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Events

Get Ready for the Ten-Day Weekend!

8th annual Great Outdoors Week

It's that time of year again! The 8th annual Great Outdoors Week, organized by Sustainable Pittsburgh and its outdoor recreation partners, takes place Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 24, 2009.

Great Outdoors Week highlights the many outdoor amenities available in Southwestern Pennsylvania—everything from our rivers, to parks, to trails and more! During this special week, tons of activities are available for the sampling, including bicycling, hiking, paddling, and bird watching—-all hosted by local outdoor groups in the region! Be sure to check out the four signature events, in addition to numerous other activities that are scheduled. Individuals of all skill levels are invited to participate in Great Outdoors Week activities. Go on---give it a try.

Signature events:
5/15 - "Learn to Row" Indoor Session
5/16 - Venture Outdoors Festival
5/17 - Pedal Pittsburgh
5/24 - Rachel's Sustainable Feast – Sampling the Best of Western Pennsylvania

Be sure to stop by Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh, for the Great Outdoors Week kick-off on Wednesday, May 13 from 11am to 1pm. (Rain Date May 15), Individuals are invited to test their skills on the climbing wall, try out a kayak (safely on land!), and meet local outdoors groups. Enjoy music, get some free stuff, and enter to win great raffle prizes!

For a complete listing of events (more are being added every day!) and to learn how to get involved, call 412-258-6646 or visit www.wallsarebad.com, SWPA's resource for outdoor recreation.

Events Continued

Resources

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.

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
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!). Sustainable Pittsburgh's Ginette Walker Vinski will present on "Branding the Outdoor Recreation Community", why Walls are Bad. Sustainable Pittsburgh will also be leading a Sustainable City walking tour during the conference. 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.

8th annual Great Outdoors Week

May 15-24, 2009
Various locations throughout SWPA
Updates continue to be made at www.wallsarebad.com. Check back often!

It's that time of year again! Great Outdoors Week highlights the many outdoor amenities available in Southwestern Pennsylvania—everything from our rivers, to parks, to trails and more! During this special week, tons of activities are available for the sampling, including bicycling, hiking, paddling, and bird watching—-all hosted by local outdoor groups in the region! Be sure to check out the four signature events, in addition to numerous other activities that are scheduled. Individuals of all skill levels are invited to participate in Great Outdoors Week activities. Go on---give it a try.

Signature events:
5/15 - "Learn to Row" Indoor Session
5/16 - Venture Outdoors Festival
5/17 - Pedal Pittsburgh
5/24 - Rachel's Sustainable Feast – Sampling the Best of Western Pennsylvania

Be sure to stop by Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh, for the Great Outdoors Week kick-off on Wednesday, May 13 from 11am to 1pm. (Rain Date May 15), Individuals are invited to test their skills on the climbing wall, try out a kayak (safely on land!), and meet local outdoors groups. Enjoy music, get some free stuff, and enter to win great raffle prizes!

For a complete listing of events (more are being added every day!) and to learn how to get involved, call 412-258-6646 or visit www.wallsarebad.com, SWPA's resource for outdoor recreation.

Register Now: 2009 9th annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference

"Sustainable Community Essentials: applying the policy and practice"
Thursday, May 21
9:00 am - 5:00 pm (continental breakfast and lunch included; reception to follow)
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Keynote speaker: Douglas Farr, AIA, author of Sustainable Urbanism and founding principal of Farr Associates
Cost: 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:
Lindsay Baxter, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
Jason Dailey, Cranberry Township
Mark Alan Hughes, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia
Murray Rust, Montgomery & Rust, Inc.
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
Sponsored by:
Michael Baker Corporation

2009 Farm to Table Conference

Keep it Real, Keep it Local
April 3-4, 2009
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Tickets for the 2-day Conference and Food Tasting are $25 each.
More information

This Pittsburgh-based educational health conference is aimed at helping Western Pennsylvania consumers understand the benefits of eating locally grown food and connect directly with local food producers. Conference highlights include:
- Local Food Tasting on Friday night
- Outdoor Farmers Market
- Expanded Health Expo
- Live Food Demonstrations by Chefs and Dieticians
- Local Experts addressing Health Topics and Local Food Resources
- Commemorative Poster

Fourth Annual Environmental Film Festival

Wednesday, April 8
Saturday, April 18
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm (come at any time)
Environmental Charter School, Henrietta and Milton Sts, off Braddock (Regent Square)
Contact: Donald Gibbon at dongibbon@earthlink.net
For movie listings, visit www.alleghenysc.org and click Events.

During this FREE film festival, there will be two evenings of engaging and thought-provoking films with an environmental theme. The event is family-friendly, refreshments will be available for a small donation, and donations will be accepted to offset cost of films. These films are alternately funny, peculiar, challenging, always interesting and often downright fun. The YERT film on the 18th will feature the film-maker and a lightning, funny monologue, plus Q&A. Great fun, guaranteed. The Real Dirt on Farmer John is unique too, in a moving, inspiring way. And Black Diamonds may even drive you to change your life style!

"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.

Peter Matthiessen: No Boundaries

Wednesday, April 15
7:00 pm
Eddy Theatre, Chatham University
Featuring Peter Matthiessen and filmmaker, Jeff Sewald
Admission is free. No tickets will be distributed. Register for the screening online at http://chatham.edu/screening

Peter Matthiessen: No Boundaries is a new documentary written, produced and directed by Pittsburgh’s own Jeff Sewald. The film explores the remarkable life and work of one of the world’s foremost writers and naturalists. Join Mr. Matthiessen and Mr. Sewald for this one-time-only screening! A Q&A at the Eddy and book signing in the Mellon Board Room immediately follow. The national broadcast debut of Peter Matthiessen: No Boundaries will be Friday, April 24 at 10:00 p.m. on PBS.

About Peter Matthiessen
Like Rachel Carson ’29, Peter Matthiessen has long been an inspiration for nature writers, advocates for the environment, and activists for social justice. His dedication to writing – both fiction and non-fiction – has resulted in more than 30 works including Shadow Country, The Snow Leopard, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse and The Tree Where Man Was Born. In November 2008, at age 81, he received his second National Book Award for Shadow Country, an 890-page revision of a trilogy of novels he released in the 1990s. He won his first National Book Award in 1979 for The Snow Leopard. He is believed to be the only author to receive the National Book Award for both fiction and non-fiction.

Swartz Entrepreneurial Leadership Series: Scott Griffith, CEO and Chairman, Zipcar Inc.

Thursday, April 16
12:30 pm - 1:20 pm
Posner Hall, Mellon Auditorium, Carnegie Mellon University
For more information, please contact Amanda Fox at afox@andrew.cmu.edu.
Web site

Since Scott took the wheel in February of 2003, Zipcar has emerged as the world's largest car-sharing service. In the fall of 2007, Scott led Zipcar’s merger with Flexcar, managing the integration of the companies’ fleet, technology and membership base under the Zipcar brand and service. Scott has solidified Zipcar’s position as the leader of the car-sharing industry, establishing a brand and customer experience that has attracted hundreds of thousands of savvy urban residents and businesses on the go. By forging partnerships with some of the world’s top brands and largest automakers, and developing relationships with transit agencies, universities and influential city and state governments, Scott has fostered the emergence of car sharing as a new transportation category, changing urban life by providing instant, affordable mobility in London, England and 28 North American states and provinces. For his accomplishments at Zipcar, BusinessWeek named Scott one of its “Best Leaders of 2006,” and he was the recipient of Babson College’s ELiTE Award for entrepreneurship.

Green Economy Forum with Rep. Altmire

Thursday April 16
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Porter Hall, Room 200, Carnegie Mellon University
Click to RSVP.

PennEnvironment is co-hosting the forum with Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Carnegie Mellon University and others to show how Pennsylvanians, and how the Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, will benefit from the growing clean energy economy and will help reduce global warming pollution. Representative Jason Altmire will discuss his efforts to protect the environment and build a green economy. The CEO for Axion Power, a major clean energy company in the Pittsburgh suburbs, will be speaking about their work on clean energy. In addition, Fred Redmond, the Vice-President of United Steelworkers, and Larry Schweiger, the Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation, will be speaking.

Engineering Sustainability 2009

April 19-21, 2009
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Conference webpage
Questions? Contact Gena Kovalcik at 412-624-9698 or gmk9@pitt.edu

Conference Topical Areas:
- Green building design and construction
- Greening the indoor environment
- Sustainable distributed power for the built environment
- Sustainable urban drinking water, stormwater & wastewater infrastructure
- Design of more sustainable transportation grids
- Using principles of sustainability to foster innovation and economic development

Design Excellence Lecture Series: Walter J. Hood

Monday, April 20
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
University Center at Point Park University, 414 Wood Street, Downtown Pittsburgh 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.

Pathfinders: 2009 Youth Workforce Development Conference

Friday, April 24
Omni William Penn Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh
Conference hours - 7:30 am - 3:30 pm
Career Fair hours - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Career Fair presented in conjunction with YouthLINK and Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center)
Registration fees: $85 by March 31st; $95 after March 31st and onsite
Registration available online at www.regonline.com/Pathfinders2009
Contact: Karen Bryant, Conference Coordinator, 412-952-9704, quill747@earthlink.net

Attend Pathfinders: 2009 Youth Workforce Development Conference, presented jointly by Urban Youth Action and YouthWorks, and join colleagues, civic leaders, employers, educators and community based organizations in coming together to prepare tomorrow's workforce and strengthen Western Pennsylvania's future. The theme is Bridging the Gap: Pathways to 21st Century Careers. ACT 48 credit is available for continuing education.

2nd Annual Green Fair

Saturday, April 25
10:30 am - 5:00 pm
Ten Thousand Villages Pittsburgh, 5824 Forbes Avenue, Squirrel Hill
www.pittsburgh.tenthousandvillages.com

From Saturday, April 18th through the 25th Ten Thousand Villages Pittsburgh will host a series of special activities in honor of Earth Day. The week will be capped off with the 2nd Annual Green Fair on Saturday, April 25th. A wide range of local nonprofits will be on hand to talk about programs and other opportunities available to community members in their own backyard. Participants include: Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Friends of the Riverfront, Clean Water Action, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip), Bike Pittsburgh, PennFuture, and the Black and Gold City Goes Green. Beginning Saturday, April 18th activities include:
• Children’s Crafts
• Raffles for hand-made, recycled and sustainable products from around the world.
• A Green Resource Library
• A collection of gently used blankets and towels. Donations will be given for reuse to local families in need through Off The Floor Pittsburgh.

2009 Transatlantic Business Conference “Strengthening Transatlantic Links”

April 29 - May 1, 2009
Washington, D.C.
For more details and a complete agenda, visit www.babc2009.com.

The British American Business Association, the largest transatlantic business organization, with more than 3,500 member companies based in more than 20 business centers throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, is hosting its Annual Conference in D.C. this year. – brings together its member companies from throughout its network for a high-level program of business networking and debate. The focus of the conference is energy and environment; and defense and security. Two Pittsburgh organizations will present at the conference – Westinghouse and Consol Energy. The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance would like to gather as much regional representation through participation of other Pittsburgh regional companies.

Resources

Pennsylvania Works! campaign

The Pennsylvania Works! campaign advocates for specific legislative and administrative initiatives that generate economic opportunities and job creation, promote government efficiency, and create vibrant, prosperous, and livable communities throughout Pennsylvania. Sustainable Pittsburgh is a supporter of this campaign and encourages others to do so as well.

Buses, MetroLink trains crowded due to budget cuts

Passengers fumed over late buses, and rush-hour MetroLink trains were standing-room-only on Monday as the St. Louis area squeezed into a smaller mass transit system. . .Metro's cutbacks include massive layoffs and early retirements throughout the organization. . .Fleming, whose union represents bus and MetroLink operators, mechanics and clerical workers, said the defeat of Proposition M last November "devastated" the work force. The measure would have increased the St. Louis County transit sales tax by a half-cent to fund Metro operations and future expansion of MetroLink. Longtime transit rider Ed Harrod, who lives in the Compton Hill neighborhood, said St. Louis should have a system on par with other major cities, like Chicago. For that reason, Harrod described the latest cuts as "a real huge step backward."

Children and the Outdoors: NWF Unveils Comprehensive State Policy Solutions Guide

The National Wildlife Federation announces the release of a comprehensive Children and the Outdoors State Policy Solutions Guide. The guide reviews leading state policy initiatives and provides policymakers with model solutions to the growing disconnect between children and the natural world.

More

The Greening of Pittsburgh

As it shrank, the city had relatively little new construction compared with many United States cities. But it was in the forefront of the movement to conserve existing structures and clean up the contaminated industrial sites called brownfields, becoming a leader in the field of sustainable building. That is now serving Pittsburgh well during the economic downturn.

An Engine of Opportunity: A User’s Guide to Advocate for Transportation Equity in the 2009 Recovery Act

A new report by PolicyLink and the Transportation Equity Network provides a roadmap for advocates to ensure stimulus-funded public transportation projects bring hope and economic opportunity to millions of Americans hit “first and worst” by the economic downturn. The report, An Engine of Opportunity: A User’s Guide to Advocate for Transportation Equity in the 2009 Recovery Act, shows advocates how they can push local, state, and federal leaders to make fair and just transportation investments in low-income communities and communities of color. The report provides a full breakdown of each major public transportation program and offers, for the first time, a comprehensive timeline of all the major transportation spending and reporting deadlines. For advocates and legislators, the report is a roadmap outlining opportunities to push for equitable projects.

Local Braddock Group Gets Funding for Environmental Work

Heritage Health Foundation's environmental justice project will provide training to people who will advocate for healthy homes and a healthier community. Educational workshops and outreach will target residents in this community which is just southeast of Pittsburgh and home to one of the last remaining steel mills in the region. The air quality in the Braddock area consistently ranks among the worst in the state of Pennsylvania. One of the goals of this project is to inform citizens about how to reduce their exposure to asbestos and poor air quality - - inside and outside. Also, the project will aim to reduce the high rate of asthma in these neighborhoods.

High Court to Weigh Relevance Of Voting Law in Obama Era

America's next great battle over civil rights could hardly have a less controversial flash point: the benign decision to move the neighborhood polling place from Jack Stueber's garage to the local elementary school. But because Stueber's garage is in Texas, and because Texas once systematically discriminated against its black and Latino citizens, and because Congress wants to make sure that it never does again, elections in the handsome neighborhood called Canyon Creek are a federal issue. . .Gregory S. Coleman, the soft-spoken Austin lawyer and activist who is the lead attorney in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder, said he is not arguing that discrimination has been eliminated, only that government officials in one part of the country should not be presumed to discriminate, while officials in another are not.

Be green without moving to the desert

At the American Physical Society convention a couple of weeks ago, I listened to a local engineer click through a long list of architectural innovations, complicated and expensive, and wondered why more attention wasn't paid to the green features of what exists here in abundance. The humble Pittsburgh rowhouse could be one of the greenest options of all. Thousands of them are in the city and old mill towns, nearly all of them in walkable neighborhoods -- because they were built when people mostly walked. They are most abundant in the heart of the region, where the jobs are.

Reinventing America’s Cities: The Time Is Now

The country has fallen on hard times, but those of us who love cities know we have been living in the dark ages for a while now. We know that turning things around will take more than just pouring money into shovel-ready projects, regardless of how they might boost the economy. Windmills won’t do it either. We long for a bold urban vision.

Business Can Help Build Tomorrow’s Low-carbon Economy Today - STATEMENT TO THE G20 LEADERS

Leaders of the G20 governments meet in London this week. Their common aspiration is to set the world on a pathway of sustainable and widespread economic growth. While the discussions will be complex, one thing is crystal clear: we must revive growth in the world economy. A low-growth recovery is unacceptable. This is why governments of the major economies are gearing up to spend about US$ 3 trillion among them to stimulate growth. However, here is the conundrum: a recovery strategy based on high-carbon energy sources will not create the sustainable economic growth that the world needs – it will ultimately choke itself on rising hydrocarbon prices and a hostile physical environment created by climate change. There is no “business as usual” to which we can return. To ensure our future prosperity, we need a high-growth and low-carbon world economy.

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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 2009 from:

Bayer Corporation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
FedEx Ground
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