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Events

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Sustainability and Healthcare: Making the Business Case

Thursday, June 2
7:30 am – 11:30 am
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Cost: $45 for Sustainable Pittsburgh/C4S Members
$65 Nonmembers
Students: Special Rate
Breakfast Provided
Registration and more information

Sustainable Pittsburgh’s sustainable business network, Champions for Sustainability (C4S), in collaboration with the region’s healthcare partners, is launching a series of workshops that advance the mutually reinforcing agendas of sustainability and healthcare.

Designed for executive leadership in mind, the kickoff June 2 event will showcase how healthcare organizations can tap into opportunities for producing better health outcomes, reducing costs and finding new sources of revenue by pursuing a sustainable approach to healthcare operations. Participants will have a chance to interact with a range of internationally-recognized practitioners who have implemented sustainable solutions in the healthcare industry to a variety of challenges.

Speakers include:
Dr. Eli Avila, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Health (Kickoff Speaker)
David Hearn, VP IT and NFS Procurement, Procurement & Supply, Kaiser Permanente (Keynote)

Panelists:
Anna Gilmore Hall, RN, MS, CAE, Executive Director, Practice Greenhealth (Confirmed)
Marc Mondor, AIA, LEED Faculty, Principal, evolveEA (Confirmed)
Seema Wadhwa, Director of Sustainability, Inova Health System (Confirmed)
Christina Vernon, AIA, LEED AP, Sr. Director of Sustainability and Environmental Strategy, Cleveland Clinic (Confirmed)

This series is designed to build social capital and capacity in sustainability. The emphasis for each event involves articulating the health outcomes, healthcare benefits, and business case, as well as best practices, resources, examples, and how to get started.

Resources

Don't miss out on the last few days of Great Outdoors Week!

Now through May 22, 2011
Various times and locations throughout Southwestern PA
More information available at www.wallsarebad.com

The 10th annual Great Outdoors Week (GOW) is in full swing, celebrating the outdoors in southwestern Pennsylvania. During GOW the public is encouraged to participate in a variety of outdoor-related activities utilizing this region's parks, trails, waterways, etc. Outdoors groups throughout the region have planned numerous activities including bike rides, paddling, hiking, orienteering, running, sailing, and much more.

Five signature events are part of GOW this year, which began with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday, May 15. Rounding out the rest of the week are:
• Friday, May 20 - National Bike to Work Day/Car Free Fridays
• Friday, May 20 - Learn to Row and Paddle (Call first for availability; space limited)
• Saturday, May 21 - Venture Outdoors Festival
• Sunday, May 22 - Pedal Pittsburgh
GOW is a perfect time to discover a new trail with a loved one, try kayaking with the kids, or explore birding in your own backyard! Over 60 GOW activities for all ages and skill levels are scheduled!

Sustainable Pittsburgh and Regional Healthcare Partners Launch New Series on Sustainability and Healthcare

Kickoff Event: "Sustainability and Healthcare: Making the Business Case"
Thursday, June 2
7:30 am – 11:30 am
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Cost: $45 for Sustainable Pittsburgh/C4S Members
$65 Nonmembers
Students: Special Rate
Breakfast Provided
Registration and more information

SW PA is a leader in both healthcare and sustainability. The region’s hospitals and health care institutions can benefit from sustainability-related resources on the cutting edge of leading healthcare organizations.

Sustainable Pittsburgh’s sustainable business network, Champions for Sustainability (C4S), in collaboration with the region’s healthcare partners, has launched a series of workshops that advance the mutually reinforcing agendas of sustainability and healthcare. This series is designed to build social capital and capacity in sustainability. The emphasis for each event involves articulating the health outcomes, healthcare benefits, and business case, as well as best practices, resources, examples, and how to get started.

Designed for executive leadership in mind, this event on June 2 presents how healthcare organizations can tap into opportunities for producing better health outcomes, reducing costs and finding new sources of revenue by pursuing a sustainable approach to healthcare operations.

Speakers include:
Dr. Eli Avila, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Health (Kickoff Speaker)
David Hearn, VP IT and NFS Procurement, Procurement & Supply, Kaiser Permanente (Keynote)

Panelists:
Anna Gilmore Hall, RN, MS, CAE, Executive Director, Practice Greenhealth (Confirmed)
Marc Mondor, AIA, LEED Faculty, Principal, evolveEA (Confirmed)
Seema Wadhwa, Director of Sustainability, Inova Health System (Confirmed)
Christina Vernon, AIA, LEED AP, Sr. Director of Sustainability and Environmental Strategy, Cleveland Clinic (Confirmed)

Transit Oriented Development: Is it a “FIT” With Your Community?

Thursday, June 9
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Wilkinsburg Borough Municipal Building
Registration: $50, includes handouts, refreshments and lunch
Register Online

On June 9, 2011, “Transit Oriented Development: Is it a FIT with Your Community?” will be offered as part of the Sustainable Development Academy program series, a partnership between Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s new “Future Investments in TOD” (FIT) will be a centerpiece of this program. Additional program topics include:

· How to use the FIT tool’s objective criteria to evaluate sites in a variety of communities.
· Utilizing development policy and practices like comprehensive planning, zoning and subdivision to engage in TOD
· TOD’s application in “edge” and “commuter” as well as urban locations
· What private sector partners look for and need for a transit-oriented development to be viable
· Why smarter transit, development policies and greater intergovernmental coordination will benefit the economy and the environment

· This program will include a walking tour and hands-on exercise using the FIT tool and will give participants the opportunity to engage with peers and experts in transit, planning and development on this topic

Click here for complete details and a list of program instructors. Also read the “Why TOD Top Ten List” on LGA Lyceum.

Panther Hollow Public Meeting

Monday, May 23
6:00 pm
Schenley Plaza Tent, 4100 Forbes Ave, Oakland
For more information and to sign-up, visit pittsburghparks.org/pantherhollow.

The City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, with lead funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, are teaming up to restore the historic Panther Hollow Watershed. They are hosting three public meetings this year to get community input on the project.

The first public meeting will review what has been learned since the watershed planning project began earlier this year, including:
Reviewing the character of Panther Hollow, its good qualities, and its problems
Learning about what the engineers and landscape architects have discovered about the Panther Hollow Watershed
Gathering stories about Schenley Park and the watershed from attendees

Anyone interested in water, parks, or their communities are encouraged to attend.

CityLIVE! Equity in Urban Education

Wednesday, May 25
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater, North Side
Click to RSVP

Pittsburgh’s public school system is changing rapidly. Over the past few years the system has downsized and collaborations have emerged. Reform efforts are underway that focus on the challenges in providing an equitable education for all students. Discussions are heated and sometimes polarized and problems persist. Do all students have equal access to educational opportunities? Is the Pittsburgh Promise reaching the students who need it most? Are efforts to reduce the achievement gap working?

At the May 25 cityLIVE!, panelists will address these issues and other goals for equitable education in the Pittsburgh Public School system. Panelists will include Robert Parris Moses who founded the Algebra Project, which uses mathematics as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all students, and Carey Harris who is the Executive Director of A+ Schools, an independent advocate for improvement in public education. The event will be moderated by Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the POISE Foundation, which funds organizations that provide services to Pittsburgh’s African American community. Additional panelists TBD.

PCRG Community Development Summit

Wednesday, May 25
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Omni William Penn Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh 15219
Agenda

The Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) hosts an Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony to celebrate the hard work of its membership and to thank its partners for their continued commitment to neighborhoods. PCRG's May 2010 reception at the August Wilson Center attracted more than 270 community leaders and raised substantial funds for neighborhood initiatives. Building on the Annual Meeting, this year, PCRG has partnered with the Urban Land Institute to host the First Annual Community Development Summit on May 25, 2011 at the Omni William Penn Hotel.

The Community Development Summit will feature:

- Nationally renowned, dynamic keynote speakers at both breakfast and lunch
- Workshops and panels on such topics as organizational development, community planning, real estate development, regulatory reform, fundraising, and more
- Built-in networking time with more than 300 community development professionals, lenders, public officials, developers, architects, planners, and researchers from more than 5 states
- A closing reception in the newly renovated Grand Ballroom of the historic Omni William Penn Hotel featuring hors d'oeuvres, drinks, musical entertainment, and an awards ceremony honoring neighborhood leaders.

Who Should Attend? Community groups, financial institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies, investors, development professionals, lenders, public officials, developers, architects, planners, researchers with an interest in revitalizing communities throughout the United States.

Moving Southwest PA

Thursday June 2
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Engineers' Society of Western PA, 337 4th Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh
Register

Buses, subways, cars, trucks, freight and passenger rail. Local, Federal and state taxes, fees, finances. Transportation infrastructure. Livability. Sustainability.

How to sort out what's best for Pittsburgh and the region? Put your head together with some leading stakeholders and help think through the challenges and solutions for Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Panelists include:

Lucinda Beattie
VP Transportation, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

Steve Bland
CEO Port Authority of Allegheny County

Dan Cessna
PennDOT District 11 Executive

Art Guzzetti
APTA VP Policy

3rd Annual African American Leadership Summit
"Influential Leadership: Moving forward, Reaching back"

Friday, June 10
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Herberman Conference Center, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh
$50 Members; $60 Non-members (includes breakfast, lunch, and materials)
Sponsorships available. Contact: African American Leadership Association: (412) 342-5402 || info@aalapgh.org
More information

This annual summit features International Keynote Speaker Chester Watson, General Auditor, General Motors, Detroit, Michigan. The event will be emceed by Demeatria Boccella. Also taking place during the event are: Leadership Development Series Certificate Presentation, Awards Ceremony, and workshops. Workshops include:
“Leadership, are you ready?”
“Leading Through Social Media”
“Call me! Text me! Generational Leadership”

Ohio River Sweep 2011

Saturday, June 18
8:00 am- 12:00 pm
Various locations in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Clarion, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties
View tentative PA cleanup locations
General information
Contact: Pennsylvania Coordinator, Betsy Mallison, bmallison@talismanusa.com or (724) 444-4229

**Cleanup sites may be postponed due to high river levels, so please check with the River Sweep coordinator for your county for any possible date postponements. Rescheduled dates will be posted online.**

Since 1989, this award-winning cleanup for the Ohio River and its tributaries brings thousands of volunteers to the riverbanks to collect tons of trash and debris. River Sweep encompasses the entire length of the river, from its origin in Pittsburgh, PA to its end in Cairo, IL, including 1,962 miles of shoreline and many tributaries.

More than 21,000 volunteers from public organizations, civic groups, recreational clubs, and the general public in six states bordering the river come together to collect more than 20,000 tons of trash and other debris from the banks of the Ohio River and tributaries.

River Sweep is an event organized by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, an interstate water pollution agency for the Ohio River Valley, along with environmental protection and natural resource agencies from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Green Building Products Summit 4.0

Wednesday, June 22
8:00 am - 1:30 pm
Circuit Center and Ballroom, 5 Hot Metal Street, Southside 15203
Cost: $50/person (Early bird pricing is available)
Register today!

Green Building Alliance offers attainable solutions to your every-day green building products quandaries with the GREEN BUILDING PRODUCTS SUMMIT 4.0! Help your company capitalize on the growing green movement.

Featuring:
- Alison Kinn Bennett, US EPA Senior Advisor for Product Sustainability
- Maureen Guttman, Governors Green Government Council
- William Hubbard, Product Liability Litigation and Construction practice groups; Thompson Hine LLP
- Michelle Proehl, Serious Materials
- David Skoloda, Forbo Flooring and Skoloda Sales Group
- Thomas Gray, DRS Architects
- Chris Pastore, Philadelphia University’s Engineering and Design Institute

Resources

Great Outdoors Week gives chance to get out and do something ... for free

We've had the soggiest weeks in memory, but things are looking up for the weekend. If you've been chained to a desk, computer or TV, now's the chance to step outside for the climax of Great Outdoors Week.

Public Comment Period now open for Draft 2040 Long Range Transportation and Development Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission seeks comments from the public regarding important draft documents prior to their adoption:
· 2040 Transportation and Development Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania
· Environmental Justice Benefits and Burdens Assessment for the 2040 Plan
· Air Quality Conformity Determination for the Pittsburgh Transportation Management Area
· Southwestern Pennsylvania Public Transit Human Services Coordinated Transportation Plan Update
The 30-day public comment period for the 2040 Long Range plan began Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 and will conclude on Friday, June 17, at 4:00pm.

The Draft 2040 Long Range Plan documents and related materials will be on display at public meetings for the public to review and ask questions. These meetings will also provide opportunities for public testimony regarding transportation related issues.

SPC encourages your comments. Comments are always welcome at: comments@spcregion.org.

Active Allegheny

Allegheny County recently completed "Active Allegheny," the County’s first comprehensive active transportation plan. It integrates non-vehicular modes of transportation, specifically walking and biking, into the County’s transportation system. Active Allegheny outlines investments toward sustainable improvements for both short- and long-term community benefits.

Get Rich While Reducing Emissions: Smart Growth Keeps Looking Smarter

Excessive travel is more likely to be an economic detriment than a benefit. Ironically, GDP counts as economic productivity many of the counterproductive aspects of motorized travel, such as fuel consumed waiting in traffic jams, oil spills, vehicle repairs and medical treatment resulting from collisions, costs of air pollution, and defense operations to protect U.S. petroleum interests around the world. In fact, many costs of sprawling land use patterns (particularly increased infrastructure) themselves boost GDP figures.

More

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Ozone (O3) Air Quality in Western Pennsylvania in the 2000s

The analyses presented here offer an independent assessment of the air quality in western Pennsylvania as determined by ambient measurements of ozone and fine particulate matter. . . These arguments simply distract people from the unfortunate, indisputable reality for Pittsburgh: Air quality throughout much of the region fails to meet the levels set by the EPA that protect the health of the public with a reasonable margin of safety.

Just released: P32 Community Conversations Report

The Power of 32 (P32), a regional visioning initiative involving tens of thousands of people across 32 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, has released the comprehensive Community Conversations report. This report reflects over 7,000 hours of input from people around the region.

Through its "community conversations," P32 has found people who understand that borders don't have to be barriers. Everyone shares common ideals, ideas, and desires for the future. Whether these community meetings were held in board rooms or fire halls, shelters or colleges, church basements or community centers, the people of this region understand that coming together as a region of 4.2 million people who provide $178 billion in economic output can give more resources to overcome challenges and make a better future.

Six themes or issue areas dominated the discussions at community conversations and are summarized in the Regional Visioning Statements for a Thriving Region by 2025 (page 9 of the report). The broad categories represented are:

Economy
Education
Environment
Governance
People & Communities
Transportation & Infrastructure

Secrets Behind Alcoa's Sustainability Program

Just a year after setting its long-term sustainability targets, Alcoa is on track to meet or outpace several goals. Chief Sustainability Officer Kevin Anton identifies four key elements driving the efforts…

Are you ready for the 2 Mile Challenge?

High gas prices are hitting American families in their wallets and pockets pretty hard these days. But did you know that more than 40 percent of urban trips in the United States are less than two miles, yet 90 percent of those short trips are taken by car?

Many of these trips could easily be taken by public transit, on foot or by bicycle--saving money, helping the environment, and even affording the chance to stay fit all at the same time. At the Department of Transportation, we know these are the kinds of alternatives people are looking for, and we're working to provide transportation options that don't require getting into the car.

That’s why I was pleased to hear about a new competition called the 2 Mile Challenge that demonstrates how many car trips could be replaced by bikes.

Community Transformation Grants - Letter of Intent Deadline: JUNE 3

The purpose of this program is to create healthier communities by 1) building capacity to implement broad evidence and practice-based policy, environmental, programmatic and infrastructure changes, as appropriate, in large counties, and in states, tribes and territories, including in rural and frontier areas and 2) supporting implementation of such interventions in five strategic areas (Strategic Directions) aligning with Healthy People 2020 focus areas and achieving demonstrated progress in the following five performance measures outlined in the Affordable Care Act:

1) changes in weight,
2) changes in proper nutrition,
3) changes in physical activity,
4) changes in tobacco use prevalence, and
5) changes in emotional well being and overall mental health, as well as other program-specific measures.

Full Announcement can be found here.

Inquires may be sent to the following email address: ctg@cdc.gov.

Census finds Pittsburgh is growing younger

She said young people here today are increasingly enthused about Downtown redevelopment and economic opportunities spinning out of the universities and health and technology fields and their collaborations.

Those are the kinds of changes that have Ms. Devanath interested in staying after she completes her medical degree -- the opposite of her own parents' planning.

"I was actually considering leaving," she said, "but one reason I decided to stay was because, at least from my experience as a [student] in the city of Pittsburgh, I really like the opportunities for young people here and now."

Unhealthy neighbourhoods play big role in obesity, diabetes epidemic

A poor diet, high in saturated fat and low on fruits and vegetables, causes excess weight. . . That’s why some medical researchers and health offices are joining forces with urban planners to design neighbourhoods that are more conducive to activity. . . It takes only 30 minutes of walking or moderate exercise, combined with a healthy diet, to cut the risk of diabetes in half. But a walk through a bleak or potentially dangerous neighbourhood is hardly inspiring, especially if the only nearby landmark is a highway. . . Given that health care absorbs 40 per cent of Ontario’s budget, it seems only economically savvy for the provincial Ministry of Health to start funding the radical redesign of inner and outer suburbs. It’s cheaper to plant a row of trees, after all, than to put somebody on dialysis for life.

“Planning for Sustainable Regions: What Would Ike Say?”

But as Eisenhower said, “The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good.” HUD is helping us craft and commit to new ideas–new transportation, housing and employment options, with a particular focus on equitable access to opportunity. These ideas respect what is right with our region and enhance our ability to thrive in a new era characterized by an increasingly complex demographic profile, higher energy and building costs, daunting environmental challenges, and constrained public resources. We can’t simply care about our future, we must act on it, or as Eisenhower said, “As our heart summons our strength, our wisdom must direct it.”

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 ($1,000 and up) in 2011 from:

Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
BNY Mellon
Dollar Bank
FedEx Ground
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Pashek Associates LTD
Pittsburgh Quarterly
PNC Financial Services Group
Port Authority of Allegheny County
UPMC


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