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Events

A special thanks to Sustainable Pittsburgh member Personalized PC Solutions

Business Strategies in a Carbon Constrained World

The time has come for corporations to answer the call of global warming!

Wednesday, April 18
Chosky Theater, Purnell Center for the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University
No fee to attend
Please RSVP to mmgrelli@andrew.cmu.edu or 412.268.5280.

Join us April 18 at Carnegie Mellon for a presentation by senior Business Week writer Pete Engardio, author of the recent cover story "Beyond the Green Corporation." Engardio and a panel of distinguished businessmen, researchers and environmentalists will discuss how corporations can minimize their carbon footprint and integrate sustainable practices into their strategic plans.

"Business Strategies in a Carbon Constrained World", sponsored by The Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research in partnership with Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), Sustainable Pittsburgh, and World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, is intended to galvanize into action the momentum surrounding the film Inconvenient Truth, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's reports regarding the causes and effects of global warming.

Click for Schedule

Vandergrift Landscape Design Workshop

Saturday April 14
1:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Vandergrift Presbyterian Church
195 Washington Avenue
Vandergrift
Contact: Shaun Yurcaba
Email: vip@akvalley.net
724-567-5286

In celebration of the April 26, 1822 birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, whose firm was commissioned by George McMurtry to design Vandergrift, and National Landscape Architecture Month, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has chosen Vandergrift to be the focus of a design charrette. Sponsored by the Vandergrift Improvement Program, Inc., and Sustainable Pittsburgh.

The Vandergrift Improvement Project (VIP) adopted the Natural Step Framework in 2005 as the foundation to engage their community and move towards sustainability. Their goal of creating a true "eco-municipality" includes scores of projects ranging from renewable energy, waste minimization, sustainable building, community development and integration of resource management - integrated with the Main Street program assisted by the Mascaro Sustainability Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh. While many U.S. communities in the United States are carrying out sustainable development projects such as green building programs, affordable housing, smart growth, or climate change initiatives, these largely are occurring on a project-by-project basis that might be called the “silo approach” to sustainable development. In contrast, the eco-municipality model uses a systems approach that involves widespread community awareness-raising and integrated municipal involvement, and using a common language to identify what sustainability means to adopt a common set of sustainability principles and implement these widely and systematically throughout their municipal operations and community.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend, participate and share their ideas.

Links for more information:

Ideas sought to beautify Vandergrift

Forming ideas on ways to beautify parts of Vandergrift will be the focus of a public meeting on Saturday. Vandergrift Landscape Design Workshop

Visit The Natural Step US web site at www.naturalstep.org .

Events Continued

Resources

Thunder of Protest Journey Landing Site

Thursday, April 12
6 - 7:30 pm
Commissioner’s Public Meeting Room, Beaver County Courthouse
810 Third St.
Beaver
More information

The Beaver Initiative for Growth (BIG) is conducting a feasibility study and conceptual plan for landing sites for the “Thunder of Protest Journey”, part of the Rivers of Steel and Pennsylvania Heritage Parks Program under the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PADCNR). The project location for “Thunder of Protest” is in the vicinity of the confluence of the Ohio and Beaver Rivers in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Two Environmental Talks at Pitt Law School

Saturday, April 14
1 pm
University of Pittsburgh Law School
Pittsburgh (Oakland)

The University of Pittsburgh Law School will host two talks Saturday focusing on "The Rights of Nature." Cormac Patrick Cullinan, Esq., Executive Director, EnAct International, a consultancy that specializes in developing and strengthening governance systems that promote ecologically substainable societies, and author of Wild Law (2002) and Thomas Alan Linzey, Esq., Executive Director, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund will speak. Do ecosystems have rights? And, if so, what are the legal and ethical consequences? Internationally recognized for this environmental work in over twenty countries, Mr. Cullinan will discuss the necessity of shifting the jurisprudential environmental framework from one focused on regulating environmental degradation to one based on the rights of ecosystems and natural communities. Mr. Linzey will discuss his work in Pennsylvania in developing a national constituency for the enactment of local laws that create legally enforceable frameworks for protecting ecosystem rights.

FLUX 14: Braddock

Saturday, April 14
8 pm - 1 am
Corner of Braddock Ave. and Library St.
Braddock
Cost: $10 at the door; $8 for students; Kids under 10 free
More Information

FLUX is a multi disciplinary event series that celebrates, gathers and showcases two of the Pittsburgh region’s greatest assets: our emerging, grass-roots, non-traditional art scene and our vibrant, evolving communities. Each event takes place in a location that is in state of transition—or flux—from a rich past to a promising future. Each event is held in partnership with a community looking to revitalize their neighborhood from the ground-up and is full of possibilities for positive growth and development.

Steel Mills to Windmills: A Pittsburgh Climate Action Rally

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

Pittsburgh residents concerned about the catastrophic effects of global warming will hold a rally, “Steel Mills to Windmills,” on April 14, 2007 to urge Congress to put America on the path towards reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050. The event is part of the Step it Up campaign, the largest day of citizen action focusing on global warming in our nation’s history. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the local event, which will include presentations from Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, the Audubon Society, and The Climate Project – volunteers trained by Al Gore to present the slide show on which An Inconvenient Truth was based. The event will feature live music, information booths, a petition campaign, and an address by City Councilman Bill Peduto.

Step it Up is a nationwide campaign consisting of over 1,000 events in all 50 states rallying around the need for bold and immediate action on the issue of global warming. Events are being held in every corner of the country, from Maine to Hawaii, Seattle to Key West. The events are being held in major cities, iconic locations, and small towns across America. The events have been organized by groups and individuals from all walks of life who agree on one thing: the need for substantial and rapid action in order to stave off the disastrous effects of global warming. For more information, please visit www.stepitup2007.org.

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.

Pittsburgh Youth City Issues Forum

Monday, April 16
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Connections, 3495 Bates St. (corner of Bates & Semple)
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Info: pittsburgh.youth.city.issues.forum@gmail.com

Who better to lead the conversation about the future of Pittsburgh than the young people who are Pittsburgh’s future? Make YOUR VOICE heard at Pittsburgh Youth City Issues Forum with students and community members on issues that matter to you! Panelists include: Pitt and CMU students; Schenley HS and City Charter HS students; Roxanne Banks-Williams, Director of Education and Training for the League of Young Voters Education Fund; K. Chase Patterson, Youth Director, NAACP; and Nathan Hart, Oakland Community Council.

Great Decisions 2007: Climate Change and Energy

Wednesday, April 18
Reception – 5:30 pm
Program – 6 - 8 pm
Rivers Club, One Oxford Centre, 301 Grant Street
Downtown Pittsburgh
$20 Member rate and $25 Non-member rate
Register 412-281-7970 or Register online

Climate Change: How much are human practices contributing to substantial and irreversible changes to the environment? What effect are changes to the climate having in different areas of the planet? What response can the international community adopt to lessen the impact of dramatic climate change?

Energy: Across the political divide, Americans are forming a broad coalition to tackle the problems that accompany our nation’s addiction to oil. Alternative energy sources and breaking our addiction to oil is not only in our own national security interests, but necessary for economic security and protection of our environment.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh is happy to partner with Global Solutions Pittsburgh and Sustainable Pittsburgh to bring this program to our community.

Christopher Flavin, President of Worldwatch, has helped guide the Institute’s development, serving as vice president for research and later as senior vice president. Mr. Flavin is actively engaged in international climate change and energy policy discussions, and is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, the Climate Institute, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

The Great Decisions series consists of facilitated small-group sessions designed to promote informal give-and-take among participants in exploring all sides of an issue.

Chatham Village: A Sustainable Community and Icon of the International Garden Cities Movement

Thursday, April 19
7 - 8:30 pm
Carnegie Library Lecture Hall
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh (Oakland)
Free
RSVP: marylu@phlf.org or 412-471-5808, ext. 527

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Chatham Village, Mt.Washington,the Chatham Village Board of Directors, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and the Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, invite you to a keynote address by Paul Farmer, FAICP, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning Association, and Vincent Goodstadt, Honorary Professor, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and past president of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

The Art of City Making with Charles Landry

Thursday, April 19
6 pm
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (Northside)
Register: morzechowski@pittsburghkids.org or 412-322-5058 ext:212

Charles Landry is an international authority on the future of cities and the creative use of culture in urban revitalization. He has worked in over 30 countries, advising city and cultural leaders and multilateral institutions such as The World Bank. He has lectured widely in Europe, America and Australia and is founder and senior partner of Comedia, Britain's leading cultural planning consultancy. Mr. Landry's lecture is part of the Charm Bracelet Project and is sponsored by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP) and CEOs for Cities.

The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Presents: A Free Community Forum on Public Transportation

Thursday, April 19
3 - 5 pm
31st Floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower - 425 Sixth Ave.
Downtown Pittsburgh
RSVP by April 16: thomasa@pghfdn.org

Nonprofit leaders, board members, staff, stakeholders, etc should attend. Forum Topics Include: transit funding crisis overview; analysis of transit rider trends; pursuing a clear analytical view of the issues facing Port Authority of Allegheny County; examining the impact of transit service cuts on nonprofit employees and clients in the region; testimonials from Nonprofit Leaders on youth and workforce development; vision for the future and opportunities for action; and determining opportunities for action and solutions given the pending cuts.

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 featuring nationally renowned scientists, environmentalists and activists who will inform attendees 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.

Rachel Carson Legacy Celebration

Friday, April 20
5 - 8 pm
Senator John Heinz History Center
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
Register Online

Don't miss this chance to join with our host, Teresa Heinz, and special grammy-award winning guests, The Indigo Girls, to celebrate the woman whose words and personal commitment moved the world to action in defense of our environment and our health. Make a commitment to the Rachel Carson Legacy Challenge: green steps to a sustainable future - permanent, measurable changes in behavior and policies that promote Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic - and learn about others working to meet this challenge.

Symposium: Realities and Challenges of Global Warming/Global Dimming

Monday, April 23
11:30 am - 6:30 pm
Eddy Theatre, Chatham College
Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill)
Cost: $15/$5 for students
Register by April 16. Click for more information.

"An Inconvenient Truth" will be shown in order to foster questions and discussion. Speakers and a question and answer session will follow.

Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum - "Negotiating Better Design for New Development"

Friday, April 27
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
O'Neil Room, 23rd Floor
Regional Enterprise Tower - 425 Sixth Avenue
RSVP 412-258-6642 or info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Hosted by : Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh

Please bring a brown bag lunch, refreshments will be provided.

The forum panelists will offer tips and tools on how to negotiate better design for your communities. These tools can be helpful to participants in community-planning processes, to newly elected officials and civic leaders, and anyone who would like to get a leg-up on better development. Panelists will provide case studies, "profiles of development" and the lessons they have learned to succeed.

Panelists:
John Barrett - Municipality of Murrysville
Jeff Funovits - Burt Hill
Andrea Geraghty - Geraghty and Associates

Corridor of Opportunity Workshop Events Open to Public

Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, May 2
7:30 - 9 pm
Shaler Intermediate School Auditorium

Community Dinner
Thursday, May 3
6 - 8 pm
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Shaler Township
Info: (412) 486-9700 x 230 kcreagh@shaler.org

Six national experts in the redevelopment arena will convene on Shaler Township May 2 through May 4 for The Corridor of Opportunity Workshop to study a one-and-a-half mile light industrial corridor along Route 8. Shaler Township and the Allegheny Rivertowns Enterprise Zone, in partnership with The Western Pennsylvania Brownfields Center at Carnegie Mellon University, initiated this workshop to explore the redevelopment potential of the corridor stretching from Glenshaw Glass to Nicklas Supply Inc. and to address the flooding, land-use, traffic, and transportation concerns expressed by the property owners in the area.

During the three-day workshop, Charlie Bartsch of ICF International, Greg Hurst of EDAW Inc., Sue McNeil of The University of Delaware, Jan Rosholt of Gary Struthers Associates, Joe Schilling of Virginia Tech, and Kenneth Tamminga of Penn State will meet with local property owners and stakeholder groups. The experts will unveil their proposed action items for the municipality and property owners Friday, May 4, 2007. “We are very anxious to proceed with the workshop,” said Tim Rogers, Township Manager. “This corridor is currently economically challenged, as it moves from industry to whatever the future should be. We are anxious to hear from the experts as well as from the community,” said Rogers. These recommendations will mark neither the beginning nor the end to redevelopment efforts, according to Deborah Lange, Executive Director of The Western Pennsylvania Brownfields Center at Carnegie Mellon. “While the insights of unbiased experts from across the country are invaluable, it is important also to recognize the value already gained from the planning process,” says Lange. “Over the several months,” Lange continues, “the Corridor of Opportunity Planning Committee, comprised of members from Shaler Township, Carnegie Mellon University, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Allegheny Rivertowns Enterprise Zone, and the Allegheny Land Trust, has devoted much thought and energy to the great potential and needs of this corridor.”

PA Greenway & Trails Summit

Wednesday, May 3 - Saturday, May 5
Mountain View Inn
Greensburg
Cost: $99
More Information

This year’s Summit features a wide variety of quality educational programs, well-known speakers, and many networking opportunities that will highlight “Community Connections Through Greenways and Trails....After a welcome and update from DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, the opening session speaker will be internationally known greenways and trails expert, Gil Penalosa, who will bring one of the featured sessions from the 2006 National Trails Symposium. At the luncheon on Friday, nationally known greenways consultant Chuck Flink will share his extensive knowledge. Both will be participating in additional breakout sessions. On Thursday evening, the Summit banquet will feature speaker, Jeff Tobe, who will expand our thinking to “Color Outside the Lines.”

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
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:

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!

Citizen & Planner Leaders for Local Sustainability Eco-municipality Leadership Training

June 1 - 6
Tufts University, Medford, MA
Click for details and registration form

In early June, 2007, a 5-day national training session will take place at Tufts University to increase citizen and planner leadership capacity in communities and their local governments to initiate and lead a change process to become a sustainable community. This sustainable communities approach has a substantial track record of successful implementation – possibly the most extensive in the world - in over 70 municipalities in Sweden and a growing number of communities in the US, as well as beyond. The objective of the training is to prepare potential local leaders – including citizens, local officials, planners, or municipal staff – to be able to lead a process involving sustainability education, communication, and a strategic implementation process.

The 3rd Annual Great Wilkinsburg Clean and Green festival

Saturday, June 2
11 am - 4 pm
Jane Holmes Residence and Gardens
441 Swissvale Ave.
Wilkinsburg
More information

This one-day event that takes place on the beautiful grounds of the Jane Holmes Residence and Gardens. The festival includes numerous information and interactive booths by non-profit organizations, local government and community groups along with entertainment, food and music. Nature activities for children are highlighted.

Resources

Multi-Municipal Planning Grant Deadline

The deadline for the next round of multi-municipal planning grants is May 1, 2007. The Local Government Academy is pleased to announce the continuation of the Multi-Municipal Planning Grant Program. To date over $385,000 in grants have been awarded to 21 groups of municipalities. The purpose of this program is to support the creation and implementation of multi-municipal plans in conformance with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC). Applicants are eligible for grants up to $7,500 per municipality. The program is being administered by the Local Government Academy with funds from the Heinz Endowments. All grants are contingent on receipt of funds by LGA.

Cool Space Awards Nominations Due April 20

The 2007 Cool Space Awards were designed to recognize unique and innovative commercial spaces in the southwestern Pennsylvania region. Join Cool Space Locator in celebrating revitalization and adaptive reuse by nominating your favorite cool space or person that makes cool space happen.

Judges will select up to two winners in each of the following five categories:

Connect: This award will be given to a space that has created a stronger community.

Inspire: This award will be given to a space that promotes creativity and inspires productivity.

Reflect: This award will be given to a space that embraces the original building construction.

Recycle: This award will be given to a space that has revived a previously disregarded or mistreated space, and embraces sustainability.

You: This award will be given to a person who makes cool space happen.

Nominate online at www.coolspacelocator.com or call 412-683-5790.

Save the Date: celebrate cool spaces with us at the Cool Space Awards Party on June 1, 2007 at The Meter Room

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority announces grants for innovative alternative energy deployment projects.

Grants can be fore Energy Harvest - addresses air quality or watershed protection and improvement or Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant - projects to use biodiesel or E85 in vehicles and to install refueling equipment or produce biodiesel or ethanol.

New Penn Future Podcast: Light Bulbs and Other Bright Ideas

Many solutions to environmental and economic problems feel a bit daunting. In this podcast, PennFuture's D.J. Trischler speaks with Jeff Deyette from the Union of Concerned Scientists about the pros (and cons) of compact florescent lamps, or CFLs. While the bulbs today do cost slightly more to purchase, they actually save you money (up to $30 dollars over the life of the bulb) and they're helping us slow down global warming. That's quite a bargain!

"Toward a Sustainable Community: A Toolkit for Local Government"

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide ideas and descriptions of specific actions that a local government can take to transform itself into a model of sustainable practices. These are practices that can result in cost savings and increased employment, as well as enhance environmental quality and community well-being. The message of this toolkit is simple: local governments can lead by example. The toolkit provides some background on the Natural Step framework and shares some of the recent examples from emerging eco-municipalities. It also provides a number of resources and references to assist communities.

Shrinking Pittsburgh: Census data is a clarion call to get our act together

Will the Census Bureau's delivery of the unpleasant truth about people leaving wake anyone up? We doubt it, given that those who would have to change the lineup are the very people who profit from it. But we have to hope. Continued population loss helps none of us.

Councilor wants periodic review of diversity hiring practices

A new ordinance introduced to Allegheny County Council seeks to require periodic review of county authorities and agencies to ensure racial, gender, age, disability, religious and sexual-orientation diversity.

URA fosters 'green' development in city

Seeking to build on Pittsburgh's reputation as a leader in green building practices, the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority intends to offer incentives, including discounted interest rates and other financial assistance, to encourage such development.

Casey pushes for housing funds

Frank Aggazio, executive director of the Allegheny County Housing Authority, said in recent years the agency's operating budget has dropped $7 million to $17 million a year. Capital funds have gone from $9 million to $5 million. The cuts have reduced the authority's ability to make physical improvements in communities and caused it to eliminate after-school programs and cut police services, which had been contracted out to local police departments. That money for contract services -- which gave public housing special attention from local police departments -- has been eliminated and now is down to six of its own officers who are deployed to trouble spots.

Fayette County woos new companies, but where will workers live?

Money saved by people who would live in the tax-free zone likely will be spent on their homes or in the community, he said. Since no one will move into it until at least 2009 -- only 3 or 4 years of savings will be possible. "We certainly wouldn't encourage a program that would give infinite benefits." "This will be a gated community, and they will be quality homes. We'll have our own sewage treatment, tennis courts and a park area. Later on, we'll put in a strip center to offer retail outlets," Edelstein said. Land will range from $70,000 to $75,000 for a half-acre, while houses will likely range from $250,000 to $275,000.

Emissions Already Affecting Climate, Report Says

In this report, focusing on effects of warming, the group for the first time described how species, water supplies, polar ice sheets, and regional climate conditions were already responding to the global buildup of heat. At a news conference here, the panel’s cochairman, Dr. Parry, said widespread effects were already measurable, with much more to come. “We’re no longer arm-waving with models,” he said. “This is empirical information on the ground.”

Citizens, Businesses, Gov't Work Together to Reduce Waste by 25% in 5 Years

Tama City in Tokyo, Japan aims to reduce combustible and incombustible waste by 10,000 tons or 25 percent of present levels by fiscal 2012 under the combined efforts of citizens, businesses and the government, based on the Tama City Waste Reduction Plan by Collaborative Efforts formulated in December 2006.

Sumitomo Metals to Increase Capacity to Produce Railway Wheels for North America

In response to the growing demand for railway wheels in North America, Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., a major Japanese steel manufacturer, has decided to increase its capacity to produce wheels for railway use at its steel works, it was announced in January 2007. This latest investment follows a facility upgrade completed in August 2006 and will enable the company to achieve a productive output of 240,000 railway units per year.

Affordable Housing in a Rising Neighborhood

All across the country, and in the towns and small cities of northern Michigan, housing costs are often cited as the reason that working families can’t afford to live in town. The typical trade is a working couple’s time in exchange for a comfortable home. But as gas prices continue to remain high, and working wages are stagnant or even declining, a new fact of life is emerging in northern Michigan and countless other places. People can’t afford to live that far out of town either. The question is what are community leaders willing to do to fill this growing space. The answers say a lot about a region’s conviction about the quality of its workforce, the beauty of its geography, and personal and public costs. In northern Michigan, communities wave their hands at the problem, asserting they do not have enough money to do more than build a couple more affordable homes every year while the number of families that need good places to live escalates...That is why the city’s housing department is busy working with private developers to build affordable housing for those with lower incomes, including recent college graduates and working families. Thirteen new city-sponsored projects, valued at $50 million and built in partnership with private developers, have provided almost 300 new apartments since 2000, including those in Unity Village.

'Benet Woods' partnership to build affordable housing in North Hills

A nonprofit agency that works with homeless women and their families has teamed up with a private developer to build an 11-unit townhouse project in Ross. HEARTH, an acronym that stands for Homelessness Ends with Advocacy, Resources, Training and Housing, will partner with Trek Development, of Indiana, Pa., on the $2.1 million "affordable housing" project.

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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