 pm
Westmoreland Conservation District
218 Donohoe Road
Greensburg

Saturdays, May 5 & May 12
9 am - 1 pm
GASP office
Wightman School Community Bldg.
5604 Solway Street, #204
Pittsburgh

Saturday, June 16th
9 am -1 pm
Crooked Creek Environmental Center
142 Kerr Road
Ford City

Information: 412-325-7382 or www.gasp-pgh.org

Ever wonder how transportation pollution affects our lives? With the help of Steel City Biofuels and funding provided by the EPA, this teacher workshop will address environmental and health hazards associated with diesel and gasoline powered motor vehicles. Will include alternative fuels such as biodiesel, hybrid vehicles, idling regulations, GASP air monitors, carpooling and other strategies for reducing the impact from motor vehicles. One lucky teacher will go home with their own biodiesel production kit! So sign up now before the workshop “fills up!”

Going with the Flow: Governance Options for Clean Water Act Compliance 2007 Road to Excellence Conference

Thursday, May 3
9 am - 3 pm
Sheraton Station Square
Pittsburgh
Click for more information

The 2007 Road to Excellence Conference will feature as its keynote speaker Dr. Bruce Stiftel, editor of Adaptive Governance and Water Conflict. Adaptive governance is a relatively new concept. Based upon the principles of adaptive management of environmental systems, adaptive governance emerges as "the kind of governance that can both preserve the strengths of existing specialized authorities to exploit natural resources and alternatives in order to ensure the sustainability of both human and nature systems." In addition to Dr. Stiftel's presentation, join local, state and regional leaders in a discussion of local concerns and the steps we must take to overcome barriers to adaptive governance for Clean Water Act Compliance.

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.

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

Friday, May 18, 2007
8 am - 3:30 pm
Omni William Penn Hotel
530 William Penn Place, downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend
Click here for more details
Featuring:
- Keynote address by Don Chen, Smart Growth America
- Public Presentation and Comment on 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 (Diane Sheets & Laura Zinski)
- Promoting Regionalism (Commissioner Tom Ceraso & David Miller)
- Funding Public Transportation (Steve Bland & Mary Jo Morandini)

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

Sponsored by:
HDR

Supported by:
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments

To register:
Call: 412-258-6642
Email: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org
To become a sponsor call: 412-258-6643

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!

Join the Rails to Trails Conservancy for the Grand Opening Ride of the Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. Trail

June 23-30
$700
More

The 6th Annual Greenway Sojourn, June 23–30, 2007, will lead 500 cyclists on the ride of their lives on the longest multi-purpose trail in the country. After 20 years of trail building, the Great Allegheny Passage in southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland is now linked to the popular C & O Canal Towpath in the offsite linkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Creating 335 miles of continuous trail connecting suburban Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., together these trails make up the spine of the offsite link Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

Resources

Local businesses should go green

By adopting new technologies and new methods for reducing energy use, Pittsburgh businesses can make a significant difference in addressing our energy and environmental challenges, and may even lower their own business costs in the process. As a result, we'd all be able to breathe easier.

Rail trails are making connections

Rail trails: Barely more than a decade ago, there were just a few, disconnected, miles-worth. Today, they gift-wrap our region like ribbons. Annually this column looks at rail-trail development here in Westsylvania, highlighting trail segments that are opening and others under construction.

Save Trails in Your Community!

On Monday, March 19, 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order implementing Congress' call for the return of an additional $3.47 billion in transportation money. Within 30 days, your governor will decide how to apply this cut to your state's transportation budget. If not fairly allocated, this could be the end of programs that fund trails, walking and biking in your state.

New Penn Future Podcast: Get Outdoors, Pennsyvlania!

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has abundant outdoor recreational resources for hunting, fishing, skiing, bicycling, hiking, walking, climbing, boating, just to name a few. Not only do these outdoor resources help to keep us healthy, they keep our local economies strong. Protecting these resources makes good sense from a health and economic perspective, but it's also part of celebrating our love for the mountains, rivers, streams, forests, and parks of Pennsylvania.

Bank of America Commits to LEED

As part of a $20 billion environmental initiative, U.S. Green Building Council member Bank of America has committed to achieving LEED certification for all new construction of office facilities and banking centers. Under a new green mortgage program, home buyers will receive a reduced interest rate or $1,000 back for each home purchase that meets Energy Star specifications. The bank is also evaluating investment management solutions that incorporate forest conservation principles consistent with those defined by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Region's firms scramble for worker visas

Far more applications for graduate school in computer science come from overseas than the U.S., Bryant said. "People are coming out of the top universities in India and China, and to study at a top U.S. university, is a dream of a lifetime," Bryant said. One they get their degrees, they want to be part of the IT industry here. "Statistics show overwhelmingly that these immigrants are a major driving force behind the U.S. technology economy," Bryant said.

Climate focus 'brings security'

Dealing with climate change would not only help the environment but bring a "peace dividend", UK Environment Secretary David Miliband has said. He said the environment historically had played a part in conflicts, while the world's "oil dependence creates real danger".

Cities at risk from rising sea levels, scientists say

In all, 634 million people live in the threatened coastal areas worldwide — defined as those lying at less than 10.05 metres above sea level — and the number is growing, said the study, which was published in the journal Environment and Urbanization.

Trouble Ahead for PA's Communities?

Three studies identify trouble ahead and make recommendations how to improve the outlook for Pennsylvania's communities. Access reports from Penn State, Brookings, and PEL.

Structuring Healthy Communities

Pennsylvania Economy League Inc. report examines revenue generation and fiscal health in Pennsylvania's municipal governments.

Convention center roof hosts effort to grow, offer local foods

It's growing on the roof of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and soon will grow inside that building in a new greenhouse.

Going green in ways big and small

Indeed, the changing role of capital markets in green construction soon will be a primary reason to build green, said Denis Darragh, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability. As more green buildings are built and prove their long-term value, Wall Street is eyeing packaging loans for green construction and trading them as securities, much as traditional residential and commercial mortgages are sold now. Ratings agencies already are looking at developing criteria for evaluating such green mortgage-backed securities.

Being green doesn't take a lot of green

If you happen to be a real estate developer, bank or manufacturer of building materials, the greening of commercial real estate can create entire new lines of business that allow you to increase your profits while being environmentally responsible. But most of us who want to go green will have to do it in smaller ways.

Can Green Consumers Make a Difference?

Can the actions of the individual consumer, multiplied many times over, change how the goods we use in our everyday lives are produced? An increasing number of people are choosing to buy products and services that have positive environmental and social impacts, and their purchases are feeding a growing green marketplace. How much of an impact will green purchasing have on tomorrow’s consumer marketplace?..The true test of the power of the green consumer will come over the next decade, as the movement for sustainable products and services moves more completely into the mainstream marketplace and extends to a wider array of products and services. If consumers make sustainable choices consistently, the nature of some products may change forever. For example, all computer paper used in North America could be feasibly supplied by recycled paper or alternative fibres such as flax. If people maintain a commitment to buy recycled whenever possible, that could become a reality.

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 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