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Events

There's still time left to celebrate

Great Outdoors Week 2010!

Today is National Bike to Work Day (a signature event of Great Outdoors Week) and also happens to be the first day of Bike Pittsburgh's Car Free Fridays 2010! Riding to work is easy, and it's even more fun when you bring some friends along!

Car Free Fridays encourages Pittsburghers to explore the positive benefits of alternative forms of transit, including biking, walking, public transportation, ride sharing and car sharing. In May, the focus of Car Free Fridays has been in Mount Lebanon. BikePGH presented a Bike Commuting forum at Aldo Coffee earlier in the month and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will host a walking tour on May 29th. Today is the main event when everyone from around the region is invited to Mount Lebanon car free. Economic Development Officer Eric Milliron has worked hard recruiting local businesses to provide special offers to anyone who agrees to sign up and go car free for the day. The voucher includes discounts to Mount Lebanon, Downtown, and Oakland businesses. Eric has also booked the band City Dwelling Nature Seekers to jam at Clearview Common, nestled right in the middle of the business district from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Discount vouchers will be available there.

The next big Great Outdoors Week event this weekend is the 10th Annual Venture Outdoors Festival on Saturday, May 22. This FREE Festival will showcase the best recreation opportunities in the region from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Point State Park and the Mon Wharf.

Scale the climbing wall, fish the waters of the Mon Wharf, try your hand at kayaking or dragon boating, enjoy a mind-and-body centering yoga session, a bike ride, or race your friends through the outdoor obstacle course.

New to the festival this year-a bicycle rodeo by Velomuse and mini I Made It Market! Plus catch a free ride from The Park to the Mon Wharf in a Green Gears Pedicab.

For more information about National Bike to Work Day/Car Free Fridays, the Venture Outdoors Festival, and other Great Outdoors Week events, visit www.wallsarebad.com. Great Outdoors Week is an official part of the Pittsburgh World Environment Day celebration. To learn more about Pittsburgh World Environment Day and the many events planned now through June 5, please visit www.pittsburghwed.com.

Resources

Great Outdoors Week ends Sunday, but the outdoor fun doesn't stop there!

9th Annual Great Outdoors Week
May 14 - 23, 2010
Various times and locations throughout southwestern PA
Visit www.wallsarebad.com for more information.

A celebration of the outdoors, the 9th annual Great Outdoors Week highlights the many outdoor amenities available in Southwestern Pennsylvania — rivers, greenways, parks, trails, and much more. New this year is the recognition of Great Outdoors Week as part of the official World Environment Day (WED) - Pittsburgh celebration. During Great Outdoors Week, numerous activities are available for the sampling, including cycling, hiking, paddling, and bird watching-—all hosted by local outdoor groups in the region. Today is National Bike to Work Day (5/21) and the 10th Annual Venture Outdoors Festival is on Saturday, May 22--two signature events of Great Outdoors Week.

But never fear--if you're unable to participate in Great Outdoors Week, there are always events scheduled throughout the year. That's what makes the Pittsburgh region such a great hotspot for outdoor recreation. Visit www.wallsarebad.com to see the activities calendar and learn more about outdoor groups, events, and destinations in southwestern Pennsylvania.

REGISTER NOW!
Water Matters! Global Water Conference

A World Environment Day key event serving to raise awareness of the importance of water and its interconnectedness with biodiversity.

Thursday, June 3
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh
For sponsorship opportunities, email cgould@sustainablepittsburgh.org.
To be an exhibitor, email sue@mcmahon-cardillo.com.
Registration is now open. For more details visit the Conference Web site.

The United Nations Environment Programme appointed Pittsburgh as North America's Host City for World Environment Day 2010. Plan to attend this remarkable, milestone for the region, Water Matters! Global Water Conference.

This conference will be a milestone for our region in establishing water as imperative to prosperity--life, health, recreation, industry, competitiveness. Water Matters! will galvanize the region to address water challenges and opportunities and be a leader in providing sustainable water solutions for the world.

Open to the public and intended for all audiences. Conference will conclude with a networking reception and exhibition providing hands-on activities and displays.

Come be part of a remarkable, eye-opening exploration of the ways Water Matters!

Partial list of presenters:
- David Ainsworth, United Nations Convention on Biodiversity
- Roberta Bowman, Duke Energy
- Herb Buxton, US Geological Survey
- Marla Cone, Environmental Health News
- Don Correll, American Water
- Marc Edwards, Virginia Tech
- Julie Eilperin, The Washington Post
- Amy Fraenkel, UNEP Regional Office for North America
- Kate Jackson, Westinghouse Electric Company
- Greg Koch, Global Water Stewardship Program, The Coca-Cola Company
- Mike Magee, healthy-waters.org
- Rich Meeusen, Badger Meter Co. and Milwaukee 7 Water Council
- Carl Safina, PhD, Blue Ocean Institute

Presented by the Pittsburgh World Environment Day Partnership
In Collaboration with: United Nations Environment Programme
Conference Sponsors:
Bayer Corporation
LANXESS
UPMC
Calgon Carbon Corporation
Steinbrenner Institute, Carnegie Mellon

SIGN UP NOW! Paddle at the Point: Kayak and Canoe World Record Attempt

A World Environment Day key event serving to raise awareness of the importance of water and its interconnectedness with biodiversity.

Saturday, June 5
Email worldrecord@ventureoutdoors.org or visit www.paddleatthepoint.com for more information and updates.

Bring your boat down to Pittsburgh’s North Shore on Saturday, June 5th and help break the World Record for largest flotilla of kayaks and canoes. Venture Outdoors is organizing this event in celebration of World Environment Day on June 5th. Groups, individuals and clubs welcome! The record is currently held by the Inlet Area Businesses Association in upstate New York and it will take 1,105 kayaks and canoes for Pittsburgh to set the new world record.

Smart Transportation and The Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative
Southwestern Pennsylvania Project Review

Thursday, June 10
9:30 am - 11:30 am
31st Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Ave., downtown Pittsburgh
RSVP to gervin@10000friends.org or (412)471-3727 x16

Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative (PCTI), a $60 million PennDOT pilot program, provides resources to communities to help implement Smart Transportation and improve linkages between community and transportation investments.

In the spring of 2009, PennDOT selected fifty diverse projects to receive PCTI funding. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, eight projects were selected totaling $11.7 million in investment for the region.

Come learn of the ways PCTI is serving as a catalyst. Overview of the SWPA projects will be provided followed by a panel of regional leaders.

Be part of the discussion on opportunities and challenges and explore opportunities for future PCTI development toward strengthening connections between community and transportation investment.

Presented by: 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, and Sustainable Pittsburgh

Regional Forum - "In the Public Interest? An Assessment of the Geographical Distribution of Pennsylvania Business Subsidies"

Monday, June 14
10:00 am - Noon, followed by luncheon strategy session 12:00 - 1:00 pm
31st Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh
No fee to attend. Seating is limited.
RSVP to: Lori Butler at (412) 258-6642 or lbutler@sustainablepittsburgh.org
Specify if you will attend (A) Forum or (B) Forum and lunch strategy session
Presented by: Keystone Research Center and Sustainable Pittsburgh

In these difficult economic times each dollar the state spends on economic development needs to be invested wisely. There's not enough to go around. The hard choices necessary call for smart strategies and sharp targeting of state money.

Do we have confidence that taxpayer funds for economic development are invested where we will get the most impact?
Or are state investments merely displacing private dollars that would have gone to those projects?
Are we using business subsidies to jump start smart growth and sustainable development?
What are the stakes for emerging regional approaches to boost older communities and target corridors?
What lessons have we learned from our decades of economic development experience that will be a guide for our next Governor?

Steve Herzenberg, economist and Executive Director of Keystone Research Center (KRC) will share insights about KRC's latest work to demystify patterns in geographical distribution of state spending for economic development - with a focus on the Pittsburgh region. Be part of the dialogue and agenda setting for steering investments in step with our region's emerging planning and programming for sustainable development.

Panel discussion featuring:
Moderator: Jerry Paytas, GSP Consulting
Jerry Andree, Cranberry Township
Lynn DeLorenzo, NAIOP
Eric Montartdi, The Allegheny Institute
Ron Peters, The Metro-Urban Institute of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

This community forum will be climate neutral thru purchase of carbon offsets via www.nativeenergy.com/sp

Recycling Drop off at Whole Foods Market

Saturday, May 22
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Whole Foods Market, 5880 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
For more information, call Sarah from PA Resources Council at (412) 488-7490 ext. 236 or Kim from Whole Foods Market at (412) 441-7960 or visit www.prc.org.

Did you know that Americans throw away about 4.6 pounds of trash EACH DAY? However, a large amount of those common everyday items that we throw away can be reused or recycled.

In order to help the public do their part to recycle, Whole Foods Market and the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), are teaming up with the City of Pittsburgh and Abitibi to provide individuals with the opportunity to easily recycle a number of common household items and do their grocery shopping all in one trip. The public will be able to recycle the following materials: CFLs, Alkaline Batteries, Ink & Toner Cartridges, Cell Phones, Wine Bottle Corks, Brita water pitcher filters, clean #5 plastics (i.e. yogurt containers), and paper products (including: office paper, junk mail, newspaper, cardboard, paperboard, magazines, catalogs). Brita water pitcher filters should be dry and wrapped in a plastic bag to recycle.

Paper products should be sorted in the following categories:
§ Office paper, junk mail, newspaper, magazines, and catalogs
§ Phone books
§ Hardback books
§ Cardboard and Paperboard

All items are free of charge to recycle and by recycling certain materials the public will help to support a handful of local organizations. Representatives from PRC will be on hand during the collection to answer questions about recycling.

“Neighborhoods Weathering the Storm Together”

Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group annual meeting and awards ceremony
Wednesday, May 26
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
August Wilson Center for African American Culture, 980 Liberty Ave, downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: $35 for non-members; $25 for PCRG members and partners
Note: PCRG member organizations each receive 4 free tickets
Please RSVP by May 19th to: Emily J. Anderson, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (412) 391-6732 x207 or eanderson@pcrg.org

“Neighborhoods Weathering the Storm Together” celebrates the accomplishments of PCRG member organizations and serves as a thank you to partners for their continued commitment to neighborhood stabilization, reinvestment, and revitalization. John Taylor, President and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, will be the keynote speaker for the evening. Mr. Taylor is a Presidential Appointee to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and has testified numerous times before Congress. For more information on John Taylor, click here.

Awards will be given to community organizations who are working on innovative projects to improve Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. A volunteer who has shown continued commitment to his or her community will be honored with the Neighborhood Leader Award in memory of late Mayor Bob O’Connor.

Building Community Connections

A film screening and community/civic engagement dialogue and program about revitalizing core communities
Thursday, May 27
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
WQED Studios, 4802 Fifth Ave, Oakland
RSVP by May 25th to WQED at (412) 622-1514
Seating is limited; light dinner will be provided

The evening includes a short film screening of The New Metropolis, a two-part documentary film series by award-winning producer, Andrea Torrice, about the challenges faced by America’s first suburbs: a dwindling tax base, population decline, business loss, decaying infrastructure and racial tensions. Then join in a facilitated discussion on:
• how the issues raised in the film reflect the Pittsburgh region
• steps to take to address them
• potential for regional cooperation
• how to create a common agenda that extends across Pittsburgh’s communities.

This event is part of a national civic engagement dialogue series on revitalizing older communities, made possible in Pittsburgh through the generosity of the Surdna Foundation and The Pittsburgh Foundation. It is also part of a month of special urban-focused programming on WQED-TV. Go to wqed.org for more information on programs and other events and how you can participate.

Presented by: WQED, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, CONNECT, Congress of Neighboring Communities, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG), Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development(PPND), Sustainable Pittsburgh, Good Schools PA, The Center for Deliberative Democracy, Coro Center for Civic Leadership and Torrice Productions.

Rachel Carson Celebration of Biodiversity with E.O. Wilson

Thursday, May 27
1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Oakland
Contact: Fiona Fisher at (724) 274- 5459 or fiona@rachelcarsonhomestead.org
Register

As part of the United Nations World Environment Day celebration in North America, the Rachel Carson Celebration of Biodiversity Symposium will focus on the human impact on biodiversity. Featuring E.O. Wilson as keynote speaker and including a panel of experts, people can begin with an initial visioning for a New American Dream that is environmentally sustainable, developed by participants in this event--a roadmap that will address the effect people have on the environment, and the critical inter-relationships between human habitat and the quality of life for generations to come.

There will be a special reception after the symposium at which E.O. Wilson will be presented with the Rachel Carson Legacy Award, which recognizes and honors people who have made significant impact on the application of Rachel Carson's principles to modern public policy issues that interface the environment. Wilson is a two-time Pulitzer prize winner, world-renowned entomologist and one of the scientists who provided research data to Rachel Carson while she was writing Silent Spring.

The Bottom Line: Why the Environment Matters to the Economy

Featuring Dr. Mitch Small, professor of environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
Sunday, May 30
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jewish Community Center, 5738 Forbes Avenue, Squirrel Hill
RSVP to Liz Roberts at lroberts@ujfpittsburgh.orgor (412) 992-5214. For more information, visit www.ujfpittsburgh.org/environment or call (412) 992-5234.

Professor Mitchell Small, one of the nation's most-respected environmental experts, will describe research into the economic benefits of natural assets such as clean air, water, erosion control, and flood protection. And he'll spell out the consequences of damaging or destroying ecosystems. Elements of Jewish teaching will be applied to issues such as coral reefs protection, mountaintop mining, riverfront open space, and energy conservation.

Presented by: The Environmental Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Co-sponsored by: Jewish National Fund, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, Rodef Shalom Congregation, Congregation Dor Hadash, Tikkun Olam Center for Social Justice of Temple Sinai, and Young Israel of Greater Pittsburgh.

Beyond Mutual Aid: Intergovernmental Cooperation, Public Safety & Homeland Security

2010 Road to Excellence Conference
Tuesday, June 1
9:00 am — 3:00 pm (Registration opens at 8:30 am)
Sheraton Station Square
Pre-registration required. Register online at www.localgovernmentacademy.org or by calling (412) 237-3171.

Police, fire and emergency response systems are among the most valuable services provided by local governments. As these services become more costly, intergovernmental approaches are increasingly necessary to maintain levels of service. The 2010 Road to Excellence Conference will focus on various aspects of Public Safety Intergovernmental Cooperation at the local, state and federal levels.

Conference Topics:
- Status of Public Safety Intergovernmental Cooperation in Pennsylvania
- Building & Valuing Professionalism in Public Safety Services
- Federal, State & Local: A System-Wide Examination of the Relationship Between Local Public Safety Services, the Justice System & Homeland Security
- Making the Case: Why Local Law Enforcement Services are Critical to our Region’s Long-Term Economic Well-Being
- LGA Intergovernmental Consensus & Conflict Resolution Program

Speakers Include:
- The Honorable Dan Onorato, Allegheny County Executive
- Ron Stern, Local Government Policy Specialist, DCED Governor’s Center for Local Government Services
- Robert Full, Director, Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services
- Frederick Thieman, President, the Buhl Foundation and former US Attorney
- James F. Powers, Jr., Director, Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security
- Ed Mann, State Fire Commissioner
- John F. Baujan, Chief, Stroud Area Regional Police Department

*Additional speakers being added. Check www.localgovernmentacademy.org for the most up-to-date information.

Public meetings scheduled on development plans in Carnegie and Sheraden

Sheraden, City of Pittsburgh
Wednesday, June 2
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Sheraden Senior Center, 720 Sherwood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15204

Carnegie Borough
Thursday, June 3
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Carnegie Borough Building, Council Meeting Room, One Veterans Way, Carnegie, PA 15106
More information
Contact Ann Ogoreuc at URS Corporation at (412) 503-4583 or ann_ogoreuc@urscorp.com.

Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), in cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning and Carnegie Borough, are pleased to announce exciting opportunities to provide input in the development of transit-oriented community development plans in two West Busway communities – Carnegie Borough and the Sheraden neighborhood in the City of Pittsburgh. The purpose of the meetings, open to the public, is to present preliminary development concepts for the areas around these two West Busway stations (only the station at the meeting location will be addressed during each meeting). The concepts are based on background information and analysis compiled during the planning process and ideas generated by participants at the station-area visioning workshops held in March 2010.

The public meetings are a part of the West Busway Area Transit-Oriented Development Assessment and Plan. This planning study is an exciting project to develop a vision for transit-oriented development (TOD) at stops and stations along the West Busway corridor.

Transit service to the Sheraden location is available via Port Authority routes G1, G2, 26A, and 26D. Transit service to the Carnegie location is available via Port Authority Route G1. For more transit information, visit www.portauthority.org, or call (412) 442-2000.

Race in America: Restructuring Inequality

June 3–6, 2010
University of Pittsburgh, Oakland
Fees vary.
Conference brochure
More information

The University of Pittsburgh has set the stage for a solution-focused dialogue on race, one that will bring together some of the best minds on this important subject. Pitt’s School of Social Work and the school's Center on Race and Social Problems will host Race in America: Restructuring Inequality, a national conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

"Times of challenge provide the opportunity to create change. As the nation continues its efforts to recover from an economic downturn, there has never been a better time to re-examine and correct racial inequalities in American society. It is our intent to make this the best conference ever on race in America. More importantly, it is our goal to make it the most useful one."

—Larry E. Davis, dean of the School of Social Work and Donald M. Henderson Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Who should attend?
* Academic researchers
* Community leaders and organizers
* Community members
* Economists
* Educators
* Health care professionals
* Law professionals
* Policy makers
* Psychologists
* Social workers
* Sociologists

Be a part of this dialogue on race and how it relates to every facet of society – from the economy, to families, to the criminal justice system.

"Gasland"
Will the boom in natural gas drilling contaminate America's water supply?

Saturday, June 5
7:00 pm (doors open at 6)
Byham Theater (at approximately 6th and Fort Duquesne Blvd.)
www.gaslandthemovie.com

Following the award winning documentary film will be a panel discussion facilitated by the filmmaker Josh Fox. The panel will include Myron Arnowitt (Clean Water Action); John Stoltz (Duquesne University); Dave Levdansky (State House Rep); Ned Mulcahy (Three Rivers Waterkeeper) and Dan Volz (Center for Healthy Environments and Communities). When filmmaker Josh Fox discovers that Natural Gas drilling is coming to his area—the Catskillls/Poconos region of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, he sets off on a 24 state journey to uncover the deep consequences of the United States’ natural gas drilling boom. What he uncovers is truly shocking-—water that can be lit on fire right out of the sink, chronically ill residents of drilling areas from disparate locations in the US all with the same mysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation well blowouts and huge gas explosions consistently covered up by state and federal regulatory agencies. These are just a few of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Sponsored by Clean Water Action.

greenSCENE
A Celebration of Firsts

Thursday, June 10
5:30 pm
Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Strip District
Cost: $55
Contact: Mike Embrescia
Flyer

Q: What do the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Senator John Heinz History Center, WYEP radio station and many other local buildings have in common?
A: They are all green building “firsts” in the U.S…and we’re going to throw them a party!

Join the Green Building Alliance for a grand celebration of green “firsts” that recently welcomed the world! Proceeds support Larimer's efforts to become the first green neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

SAVE THE DATE: 10th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities Conference

February 3-5, 2011 - Charlotte, NC

Today, more than ever, society is faced with environmental and economic challenges that will define this generation, shape the future, and test people's resilience as cities, regions, states and as a nation. Join leaders from across the U.S. in tackling these challenges head-on and demonstrating smart growth solutions that will reduce dependence on foreign oil, create a green economy, assure a healthy population, and expand transportation and housing options for all Americans.

The program will kick off on Thursday morning and continue through Saturday afternoon and includes a dynamic mix of plenaries, breakouts, implementation workshops, specialized trainings, and coordinated networking activities. Exciting tours of local model projects from Charlotte, NC and surrounding cities will be featured. There will be something for everybody, from veteran experts to smart-growth novices, with nearly 90 sessions and workshops. Learn from hundreds of speakers who cross disciplines to share insights, and valuable tools and strategies for making smart growth a success in your community. Plan to join New Partners for Smart Growth, and others, from across the U.S. next February for the smart growth event of the year! Visit www.NewPartners.org to get more details.

Resources

Welcome to the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s first Green Newsletter!

On April 27, 2010, the Green/Sustainable Initiatives Committee of the YMCA will be celebrating its one year anniversary and would like to share all that has been accomplished towards reaching its goal of creating a more sustainable association. Over the past year, the Green Committee has worked closely with Sustainable Pittsburgh in assessing the YMCA, as a whole and on a branch level, in areas where the association can reuse, reduce, recycle and overall become more “green”. Also, Sustainability Champions have been elected to work more closely with the branches to meet the diverse needs each location inherits. Throughout this newsletter and in the more to come, there will be opportunity to get to know these area champions and learn how they can help you! The Committee thanks the many of you who have been involved in this assessment and appreciates all of your hard work.

Power of 32 Needs your Help!

Power of 32, a regional visioning initiative that will involve tens of thousands of people across 32 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in creating a shared vision for the region's future, needs you!

How you can help:
• Volunteer to facilitate a Community Conversation. Across the 32 counties, residents will gather around tables to review information about the region and brainstorm on the assets, challenges, and opportunities that you think are most important for our future. Power of 32 needs your help to make these gatherings a success. Fill out an application online to become a facilitator by clicking here.
• Voice your Vision today by completing a brief, 10-question online survey. It will only take a minute of your time, but will help this region for years to come. Click here to complete the survey.
• Get your organization involved! Don’t miss out on the conversation. Contact Jessica Zembower at jlzembower@gmail.com if your organization would like to host a conversation or partner with Power of 32 to create a shared vision within the region that is truly inclusive.

For more information about Power of 32, go to www.powerof32.org.

History enriches region, presevation group says

"It's been a long road. ... To take a decrepit, old eyesore that people wanted to see torn down for a parking lot and turn it into a viable building," said Ron Carter, president and executive director of The Strand Theater Initiative. . . From 2004-09, historic preservation projects in nine counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania resulted in an overall investment of $475 million that generated more than $65 million in annual taxes, the report said. "We're trying to send a message that this is good public policy," Holland said. "We're trying to build momentum. There are a lot of areas not participating in preservation. Tons of buildings are being torn down."

More

Struggling Neighborhoods: Time To Think Big About Small-Scale Solutions

Comprehensive community development, in the words of Julia Stasch, vice president of the MacArthur Foundation, has “put the nail in the coffin of addressing one issue at a time, or ignoring context.” But, she added, can it connect realistically to the newfound focus on entire metro regions as the nexus of the country’s competitiveness? And can it link up in a meaningful way with both the mission of the White House Office of Urban Affairs and the widely heralded new effort of several federal departments to coordinate their grassroots operations for sustainability and livability?

Planners Unite - Press Release

Planners Unite has formed to reestablish state recognition of the importance of land use planning in Pennsylvania. The organization hopes to build legislative support to restore funding for the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program (LUPTAP). This vital state program was cut by 90% from $4 million to less than $400,000. LUPTAP, administered by the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services (Center), is the single program in state government with a direct mandate to provide financial and technical assistance in the area of community and land use planning. . .Community planning is an essential function of local government and necessary to prepare strategies for community and economic development, land use, transportation, conservation, and infrastructure; and to undertake improvements in a coordinated manner and deal with issues cooperatively across municipal boundaries.

The Metro Moment

The 21st century calls for overhauling the bloated networks of metropolitan governments. How to restore order to local chaos.

Finally, and this may be the most important finding in the current environment, metropolitan fragmentation exerts a negative impact on competitiveness and weakens long-term regional performance. This is partly because the sprawl and decentralization that naturally follows fragmentation weakens the downtown cores that attract young workers and foster greater access to ideas and technologies.

Pittsburgh researchers look for better ways to treat gas drilling wastewater

Drilling uses a tremendous amount of water, an estimated three to five million gallons per well. While some companies are committed to recycling the flowback, there is no consensus on the best way to go about it. Concerns abound regarding the risk of potentially toxic chemicals flowing into the water table as a result of gas drilling.

U.S. reports urge a price on climate emissions

The best way to curb global warming is to put a price on climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions, according to a trio of reports from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released on Wednesday. In blunt language at odds with the unwieldy climate change debate in the U.S. Congress, the academy said: "A carbon-pricing system is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions. Either cap-and-trade, a system of taxing emissions, or a combination of the two could provide the needed incentives."

The State of Metropolitan America Report, Revitalizing America's Distressed Cities, and Creating Banks for Transportation Funds

The State of Metropolitan America is a signature effort of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program that portrays the demographic and social trends shaping the nation’s essential economic and societal units—-its large metropolitan areas-—and discusses what they imply for public policies to secure prosperity for these places and their populations. The report's online package includes an interactive map and video commentary from co-authors Alan Berube, William H. Frey and Audrey Singer.

Pittsburgh Cohousing Group seeks suitable location for net-zero energy project

On June 5, World Environment Day, the first net-zero energy house in Pittsburgh will be opened. The Pittsburgh Cohousing Group hopes it will not be the only one. The Pittsburgh Cohousing Group is a group of people who want to live in closer community with each other and with the natural world. The group's love of life and all living beings is prompting them to go a step further to seek ultra-energy efficient or net-zero housing by using the newest insulation and renewable-energy technology. Ultra-energy efficient houses provide a high level of comfort (no draft, good noise insulation) and save money in the long run. Currently the Pittsburgh Cohousing Group is looking for a suitable location for its project in Pittsburgh and hopes to be able to break ground soon. Interested people are always welcome to join the group! The group's vision is to build a community devoted to environmental stewardship, which will be one of its kind in Pittsburgh today, but hopefully become a model of a lifestyle that will be embraced by many people in the future.

More information is available from websites created by people from The Pittsburgh Cohousing Group:

Women's Health & the Environment Conference videos now online

Don't know what you did with those conference notes? Wish you could see a speaker's presentation just one more time? Couldn't make the conference because of a last-minute conflict?

Videos are now posted at the Women's Health & the Environment web site. Click on the multimedia tab, and you'll find an easy-to-use listing of videos that corresponds to each conference speaker. You'll even find links to speaker PowerPoint presentations.

EPA finalizing emissions rule that would lessen impact on small businesses

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it is finalizing a rule aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from the largest emitters in the United States, a proposal that would soften the regulation's impact on small businesses but is sure to face a court challenge. The decision is significant because it shows the Obama administration's determination to move ahead with regulating carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, even as the prospects of enacting climate legislation this year appear uncertain. The new rule would cover 67 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources such as power plants and oil refineries, the EPA estimates, and in its first year would translate into 900 permits for both new sources and modifications to existing sources of global warming pollution. Those emitters would have to prove they are using the best technology to minimize their greenhouse gas output.

Global warming blamed for pattern of lizard deaths

When it comes to the hazards of global warming, it may turn out that lizards in burrows are the canaries in the coal mine. In a study to be published Friday in the journal Science, an international team of biologists reports that in more than one-tenth of the places in Mexico where lizards flourished in 1975, the reptiles now cannot be found. The researchers predict that by 2080, about 40 percent of local lizard populations worldwide will have died off and 20 percent of lizard species will be extinct.

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 2010 from:

Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Atkins Family Foundation
BNY Mellon
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
FedEx Ground
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
UPMC
Waste Management


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