August 13, 2010
Sustainable Pittsburgh


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3E Links readers are early adopters of sustainable policies, products, and practices, and agents of change who educate friends and colleagues about the triple bottom line. Please share your issue of 3E Links with others and encourage them to subscribe by e-mailing info@sustainablepittsburgh.org.

Events
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - Regional Water Conference: Protecting and Using our Greatest Asset

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Public Forum

10th Annual Southwestern PA Smart Growth Conference:
Regional Collaboration: Investing in Sustainable Communities


BikeFest 2010

Allegheny Green and Innovation Festival

Port Authority Public Hearing

What do we need to know?
A panel discussion on potential public health impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling


Running Green for Three Rivers: 5K Run & Walk

4th Annual Rachel's Sustainable Feast

Retrospective on Women, Then and Now

Mother Earth News Fair

Minority Enterprise Development Week

Enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad!
Tipping Points for Sustainability Competition

In step with the 10th annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference, the Tipping Points for Sustainability Competition is seeking input on what YOU think accelerated southwestern Pennsylvania on the path toward sustainable development over the last ten years.

Per the 14 Sustainable Community Development Essentials, (launched at the 2009 Smart Growth Conference), individuals are invited to identify and submit the significant tipping point(s), in other words, game changing moments, from the last ten years (2000-2010) that are points of departure whereby the policy and practice of these "Essentials" were accelerated for the region.

- What is the systems change, the good, that has come from it?
- What did that tipping point put in motion; what we should have learned and how we should be applying this today?

Tipping points can be: policies, acts of leadership, mishaps, demonstration projects, an event, etc. A committee of judges will review the submissions to pick the top winners and award prizes. Winners will be announced during the conference on Friday, October 15. The grand prize winner will receive a free iPad, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Technology Council!

The competition is open from August until September 24, 2010. More information, including the entry form, is available via the Smart Growth Conference Web site.

Resources
Your opinion wanted on municipal services in Allegheny County

This Week: Sewage in the Great Lakes and Electric Bikes in Pittsburgh

In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories

European Sustainable Development Network

How scrapping the SDC to save money will cost the taxpayer a fortune

Senate Banking Committee Passes Livable Communities Act

Cleaner and greener: A private 'takeover' transforms downtown streets

Progress Derailed: The Cause & Effect Of NYC's Transit Funding Crisis

Sauce: When you're through, please compost this column

The Three Rivers now overflow with wildlife, water lovers

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - Regional Water Conference: Protecting and Using our Greatest Asset

Thursday, September 9
7:30 am – 3:30 pm
Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods, Cranberry 16066
Cost: $110 for ASCE, EWRI, or C4S members | $130 nonmembers | $50 students
Register by September 2, 2010 and save $20!
Breakfast and lunch provided
More information, including registration and agenda, is available at www.C4SPgh.org.

This conference highlights ways in which southwestern Pennsylvania leads in the management of water and how its residents and businesses are using the region's greatest asset. The event is intended for professionals seeking to learn about practical solutions regarding water and engineering practitioners looking to understand what is on the minds of community leaders relating to sustainability and clean water.

This conference builds on the conversation launched during the Water Matters! Global Water Conference held in June 2010 as part of the Pittsburgh region’s World Environment Day 2010 celebration.

Topics to be covered:
Our Region’s Water Advantages – Why Pittsburgh?
Marcellus Shale Mining Impacts and Solutions
Early Warning Detection Systems for Water Protection
The Future of Water Quality Regulations and Solutions
The Water Consortium Initiative in Southwest PA
Innovative Solutions to Clean Water
The conference will also feature a panel to discuss what engineering and policy practitioners believe to be the most important water-related issues for this region in order to ensure that the right responses to water demand are addressed.

Presented by: American Society of Civil Engineers, Pittsburgh Section; Environmental & Water Resources Institute; and Champions for Sustainability

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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Public Forum

Monday, September 20
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Duquesne University - Power Center Ballroom, 1015 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
No fee to attend.
To register send full contact information to: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org

A new on-street BRT service is under consideration in Allegheny County to offer faster, more reliable, and easier-to-understand transit service. The initial focus is to link Downtown Pittsburgh with Oakland and other East End neighborhoods. As has been realized in other cities, “Rapid Bus” service improves transportation and is an effective catalyst for community revitalization. Implementation of BRT in Pittsburgh’s East End could result in similar benefits for the Forbes and Fifth Avenues Corridor. Before us is a golden opportunity to envision and design the service, facilities and economic development that leaders and citizens want for their neighborhoods.

This forum, focused on Pittsburgh’s Downtown – Oakland – East End area, will feature:
- Planning, development, and transportation professionals with BRT experience along with stakeholders from the community.
- BRT insights from other cities including: Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.
- Secretary Allen Biehler, PennDOT
- Breakout sessions will facilitate discussion of BRT benefits, challenges and community development issues.

Pittsburgh BRT Forum Collaborators:
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Allegheny County Department of Economic Development
Allegheny County Transit Council
Allegheny County Transportation Action Partnership
Bike Pittsburgh
City of Pittsburgh - Department of City Planning
Hill House Development Corporation
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties - Pittsburgh Chapter
National Bus Rapid Transit Institute
Oakland Planning & Development Corp.
Oakland Transportation Management Association
Oakland Task Force
Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Remaking Cities Institute
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Sustainable Pittsburgh
Traffic21
UPMC
Uptown Partners
Urban Land Institute - Pittsburgh Chapter

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10th Annual Southwestern PA Smart Growth Conference:
Regional Collaboration: Investing in Sustainable Communities

Friday, October 15
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, downtown Pittsburgh
Lunch provided.
Early registration: $25; After 9/23: $45. Free for elected officials.
REGISTER NOW
For exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities contact: cgould@sustainablepittsburgh.org

See below regarding the special post conference Power of 32 Regional Visioning, Community Conversation.

For this 10th anniversary, the conference will be a milestone for the high stakes surrounding the region's capacity building for smart growth. Focus will be on alignment with the Obama Administration's Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities (comprising federal DOT, EPA, and HUD) in supporting integration of housing, transportation, water infrastructure, energy conservation, and land use planning and investment. As such, this one-day conference will identify barriers and solutions to cross-jurisdictional coordination for regional smart growth and sustainable community development policy and implementation. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan hit home the need and opportunity of our times in recently stating, "Our challenge now is to bring that holistic view of community development into the mainstream -- to help build sustainable neighborhoods, communities and regions that are as interconnected as the challenges they face."

The conference will again serve as a public input session to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's process of updating the region's Long Range Transportation and Development Plan. This update will be distinguished by addition of enhancements appropriate to a regional sustainable development plan per the six "Livability Principles" prioritized by the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

The conference will feature:
- Mariia Zimmerman, Deputy Director, HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities
- Representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will discuss the U.S. government's interagency partnership to support and promote sustainable communities.
- Keynote address by Peter Calthorpe, Principal, Calthorpe Associates - Urban Designers, Planners, Architects
- Allen Biehler, Secretary of PA Department of Transportation
- John Hanger, Secretary of PA Department of Environmental Protection
- SPC public process per the region's sustainable development plan
- Four pressing issues interwoven in deliberations: Transportation Funding Crisis, Water & Sewer Infrastructure, Marcellus Impacts, Affordable Housing
- Formal presentation of competition results – “14 Essential Tipping Points for SWPA Sustainable Community Development" (Learn how to enter the competition)
- Learn what federal and state agencies are looking for in capacity and qualification for sustainable community investment
- Identification of actionable steps whose implementation will position our region to accelerate sustainable development and be a priority place for investment
- Crafting of a summary of participants' input and resulting action plan for presentation to the candidates for Governor, other candidates and incumbents, and community leaders

Southwestern PA is a contemporary proving ground for hastening the new American dream found in revitalizing livable, sustainable communities through smart growth policies that discourage sprawl, congestion and pollution. Come be part of continuing the region's sustainability renaissance for economically competitive, environmentally sustainable, opportunity rich communities. More than a one-time event, the conference will be a point of acceleration and innovation for the region's positive path.

Peter Calthorpe has been named one of twenty-five "innovators on the cutting edge" by Newsweek Magazine for his work redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America. Starting practice in 1976, he has a long and honored career in urban design, planning and architecture, combining his experience in each discipline to develop new approaches to urban revitalization, suburban growth, and regional planning. His early published work included technical papers, articles for popular magazines, and a number of seminal books, including Sustainable Communities with Sim Van der Ryn, and the Pedestrian Pocket Book with Doug Kelbaugh. The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream, published in 1993, introduced the concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and provided extensive guidelines and illustrations of their board application. His latest book with William Fulton, The Regional City: Planning for the End of Sprawl, explains how regional-scale planning and design can integrate urban revitalization and suburban renewal into a coherent vision of metropolitan growth.

Presented by Sustainable Pittsburgh's Sustainable Community Development Network in collaboration with: 3 Rivers Wet Weather, 10,000 Friends of PA, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Green Building Alliance, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, Local Government Academy, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 10, District 11, and District 12, Pennsylvania Resources Council, Remaking Cities Institute, Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, Southwest Chapter of the Pennsylvania Planners Association, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Pittsburgh, Young Preservationists Association

Sponsored by The PNC Financial Services Group.

Post Smart Growth Conference - Power of 32 Community Conversation
Continuing the regional dialogue, immediately following conclusion of the October 15 Smart Growth Conference, a Power of 32 Community Conversation will be held from 4:30 - 6:00 pm. in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Ballroom. This regional visioning session is open and free to residents of the 32 county region. Pre-register by calling 866-431-3622 and refer to the post Oct. 15 Smart Growth Conference Community Conversation. Attendees of the Smart Growth Conference are encouraged to stay and apply insights from the day. The public at large is welcomed too. Power of 32 is a regional visioning initiative engaging residents across 32 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in creating a shared vision for the region's future. Through the Power of 32, we can think differently about our region's challenges—our role in the global world, our quality of life, and our opportunities—and act in ways that set a new direction for the future. Please join with other champions of smart growth and sustainability in this important opportunity to share your ideas about the future of the Power of 32 region. Input gained in the community conversations held around the region will by synthesized and vetted toward creation of a shared regional action agenda.

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BikeFest 2010

Happening now until August 15, 2010!
Various times and locations

BikeFest Highlights:
Aug 13: A Flock of Cycles: Flock all Night
Aug 14: Bicycle Times Ride to PAPA – World Pinball Championships
Aug 14: Lecture by David Herlihy, Author of the Lost Cyclist
Aug 15: Creamcycle, the Revival
Aug 15: Zomb the Tombs – Pittsburgh Cemetery History Tour

BikeFest, the region’s annual celebration of biking and bike culture, kicks off August 6th with a fundraiser for BikePGH at the Pittsburgh Opera, 2425 Liberty Avenue in the Strip District. Over the following 10 days, BikeFest will feature 60 independently organized rides and events throughout the city geared towards cyclists.

Pittsburgh is filled with interesting things to see and do, and there is no better way to experience the city than on a bicycle. Bike Pittsburgh decided to celebrate the two by creating BikeFest--to both raise awareness of the bike as a fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to get around, and to highlight some of the amazing things Pittsburgh has to offer. Bike Pittsburgh serves as a clearinghouse to provide information on BikeFest. All rides are at your own risk. Details and schedules can be found at www.bike-pgh.org/bikefest.

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Allegheny Green and Innovation Festival

Saturday, August 14
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Hartwood Ampitheater
Press release

Come to the Allegheny Green & Innovation Festival and learn about sustainable living and innovation in all forms. This zero-waste event will include earth-friendly food & product vendors, crafters, green living demonstrations, musical entertainment, children’s activities & much more! Any organization or individual interested in providing a demonstration or exhibit should send an e-mail to greenfestival@alleghenycounty.us. There is no fee for vendors, but the focus is on green living, sustainability, and innovation. All exhibits should be informative and engaging.

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Port Authority Public Hearing

Thursday, August 19
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, downtown Pittsburgh
More information

Port Authority is proposing to reduce service by 35 percent, including the elimination of 48 routes, and increase its fares by a quarter for most riders in January due to a statewide transportation crisis. The Federal Government's decision to not permit tolling on Interstate 80 has created a $450 million gap statewide in transportation funding. The local impact for roads, bridges and public transportation would be devastating. Port Authority's impact is immediate and it is accepting public comments in writing or at PortAuthority.org from July 28-Aug. 31. Those wishing to testify at the public hearing are encouraged to pre-register by calling 412-566-5437 (TTY 412-231-7007) from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Oral testimony will be limited to three minutes per speaker. Those who have not pre-registered may register at the hearing and will be called on as time slots become available. Port Authority will provide a sign language interpreter at the hearing as well as Braille copies of informational documents.

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What do we need to know?
A panel discussion on potential public health impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling

Friday, August 27
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
G23 Parran Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Oakland
Free and open to the public
For more information visit, www.chec.pitt.edu and www.fractracker.org.

Serious potential environmental and public health concerns surround the gas extraction process used in the Marcellus Shale, the sedimentary rock formation underlying significant portions of Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia. This panel discussion will address the following topics: • Conceptual site modeling
• Potential human exposure pathways to water and air contaminants
• Behavioral and community health concerns
• Public health preparedness related to gas industry operations
• Fractracker.org, a Web platform that gives researchers the ability to directly engage citizens in the collection of data to effectively demonstrate the impacts of Marcellus Shale gas extraction

Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH, assistant professor in the GSPH Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, and director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC)
Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd, CHEC director of operations
Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH, CHEC communications specialist

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Running Green for Three Rivers: 5K Run & Walk

Sunday, August 29
Registration: 10:00 am
Starting Time: 10:30 am
Start: 16th Street Bridge, downtown
Finish: 9th Street Bridge, downtown at Rachel’s Sustainable Feast
Cost: $15.00 ($7 goes to the Rachel Carson Homestead; the rest of the proceeds go to Three Rivers Community Foundation)
Register online or via mail. For more info, visit: rungreenpa.org
Registration form

In pursuit of environmental justice, Three Rivers Community Foundation is organizing a 5K Run & Walk (postponed from World Environment Day in June) to promote and commemorate the sustainable efforts in Pittsburgh. Running Green for Three Rivers will be syncing up with the Rachel's Sustainable Feast organized by the Rachel Carson Homestead, so that the run ends at the feast. The mission of this event is to raise public awareness about and build support for local grassroots sustainability initiatives. Dogs and pets welcome! As a participant, your entry to the Feast is covered by the cost of this event. The Feast runs from 12-4pm.

Sponsored by The Three Rivers Community Foundation in partnership with Rachel Carson Homestead, East End Food Coop, G-Tech, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Venture Outdoors and other groups TBA.

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4th Annual Rachel's Sustainable Feast

Sunday, August 29
Noon - 5:00 pm
Rachel Carson Bridge (9th Street Bridge), downtown Pittsburgh
Early bird Ticket: $7 by July 31
Kids 5 and under are free
For sponsorship information, please contact Fiona Fisher at fiona@rachelcarsonhomestead.org or (724) 274-5459

Come see the best of the region's hottest chefs who support local sustainable farmers, favorite local farmers' who grow sustainably, friends who are eco-friendly vendors, and groups who work to protect our land, water and air, and more ways to learn about sustainable living in one of this country's fastest-growing green marketplaces - southwestern Pennsylvania!

Among those chefs in attendance will be Kevin Sousa of Salt of the Earth, Keith Fuller of SixPenn Kitchen, Steve Salvi of Fede Pasta, Penn's Corner Farm Alliance, Sonoma Grille and/or Seviche, and Bill Fuller of the big Burrito Restaurant Group. More updates to come.

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Retrospective on Women, Then and Now

Friday, September 24
11:00 am - 1:30 pm (Doors open at 10:30 am)
Omni William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: $85 per person for non-members | $75 per person YWCA members
RSVP by September 13, 2010
For more information call (412) 255-1279 or email specialevents@ywcapgh.org.

Presented by the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, this luncheon event features Gloria Steinem, renowned women's activist, writer, and founder of "Ms. Magazine." Then and Now, "Retrospective on Women" explores "what we were, are, and continue to be as women."

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Mother Earth News Fair

September 25-26, 2010
Festival hours: Saturday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm and Sunday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Seven Springs Mountain Resort
One-day tickets are $15. Two-day tickets are $25. Children 17 and under are FREE!
More information

Join MOTHER EARTH NEWS at Seven Springs Mountain Resort for the first annual MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR - a fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event, featuring hundreds of practical, hands-on demonstrations and workshops from the leading authorities on:

Renewable Energy
Small-scale Agriculture
Gardening
Green Building
Green Transportation
Natural Health

You'll enjoy a vast eco-friendly marketplace, organic local food and beverages as well as outdoor equipment and livestock demonstrations.

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Minority Enterprise Development Week

"Strategies for Growth and Competitiveness in the Global Economy"
Friday, October 1
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Holiday Inn - Meadowlands, Washington, PA
Cost: $50 per person. Save when you purchase a table of eight for only $375.
Contact: Benjamin Butler ben.butler@va.gov or (412) 395-6067
RSVP: Please return the Registration form with payment to the address on the form by September 20, 2010 for significant savings.

Join the Minority Business Opportunity Committee, (MBOC), a collaboration of the Small Business Administration’s Pittsburgh District Office and other partners from the public and private sectors, in celebrating Pittsburgh’s Annual Celebration of Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, honoring outstanding minority, women, and veteran entrepreneurs and business advocates for their significant contributions and achievements.

The Celebration of MED Week will offer opportunities to:
· Attend informative plenary sessions and educational workshops.
· Network with corporate leaders, policy makers, program managers, financial lenders and procurement officers who are key to business success.
· Explore tradeshow exhibits.
· Celebrate with the Minority Business Opportunity Committee (MBOC), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Diversity Business Resource Center (DBRC) as well as other entities from the public and private sectors.
· Extend your networking opportunities at the MED Week Awards Luncheon.

Space is limited. Register today!

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Resources
Your opinion wanted on municipal services in Allegheny County

The Pittsburgh Foundation, together with support from funding partners, recently launched a comprehensive initiative to promote public discussion and feedback about municipal services in Allegheny County. The initiative is called Allegheny Forum and has been developed to provide public officials with opinions and ideas from citizens on improved efficiencies and cost-effectiveness among Allegheny County's 130 local municipalities, including the City of Pittsburgh.

A key component of this exercise is the development of a new website, inviting individuals and organizations across the county to provide their views on-line about major issues that are critical to their communities. The website is featuring in detail different issues every two weeks; it provides background information and resources and offers a discussion format for presenting and sharing opinions.

The website can be accessed at www.alleghenyforum.org. If you live in Allegheny County, or if you have views about municipal services in the county, please consider participating in our initiative. We would like to include your thoughts and opinions. For more information, please visit the Foundation's website at www.pittsburghfoundation.org.

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This Week: Sewage in the Great Lakes and Electric Bikes in Pittsburgh

This week on The Allegheny Front, despite progress in Lake Erie, sewage contamination in the Great Lakes persists. We visit an electric bike shop in Pittsburgh to check out these human-electric hybrids. The Organic Gardeners give tips on how to get rid of pesky slugs without chemicals and we talk to local experts about the origin of one of Pennsylvania's urban slugs. The year-long voluntary moratorium on caving to combat white nose syndrome in bats has ended. One spelunker asks, "Is it OK to Cave?" Our summer-long series on reconnecting kids with nature continues with essays from students in Centre County who say they love the outdoors.

More

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In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology quietly published a list late Sunday of 2,087 steel mills, cement works and other energy-intensive factories required to close by Sept. 30. Energy analysts described it as significant step toward the country’s energy efficiency goals, but not enough by itself to achieve them. The goal of the factory closings is “to enhance the structure of production, heighten the standard of technical capability and international competitiveness and realize a transformation of industry from being big to being strong,” the ministry said. The announcement was the latest in a series of Chinese moves to increase energy efficiency. The National Development and Reform Commission, which is the government’s most powerful economic planning agency, announced last Friday that it had forced 22 provinces to halt their practice of providing electricity at discounted prices to energy-hungry industries like aluminum production. The current Chinese five-year plan calls for using 20 percent less energy this year for each unit of economic output than in 2005. But surging production by heavy industry since last winter has put in question China’s ability to meet the target.

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European Sustainable Development Network

The European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) is an informal network of public administrators and other experts dealing with sustainable development (SD) strategies in Europe. This website serves as a one-stop-shop for SD strategies in Europe, and is the communication platform of the ESDN. ESDN's materials -- background papers, case studies and more -- are an excellent resource to catch up on what is happening on sustainability in Europe.

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How scrapping the SDC to save money will cost the taxpayer a fortune

The environment department's announcement that it would stop funding the SDC coincided this morning with the publication of the commission's latest (and last) report on the government's green progress. This report shows that even the modest measures the previous government introduced to save energy and water and reduce waste have cut the state's annual bills by £60m to £70m . . .That – among other things – is what the SDC is for. Junking it is the definitive false economy: spoiling the ship for a ha' pence of tar. It blows away two of the government's central claims: that its spending decisions will be rational and rigorous, and that it will be the "greenest government ever".

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Senate Banking Committee Passes Livable Communities Act

The Senate Banking Committee on August 3 passed Chairman Chris Dodd's (D-CT) Livable Communities Act (S. 1619) to improve the coordination between our housing, community development, transportation, energy, and environmental policies to help create better places to live, work and raise families. The bill will promote sustainable development and enable communities to cut traffic congestion; reduce greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption; protect farmland and green spaces; revitalize existing Main Streets and urban centers; spur economic development; and create more affordable housing.

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Cleaner and greener: A private 'takeover' transforms downtown streets

. . . That's an important step because a happy pedestrian is the key to a successful city. In the world of walkability, perception is reality. If a street looks shabby, if there's litter lying about, if sidewalks are dirty and stained and carry the scent of urine, if no one has planted trees and flowers, if loiterers and panhandlers seem to have taken over, then confidence departs. Even if there's no real danger people won't walk down the street. They won't buy things. They won't want to work, live or shop in that area.

When that happens, the core of the city suffers, and when the core suffers the entire metro area stands to lose because, as any good urban geographer will tell you, a metro area with a strong core stands a far better chance of keeping and attracting "human capital," and human capital is the thing that builds competitiveness and prosperity for the wider region.

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Progress Derailed: The Cause & Effect Of NYC's Transit Funding Crisis

And there's more at stake than just the comfort and convenience of passengers. "The whole region would be choked in traffic were it not for the additional capacity that trains and buses bring," said John Petro, a policy analyst at the Drum Major Institute. Petro called improved public transportation one of the major causes in the city's re-emergence from its lean years in the 70s and 80s. . .The MTA's fiscal crisis has an array of causes, many of which boil down to this: It takes a lot of money to run a transit system, and the MTA doesn't have enough. Part of that is a result of the bad economy and decreased tax revenue. A large part comes from state lawmakers' unwillingness to provide the necessary funding.

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Sauce: When you're through, please compost this column

Sustainable, compostable, biodegradable, recyclable.

Trying to make ecologically sound decisions about what you use and reuse in the kitchen and your household is enough to make your head combustible.

But think of it: Every day you make choices about containers and reuse. So every day you can make a positive impact on the environment by saying no to something grossly over-packaged, or even by simply buying plastic sandwich bags that use less plastic than the standard. (One of the most irritating things I get in the mail are lavish media kits with six more layers of wrapping and stuff than is necessary. Marketers need to get greener, and ballyhoo it, too.)

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The Three Rivers now overflow with wildlife, water lovers

While time has changed the rivers, it hasn't completely changed the perception of the local waterways for many, said Sean Brady, director of development for Riverlife Pittsburgh, a community group focused on transforming riverfront areas.

People older than 40 who grew up near the rivers likely were told not to go near the water or touch it, and rightly so, Mr. Brady said. But conditions have changed, he said. Fish are thriving, biodiversity is high and infrastructure has improved so that access to the rivers is easier.

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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 2010 from:

Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Atkins Family Foundation
BNY Mellon
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Dollar Bank
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
FedEx Ground
Paskek Associates
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
UPMC
Waste Management


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