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Events

Planning Municipal Sustainable Development Academy Education Series

Responding to needs and opportunities identified by the Sustainable Community Essentials Rapid Assessment, today featured a tour of GreenStar Recycling, a state of the art single stream recycling facility on Neville Island. GreenStar is living proof that the economic viability is strongly in place for recycling. Sustainable Pittsburgh, Local Government Academy, and the Pennsylvania Resources Council have partnered to develop and deploy a municipal training program on waste management and recycling. Today’s tour preceded a brainstorming session with municipal leaders and the Community Sustainability Coordinators* to scope out an ideal educational program for municipalities to improve performance in waste management and recycling. Key issues identified were: the bottom line business case for municipalities is now robust, the reality of the highly charged political dynamics of implementing and enforcing a model recycling program, need for greater capacity in implementing model ordinances and improving waste hauler bid specs, and a focus on increasing municipal officials’ appreciation of the business case for recycling.

Stayed tuned for this and other targeted Sustainable Development Academy training programs.

*The Community Sustainability Coordinators is a group of municipal sustainability officers being convened regularly by Sustainable Pittsburgh. The intent is for these municipal professionals to work together on regional, systems level issues, in addition to addressing their own community sustainability needs. The group is similar to the existing Corporate Sustainability Officers network SP currently facilitates.

Photo of today's tour at GreenStar

Resources

SAVE THE DATE: 11th Annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference “Smart Growth is Smart Business”

Tuesday, December 13
Downtown Pittsburgh - Location TBD
Featuring: Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView

This year's conference will launch a 'businesses for smart growth' initiative in southwestern Pennsylvania. Filling a strategic gap, the event will solidify the bottom line business case and economic imperative for regional smart growth and galvanize business constituency.

Business leaders around the nation increasingly recognize that regional growth and development patterns -- guided by principles of smart growth and sustainability -- improve quality of life, lessen the cost of doing business, increase profitability, help reduce tax and infrastructure costs, and contribute to talent recruitment and retention.

Time is ripe for a business initiative focused on advancing our region's goals for more efficient and sustainable development to spur economic prosperity and extend this region's signature livability to more persons. The bottom line business case of smart growth is apparent.

Mark your calendars as the Smart Growth Conference is an invitation to address the ways smart growth is smart business:
- engage the private sector in harnessing smart growth market opportunity
- explore innovative means of ensuring financial feasibility of sustainable development
- channel the pattern and character of growth and development to improve productivity and hasten regional sustainability that protects and enhances business investments
- opportunities to have an impact on state, regional, and local planning and programming
- incentives to level the field for development and redevelopment to revitalize our existing communities
- the new economics nexus of land use, transportation, housing, and development

Keynote speaker Henry Cisneros is the executive chairman of CityView, an urban institutional investment firm which finances commercial and residential developers. His governmental experience and dedication to America's cities are important features of CityView's "Smart Capital for Smart Growth" strategy focused on urban solutions. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Dallas and San Antonio, CityView has invested in and developed more than $2 billion in real estate assets for 45 projects in 30 markets across 13 states since 2003. CityView is one of the nation's premier institutional investment firms focused on urban real estate, incity housing, and metropolitan infrastructure and is a fully-integrated operating company with an active management approach. Prior to establishing CityView, Henry Cisneros served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was the four-term Mayor of San Antonio, Texas.

The 11th Annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference is presented by:
Allegheny Conference on Community Development; Green Building Alliance; NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Pittsburgh Chapter; Pittsburgh Technology Council; Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission; Sustainable Pittsburgh; Urban Land Institute Pittsburgh District Council

Last day to see THE LAST MOUNTAIN

Thursday, July 28
5:30pm & 7:30pm
Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh 15222
Tickets: $8.00; Seniors (62+)/ Students: $7.00; University Students: $4.00(Pitt /Point Park/ Art Institute /Chatham/Carnegie Mellon); PFM/ PCA Members: $7.00
Tickets cannot be purchased in advance unless otherwise noted; Box office opens 30 minutes before showtime.

Uncommon Productions/DADA Films invite you to join Producers Clara Bingham and Eric Grunebaum and Appalachian Voices, Coal River Mountain Watch, Environmental Integrity Project, National Wildlife Federation, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, PennFuture, and Sierra Club PA (add’l co-sponsors pending) for a special screening of THE LAST MOUNTAIN, a documentary film by Bill Haney.

About the film: The mining and burning of coal is at the epicenter of America’s struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental and public health concerns. The daring solution proposed by a small Appalachian community over a local battle over coal quickly takes on national significance. When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. joins Appalachian families and activities, harnessing the power of citizen democracy to fend off the extraordinary power of "Big Coal," the conflict flares. With waitresses, college students, and former marines taking extraordinary risks to stave off the coal industry's lobbyists and politicians, the revolutionary fight for the future of Appalachia, and for the collective future, is revealed.

THE LAST MOUNTAIN is in top markets across the US this summer. Check here for listings.
For more information on the film, including trailer, visit www.TheLastMountainMovie.com

Green Drinks

Thursday, July 28
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, 5738 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15217
More information

This Green Drinks is hosted by Carolyn Speranza and the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill.

The American Jewish Museum of the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh's Anna L. and Irene V. Caplan exhibition "Too Shallow for Diving: the21st Century Is Treading Water," guest curated by Carolyn Speranza, includes sixteen artists and comprises painting, sculpture, video, installation, spoken word and photography. The artists' work inventively fuses aesthetic concepts with ecological observations as a catalyst for viewers to consider how human intervention impacts the future of water sources. Affirming their role in bringing unspoken conversations about our relationship with the environment to the surface, the artists created new work to facilitate dialogue regarding this most precious resource. The exhibition is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, The Buhl Foundation and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.

Host: Carolyn Speranza - "As an artist and the source of the "Too Shallow for Diving" project, I delved into water not as an environmentalist, but as a person who is really interested in the world working for everyone. This stance includes each person planet-wide having access to the basic resources necessary for life. Like most artists, I envision and dream; on the flip side, as an engineer's daughter, I implement, build and problem-solve.

I invite you, the people working to make Pittsburgh greener in the areas of business, policy, technology and activism, to connect with artists who have created new ways to communicate the issues you care about."

Meeting the Challenge of Ethical Leadership
Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and Sustainability on a Global Scale

Thursday, August 4
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
Lawrence Hall Ballroom, Point Park University, Downtown Pittsburgh
Free; the Pittsburgh Business and University Communities are urged to attend and network.
Register here

Please join Point Park University at this wine & cheese mixer focused on ethical leadership. Following is the event timeline:

6:00 pm - Welcome from Dr. Mike Haley, Heinz Chair of Management and Dr. Angela Isaac, Dean, School of Business

6:05 pm - Dr. Karen McIntyre, VP, Academic and Student Affairs
Welcome and introduction of Heinz executives

6:10 pm - John Kraus, Vice President at Heinz
Speaking on Corporate Governance, Compliance and Ethics

6:35 pm - James Traut, Director at Heinz
Speaking on Enterprise Reputation & Risk Management

7:00 pm - Brian Shuttleworth, Director at Heinz
Speaking on Operational Risk and Sustainability

7:25 pm - Dr. Karen McIntyre leading Q & A and open discussion

Healthy Body, Healthy Home, Healthy Planet Workshop

Thursday, August 4
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Ohio Township Municipal Park, Sewickley
Cost: $20 per participant or $25 per couple.
To register and for more information, contact Sarah Alessio Shea at saraha@ccicenter.org, by calling (412) 488-7490 ext. 236, or by visiting www.zerowastepgh.org.

The workshop presented by the Pennsylvania Resources Council, encourages action around the issue of carcinogens and toxins that people come into contact with through products used and food eaten. The workshop also focuses on the consequences of these toxins on health and how to avoid exposure. The program provides the public with practical solutions such as safe alternatives and healthy lifestyle choices.

In an effort to reduce one’s exposure to toxins and to reduce the amount of toxins in the environment, all workshop participants will receive a non-toxic green cleaning kit.

Household Chemical Collection

Saturday, August 6
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Senior High School Parking Lot, Somerset
Details below.

This event provides all Pennsylvania residents with an opportunity to safely dispose of common household chemicals. The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) will collect “household hazardous waste” such as cleaners, paints, automotive fluids, pesticides and other products containing potentially hazardous chemicals. The cost will be $2/gallon, cash only. A certified contractor on site at Somerset Senior High School will process the hazardous wastes collected for proper disposal. For more information – and a complete list of items accepted – visit www.zerowastepgh.org or call the Somerset Planning Commission at (814) 445-1571 or PRC at (412) 488-7452.

“Understanding Legal Issues Related to Marcellus Shale Gas Workshop”

Wednesday, August 10
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Eden Hall Campus of Chatham University, 6035 Ridge Road, Richland Township
Free and open to the public; pre-registration is required.
For more information about the workshop and to register online visit www.pasafarming.org/marcellusshalechoices.
Contact Leah Smith at leah@pasafarming.org or (412) 977-6514 with questions.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) has received a grant from the Colcom Foundation to develop action-oriented tools and trainings throughout western Pennsylvania to help farmers, rural land owners, and other citizens make informed, integrated decisions, understand legal issues, and engage in environmental monitoring and local organizing efforts related to Marcellus Shale Gas issues within their communities.

This third workshop in the Marcellus Shale Choices series will be facilitated by Ross Pifer, the Director of the Penn State Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center at the Dickinson College of Law. The workshop will review leasing information for those with leases, an overview of oil and gas law concepts, address surface owner issues, and share some recent case laws.

Transforming Transportation: The Role of Intelligent Transportation Systems

August 18 – 19
Alumni Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland
Registration and Agendas for both days
Please RSVP by August 10th.

The University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics Infrastructure Policy Committee and Traffic21, a transportation research initiative of Carnegie Mellon University, invite you to attend this two day workshop on Intelligent Transportation Systems. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) offer many ways to make transportation systems work smarter, with fewer accidents, less congestion, reduced energy use, and without more dollars. ITS enables vehicles, transit riders, roads, traffic lights, and message signs, to name a few, to communicate with each other by utilizing wireless technology. Around the world, ITS has already been shown to significantly improve transportation system performance by reducing congested roadways, improving commute times and vehicle safety, as well as allowing motorists and transit riders to feel more confident traveling based on the real-time information they are able to receive through these systems.

Both days of this unique program offer participants the chance to hear from a variety of dynamic speakers working with transportation and infrastructure policy and intelligent transportation systems, globally, nationally, and locally. The Thursday evening component will highlight a variety of ITS demonstration projects from the region and will also feature a discussion about the status of ITS around the United States and across the globe. On Friday, the forum’s focus will shift to what is happening locally and statewide and what policies need to be in place for ITS to become a reality here.

AASHE 2011: Creating Sustainable Campuses and Communities

Sunday, October 9 - Wednesday, October 12, 2011
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
More information

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is hosting its annual conference in Pittsburgh this year. Numerous workshops and speakers are scheduled. The opening keynote speaker is Dr. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Laureate and Founder of the Green Belt Movement. Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org is the AASHE Student Summit keynote speaker.

Get Involved! Building Change Conference

Building Change: a convergence for social justice
October 13-15, 2011
Senator John Heinz Regional History Center
More information

Join the Three Rivers Community Foundation (TRCF) for a conference like no other: skill-building workshops, panel discussions, community dialogues on key issues, speakers, actions, art, films, roundtable talks, networking, entertainment, and more!

Key issues being discussed: Disability Rights, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, LGBTO Rights, Peace/Human Rights, Racial Justice, and Women, Youth and Families Issues.

TRCF is looking for more co-sponsors for the Convergence! Please spread the word to organizations and individuals working for social change. Direct interested parties to trcf@trcfwpa.org or (412) 243-9250.

Deadline for Arts, Films, and Performances has been extended to July 15th.

Resources

Port Authority rapid-bus line study gets OK

"Bus rapid transit, compared to many options that have been considered over the last several decades (to shorten commute times between Downtown and Oakland), is a practical solution that has a good chance of actually being implemented," said Court Gould, executive director of the advocacy group Sustainable Pittsburgh.

Where's the bus? Tiramisu Transit is the app for that

If you're waiting for public transportation in the city, Tiramisu Transit is for you, a new mobile app developed at CMU that draws on crowdsourcing to share arrival times in real time. It also helps disabled and blind riders to gain valuable information that will help them board the right bus.

More
Official release from CMU

Greening Southwest PA: A blog from The Heinz Endowments Interns

The Heinz Endowments Program is an internship that grants 36 high-school students the chance to work to improve their community by developing and implementing a youth philanthropy project. The interns at Sustainable Pittsburgh have launched a blog as part of their project to highlight efforts that southwestern Pennsylvanian municipalities are doing to make their communities more sustainable. It is their hope that these creative ideas will inspire other municipal governments to start their own programs, as well as inform citizens how they can help with their efforts. The interns' philanthropy is focused on making municipal vehicle fleets more sustainable, either through education, alternative fuels, alternative transportation or through other means.

THIS WEEK'S FEATURE: A video interview with Mario Leone from Monaca Borough covering the Borough's sustainability efforts. proving that a municipality does not have to be large or wealthy to reduce inefficiency and cut carbon emissions.

Our water, under attack
Members of Congress are trying to gut the Clean Water Act; here's why we have to stop them

I grew up fishing in the rivers and streams of Western Pennsylvania. I still relish sitting on the riverbank or floating down a stream hoping for a nibble or a jerk on the line. While our waters are cleaner today than they were when I was a young boy, many are still impaired. For example, Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River is listed as the most at-risk river in the nation by American Rivers.

So what is Congress doing? Promoting dirty waters. Going backwards, it seems. Instead of helping to finish the job of restoring the health of our rivers, lakes and streams, Congress is trying to gut the Clean Water Act.

Clean up diesel engines
Congress must keep a federal program that's clearing our air

From 2008 through 2010, Pennsylvania received more than $11.3 million in DERA funding -- the 10th most of all 50 states -- to upgrade, replace or retrofit construction equipment, school bus fleets, transit buses, locomotives and marine engines with new clean diesel technology. . . In February, President Barack Obama's 2012 budget included no money for DERA, and it's now up to Congress to determine DERA's fate. The House and Senate should continue to fund DERA, and here's why.

According to EPA, every dollar invested in diesel retrofits and replacements yields at least $13 in health benefits -- fewer asthma emergencies, fewer lost work days and healthier communities. Plus, DERA has provided federal funds in a competitive process that encourages state, local or private funding matches. DERA has been able to leverage roughly three dollars in state, local or private funding for every federal dollar. It's hard to find a better investment in public health.

Drops to drink

SINGAPORE’S average annual rainfall is more than double that of notoriously soggy Britain, so the casual observer might be surprised to learn that the place has a shortage of drinking water. Yet with around 7,000 people per square kilometre, Singapore is the third most densely populated country in the world. Its land mass is not large enough to supply the thirst of its 5m inhabitants.

One answer is to desalinate seawater. That, though, is expensive, so the Singaporean government is keen to find cheaper ways of doing it. And, in collaboration with Siemens, a German engineering conglomerate, it may have done so, for Siemens says its demonstration electrochemical desalination plant on the island can transform seawater into drinking water using less than half the energy required by the most efficient previous method.

Urban Trees = Cleaner Air

Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.

A new study out of the University of Kent in the UK found that a 10 percent increase in urban tree coverage in mid-size cities, like Leicester, can absorb about 12 percent of carbon emissions, contributing to cleaner air. The study is yet another addition to the argument that any sound urban planning or transit policy to improve air quality must be supplemented with green spaces.

To reach their intuitive, yet essential, conclusion, the conservation scientists first calculated tree density and vegetation on a city-wide scale, and later derived the biomass and carbon storage potential in each vegetation category. Based on their calculations, the researchers found that above-ground vegetation stores 231,521 tons of carbon, of which 97.3 percent is stored by trees.

And although the study brings some much needed positive news to the greenhouse gas debate, the researchers express the importance of maintaining this valuable resource for the city’s air quality.

State of Green Business 2011

State of Green Business Report 2011 examines trends in corporate sustainability, exploring the impact and rate of the greening of business. The accompanying Forums offer a hands-on experience to learn about the latest in corporate sustainability from leading experts in the business world

WRI Group to Help Companies Make Climate Strategy Core to Business

The Next Practice Collaborative, a project of the World Resources Institute (WRI), is founded on the concept of "next practices," a term coined by late WRI board member C. K. Prahalad to describe actions that go beyond typical best practices and focus on future markets. "What we're trying to do now is raise the bar for what it means for a company to be a leader on climate," said WRI's Samantha Putt del Pino, one of the project leads for the collaborative. In envisioning a low-carbon, climate-constrained world, those next practices include full transition to clean energy, climate adaptation strategies, creating products and services for low-carbon markets, and taking climate risk into account for business decisions and investments.

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 2011 from:

Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Bayer Corporation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
BNY Mellon
Dollar Bank
FedEx Ground
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Pashek Associates LTD
Pittsburgh Quarterly
PNC Financial Services Group
Port Authority of Allegheny County
UPMC


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