3E Links readers are early adopters of sustainable policies, products, and practices, and the people who educate their friends and family about the benefits of sustainable development. Be sure to pass your issue of 3E Links along to friends and colleagues. Subscribe by e-mailing info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

Events

Resources

Sustainability and Smart Growth Forum : August 2

"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. Nancy Cole from the Union of Concerned Scientists will discuss impacts to the northeast, including Pennsylvania.

Sponsored by:

.

Resources Continued

Pittsburgh Cohousing - Host: Information Orientation

Sunday, July 29
2-4 pm
Squirrel Hill Library: Corner of Forbes and Murray Squirrel Hill
Pittsburgh
Learn More
RSVP: (412) 963-1971 or TPCHG@aol.com

Pittsburgh Cohousing is giving an orientation for people who are interested in learning more about the exciting community that Pittsburgh Cohousing is creating.

Protect Our Youth, Serve Our Elders

Sunday, July 29
11 am - 7 pm
Brighton Place
Pittsburgh (North Side)
More

POYSE will bring together artists and speakers to begin educating the youth about their past and teaching them how to deal with drug use, police and peer pressure.

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.

Mayoral Candidates Forum

Thursday, September 27
6 - 7:30 pm
David Lawrence Convention Center
Downtown Pittsburgh
RSVP: 412-281-0995 design@judith-kelly.com

The Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition-composed of organizations and initiatives committed to promoting quality design as a defining feature of the Pittsburgh region-is hosting a Mayoral Candidates Forum. Democratic nominee Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Republican Mark DeSantis have confirmed their participation in the 90-minute forum, which will focus on issues of design, development, and civic planning of the built environment.

WDUQ Radio's Katherine Fink will moderate the event. WDUQ will tape the Mayoral Candidates Forum to be aired in early October. The format of the event will be based on guidelines from the American Institute of Architects: each candidate will be asked the same questions, with two minutes to respond and one minute for rebuttal. Candidates will have the opportunity to present 2-minute opening and closing statements. Questions will be crafted by members of the Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition; additionally, up to five questions will be accepted from the audience of architects, planners, and civic leaders.

Resources

Route 30 congestion targeted in Westmoreland

The goal is to involve local planners and community stakeholders in determining how to preserve Route 30, the county's rural areas, revitalizing towns along the corridor and ensuring safe and efficient transportation.

PennFuture Podcast: Confronting Global Warming in Pennsylvania

"Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast: Science, Impacts and Solutions" was recently released by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and PennFuture's Sharon Pillar had an opportunity to speak with two of the scientists who contributed to this comprehensive, stunning report. This new report, part of a series in the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA), provides information on the impacts of climate change on key climate-sensitive sectors (coastal, marine, forests, agriculture, winter recreation and health), and options and opportunities for mitigation and adaptation. In this podcast (first in a two-part series), Sharon speaks to Dr. Jerry Melillo. Vice-chair of the NECIA synthesis team, Dr. Melillo is director of the Ecosystems Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., and a trustee for the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment.

FHLBank Pittsburgh Announces the 2007B Affordable Housing Program Funding Round

Over $8.5 million will be made available to member banks and project developers through FHLBank Pittsburgh's 2007B AHP funding round. Project registration begins August 1, 2007 and closes September 13, 2007. The application deadline is September 27, 2007 at 5:00 P.M. If you would like to speak with an FHLBank Pittsburgh Community Investment Representative to review your potential AHP project, please call Dorothy at 412-288-2826 to schedule your consultation time.

How walkable is your house?

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.

Pittsburgh's 'Livable' label called lie for blacks

When Nate Brown thinks of Pittsburgh, he sees two vastly different and contrasting pictures of one city. There's the Pittsburgh lauded as America's most livable city. Then there's "Clipsburgh, Pistolvania," home to black residents who are impoverished, poorly educated and overcome by constant and senseless gun violence, Mr. Brown said. "By the time I was 25 years old, I had buried 12 of my friends," Mr. Brown last night told a group of more than 40 community activists, clergy members, and other concerned city residents gathered for an emergency meeting urging action on behalf of the black community of Pittsburgh.

A Tough Hill to Climb

The Community Benefits Agreement is part of a new economic-justice movement that has swept across the country in recent years. The movement grew out of a hard-learned lesson over a half-century of urban redevelopment: Despite promises of jobs and renewal, not all mega-developments make good neighbors. And while such projects are often heavily financed with taxpayer dollars, neither the residents nearby, nor the public at large, reap many of the benefits that do result.

Humans 'affect global rainfall'

Human-induced climate change has affected global rainfall patterns over the 20th Century, a study suggests. Researchers said changes to the climate had led to an increase in annual average rainfall in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. But while Canada, Russia and northern Europe had become wetter, India and parts of Africa had become drier, the team of scientists added.

Carbon offsets deliver where it matters

Most people out there aren't champing at the bit to make revolutionary lifestyle changes, much as the activist might wish. But they're more than happy to make some small payment in return for a dose of feel-good. To them, it's pretty unimportant whether or not this totally and utterly neutralises their carbon. They just want to do something useful.

World Bank Fund Encourages Developing Countries to Stop Deforestation

A planned US$250 million World Bank fund to encourage developing countries to stop deforestation in return for access to carbon credits has attracted strong international support, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Lessons in economy: Renovating old schools

Hundreds of school districts ... have replaced existing schools rather than renovating and perhaps enlarging them. Often, the new schools are placed on the urban fringe, spawning car-dependent development and draining the life from older communities. Concerned by this trend, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association recently sponsored a publication called Renovate or Replace? The Case for Restoring and Reusing Older School Buildings. The booklet features essays by Gov. Rendell's top cabinet officers, arguing that renovating older schools can save tax dollars, reinforce established communities, and still provide facilities that meet 21st-century educational standards.

U.S. Insurers May Get Involved in Land Use Decisions as Climate Change Increases Risk of Losses

Long recognized by European insurers, the impact of climate change and natural catastrophes on the property/casualty insurance industry finally got American attention when bills for government-insured hurricane losses reached a record $30 billion in 2004 and $60 billion just from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) establishing an investigative task force last March and its co-chairman, Nebraska Department of Insurance Director Tim Wagner, hoping "to see U.S. insurers become more engaged in some of the traditional ways, such as promoting better building codes, but also some of the more difficult issues, such as land use."

Main Street Conference -- Call for Presentations

August 1, 2007 is the deadline for educational educational session proposals for the 2008 National Main Streets Conference. Share your experiences, raise your visibility among industry professionals and help us explore this year's conference theme, ''Enriching Main Street Through Entrepreneurship and Diversity,'' by submitting your proposal today.

This conference will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 30-April 2, 2008, and attracts professionals in preservation-based, commercial district revitalization, including new and experienced downtown and neighborhood Main Street directors, board members, architects, planners, economic development professionals, public officials, volunteers, and consultants from the field. Attendees hail from cities and communities of all sizes, from small rural towns to large urban cities. Conference content will cover topics relevant to communities of all sizes as well as specific topics geared to specific audiences.

Beijing to Build Windmills for 2008

Beijing has started work on a 580 million yuan (U8S$76.69 million) project to build 33 windmills to supply clean energy in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, state media said on Tuesday. The new power plants, which would sit on the outskirts of Beijing, were expected to produce an estimated 100 million kwh of electricity a year and help reduce the city's reliance on polluting coal-fired generators, the China Daily said.

UlI Report on the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Project

Six strong, workable ideas for Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania emerged. Those Smart Strategies are detailed in the Report from Smart Transportation for Focused Growth: Best Practices provided here.

Eco-Cities – Building Better Cities for the 21st Century

In response to the environmental challenges resulting from the unprecedented tide of urbanization worldwide, schemes to create ‘eco-cities’ have been launched in many countries. Seeking to address simultaneously a myriad of environmental issues that currently plague our cities, projects from China to the United Kingdom will showcase leading-edge technologies and urban planning. If they work they could help turn cities into more sustainable spaces....The environmental realities the world now faces dictates that ecological principles must be given higher priority by city officials and urban planning professionals. Gone are the days where zoning and transportation issues could be addressed on an ad-hoc basis. Both public and private capital investment must now be ranked on an eco-impact dimension as well as socio-economic principles.

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

3E Links is sent as a service to Sustainable Pittsburgh Members and interested parties and is being distributed for informational purposes. The information above was provided by or obtained from the organizing institution or one of its representatives. Our distribution does not imply endorsement. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Click here to access the 3E Links Archive. Use "Search" on SP's homepage for a great resource.

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