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Events

Resources

Sustainability and Smart Growth Forums: July 25 and August 2

Please join us for these two great events

"Corridor Planning: Lessons from the Route 30 Master Plan"
Wednesday, July 25
11:30 am - 1 pm
23rd Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Ave.
Fetterolf Room
Pittsburgh (downtown)
Bring a brown bag lunch - beverages and dessert provided
No fee to attend.
Register: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Hosted by: Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh

The Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County (SGPWC) has initiated a collaborative corridor planning process to create a vision and plan for a 40-mile stretch of the historic “Lincoln Highway”. This section of Route 30 connects the historic small cities and growing suburbs east of Pittsburgh to the scenic Laurel Highlands. When complete, the Route 30 Master Plan will become a strategic blueprint for Westmoreland County’s economic growth corridor. Learn how this corridor plan is utilizing sound transportation and land use planning approaches to develop cost-conscious investment priorities, intelligent strategies for congestion management and multi-municipal development regulations and design guidelines.

Attend this program to learn about the corridor planning process including: how the process got started and how it’s progressing; getting stakeholders on board; providing public participation opportunities; and keeping the momentum going.

Speakers: Alex Graziani – Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County
Phil Light, Westmoreland County Commissioner
Carla Santoro, Baker Engineering
Allen Cohen, Pashek Associates

"A Climate Change Roadmap for Pennsylvania"
Thursday, August 2
11:30 am - 1 pm
23rd Floor, Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Ave.
Fetterolf Room
Pittsburgh (downtown)
Bring a brown bag lunch - beverages and dessert provided
No fee to attend.
Register: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Hosted by: Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Sustainable Pittsburgh

Governor Rendell and the General Assembly are actively working on legislation and regulatory proposals concerning alternative energy generation, biofuel development, and energy efficiency. These proposals have tremendous implications for the future of our environment, our economy, and our quality of life. Equally important, these proposals represent a collective step toward addressing the challenge of climate change in Pennsylvania.

In June the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) released its Climate Change Roadmap for Pennsylvania – a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth, as well as an up-to-date inventory of existing emissions. Currently our state generates approximately 1% of the worldwide total of greenhouse gases, placing us alongside the top 25 emitting nations in the world. Brian Hill and John Walliser from PEC will present the findings of the Roadmap and facilitate a discussion on its relation to the many policy proposals circulating in Harrisburg. 

The forums are sponsored by:

Resources Continued

Green Drinks - Host: Growth Through Energy & Community Health (GTECH)

5 - 9 pm
Friday, July 20
Bossa Nova: 123 Seventh Ave.
Downtown Pittsburgh
Learn more about Green Drinks
Learn more about GTECH

This month's host, Growth Through Energy & Community Health (GTECH), is an early stage social enterprise designed to reclaim blighted and underutilized urban land through the growth of re-mediating, bio-energy producing plants while serving to create a "Green Job" platform. As a three-pronged community development strategy aimed at land reclamation, biofuel feedstock production, and job creation, GTECH strategies serve as bridge from urban vacancy to value.This approach is based on the premise that proactive, holistic strategies have the ability to capture unrealized market potential.

DiverseCITY Pittsburgh Festival

August 16 - 19
PNC Firstside Park - Grant Street & First Avenue
Pittsburgh (Downtown)
Info: diversecitypittsburgh.org

The inaugural DiverseCITY Pittsburgh Festival will include free concerts and performances by national and local entertainers; fun, cultural and artistic activities for youth and children; international foods, exhibits by local community services and cultural organizations and a global marketplace.

Pennsylvania Wilds Conference

September 13 - 14
Williamsport
Cost $75
More

This is the first large-scale gathering of those involved and interested in the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative. Attendees will include elected officials, planners, downtown mangers, business owners, economic development leaders, recreation providers, conservation organizations and others from the 12-county region in northcentral Pennsylvania.

Resources

Air passengers can pay to offset damage to environment

Carbon offsetting is a growing form of environmental activism in which you can calculate how much carbon dioxide you're emitting into the atmosphere through your flying, driving or daily living and then contribute enough money toward projects that will have the reverse - in this case, positive - effect on the environment... What seems like a novelty or gimmicky today in short order is just going to be an established way of doing business," Gould said.

Malls pull out all the stops

But winter will get here soon enough, and that walk will keep some folks away and be a hardship for those with no other choice. Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, thinks the way malls treat transit riders is an indicator of overall customer service. "We should bring them to the front door,''..

The Greenest Generation

Mike Davis reminds us that during World War II, recycling, conservation, car-pooling, bicycling and growing your own food were considered patriotic. "In the 1940s, Americans simultaneously battled fascism overseas and waste at home. My parents, their neighbors, and millions of others left cars at home to ride bikes to work, tore up their front yards to plant cabbage, recycled toothpaste tubes and cooking grease, volunteered at daycare centers and USOs, shared their houses and dinners with strangers, and conscientiously attempted to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste. The World War II home front was the most important and broadly participatory green experiment in U.S. history. Lessing Rosenwald, the chief of the Bureau of Industrial Conservation, called on Americans "to change from an economy of waste--and this country has been notorious for waste--to an economy of conservation." A majority of civilians, some reluctantly but many others enthusiastically, answered the call.

The Evolution of Corporate Responsibility

The gathering of corporate leaders at the United Nations Global Compact Summit last week provided a wealth of research and declarations reinforcing a private sector commitment to environmental and social issues. Executives spoke strongly on issues relating to climate change, clean water and poverty reduction, and cited studies showing positive links between sustainability and profitability.

Labour standards and ethical supply chains: Nike leads the way in redefining the balanced scorecard

Nike recently committed to an ambitious goal of eliminating excessive overtime for workers in their supply chain by 2011. The commitment, a centrepiece of their latest groundbreaking corporate responsibility report for FY2005-2006, is a reminder for sceptics that the oft-targeted shoe retailer frequently leads the way in innovative solutions to labour rights challenges.

Six CEOs Issue Mandate on Global Water Crisis

The leaders of six of the world's largest companies -- Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss, Läckeby Water Group, Nestlé, SABMiller and Suez -- have issued a call to action urging their fellow business peers to take immediate action to address the emerging global water crisis.

New Penn Future Podcast: Giant Eagle, A "Green" Grocer in More Ways than One

Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle has been a leader on environmentally conscious matters, not only as compared to other grocery stores, but also as compared to other businesses in general. With their new Market District store in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood, they've again broken new ground, with recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council as the world's first LEED-certified store in the category of commercial interiors, with a silver rating. Giant Eagle was also one of the first companies in Pennsylvania to purchase clean, renewable wind energy. In this podcast, PennFuture's Jeanne Clark leads us on an audio tour of the Market District facility. Joined by Marc Mondor (evolveEA), Giant Eagle's green building consultant on the project; Indigo Raffel (Conservation Consultants, Inc.) who leads educational tours of the facility for local students and community organizations; and jim lampl, Giant Eagle's Director of Conservation, Jeanne gets to see, feel, smell, hear, and taste the many wonders of this amazing store.

Taking a yardstick to green: Standards help sustainable design measure up

When it comes to residential and commercial building aimed at high efficiency, "green" is the word one often hears. But it's not been the best word to describe such efforts, some industry experts say. "We hear a lot out of Washington these days that sustainable construction will hamper economic development," he said. "It's just the opposite. It will enhance economic development."

System Relies on Ice to Chill Buildings

But some office towers and buildings have found a way to stay cool while keeping the AC to a minimum - by using an energy-saving system that relies on blocks of ice to pump chilly air through buildings. The systems save companies money and reduce strain on the electrical grid in New York, where the city consumes more power on hot summer days than the entire nation of Chile.

Access to Nature and Regional Equity: Portland-Metro Region

Access to Nature and Regional Equity is a summary of results from the Coalition for a Livable Future's Regional Equity Atlas Project, a collaborative effort with Portland State University's Population Research Center to elevate issues of social equity in public discourse and regional policy by developing a common language and baseline of information relating to regional equity in the Portland-Metro region.

Win-Win Transportation Solutions

Win-Win Transportation Solutions provide multiple economic, social and environmental benefits. Although their individual impacts may appear modest, their combined benefits can be substantial. If fully implemented to the degree that is economically justified, Win-Win Solutions could significantly reduce motor vehicle costs. They are ''no regrets'' measures that are justified regardless of uncertainties about global warming or other environmental and social impacts. Because they provide multiple benefits they offer opportunities for cooperation and coordination among various organizations and political interests. This paper discusses the Win-Win concept and describes various Win-Win Solutions.

Bullard: Green issue is black and white

"When you look at the neighborhoods that are where you have a lot of different waste facilities... the people who live closest are oftentimes the most vulnerable people who have the fewest resources to escape neighborhoods because of residential segregation, housing discrimination, and limited incomes," said Bullard, a professor at Georgia's Clark Atlanta University and the director of that university's Environmental Justice Resource Center.

Canada Must Charge Firms a Lot for Emissions, Panel Says

Canada's government will eventually have to charge companies a much higher price than anticipated for polluting the atmosphere if it is to stand any chance of meeting promises on cleaning up the environment, a panel said Wednesday.

Malawi Youth Builds $16 Windmill to Power Village

With much trial and error, some local materials, and an investment of about 16 dollars, William constructed a windmill that could generate enough energy for a few light bulbs and a radio. While a few bulbs might sound insignificant, the difference changed William’s and his family’s life entirely. Instead of using expensive paraffin candles, which produce smoke and irritate the eyes, William and his family now use the energy generated by the wind to light up their house. The engineering youth also hooked up a car battery to his generator to use as a backup in case of a non-windy day.

The economics of renewables

Cheerleaders for renewable energy are fond of pointing out that patches of desert receive enough energy each year from sunlight to power the entire world. But few deign to explain how the construction of the millions of solar cells required to convert that energy into electricity would be financed. Utility bosses and policymakers tend to dismiss wind and solar power as noble but expensive distractions, sustainable only through lavish subsidies. But new studies suggest that renewables might not be as dear as sceptics suspect.

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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 2007 from:

Dollar Bank
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
The Giant Eagle Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Roy A. Hunt 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