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

CERTIFYING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS: A SMaRT WORKSHOP

A Champions for Sustainability Workshop
Friday, May 23
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
PPG Headquarters, One PPG Place, Third Floor, Room 3A (Downtown)
Fee: $100/Person for C4S/Sustainable Pittsburgh Members; $150 for non-members
Registration Deadline: May 16, 2008
Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html
Contact: Matthew Mehalik at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

Come to this workshop to learn about and to begin certifying your company’s products according to Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) consensus-based standards adopted through an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited process. This is the first offering of this workshop in Western Pennsylvania, and space is limited to the first 30 companies who register. This workshop provides companies with the needed guidance and background in four key areas:
• Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Documentation of the absence of harmful chemicals
• Energy efficiency and baseline assessments
• Documentation of social equity indicators

You will learn how to:
• Save money by examining new ways of making products using sustainable materials and reduced energy flows
• Improve your company's product-to-market time
• Respond to increasing demands for sustainable products
• Create new capacities for innovation and new markets

Registration Fee Includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch Buffet.

Resources

Revitalizing Older Cities Regional Forum

Monday, May 12
8:00 am – 11:30 am
Carnegie Council Chambers, Carnegie, PA
For more information contact Morgan Jones at Rep. Murphy’s office, or Diane DeVaul at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA) will host Envisioning Our Economic Future: A Revitalizing Older Cities Regional Forum on May 12 at the Carnegie Council Chambers in Carnegie, PA. The forum will help build the federal agenda for the Revitalizing Older Cities Task Force and Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition. The forum will focus on opportunities and challenges faced by communities and their manufacturers in today’s global economy.

Breakfast Briefing: Launching the CleanTech Network

Tuesday, May 13
7:30 am - 8:00 am - Registration & Breakfast
8:00 am - 9:30 am - Presentation
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: $40 Pittsburgh Technology Council Member or Catalyst Client | $80 Non-Member
Register: www.pghtech.org | events@pghtech.org | 412-918-4229
Special guest DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty

As the cost of energy continues to have an increasingly greater impact on the business environment in southwestern Pennsylvania, global trends toward the adoption of alternative energy strategies have created an opportunity for our region. As a result, the Pittsburgh Technology Council is launching a new industry group, the Cleantech Network, to focus on the needs of regional companies developing or re-tooling products and services that help meet the emerging national need for a stable and sustainable energy and technology infrastructure. At this Breakfast Briefing, discussion will occur on opportunities and programming available in this growing market segment focused on helping regional energy, alternative energy and environmental companies succeed.

Pittsburgh Town Hall Meeting: Campaign for Great Green Jobs

Tuesday, May 13
11:30 am -1:00 pm
GSP Consulting, Landmarks Building, 100 West Station Square Drive, Suite 500, Station Square
Lunch provided, RSVP required
To RSVP and for more information, call 412-258-6681 or email sage@pennfuture.org
Register online

Learn how to save money, fight global warming, and create Great Green Jobs for Pennsylvania.
Speakers:
- Kathleen McGinty, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Dr. Jerry Paytas, GSP Consulting
- Chris Koch, GTECH
- Jeaneen Zappa, Green Building Alliance
- Heather Sage, PennFuture
- Representatives from local renewable energy and energy efficiency companies

The meeting will outline the statewide campaign with more than 125 endorsers, geared to move legislation forward in the State Senate which would provide state investment and incentives in clean energy and energy conservation. Two bills before the State Senate, the Energy Savings Bill – House Bill 2200 and the Clean Energy Funding Bill – Special Session House Bill 1, best exemplify the changes needed to bring Pennsylvania into the new energy economy. These bills would give families and businesses the tools and information they need to cut electricity costs and their energy bills, fight global warming, and create Great Green Jobs for Pennsylvania. Come to this town hall meeting to find out how you can be part of the solution. Stop by for coffee, tea, and lunch with the people already working to build a sustainable Pennsylvania.

Affordable Housing Forum - Register Now

May 13 - 14, 2008
Affordable Housing Forum
Pittsburgh Hilton, Downtown
www.marcnahro.org

The Affordable Housing Forum is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the key elements of the development process and cutting edge techniques to revitalize and manage your assets. Panelists in our opening session focus on evaluating your current portfolio and assets, maximizing internal strengths and partnership opportunities, as well as engaging community stakeholders in assessing growth and development opportunities.

Concurrently scheduled are two workshop series: the first track, designed for novice community developers, will focus on identifying and analyzing opportunities, the development process, financing options, and roles of housing authorities. The second session is for experienced developers and managers seeking public housing revitalization strategies, approaches to serving an aging demographic, and redeveloping or preventing foreclosures. Click here to see the agenda.

Community Report Card: Evaluating Your Financial Condition

Wednesday, May 14
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Pittsburgh Technical Institute, 1111 McKee Road, Oakdale, PA 15071
Cost: $55 per person; includes continental breakfast and lunch
Register online

Executive Breakfast: Exploring the concept of sustainability

Wednesday, May 14
8:00 am - 10:00 am
Rivers Club, 301 Grant Street, Downtown
Fee: $25 - includes breakfast
Register online, call Ivana Spehar at 412-397-6009, or email spehar@rmu.edu.

Great Outdoors Week Kickoff

Wednesday, May 14
11:00 am - 1:00 pm, with a short program at 12:15
Market Square, Downtown

Stop by the kickoff and get a sneak peek at all of the fun events happening during Great Outdoors Week, which begins Friday, May 16 and ends Sunday, May 25. Try out the climbing wall, test out a kayak (safely on land!), listen to music from WYEP, and meet outdoors groups that can help you get outside. Stop by for giveaways and enter to win some great raffle prizes!

Great Outdoors Week serves to introduce and engage individuals in the many outdoor recreation opportunities available in Southwestern PA. Various events are scheduled around the region during this week, including five signature events. Individuals from all skill levels and backgrounds are invited to participate. For a full listing of activities, visit www.greatoutdoorsweek.org.

8th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference

Revitalize the Region: Seize Market Interest to Redevelop Core Communities
Friday, May 16
Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh
8:30 am - 3:30 pm (continental breakfast and lunch included)
Keynote speaker: Christopher Leinberger, Metropolitan Land Strategist & Developer
Cost: $40 (free to elected officials)
Register online at www.sustainablepittsburgh.org
For more information call 412-258-6642 or email info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Presented by:
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 Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics

Sponsored by:
BNY Mellon
Babst, Calland, Clients, and Zomnir, P.C.
Bombardier
Building Owners and Managers Association - Pittsburgh
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties - Pittsburgh Chapter

For sponsorship and tabling opportunities call 412-258-6643.

This conference, designed for communities in the region that desire to accelerate their redevelopment, will be rich in content, featuring tools, case studies, and technical assistance opportunities. A window of opportunity is growing for communities that are prepared to foster smart growth in step with the shift in the development market that is now occurring. Renewed interest in urban and core communities by developers and investors spells opportunity for restoring prosperity. This shift is fueled by demographic, economic, and cultural trends that are serving to revalue our core communities. Want to be better prepared to seize this market interest? This Smart Growth conference will help communities better understand the changing market, appreciate how to capitalize on their assets, comprehend what needs to done to participate in the market-based renaissance, and engage in a network to pursue mutual interests. Our region's sustainable growth depends on it.

Conference Highlights:
Project Region: The new regional transportation and development plan, plots a new smart growth course for Southwestern Pennsylvania focused on restoring and reinvesting in the region’s existing communities. Learn how the Region's Plan is aligned with emerging market interest in reinforcing existing places and targeted corridors with a strong emphasis on preservation, maintenance and operation of existing infrastructure.

Deal Makers and Breakers: To fully benefit from the Region's Plan, it's incumbent on existing communities to understand what developers and investors are looking for when they scan a region for opportunity. In a unique undertaking, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University (CURP) have collaborated to investigate new approaches municipal officials can employ to help attract new development to their communities. Project leader, David Soule will engage conference participants in discovering what is takes to attract smart growth investment. Furthermore, a consultancy will be launched to work with communities around the region to take a proactive, aggressive stance to meet the complex needs of firms looking to start up operations, relocate, or add new facilities.

Window of Opportunity: Keynote, Christopher Leinberger (see below), will demonstrate the shifting market now brewing in favor of “walkable urbanism” -- downtown and suburban downtown revitalization, New Urbanism, transit-oriented development, green field mixed-use development (“lifestyle centers”), regional mall redevelopment, among others. He will review ways the real estate sector is re-tooling how it designs, plans, regulates and finances to serve these markets to formulate and implement the next American Dream. A panel of regional developers and government leaders will discuss the trend of revaluing urbanity now stirring in our SWPA and how to accelerate market readiness.

Zoning for Smart Growth: Too often zoning techniques that shaped the growth of the American suburb create barriers to meeting today's community visions for traditional types of development. Gregory Heller of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will be on hand to explore new innovations in zoning that provide flexibility to respond to changes in private market demand. Learn from Gregory and local leaders how your community can be an early adopter and zone the way to seize market interest to redevelop core communities.

Keynote Speaker:
Christopher B. Leinberger is a metropolitan land use strategist, developer, teacher, consultant and author helping to make progressive development profitable. He is a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a real estate development firm serving to create walkable communities in harmony with nature.

Leinberger is a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution focusing on research and practices to help transform traditional and suburban downtowns to places that provide “walkable urbanism." He is also a professor and director of the Graduate Real Estate Program at the University of Michigan which focuses on downtown and suburban town center revitalization, transit-oriented development, new urbanism, and conservation development.

In his recently released book, The Option of Urbanism, Leinberger reviews how Americans are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a new type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance. He explains why government policies have tilted the playing field toward one form of development over the last sixty years: the drivable suburb. Conversely, Leinberger shows how the American Dream is now shifting to include cities as well as suburbs and how the financial and real estate communities need to respond by building communities that are more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.

Leinberger has written award-winning articles for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal and Urban Land magazine. He has been profiled by CNN, the Today Show, and National Public Radio.

Conference support provided by:
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
The Richard King Mellon Foundation

Saving $ - Managing Water: Regional and collaborative approaches to water, sewer, and stormwater management in Pennsylvania

Thursday, May 22
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Harrisburg Hilton
Registration: $25 registration covers breakfast, lunch, materials; Register by May 12, 2008
Visit www.eli.org/PennWater.cfm for conference information and registration.

Pennsylvania is blessed with abundant water resources, but our communities face many demands relating to management of stormwater, safe and efficient handling of sewage, public water supplies, and integrating land uses. Governor Rendell recently created the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force to explore options for ensuring that Pennsylvania maintains a sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure. Later this year, the new State Water Plan will be released for public review; and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is revising the Act 537 Sewage Facilities Regulations. All these initiatives call for more collaboration and efficiency in water resource and infrastructure management. Many experiments are already underway among Pennsylvania communities. Understanding the implications and opportunities presented by these recent initiatives is critical for leaders seeking to solve the state’s water, sewer, and stormwater management and infrastructure needs. Understanding the implications and opportunities presented by these recent initiatives is critical for leaders seeking to solve the state’s water, sewer, and stormwater management and infrastructure needs.

CERTIFYING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS: A SMaRT WORKSHOP

A Champions for Sustainability Workshop
Friday, May 23
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
PPG Headquarters, One PPG Place, Third Floor, Room 3A (Downtown)
Fee: $100/Person for C4S/Sustainable Pittsburgh Members; $150 for non-members
Registration Deadline: May 16, 2008
Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html
Contact: Matthew Mehalik at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

Come to this workshop to learn about and to begin certifying your company’s products according to Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) consensus-based standards adopted through an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited process. This is the first offering of this workshop in Western Pennsylvania, and space is limited to the first 30 companies who register. This workshop provides companies with the needed guidance and background in four key areas:
• Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Documentation of the absence of harmful chemicals
• Energy efficiency and baseline assessments
• Documentation of social equity indicators

You will learn how to:
• Save money by examining new ways of making products using sustainable materials and reduced energy flows
• Improve your company's product-to-market time
• Respond to increasing demands for sustainable products
• Create new capacities for innovation and new markets

Registration Fee Includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch Buffet.

"Blueprint for American Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of a Metropolitan Nation"

Tuesday, May 27
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Renaissance Hotel, 107 Sixth Street, Downtown Pittsburgh
Free to attend
RSVP design@judith-kelly.com or 412-281-0995
Featuring: Bruce Katz, The Brookings Institution

The Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition invites you to a special presentation by Bruce Katz on Brookings' "Blueprint for American Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of a Metropolitan Nation". The Blueprint for American Prosperity is an ambitious, multi-year initiative to promote an economic agenda for the nation that builds on the assets—-and centrality—-of America’s metropolitan areas. The Blueprint will put forth an integrated policy agenda and specific federal reforms that give cities, suburbs, and metro areas the tools they need to leverage their economic strengths, grow in environmentally sensitive ways, and create opportunities to build a strong and diverse middle class.

The Pittsburgh region has much at stake. Come and link your efforts to the informed and growing network of leaders working each day to create healthy and vibrant communities that form the foundation of the U.S. economy. Bruce Katz is the Vice President at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Learn more about the Blueprint.

Farm to Table

Enjoy the bounties of summer and fall through the Pathways to SmartCare Farm to Table Wellness Program! Subscribe to a local farm and receive a weekly delivery of fresh, local produce.
Contact: Erin Hart at 412-563-7807
www.pathwayswellnessprogram.com

Program Information: When you purchase a food subscription you get a weekly box of produce from a local farm. Every week, the farm delivers your share to a nearby drop-off site and you pick it up. It's fresh and hasn't been stored or transported thousands of miles. It's a nutritional way to feed yourself and your family. You can buy it for your home or your place of work so you always have good quality, healthy food available. Organic subscriptions are also available.

Resources

Clarke Thomas: A great plan for southwestern Pennsylvania

It calls for more sustainable development; but will our leaders make it happen? Of particular significance, the plan emphasizes growth in existing town centers--whether the region's 10 county seats or the aging milltowns in our valleys--thereby preserving open space and agricultural areas. It also promotes transit use, ride sharing and other fuel-efficient transportation strategies, as well as initiatives to reduce air emissions. . .But the big question remains: Will these officials, especially the key county commission chairs, stick to the laudatory aims of "Project Region"? Will they stand fast against the jostling of municipalities desperate for any kind of development to enhance their tax bases, whether 1-acre housing or the malls that have eroded the commercial vitality of such county-seat towns as Greensburg, Butler, Washington and Uniontown? Will they be judicious in approving the sprawl-enhancing roads and sewer lines for which developers lobby?. . .It's significant that Mr. Hassinger will be a major speaker at Sustainable Pittsburgh's 8th annual Smart Growth Conference May 16. The subject of that meeting at the Omni William Penn Hotel will be: "Revitalize the Region: Seize Market Interest to Redevelop Core Communities." Back to the SPC commissioners. At the end of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin said this about its signal achievement: "A republic, if you can keep it." Applied to the SPC, "You have written a great plan. Will you keep to it?"

CVS Adopts Cosmetics Safety Policy, Reduces Waste and Energy Use

Pharmacy retailer CVS Caremark plans to phase out toxic chemicals from its house-branded products in favor of safer alternatives. . .CVS Caremark said it would evaluate its brand and private label products based on the latest research findings, and would replace questionable ingredients when safer alternatives are available.

More

GreenTV Program Aims to Clean Up the Tube's Life-Cycle

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, televisions in 2005 consumed more than 4,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity -- costing more than $424 billion in energy bills and untold thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Although flat-screen units made up only a small portion of this total, flatscreen units can use significant amounts of energy, and with next year's switch to digital television signals, many consumers will upgrade to a flat-screen digital-capable television. For energy-use reasons as well as human health reasons -- like all electronic products, LCD TVs are often made with highly toxic and non-recyclable materials -- the LCD TV Association last week announced its GreenTV logo program, designed to encourage manufacturers to create the most environmentally friendly televisions possible, and for retailers to promote these screens with a prominent GreenTV logo.

Petrify, liquefy: new ways to bury greenhouse gas

Turn greenhouse gases to stone? Transform them into a treacle-like liquid deep under the seabed? The ideas may sound like far-fetched schemes from an alchemist's notebook but scientists are pursuing them as many countries prepare to bury captured greenhouse gases in coming years as part of the fight against global warming.

Candidates must stop ignoring cities

Cities are essential to our nation's well-being. And now, more than ever, as our nation heads toward a period of economic downturn, we must ensure that urban issues are not simply a domestic-policy issue for the candidates to debate, but the domestic-policy issue that frames solutions to our economic woes. . .We've got to go beyond the political safe zones when it comes to talking about cities – poverty and crime alleviation, though both are critically important – to address idiosyncratic problems of infrastructure, economic revitalization, and sustainable development. A real federal urban policy would not only provide funding for city programs such as COPS that keep police officers on the street, but also would articulate a vision of economic prosperity for our country.

Global carbon market boomed in 2007 -World Bank

The global carbon market more than doubled in value in 2007 to $64 billion, but that masked slow growth in actual greenhouse gas emissions cuts, the World Bank's carbon finance unit said on Wednesday. . .One way industrialised nations can buy carbon offsets is by funding greenhouse gas emissions cuts in developing nations, through a U.N.-led scheme under the Kyoto Protocol, but growth in value is outstripping emissions cuts. "It would be a shame for the world to lose this momentum now," said Karan Capoor, head of sustainable development for the World Bank and main author of the report. "At a time that global cooperation to reduce the risk of climate change is more important than ever before, the prospects for developing countries benefiting from the carbon market are in question."

Brazil, India have 'greenest' consumers, US trails: study

Inhabitants of Brazil and India have the world's most environmentally-sustainable lifestyle and Americans have the least, according to a new study tracking global attitudes towards consumption and the environment. The survey by the National Geographic Society establishes a "Greendex" -- an index measuring the economic impact of consumer lifestyle choices--in four key areas: housing, transportation, food and goods.

Rockefeller's descendants tell Exxon to face the reality of climate change

Descendants of John D. Rockefeller, America's first and biggest oil industry magnate, say that ExxonMobil, a company spawned from his 19th-century monopoly Standard Oil, faces becoming obsolete if it does not step up the search for alternative fuels. Fifteen family members went public yesterday to try to get Exxon to face up to the realities of climate change, and they promised to join a shareholder rebellion to shake up the board to alter company's strategy.

Zoning changes sharpen Denver's development goals

Blueprint Denver, adopted in March 2002, divides the city into two planning categories: areas of stability and areas of change. Located along major corridors such as Colfax Avenue and around existing and future light-rail stations, areas of change are where the city wants to channel development and higher-density projects. . .Areas of stability are usually established residential neighborhoods where the city wants to maintain the existing character. So, for example, if a neighborhood is composed of mostly single-family detached homes, the idea is to maintain that make-up.

Cities, states work to minimize climate impacts

“But unfortunately, we’ve gotten to a point where we just can’t talk about mitigation only,” Lundgren said. Even as recently as 2006, adaptation was considered by some to be “a little bit taboo,” said Steve Winkelman, director of the transportation and adaptation programs at the Center for Clean Air Policy. It can also be overwhelming for communities already grappling with energy efficiency and emissions reduction. “We had one city that said, ‘Wait a minute, I can’t get my hands around mitigation yet, now you want me to start doing adaptation?’” Winkelman recalled in a recent interview. “But this is about getting in front of the issue.”. . .It is an acknowledgement that “the battle for climate change is going to be won, to a large extent, at the local level,” said Scott Shuford, Asheville’s former city planner and the author of the new NOAA guide. About 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation and buildings, he noted—-two things local planners grapple with daily.

New Urbanism means making the automobile less necessary

The topic couldn't be more timely, given mounting preoccupation with the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil. As energy reserves decline and climate change starts being felt, it's becoming apparent that higher-density living is our only option.

More Fast Food, Less Fresh Food Nearby Linked to Rising Diabetes, Obesity Risk

The balance of healthy-vs.-unhealthy food options near your home has a major impact on your health risk, according to a new report released this week by PolicyLink.

Annual Report on Socio-economic Conditions in Black America

The State of Black America is the annual Urban League report that addresses the issues central to Black America in the current year. The publication is a barometer of the conditions, experiences and opinions of Black America. It examines black progress in education, homeownership, entrepreneurship, health and other areas. The publication forecasts certain social and political trends and proposes solutions to the community's and America's most pressing challenges...The 2008 edition of the State of Black America report is subtitled "In the Black Woman's Voice." As the subtitle suggests, the report provides the black female perspective of the challenges that currently confront women of color in America.

For information on becoming a Member of Sustainable Pittsburgh, please visit our website.

3E Links is sent as a service to Sustainable Pittsburgh Members and interested parties and is being distributed for informational purposes. The information above was provided by or obtained from the organizing institution or one of its representatives. Our distribution does not imply endorsement. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Click here to access the 3E Links Archive. Use "Search" on SP's homepage for a great resource.

Sustainable Pittsburgh affects decision-making in the Pittsburgh Region to integrate economic prosperity, social equity and environmental quality bringing sustainable solutions to communities and businesses.

Sustainable Pittsburgh benefits from support in 2008 from:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
The Heinz Endowments
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
Richard King Mellon 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