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Events

Resources

Be sure to tune in!

WDUQ to broadcast Smart Growth Keynote this Sunday

On Sunday, June 28 at 6:00 pm, WDUQ (90.5 FM) will broadcast a recording of Doug Farr's keynote speech from the 9th annual southwestern PA Smart Growth Conference, Sustainable Community Essentials: Applying the Policy and Practice.

The Conference was held May 21st at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Douglas Farr, AIA, is 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. Doug's keynote touched upon the importance of applying principles of sustainability on a neighborhood level.

DUQ's website
Conference follow-up information

Resources Continued

Summer Webinar Series Focuses on Marcellus Shale Natural Gas

June 25 - Planning for Community Impacts
July 23 - Water Resources Policy Issues
August 27 - Marcellus Industry Direct Workforce Needs
September 17 - Community Response Options to Marcellus Shale & Energy Development
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
For information about how to register for the webinars, please click here or contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at 570-278-7758.

Beginning June 25, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension will offer a series of monthly online workshops addressing impacts related to the development of Marcellus shale natural gas reserves in Pennsylvania.

Webinar: Reclaiming Foreclosed Properties for Community Benefit

Friday, June 26
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
RSVP
Agenda and Speaker Information
Call in information will be provided in a follow up email to those who RSVP. Email conferencecall@policylink.org if you have further questions.

PolicyLink and Living Cities will release the Reclaiming Foreclosed Properties for Community Benefit tool, which will highlight promising strategies already underway in communities to acquire, care for, and return-to-market foreclosed properties. The call will also feature tips and ideas for meeting the July 17th application deadline for $2 billion in additional Neighborhood Stabilization Program dollars from the federal stimulus package.

Webinar: Equity Opportunities in the new Transportation Authorization Bill

Friday, June 26
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
RSVP
More information
Call in information will be provided in a follow up email to those who RSVP. Email conferencecall@policylink.org if you have further questions.

With the release this week of the 775-page transportation re-authorization bill, the starting gun has officially sounded on the effort to create real transportation reform in America. During the conference call, speakers will break down the equity opportunities in the new transportation authorization bill introduced in Congress this week – which could include billions in funding for low-income communities and communities of color.

Panelists will include:
* Radhika Fox, Federal Policy Director, PolicyLink
* James Corless, Director, Transportation for America
* Laura Barrett, National Policy Director, Transportation Equity Network

Public Health Advocacy Workshop

Wednesday, July 15
9:00 am - 3:30 pm (Sign-in from 8:30 am - 9 am)
Four Points Sheraton, 910 Sheraton Drive, Mars
Registration is free and includes lunch. Space is limited. Register early to reserve your seat.
For more information please contact Rachael Bieltz at bieltzr@edc.pitt.edu or 412-383-2884.
Register online

This workshop will give you the skills and tools to:
- Understand your role as an advocate
- Set advocacy goals
- Utilize public opinion data
- Develop effective messaging
- Develop relationships with local policy makers and media

Trainer: Karen A. Goraleski, VP, Public Health Partnerships, Research!America

Applications have been made for general continuing education units and continuing education credits for medical doctors, health education specialists, and social workers. Credits will be available pending approval.

Home Ownership Finance

Register Now for the Second Course in PCRG’s 4-Part Community Development Finance Training Series
July 20-22, 2009
Location TBD
Regular Tuition: $595/person
501(c)3 Staff: $395/person ($200 discount per person)
PCRG Members: $195/person ($400 discount per person)
All RSVP’s must be received by June 30th. You will receive some pre-program materials to look over in the few weeks leading up to the course.
For questions and to RSVP, contact sstutts@pcrg.org or 412-391-6732 x210.

The Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) has partnered with the National Development Council (NDC) to bring the three-day course “Home Ownership Finance” to Pittsburgh! A part of the Housing Development Certification, this course closely examines the skills required to successfully develop single-family housing that is affordable for low- and moderate-income families. This course will focus on financing affordable single family homes. Topics to be covered include an overview of home ownership development, a look at the development process, financing and deal structuring, qualifying home buyers, income and credit barriers to qualifying, and permanent mortgage programs. This course is intended to be introductory, with no prior knowledge of home ownership deals required.

This course is made possible by funding and support from Citizen’s Bank, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Their support has allowed PCRG to assist neighborhood groups and other non-profit organizations by providing scholarships to attend this valuable program. Scholarships are reflected in the discounted registration fees. You may save an additional 10% when registering two or more people for this training program.

Society for the History of Technology: Annual Meeting

October 15-19, 2009
Pittsburgh Hilton, Downtown
Details

Please join SHOT members this fall in getting to know this beautiful city that technology built and re-built. Consistent with the reality of this revitalized city, the meeting’s themes will be “Reform(ed) Technologies” and “Circulation of Technology.” At a moment when decaying infrastructure is a major topic of public discussion and large promised investment, Pittsburgh looks the right place for historians of technology to reconsider linear tales of innovation or destruction. Some sessions focus on the ways in which technologies are reformed and on the historical development of technologies for reform. Environmental technologies are an obvious topic, but the theme also embraces topics such as urban renewal, new uses of old technologies, and issues of maintenance. Other sessions will deal with the geographical circulation of technology, including models that attend to the relevance of local contexts in accounting for the circulation of technologies on a global scale. Also, this year a new format for the Sunday morning program will encourage our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and associated groups, to organize their own paper sessions, workshops, roundtables, or other events.

Resources

Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets now available

Toward cultivating greater capacity for sustainable practice around Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Sustainable Community Development Network of Sustainable Pittsburgh partnered with leading organizations to produce a new series of Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets and a Rapid Assessment for communities. Released at the 9th annual Smart Growth Conference on May 21, 2009, these resource sheets identify 14 essentials of a sustainable community - from Air Quality to Food Security to Governance - and provide an explanation of each topic and case studies – a perfect tool for community leaders to use as they work to improve their neighborhoods.

1 day left to voice support of American Clean Energy and Security Act

Southwestern Pennsylvania has the opportunity to continue to demonstrate the reasons that it rates highly in renowned publications as a great place to do business and a great place to live. The region’s reputation as a hub of innovation based on a new energy economy continues to grow.

With just 1 day to make our voices heard it’s critical that interested business colleagues take action immediately to insure passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act – ACES, a.k.a. Waxman-Markey Bill. The focus is to bring the voices of business and business people who understand the need to make the transition to the clean renewable energy economy and future. This strategy is a key driver to the renewal of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy. The great challenges confronting us are only surpassed by the enormous opportunities right in front of us. This bill will provide the framework and foundation to build a sustainable and prosperous future for our businesses, economy and society. Please consider taking a few minutes to take action – your business voice, in concert with many others in Southwestern Pennsylvania makes a difference. The opportunity is to motivate local members of U.S. House of Representatives to vote for the bill. The voices of business and business people are absolutely vital right now.

If you and your business interests align with this vision, please visit the New Voice of Business link below and consider taking the actions listed on that page.

Bayer Material Science’s Cool Roofs take the heat off

A Cool Roof reflects up to 95 percent of the sun’s rays, substantially reducing the egg-frying heat on top by 50 to 100 degrees. It also effectively cools urban “heat islands” in the summertime. And the potential is there for road and other surfaces, he says. The roofs are often tax deductible as a sustainable maintenance expense in some states.

Ending on a Green Note: Exploring Green Burials

There's a lot of talk about how to live sustainably, but today some people are talking about how to treat the environment well, even after death. The Allegheny Front's Sarah Rutherford looks into green burials.

More

The Green Revolution(s)

There has been a lot of worthless chatter about what President Barack Obama should say about Iran’s incipient “Green Revolution.” Sorry, but Iranian reformers don’t need our praise. They need the one thing we could do, without firing a shot, that would truly weaken the Iranian theocrats and force them to unshackle their people. What’s that? End our addiction to the oil that funds Iran’s Islamic dictatorship. Launching a real Green Revolution in America would be the best way to support the “Green Revolution” in Iran.

Feds lend Tesla $465 million to build electric car

The Obama Administration will lend Tesla Motors $465 million to build an electric sedan and the battery packs needed to propel it. It's one of three loans totaling almost $8 billion that the Department of Energy awarded Tuesday to spur the development of fuel-efficient vehicles. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is also lending $5.9 billion to Ford to retool factories in five states. Nissan will receive $1.6 billion to refurbish a factory in Tennessee to produce electric cars. The loans are the first awarded under the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program to help automakers offset the cost of retooling to build eco-friendlier cars that are at least 25 percent more fuel-efficient than 2005 models.

Alternative Energy Seen as Fuel for Growth

The development of renewable energy technology like the Equinox uses is the kind of activity that the organizers of the YSU forum hope to see take place in the Mahoning Valley. . .“The purpose is to plug Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley into the green revolution that is coming,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17 Ohio. “We want to make sure that we’re not only doing the best research in the world but also converting that research into advanced manufacturing and opportunities for average people to participate with. … That’s what this is all about -- converting this research into jobs for the middle class in this country.”

Cities And Citizens Try To Reclaim Vacant Blocks

Grassroots strategies to reclaim distressed neighborhoods are taking hold in cities across the country, including Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Fighting to reclaim neighborhoods blighted by blocks of decaying and neglected vacant homes, community groups and governments are working together to buy up lots, tear down buildings, create parks and court business to make neighborhoods safer and more welcoming. . .One initiative gaining a foothold is called Green Up Pittsburgh that converts vacant properties into green space. The city offers horticultural consultants for soil testing and provides funding for initial plantings. A team of city public works employees helps maintain the property along with a corps of volunteers.

What’s Needed Next: A Culture of Candor

Until recently, the yardstick used to evaluate the performance of American corporate leaders was relatively simple: the extent to which they created wealth for investors. But that was then. Now the forces of globalization and technology have conspired to complicate the competitive arena, creating a need for leaders who can manage rapid innovation. Expectations about the corporation’s role in social issues such as environmental degradation, domestic job creation, and even poverty in the developing world have risen sharply as well. And the expedient, short-term thinking that Wall Street rewarded only yesterday has fallen out of fashion in the wake of the latest round of business busts and scandals. It’s clear we need a better way to evaluate business leaders. Moving forward, it appears that the new metric of corporate leadership will be closer to this: the extent to which executives create organizations that are economically, ethically, and socially sustainable.

Limits on Emissions Have Wide Support

Three-quarters of Americans think the federal government should regulate the release into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases from power plants, cars and factories to reduce global warming, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with substantial majority support from Democrats, Republicans and independents.

PA County Commissioners Assn. - Marcellus Shale

Currently, no county, municipal or school tax revenue is derived from oil and gas development. Historically, counties could assess oil and gas reserves for property tax purposes, but in 2002 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that for oil and gas to be assessable, they must be specifically enumerated in assessment law…Counties and municipalities have no direct enforcement capacity through permitting, zoning or other means, so local governments rely on the state to protect the public interest. To improve local coordination, counties suggest that local agencies be notified when drilling activity begins.

Green Prosperity: How Clean-Energy Policies Can Fight Poverty and Raise Living Standards in the United States

The report finds that investments in a clean energy economy can significantly drive down the unemployment rate and provide job opportunities to Americans across all skill and education levels. Through increased employment and lower energy bills and transportation costs, the standard of living for low-income people in particular would rise.

Rep. Mike Doyle pumps up clean-energy bill

While opponents have criticized the legislation, saying it will cost jobs and hurt the economy, a recent Union of Concerned Scientists study said a comprehensive climate and energy policy could save consumers and businesses money through lower local electricity, natural gas, oil and gasoline costs.

Pittsburgh slow to battle for high-speed rail lines

"Imagine being able to take a train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and arrive in less time than it would take you to drive," a PennDOT deputy secretary said yesterday. . .U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, chaired a hearing of the House railroads subcommittee yesterday to hear testimony on the need for better passenger rail service here and elsewhere. "We haven't been part of the discussion up to this point," he said after the session. "We want to get in the game."

KingStat is the King County Executive's performance management program

The purpose of KingStat is to use performance information to inform decision-making in King County. KingStat is designed to use performance information to regularly inform the County Executive about how well Executive branch departments are achieving county goals. Successful organizations rely on performance measurement to inform leadership about whether they are attaining their goals and where improvements can be made.

Call Congress: Transportation bill moving fast!

As you read this, members of Congress are working on the transportation bill, deciding what will stay in and what will get cut. The bill has a lot of what Transportation for America supporters like you have been pushing for, but without any accountability to measure its success or failure, it still falls short. It's a good start, but as the bill stands today, it leaves out something crucial: Clear national priorities. Without over-arching goals and targets - such as lower energy consumption, greater affordability, and expanded access - there's no way to be sure billions of dollars in transportation spending will truly deliver clean, safe and smart transportation.

Text of H.R. 2724: National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009

The purpose of this section is to establish national transportation objectives to provide a 21st century vision for the national surface transportation system and national transportation performance targets to ensure that transportation investments result in a national surface transportation system that meets the needs of the 21st century.

Mon Valley towns atop cancer list

Tom Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action, said the EPA report shows that there are dangerous hot spots of pollution in the county that are unhealthy for residents. "There have been enough reports to make the case that the air in Allegheny County is not healthy," he said. "It is time to stop attacking the reports and roll up our sleeves and clean up the air."

Health community called to fight disparities in care

"There are still people who don't think health disparity exists and feel it is a matter of poor choices and ignorance," said Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, director of the Center for Minority Health. "That argument is no longer on the stage, and evidence is overwhelming. We are in a place now where we can act and know how to make sure resources flow to where the problem exists."

$10 million Climate Showcase Communities Grant Program

EPA requests proposals from local governments, federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, and inter-tribal consortia to create replicable models of sustainable community action, generate cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions, and improve the environmental, economic, public health, and social conditions in a community. A 50 percent cost-share is required for recipients, with the exception of tribal governments and intertribal consortia which are exempt from matching requirements under this grant.

Managers embrace sustainability principles

The campaign to persuade investors and the companies they invest in to take a longer term perspective and pursue sustainable policies has been boosted by the financial crisis. "You can't imagine the number of phone calls I get asking for help in understanding sustainability," says Matt Christensen, director of Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum.

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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
Falk Foundation
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