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Events

Get in the know!

How to build a sustainable community

Recently the Sustainable Community Development Network of Sustainable Pittsburgh partnered with leading organizations to produce a series of Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets and a Rapid Assessment for communities. These resource sheets identify 14 essentials of a sustainable community - from Air Quality to Food Security to Governance - and provide an explanation of each topic and case studies – perfect tools for community leaders to use as they work to improve their neighborhoods.

By visiting www.sustainablecommunityessentials.org, visitors access not only the Resource Sheets and Rapid Assessment--they can also contribute towards building a stronger set of resources. Simply visit www.sustainablecommunityessentials.org and click "Join this Wiki" on the left toolbar to register.

Once your registration has been confirmed, you will be able to edit/supplement each resource sheet, comment on existing content, and participate in discussions on sustainability on the Discussion Board. We welcome your insights towards improving the materials.

Resources

Road to Sustainability

Tuesday, October 13
8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Community College of Beaver County Dome
Cost: $35 per person (includes breakfast and lunch)

Hosted by the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC), Congressman Jason Altmire, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, and Sustainable Pittsburgh, “The Road to Sustainability” Conference is aimed at providing information to businesses and organizations about what it really means to “go green” as well as what it will take to get the current workforce trained to do so. Scheduled topics include the following:
• Sustainable Development
• Green Building and LEED
• Energy Auditing
• Mechanical Systems
• Grant Writing
• Act 129 opportunities
• Act 167 and Future Storm Water Management
• Solid Waste Management

A Resources Room will also be available throughout the day, highlighting vendors displaying green products and services.

Coro Fellows Social Innovation Fair

Friday, August 14
11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Benedum Center, Studio A, 719 Liberty Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh
To learn more or RSVP, contact Kelsey Halling at khalling@coropittsburgh.org

Providing relevant, scalable ideas for all sectors to solve community problems.

Agenda:
11:30 - 2:00 - Browse table displays from organizations across the city
11:45 - Coro Fellows Presentation, "Social Innovation in Downtown Pittsburgh"
12:25 - Panel Discussion "Strategies for Social Innovation"

Learn from Social Innovators About:
- developing a new product or service that is socially innovative.
- changing internal operations to decrease expenses and provide social benefit.
- transforming your programs and services to achieve your mission.
- creating a new business model that is profitable and solves a social problem.

Bikefest 2009

A celebration of Pittsburgh and all things cycling!
August 14-23
Various times and locations
www.bike-pgh.org

BikeFest is Pittsburgh’s biggest cycling event for cyclists by cyclists. It’s BikePGH’s annual celebration of bicycling, showcasing Pittsburgh in all of its uniqueness and beauty. It is not an organized event, but a framework for volunteers and organizations to organize bicycle-themed events. Whether you ride everyday, the weekends, or just always wanted to try, BikeFest has an event for you!

Pittsburgh is filled with interesting things to see and do, and there is no better way to experience the city than on a bicycle. So Bike PGH decided to celebrate the two 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. There are a wide variety of bikers and organizations in this city and if we can all get to know one another, we’ll be able to make Pittsburgh a more bike friendly and livable city.

Recycling Drive at Whole Foods Market

Saturday, August 15
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Whole Foods Market, 5880 Centre Avenue, East Liberty
For more information, call Kim from Whole Foods Market at (412) 441-7960 or Sarah from PRC at (412) 488-7490 ext. 236 or visit www.prc.org
.

Did you know that Americans throw away more paper than any other kind of trash? Recycling the pounds of magazines and newspapers the average household accrues in a year not only saves trees but also reduces contributions to air pollution by 95 percent. If everyone in the United States recycled their paper for an entire year it would be equivalent to taking 5,511,566 cars off the road for a year!

In order to help the public do their part to recycle, Whole Foods Market is teaming up once again with the City of Pittsburgh, Abitibi, and the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), one of the oldest, non-profit environmental groups in PA, to provide individuals with the opportunity to recycle paper and do their grocery shopping all in one trip. The public will be able to recycle the following paper products - office paper, junk mail, newspaper, cardboard, paperboard, magazines, catalogs, hardback books, and phone books. Other items being accepted for recycling include: alkaline batteries, cell phones, ink and toner cartridges, and CFLs. Representatives from PRC and Abitibi will be on hand during the event to answer questions about recycling. Paper products should be sorted in the following categories:
- Office paper, junk mail, newspaper, magazines, and catalogs
- Phone books
- Hardback books
- Cardboard
- Paperboard

Braddock Farm Tour and Film Screening

Monday, August 17
6:00 pm
Tour at Braddock Farm (100 Braddock Ave in Braddock)
Film at Unsmoke System Gallergy (1137 Braddock Avenue)
www.3riversbioneers.org

Come down to the farm! Braddock Farm, that is. Join Grow Pittsburgh for a tour of the Braddock Farm. Stay with us for a showing of Will Bullock, a young leader from Boston that has been a leader of the famed Food Project farm. The screening will be held at the Unsmoke System Gallery.

POSTPONED - State Transportation Commission Public Hearing - POSTPONED

POSTPONED
Friday, August 21
8:00 am
Regional Enterprise Tower, 31st Floor, Downtown Pittsburgh
More information

The State Transportation Commission (STC) will hold a public hearing in anticipation of the 2011 Twelve Year Transportation Program. All individuals wishing to testify are required to submit an electronic abstract for each project or each issue upon which they will present testimony. Written testimony may be submitted in lieu of oral comments. Written testimony will be accepted between August 5, 2009 and September 30, 2009. Pennsylvania’s Twelve Year Transportation Program identifies the Commonwealth's improvement efforts in all major transportation modes: highways, bridges, aviation, rail and transit. The transportation program included in the first four years of the Twelve Year Program is referred to as the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP. The update of the Twelve Year Transportation Program provides a valuable opportunity for members of the general public to provide input to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the State Transportation Commission. This public input provides direction for maintaining and improving Pennsylvania’s bridges and highways, public transportation system, aviation, and rail freight infrastructure.

G-20 Pittsburgh Summit: Behind the Scenes

Tuesday, August 25
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Pittsburgh Opera Offices, Strip District
Cost: $10; Free for students with College ID (Please email danielle@lpinc.org to register with a college ID)
Includes hors d’oeuvres and cash bar
RSVP by August 14th, 2009, at www.lpinc.org, click on Events.

Join the New Pittsburgh Collaborative, NPC members Leadership Pittsburgh and PUMP, and others for an exciting, informative and “in-the-know” conversation with Bill Flanagan from the Allegheny Conference and Craig Davis of VisitPittsburgh about what Pittsburgh is doing to prepare for the G-20 in September, what to can expect during the conference, and how Pittsburgh can be a great host to the world. This event is open to the whole community, not just NPC members, so bring your friends and find out how you can help Pittsburgh welcome the world.

Third Annual Rachel Carson Legacy Conference
When Chemicals Disrupt: Managing Our Risks

Friday, September 25
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Bidwell Training Center, 1815 Metropolitan Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Tickets: $90
Pre-registration and pre-payment is required.
More information

Featuring leaders of national and state government, academic institutions, environmental and social justice advocacy organizations and medical science, the conference will address the dichotomy between critical protection of the environment (and our bodies and those of the next generations) from endocrine disrupting contaminants and the unbridled economic interest of those who produce substances which directly or indirectly act as endocrine or developmental disruptors.

Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and other such synthetic compounds known as endocrine disruptors are chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. They are used widely in agriculture, industry and consumer products. They fool the body into over-production or under-production of natural hormones. They have been linked to feminization of fish, hermophrodization in frogs, and there is a growing body of scientific evidence that links endocrine disruptors to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes in humans. Other research has shown that male sperm count is dropping and that genital abnormalities in newborn boys are increasing.

This Rachel Carson Legacy Conference will look at the serious and urgent topic of endocrine disruptors in three parts: Policy, Science and Remedies.

Resources

Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets available online

Toward cultivating greater capacity for sustainable practice around Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Sustainable Community Development Network of Sustainable Pittsburgh partnered with leading organizations to produce a new series of Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets and a Rapid Assessment for communities. These resource sheets identify 14 essentials of a sustainable community - from Air Quality to Food Security to Governance - and provide an explanation of each topic and case studies – a perfect tool for community leaders to use as they work to improve their neighborhoods.

China To Issue Clean Energy Plan By End Of Year

China, the world's second-biggest fuel consumer, will issue a plan by the end of this year to push the development of clean energy sources such as nuclear, wind, solar and hydroelectric power." The country's New-Energy Development Plan "aims to increase the nation's energy efficiency and reduce reliance on oil and coal," according to Sun Qin, deputy head of the National Energy Administration. China "plans to reduce major pollutants such as sulfur dioxide by 10 percent in the five years through 2010. The government will invest more than 100 billion Yuan ($14.6 billion) to more than double from last year its wind-power capacity by 2010 ." The country's "wind-power capacity is likely to almost triple from the 2008 level to 30,000 megawatts by the end of next year, Sun said." Other officials noted that "the nation's nuclear capacity may reach 80,000 megawatts by 2020."

More

Chemical Industry Lends Support To More Regulation

In a reversal, chemical industry leaders said last week they are joining environmentalists, public health groups and consumer advocates in seeking more robust federal regulation of chemicals." For the first time, chemical manufacturers said "they are willing to furnish the Environmental Protection Agency with health and exposure data they have gathered that are related to their chemicals, and to allow the agency to determine whether the chemicals are safe to use." The industry has "long insisted that the 1976 federal law governing chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act, has been working well." But a number of critics say "the law is weak and does not enable the government to ensure the safety of thousands of chemicals that have been introduced into consumer goods and the environment." Top executives from several companies said the industry "wants Congress to give the EPA new authority and resources to ensure the safety of chemicals used in such things as furniture, cellphones and grocery bags."

Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security

The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say. Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change. Recent war games and intelligence studies conclude that over the next 20 to 30 years, vulnerable regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia, will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change that could demand an American humanitarian relief or military response.

Greening of retail brings some confusion, skepticism

There's no end of efforts by retailers and suppliers and various organizations to help guide shopping choices based on sustainability issues -- to the point that many consumers are either confused or skeptical about claims on labels. "That is definitely a problem, and a lot of people have identified that as a problem," said Dr. O'Rourke, whose company last year tried to help out by producing a directory of more than 280 ecolabels used around the world on nearly 500,000 products.

Preventing Greenwashing, One Company at a Time

The new report, "Understanding and Preventing Greenwash: A Business Guide," lays out a "greenwash matrix" of the different types of poor communication about corporate environmental activities, and explores the ways firms can move toward messages that more clearly explain their green works.

Pittsburgh reinvents itself through green economy

Yes, the city whose sprawling steel mills and smoky skies once symbolized America's industrial might has gone "green." Pittsburgh's emphasis on green recovery was one reason it was able to land the Group of 20 global economic summit next month.

Water Facts and Trends

This working document provides an overview of some basic facts and societal challenges related to water. It has been developed by the WBCSD secretariat and is intended to support the ongoing dialogue within the WBCSD membership and with other stakeholders in civil society and government. The emphasis in this document is on water availability and people’s use of water for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes. . .The WBCSD’s Water Project aims to enhance awareness in the business community of critical water issues while actively promoting mutual understanding between business and non-business stakeholders. Engaging leading companies representing a broad spectrum of activity, the current program is focused on the role of business in sustainable water management and on strengthening the foundation for effective business action.

Defying the Downturn: How to Achieve Success Through Sustainability

Both Fludder and Ligon have worked to create business cultures of environmental innovation that yield value. Together they offer compelling examples of how sustainability can integrate into the fabric of an organization, set a strategic direction, and support growth throughout an economic downturn.

Sidewalks Offer Safety and More

While these concerns are understandable, some are specious, and all can be addressed through competent, creative design. Indeed, the functional and aesthetic reasons for walkways along streets are compelling. Thus the issue is not whether to have a pro-sidewalk policy, but rather how to wisely implement such a policy by properly planning and deploying new sidewalks.

How New Energy Development May Impact PA Forests

As more wind energy sites, deep drilling, biofuel crops and power transmission lines are slated for Pennsylvania, conservationists are keeping an eye on forest health. Each type of energy development could further fragment already stressed forests. Nels Johnson, Director of Conservation for the Pa Chapter of the Nature Conservancy joins Host Matthew Craig to talk about how to mitigate the impacts this new wave of energy.

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 2009 from:

Bayer Corporation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Buhl Foundation
Dollar Bank
Falk Foundation
FedEx Ground
The Giant Eagle Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Dylan Todd Simonds Foundation
University of Pittsburgh
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