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Events

Resources

Celebrate and Build Local, Sustainable Markets

Thursday, July 17
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
121 7th Street, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh PA, 15222
(Cool warehouse space between Penn Avenue and Ft. Duquesne Blvd. in the Cultural District--next to Bossa Nova)

Registration Information
- $20 for C4S/ Sustainable Pittsburgh Members
- $25 for non-members
- Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html

Contact: Matthew Mehalik at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

Come celebrate what our local market champions are accomplishing in our community—making the links that are good for business, for our neighborhoods and people, and for the environment. Seven of our region’s entrepreneurs will share their stories of how they are creating value by acting locally and sustainably. They are creators of new products, services, and jobs using innovative strategies for engaging with their neighborhoods and their surroundings.

Stay for opportunities to talk and network with panelists and other business leaders to learn how you can become involved in shaping our region with an emphasis on local markets. Discuss important questions on how you can help transform Pittsburgh through entrepreneurial action, sustainable practices, and support of local businesses.

Enjoy live music from Jim Donovan's Drum the Ecstatic, sample local beverages and food, and craft new networks on the local market scene!

~ Jim Donovan is a founding member of the former Pittsburgh band Rusted Root ~

For more information, click here.

Resources Continued

Tireless Friday

Friday, July 11
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Monongahela River, Braddock, PA
RSVP to Allegheny CleanWays at 412-381-1301 or pacw_ac@hotmail.com

Learning by doing. Learn how cleaning up the region's rivers makes an impact on the lives of residents and visitors. Popular Science and The American Chemistry Council have joined forces to help support the cleanup effort in celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary. After the cleanup, participants will enjoy music by Between Liberties as well as a barbecue (including vegetarian options), cold beverages, and t-shirt giveaways compliments of Popular Science and The American Chemistry Council. A river's edge slide show by artist Bob Johnson of RiverCubes will cap off the evening. Bob will be using the trash that's pulled from the river that evening to create a new cube for display in Braddock. Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and sturdy shoes or boots. Gloves, bags, and other equipment will be provided.

Celebrate and Build Local, Sustainable Markets

Thursday, July 17
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
121 7th Street, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh PA, 15222
(Cool warehouse space between Penn Avenue and Ft. Duquesne Blvd. in the Cultural District--next to Bossa Nova)
Registration Information
- $20 for C4S/ Sustainable Pittsburgh Members; $25 for non-members
- Deadline: July 15, 2008
- Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html
Contact: Matthew Mehalik at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

Come celebrate what our local market champions are accomplishing in our community—making the links that are good for business, for our neighborhoods and people, and for the environment. Seven of our region’s entrepreneurs will share their stories of how they are creating value by acting locally and sustainably. They are creators of new products, services, and jobs using innovative strategies for engaging with their neighborhoods and their surroundings.

Stay for opportunities to talk and network with panelists and other business leaders to learn how you can become involved in shaping our region with an emphasis on local markets. Discuss important questions on how you can help transform Pittsburgh through entrepreneurial action, sustainable practices, and support of local businesses.

Enjoy live music from Jim Donovan's Drum the Ecstatic, sample local beverages and food, and craft new networks on the local market scene!

Jim Donovan is a founding member of the former Pittsburgh band Rusted Root!

PROGRAM
5:30 pm – 6:50 pm -- Panel of local market entrepreneurs and champions
- Andrew Butcher, CEO, GTECH Strategies - Growth through energy and community health
- Danielle Crumrine, Executive Director, Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest - community connections to foster local business
- Janice Donatelli, Owner, ARTEMIS - New markets for high-quality, environmentally responsible, green building products
- David Eason, Owner, Isadore Foods - Supplying local foods from local farms
- Ward Payne, Owner, Simpatico Espresso - Organizing the local coffee trade scene
- Bonnie Siefers, Owner, Jonäno - Fair trade and organic clothing manufacturing
- Keith Somers, MD, Children's Community Pediatrics – GIL - Promoting children’s health and development emphasizing community
6:50 pm - 8:30 pm -- Meet and discuss opportunities for supporting and organizing the region’s local businesses and entrepreneurs with panelists and other businesses

Pittsburgh Triathlon & Adventure Race

Sunday, July 20
Starting Time: 7:00 am (Triathlon); ~ 8:00 am (Adventure Race)
Location: North Shore Riverfront Park (Starting location: Boat ramp near PNC Park)
Details on participating and volunteering

Suzuki Auto presents the 2008 Pittsburgh Triathlon and Adventure Race, benefiting the Friends of the Riverfront. The Triathalon includes a 1500 Meter Swim, ~40K bike ride, ~10K run. The Adventure Race features a 2 Mile Paddle, ~20K bike ride, and ~3.2 mile run.

CNN Series:'Black in America with Soledad O'Brien'

July 23 - 24
9:00 pm both nights
Cable TV - CNN

Did you know that companies in the US have said they would hire a white man with a felony record and no high school education before they would hire a black man with no criminal record and a 4-year degree? This statistic and many others will be revealed during the CNN series, "Black in America with Soledad O'Brien." On Monday the series will focus on Women and Families and Tuesday is dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America. For more information visit, http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/ .

cityLIVE! 10: Getting There ... From Here

Thursday, July 24
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, 15212
RSVP to rsvp@citylivepgh.org
Speakers: Sanjeev Shah, Steven Bland, Chelsa Wagner

Is the auto the most convenient and efficient way to move people around our region? Can new technologies and policies help unite the region and contribute to our urban vitality? Can we use transportation to grow the city, and the region, in the right way?

The Pittsburgh region is ripe for innovation. New technologies present exciting opportunities to move people and goods around more efficiently than ever before. Light rail, extensive riverfront trails, an efficient bus system, car sharing are all heading in the right direction. But that’s just a start. Getting it “right” requires creative planning. Join us for a charged discussion on how to get from here … to there.

As a bonus, because we believe that everyone should have a hand in the planning process, we’ll unveil a project which will allow everyone in the region to have a voice in the role of land use and transportation planning, whether you are an urban planner, environmentalist, architect, policy maker, transportation expert, biker, boater or skater.

"Hard to Recycle” Collection to take place at the Mall at Robinson

Saturday, July 26
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Mall at Robinson (100 Robinson Centre Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15205) – Lower level parking lot near SEARS
Contact: Sarah Alessio at 412-488-7490 ext. 236 or email at saraha@ccicenter.org.

The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) along with the Allegheny County Health Department and The Mall at Robinson will be collecting freon and non-freon appliances, e-waste, televisions, tires without rims, ink and toner cartridges, CFL’s, cell phone, mixed paper, and cardboard. All materials will be recycled and refurbished. There are fees involved for disposing of certain materials. Visit www.prc.org for details.

Bridging Our Past — Connecting Our Future, The National Land Conservation Conference

September 18–21, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA
Details

The Alliance chose Pittsburgh for Rally 2008 because the city has made great strides in poising itself as a green city. Greater Pittsburgh has undergone a dramatic environmental and economic renaissance. It is one of the top three cities in the U.S. for certified green building square footage. The city has evolved by expanding their urban trail system, cleaning up brownfields and planting countless trees. Pittsburgh has pledged to reduce their global warming emissions and has been ranked among the cleanest cities in the world.

Rally offers you four action-packed days of learning and inspiration with “how-to” seminars and workshops, thought-provoking plenary speeches and fun networking—all with the top conservation practitioners in the country! You will also learn how to tap into the Alliance’s many new resources, online trainings, policy campaigns and diversity initiatives. There is no greater central source than Rally for a comprehensive program of modern conservation education and training.

Resources

Bike trail to airport could be reality

The dream of linking the Montour Trail to Pittsburgh International Airport could move closer to reality today. The Allegheny County Airport Authority board will vote whether to allow 4 miles of a 6-mile trail extension from Enlow Road in Imperial onto airport property, connecting the facility with the popular trail system leading to Washington, D.C. The extension -- proposed nearly a decade ago but delayed by post-9/11 security concerns -- could be open to hikers and cyclists by summer 2009, officials said. That could boost the region's growing recreational tourism.

The Island in the Wind

Samsø, which is roughly the size of Nantucket, sits in what’s known as the Kattegat, an arm of the North Sea. . .For the past decade or so, Samsø has been the site of an unlikely social movement. When it began, in the late nineteen-nineties, the island’s forty-three hundred inhabitants had what might be described as a conventional attitude toward energy: as long as it continued to arrive, they weren’t much interested in it… Then, quite deliberately, the residents of the island set about changing this. They formed energy coöperatives and organized seminars on wind power. They removed their furnaces and replaced them with heat pumps. By 2001, fossil-fuel use on Samsø had been cut in half. By 2003, instead of importing electricity, the island was exporting it, and by 2005 it was producing from renewable sources more energy than it was using.

More

While it might be chic, being green doesn't come cheap

To go green or to save green is the dilemma many consumers face as the price of everything from petroleum to produce is on the rise. . .Tom Galda, 66, of Point Breeze regularly buys compact florescent or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs even though one bulb is twice the price of a six-pack of traditional incandescent bulbs. "I started using them more for the money savings," he said last week in the East Liberty Home Depot. "You can save that much in a year," he said, pointing to a $5 price tag on an LED night light bulb. "A lot of people don't understand that."

Green Industry Hub Rises From Rust Belt Ruins

Here's a question that may never have occurred to you: Can a region of the Rust Belt become an eco-showcase, a model that could be exported around the country, even globally? Can going green, that is, become a new American way to prosper, even confer a competitive edge in the global economy? Paul Solman reports on innovators who are making the Pittsburgh region an eco-showcase of the benefits of going green and bringing new hope to the economically depressed Rust Belt region.

Sunday Forum: Five reasons to love $4 gas

Sure, it's ruining the global economy and making everyone miserable, but FOREIGN POLICY magazine explains some underappreciated upsides to the high price of oil

Cities Near Beijing Close Factories to Improve Air for Olympics

With Beijing struggling to clear polluted skies before the Olympics in August, the nearby industrial port of Tianjin has ordered 40 factories to suspend some operations for two months as part of a broader effort to improve air quality during the Games, state news media reported.

36 hours in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has undergone a striking renaissance from a down-and-out smokestack to a gleaming cultural oasis. But old stereotypes die hard, and Pittsburgh probably doesn’t make many people’s short list for a cosmopolitan getaway. Too bad, because this city of 89 distinct neighborhoods is a cool and — dare I say, hip—city. There are great restaurants, excellent shopping, breakthrough galleries and prestigious museums. The convergence of three rivers and surrounding green hills also make it a surprisingly pretty urban setting. And if the Pirates are in town, head over to PNC Park. Besides the game, the ballpark offers a great excuse to explore downtown Pittsburgh and the river views.

Commuter rail idea stands ready to take off, but a steady state funding stream is missing

With gasoline prices in record territory and no hint of relief, the need to begin expanding and improving central Pennsylvania's mass transportation options could not be more obvious. We're a growing area. That growth would be manifestly more environmentally sustainable and energy efficient if the region were to begin making the most of its existing railroad presence and establish commuter rail as an attractive and affordable option.

U.S. Conference of Mayors Support Sustainable Investment Initiative

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has signed a joint resolution to "support the Capital Markets Partnership's Sustainable Investment Initiative to generate market investment in high performance green buildings through Sustainable Mortgage Backed Securities that will stimulate the economy and combat climate change." They also, "...encourage additional public-private partnerships to increase market investment in environmental innovation and climate protection."

A smoky old town: We can two-wheel our way to a cleaner, healthier Pittsburgh

The benefits of cycling do not stop with saving gas. Not even accounting for rising fuel prices, the cost of operating a standard-sized car for one year is nearly $8,000, according to AAA. The cost of operating a bicycle for a year is less than $150, estimates the League of American Cyclists. The light to moderate physical activity offered by cycling helps to improve mental health, reduce stress and lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease, which, in turn, help to lower health-care costs.

Americans Demand More and Better Options

Longer term, we have to keep pace with demands for public transit, and give this country a reason to be proud of its high-speed trains, light-rail lines, and both rapid and conventional bus transit. We need to make more of our streets safe and convenient for walking and biking to work, school, shops and transit stops. We have to create incentives for developers to invest in our close-in suburbs and urban centers, to meet the huge demand for affordable homes in convenient locations. Americans are not dumb: We would much rather invest in well-located real estate than in gasoline.

America's Most Fuel-Efficient Neighborhoods

Owning a home in walkable neighborhoods saves residents $300 to $400 a month, up to $4,800 a year, on gas expenses alone, according to research by the Congress for the New Urbanism. Kicking the car habit yields larger consequences: Traffic congestion sucked $78 billion from the economy in 2005, added 4.2 billion hours in commuter time, and wasted almost 3 billion gallons of gasoline, according to a 2007 Urban Mobility Report by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Baby steps for a 'sustainable' county

The state of the economy, including rising fuel prices, and county sprawl have made creating sustainable communities imperative, the mayor said. "We're running out of land, we're running out of fuel, we're running out of clean air," Wharton said. "Sustainability means how can we stay here."

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

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

Sustainable Pittsburgh benefits from support in 2008 from:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
The Giant Eagle Foundation
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