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Events

Sustainability-driven innovation drives a new class of public and private employees in SWPA -- Sustainability Coordinators

For a year now, Sustainable Pittsburgh (SP) has been providing value to companies by regularly convening a new breed of personnel. Some 33 participating companies from around the region have Sustainability Coordinators -- personnel with sustainability in their job title or expressly in their responsibilities. A program of SP's Champions for Sustainability (C4S) business network, the Business Sustainability Coordinators (chaired by Phyllis Barber, Highmark) is a growing new class of personnel who are demonstrating the triple bottom line benefits of sustainability as a top line corporate strategy, especially during these challenging economic times. Businesses of all sizes which have sustainability coordinators are invited to participate.

This trend is being emulated among leading municipalities and communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. Accordingly, SP's Sustainable Community Development Network (SCDN) in partnership with the Local Government Academy, is convening Community Sustainability Coordinators, chaired by John Trant, Cranberry Township. Municipalities committed to sustainability as a framework for their prosperity are invited to participate. Criteria include:

- municipal employee with sustainability in their title or responsibilities per acknowledged municipal sustainability program
- community development corporation employee with sustainability in their title or responsibilities per acknowledged community sustainability program
More information will be provided at the May 21 Smart Growth Conference and June 4 Sustainable Development Academy workshop.

To inquire about participation in either the Business or Community Sustainability Coordiators, contact Matt Mehalik at 412-258-6644.

Resources

Great Outdoors Week KICK-OFF!

Thursday, May 14 (Rain Date May 15)
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh
Call 412-258-6646 or visit www.wallsarebad.com.

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!

Stop by Market Square to help kickoff this ten day celebration. Individuals are invited to test their skills on the climbing wall, try out a kayak (safely on land!), and meet local outdoors groups. Live music will be provided by Scott Hall One Man Band, and raffle prizes from REI, Golden Triangle Bike Rental, Grass Roots Racing and others will available for the winning! Local radio stations WAMO-FM and WYEP-FM will be on hand with giveaways and information. Other participating groups for the kick-off include: Allegheny County Parks and Recreation, Bike Pittsburgh, Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Friends of the Riverfront, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Progress Fund’s Trail Town Program, Rachel Carson Homestead, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Rowing Association, Venture Outdoors, and many others.

Be sure to check out the four signature events scheduled during Great Outdoors Week, in addition to numerous other activities. Individuals of all skill levels are invited to participate.

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

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.

Great Decisions: The Arctic

Wednesday, May 20
Lite Fare Reception – 5:30 pm
Program – 6:00-8:00 pm
Please Note: Venue Change
National Aviary, 700 Arch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
More information

What impact will rising global temperatures have on an environment already in serious flux? Additionally, the Arctic has been the center of a number of interesting environmental studies and has been a development target for many different nations competing to have a stake in the future of the area.

"Great Decisions" is eight facilitated discussions designed to promote informal give-and-take among participants in exploring all sides of an issue. As a guide to discussion, the Foreign Policy Association's (FPA) annual Great Decisions book is used, which highlights eight global and regional policy issues with background and arguments from various sides to stimulate discussion, debate, and a better understanding of the challenges facing policy-makers. The Great Decisions 2009 book may be purchased at a Council discount for $20.

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: Last Days for Early Registration: $30. After May 1: $50 (Elected officials attend for free)
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)

- Distribution of the SWPA Sustainable Community Rapid Assessment worksheet

- 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:
Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.
Michael Baker Corporation
Bombardier

Sustainable Community Development Essentials: Tools, Strategies, and Case Studies

Thursday, June 4
9:00 am - Noon (8:30 am registration)
Avalon Borough Municipal Building, 640 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15202
Fee: $35 per person (Includes registration, handouts, light refreshments, and certificate of attendance)
Members of the NEOC Alumni Association receive a $10 discount.
More information

This seminar will review practical tools, strategies and case studies for pursuing the process of sustainability in municipal government in Southwestern Pennsylvania. No matter the “stage” a community may find itself in—whether in need of redevelopment, in the stage of figuring out how to maintain a current trajectory, or in a stage of managing growth in smart ways, the framework of sustainable development offers a practical compass for getting this right today and in the future. Through this session participants will:
- Experience how sustainability principles are tools that support local government decision making.
- Learn strategies for introducing & adopting sustainability guidelines for your municipality.
- Explore case studies of how other early adopters have benefited from implementing policies and programs to advance sustainable development.
- Consider tools and strategies for sustainable approaches to energy, resource management, waste and recycling, green procurement, human resources, etc. and for enhancing governance systems including the budget and capital improvement process.

Instructors:
Court Gould, Sustainable Pittsburgh
Susan Hockenberry, Local Government Academy
Matthew Mehalik, Sustainable Pittsburgh
John Trant, Cranberry Township
Joy Wilhelm, DCED Governor’s Center for Local Government Services

Engineering Sustainable Solutions for Your Community

Thursday, June 18
8:30 am - 4:30 pm (Registration begins at 7:30 am)
Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods, Cranberry, PA
Cost: $90 for Members; $120 for Non-Members (Breakfast and Lunch Provided)
For more information, visit http://www.c4spgh.org/know.html

Four of Western Pennsylvania’s business and engineering professional organizations have come together to provide a program of practical, cost-saving, sustainable solutions for infrastructure design, including energy policy, water resource systems, buildings, and community sustainability initiatives. Come to 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.

Hosts:
American Society of Civil Engineers, Pittsburgh Section
Environmental & Water Resources Institute
Architectural Engineering Institute
Sustainable Pittsburgh's Champions for Sustainability network

Neighborhood Indicators for Recovery

Friday, May 15
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Office
Participation is by invitation only. Please let organizers know of any colleagues you believe would also benefit from this program and they will gladly extend an invitation.
Please register online no later than Friday, May 8.
Advance reservations are required for all attendees, along with a photo ID upon entering the Bank.
Contact: Donna Brooks at donna.n.brooks@clev.frb.org

While localities continue to struggle with existing foreclosures and vacancies, they must also contend with a new, more forward- looking challenge: recovery. Limited resources and the ongoing foreclosure crisis make strategic planning for recovery crucial. At this stage of the game, data and tools aimed at helping community leaders make informed decisions are enormously valuable. For example, indicators of REO, vacancy, and market value have been developed and applied to some geographies, to helpful effect. But there still is an urgent need to understand these tools, interpret their results correctly, and adapt them to the different data resources and characteristics of each locality. In this seminar, experts in the field will present several composite indicators based on public and private data, and discuss the methodological issues to consider in their application. The seminar will also feature tools for smaller localities that have fewer resources but access to city data at the parcel, block, and/or tract level. The lunch presentation will introduce you to The State of the USA project, soon to provide public access to a system of key indicators measuring development and well-being in communities and the nation. Finally, a panel of regional government officials will lead an interactive discussion of the particular challenges faced by communities in the recovery process.

Hard to Recycle Collection

Saturday, May 16
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Allegheny County Health Department, 39th Street and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh (Lawrenceville)
Cost: Fees to drop off items vary
More information

The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) in partnership with the Allegheny County Health Department is providing four opportunities for area residents to properly dispose of a wide variety of materials at “hard to recycle” collection events scheduled in 2009. At the upcoming events, individuals can drop off televisions, e-waste, cell phones, printer/toner cartridges, compact fluorescent bulbs, alkaline batteries and tires without rims for recycling. Participant fees vary and are posted on the PRC website at www.prc.org. A new partnership with Global Links will enable area residents to drop off medical equipment and supplies – such as crutches, canes and walkers – at PRC collection events at no cost.

Items that are FREE to drop off
· medical supplies (crutches, canes, walkers, etc.) – no medications accepted
· compact fluorescent bulbs
· alkaline batteries
· cell phones
· ink and toner cartridges

Fees for other items:
TV 19” & under $10
TV 20” – 29” $20
TV 30” – 39” $25
TV 40” or more $35
Console TV $35
TIRES (no rims) $2 each
CPU, Laptop or Servers $5
Monitors $10
Combination PC, Monitor, Keyboard $15
Printers/Scanners/Faxes/Small UPS $5
VHS/DVD/Phones/Routers $2

CityLive! Your Region. Your Vision.

Wednesday, May 20
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater
RSVP: rsvp@citylivepgh.org

Many places around the world have profited from a broadly-participatory exercise in which all people from all sectors are invited to envision together the best future for their city or region. Come hear how this has worked both in this country and overseas. Panelists will include Mayor Valentino Castellani of the city of Turin, Italy, and Maureen McAvey of the Urban Land Institute, and Candi Castleberry-Singleton, Chief Diversity Officer of UPMC, as moderator.

Smart Growth Annual Awards Dinner

Thursday, May 21
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Chambers Hall
Cost: $50 per person, $250 corporate table of 6
To register, please contact the Smart Growth Partnership at 724-552-0118 or click here to see the invitation.

The Smart Growth Partnership will be recognizing smart growth developments, plans and individuals/groups that have distinguished themselves by achieving the smart growth cause at its 7th annual awards dinner.

The Future of City/County Collaboration

Friday, June 5
8:00 am - 3:45 pm
Senator John Heinz History Center, Strip District
Free to attend.
Advance registration required. Space Limited.
To register, visit www.iop.pitt.edu/June5.

The possibility of dynamic change in the way Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh are governed has received considerable attention recently, including requests to convene, inform, and engage the public in a dialogue about the relationship between the city and county governments. The University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics in collaboration with The Pittsburgh Foundation has arranged to bring key leaders from three metropolitan areas to Pittsburgh for a day-long forum on opportunities for city-county relations. Community leaders from Charlotte, Miami, and Louisville along with Mayor Ravenstahl and County Executive Onorato will be featured speakers at this event.

This wide-open forum will take a close look at multiple governance options and how each could impact the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County governance, and the possible effects on suburban municipalities. It will discuss not only the option of full structural consolidation (as exemplified by Louisville) but also functional consolidation (Charlotte-Mecklenburg County) and federated metropolitan government (Miami-Dade County). Prominent exponents of a full range of perspectives have been invited to participate on response panels. Following lunch, the Mayor and County Executive will present their views on city/county collaboration models. The presentations will be followed by a Legislative Response Panel and the forum will conclude with an open discussion session and question period.

This event is a must for anyone concerned about the future of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and should be highly relevant for residents of neighboring counties facing similar governance issues.

It’s a Gamble: How Will a Casino Affect Your Community?

Tuesday, June 16
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Calvary United Methodist Church, Allegheny and Beech Streets, North Side (about two blocks from the Rivers Casino site)
Free

The opening of the Rivers Casino will affect Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in many ways, from consumer spending patterns to the increased risk of gambling addiction. Get ready for the casino’s arrival by attending this lively, eye-opening forum.

Speakers will include:
Bill Kearney, reformed gambler from Philadelphia and leading advocate for measures to assist victims of gambling addiction and their families. Always a colorful presenter, Kearney will draw on his vast experience to describe the casino industry and how it attracts customers.
Lindsay Hargrove, certified gambling counselor, will discuss the impact of problem gambling and how to prevent, spot, and address it.
Bruce Barron of No Dice will discuss the recent expansion of legalized gambling and how it is reshaping American society and our economy.
This free event is hosted by Calvary UMC with planning assistance from the counseling staff of Allegheny Center Alliance Church and from No Dice.
More information to come!

Resources

Candidates for Local Office: Pledge Excellence

During this campaign season, candidates for local office have an opportunity to demonstrate to voters a commitment to good government by pledging to take the Newly Elected Officials Course if successful in their bid for public office. The Newly Elected Officials Course provides in-depth instruction for local officials immediately after the General Election, starting on November 21, 2009. Benefits include:

- First-time elected officials reduce “on-the-job training” time and orient more quickly to public office
- Experienced elected officials use the course as a refresher to improve leadership abilities
- Elected officials from throughout the region build a network of contacts and resources
- Experts from government, business, and academia provide practical, real-world instruction

The Newly Elected Officials Course is presented by the Local Government Academy, an independent non-partisan organization serving southwestern Pennsylvania since 1983. It is the most comprehensive course for newly elected officials in Pennsylvania. Candidates may sign the Pledge to Excellence as a way to demonstrate their commitment to good government. If unsuccessful in the election, candidates are under obligation to take the course. Citizens, please share this information with candidates and ask if they’ve taken the Pledge to Excellence.

Voices of Youth - Art in Public

This is an online grants competition from The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Grable Foundation and Ashoka Changemakers that encourages local artists and organizations to work with youth to create a new public art project. Entries may be submitted at the link below. You may also register with the site to start and join discussions about projects. Deadline is May 20th. Check back with the site the first week of June to view and vote for the finalists. Up to $25,000 will be awarded to two projects based on the public's input.



More

WV Power Plant First Ever to Try Carbon Capture and Storage

As demand for electricity continues to climb, "clean coal" has become the mantra of not only the coal industry but the federal government. Coal-fired power plants produce about half the electricity in the United States. But that electricity comes with a price to the world's climate and health. Now there's a company that's putting money behind a new clean coal technology that has yet to be proven.

Great Allegheny Passage users help local economy, survey finds

"It's always humbling to see that people from all over the country and all over the world are using the trail," said Amy Camp, manager of the Progress Fund's Trail Town project. . .Camp said the first phase of the study estimated $12 million in spending at businesses in 2007 directly was attributable to the trail, up from $7.2 million in 2002.

Project Seeks to Aid Baltimore's Black Middle Class

Some of Baltimore's most influential business and nonprofit leaders are convinced that stories of black residents like Mr. Young are critical to the city's economic future. So they are working to provide financial mobility for thousands of families with a $200,000-per-year effort called More in the Middle, a project unveiled by Associated Black Charities last year that is designed to increase and stabilize Baltimore's black middle class. More in the Middle is working to close this gap with job training, financial literacy, home-foreclosure prevention, and other programs designed primarily to aid the city's black residents. The effort is meant to pull thousands of families out of poverty and prevent thousands of others from losing their financial footing...Such a movement, concluded a 2006 report by the Sage Policy Group, an economic and policy consulting firm in Baltimore, hired to conduct this analysis, "would utterly transform the city's economic, social, and governmental landscape." With more financially stable residents and communities, the report said, city government could potentially cut the $1-billion it spends annually on justice, public safety, and human services by nearly 40 percent.

County hosts kick off 'shared vision' regional project

The goals include creating a "shared vision" for the region with concrete strategies and actions and instilling a sense of "realistic optimism" about the region, based on the commitment to achieve established goals, Getty said. The project also hopes to inspire public determination to solve the region's problems and to connect people, communities and institutions in new ways to solve the region's problems, he said.

Young Entrepreneurs - Scott Bricker and Bike Pittsburgh

Keystone Edge visits Bike-PGH to talk with co-founder and executive director Scott Bricker about their mission and the city's burgeoning cycling community.

Mayor Nutter Unveils Plan for Making Philadelphia American's Number One Green City

Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Mayor's Office of Sustainability today announced Greenworks Philadelphia, an ambitious, comprehensive framework to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the United States of America by 2015. It sets goals in five areas -- energy, environment, equity, economy and engagement -- and encompasses more than 150 initiatives. Together, they will reduce the city's vulnerability to rising energy prices, limit its environmental footprint, and reposition its workforce and job development strategies to build upon Philadelphia's competitive advantages in the emerging green economy...Mark Alan Hughes, Philadelphia's director of sustainability and the chief policy advisor to Mayor Nutter, said the mayor is not only committed to sustainability, "he is actively leveraging any and all resources that will prepare all Philadelphians for jobs in the growing green economy," Hughes said.

Higher black death rate preventable

"People should not be dying prematurely from stroke, hypertension, diabetes, colon cancer, appendicitis or the flu," Macinko said in a statement. "Our study shows that while much progress has been made, our healthcare system is still failing to meet the very basic needs of some Americans. Many disparities can be conquered by focusing more on public policies that promote prevention and by ensuring that all Americans have access to good quality healthcare."

The big idea: Build around transit

A 2004 state law established a framework for such incentives in the form of a "transit revitalization investment district" (TRID). Through TRID, the city and SEPTA would have to work together to establish "value capture" zones in which a portion of the tax revenues would be used for public transportation capital improvements, site development and maintenance. One of the ways this legislation might work better, says Voith, is if state tax dollars were set aside for TRID, rather than city taxes.

The incredible shrinking city!

Instead of waiting for an economic or growth upswing that might never come, county and city planners can work with land bank properties to pick and choose which neighborhoods to invest in, and which to bulldoze. In other words, why fight for more growth when downsizing and re=greening a city might make the city more viable and more livable for those who remain? Business could be relocated into more dense, more transit friendly neighborhoods. Cleared areas could be turned into open space, parks, greenbelts, or even forest...We might not need it today, but some day we might want a strategy that instructs us how to do more with less instead of relying on ginning up another boom to keep us going.

WBCSD's Stigson discusses potential for energy efficiency to solve climate, energy issues

Today's segment features E&ETV's interview with Björn Stigson, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Stigson explains how government and industry can work together to expand and promote energy efficiency. He also discusses the prospects for climate legislation in the United States.

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 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