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Events

Staying on the Path to Sustainability

Sustainability is a process of continuous improvement where social, environmental, and economic values are simultaneously advanced. It is a process of continuously asking questions and course correcting. Sustainable Development is a product or outcome of this questioning, taking a systems view, connecting the dots and being agile to change.

At Sustainable Pittsburgh, while our focus is generally on the region, businesses, and communities, we are often asked what a person can do to accelerate sustainability in their own lifestyles. We've attempted to inventory ideas here that we hope you will find helpful. What's missing? Feel free to email your thoughts to us. More information can be found on these ideas by simply searching online.

By the way, this Staying on the Path to Sustainability list has similarities to a project we developed a couple years ago and are presently reviving under the new Sustainable Community Development Network. Check out sc500.org for case studies of innovative sustainable community solutions from around our region and a sustainable decision-making checklist.

Resources

Green Drinks

Friday, August 15
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Steel City Biofuels office (at Construction Junction, 214 N. Lexington St., N. Point Breeze)

GreenDrinks is going on the road to celebrate two of the burgh's most famous brews - beer and biodiesel!

Against a background of locally produced Beer (donated by East End Brewing) and bites (donated by Parkhurst Dining & the East End Food Coop) participants will get a crash course in the rapidly developing biofuel industry - including an overview of the recently passed PA legislation aggressively promoting the production of biofuels, the update on new Federal biofuel initiatives, perspectives on the "food vs. fuel" controversy, local efforts to produce sustainable biofuel feedstock, a discussion of a proposed producer/consumer biofuels cooperative, and a preview of a the new PSU Biomass Energy Center Western Regional office that will be touching down in Pittsburgh in September. Steel City Biofuels (SCB) was founded in 2005 by Nathaniel Doyno, Greg Boulos, and Peter Lambert as a non-profit organization with the mission to develop the awareness, technology, policy, markets and infrastructure necessary for the sustainable production and use of biofuels in SW PA.

Bridging Our Past — Connecting Our Future, The National Land Conservation Conference

September 18–21, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA
Details

The Alliance chose Pittsburgh for Rally 2008 because the city has made great strides in poising itself as a green city. Greater Pittsburgh has undergone a dramatic environmental and economic renaissance. It is one of the top three cities in the U.S. for certified green building square footage. The city has evolved by expanding their urban trail system, cleaning up brownfields and planting countless trees. Pittsburgh has pledged to reduce their global warming emissions and has been ranked among the cleanest cities in the world.

Rally offers you four action-packed days of learning and inspiration with “how-to” seminars and workshops, thought-provoking plenary speeches and fun networking—all with the top conservation practitioners in the country! You will also learn how to tap into the Alliance’s many new resources, online trainings, policy campaigns and diversity initiatives. There is no greater central source than Rally for a comprehensive program of modern conservation education and training.

Putting Intergovernmental Cooperation to Work: Employing Multi-municipal Planning to Link Communities and Conserve Costs

Friday, September 19
8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Sheraton Station Square
Free, but pre-registration is required.
More information

Development patterns of the last 20 years have resulted in the spreading of residential, commercial, and office development over a wide auto-dependant area. A significant consequence of this trend is to largely separate where people live and where people work. In an era of rising fuel costs, this produces a dilemma for both employers and employees.

Local governments have a key role in responding to this situation. By moving from existing systems of intergovernmental cooperation to vital systems of intergovernmental coordination, local governments can help citizens save money, improve the quality of life and shore up their municipal budgets.

Sponsored by Comcast, and in partnership with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, the 2008 Road to Excellence Conference will focus on access to employment, multi-municipal planning, developments of regional impact and tools currently available that expand intermunicipal coordination.

"Hard to Recycle” Collection

Saturday, September 20
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
North Park Pool Parking Lot
Fee: Varies
Contact: Sarah Alessio at 412-488-7490 ext. 236 or email at saraha@ccicenter.org.

The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) will be collecting freon and non-freon appliances, e-waste, televisions, tires without rims, ink and toner cartridges, CFLs, cell phones, mixed paper, and cardboard. All materials will be recycled and refurbished. There are fees involved for disposing of certain materials. Visit www.prc.org for details.

2008 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference

Green Chemistry: Solutions for a Healthy Economy
Saturday, September 20
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA
More information

The Rachel Carson Legacy Conference series is a project initiated by the Rachel Carson Homestead Association. Topics featured at this conference include:
- Environment and Health Connections - The Green Chemistry Solution
- Innovations in Products and Processes
- Design for Non-toxic Results
- Business Strategies - Risk, Investment and Insurance

"Body and Soul: Parks and the Health of Great Cities"

September 21 - 23, 2008
The Hilton Pittsburgh, Downtown
www.urbanparks08.org

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is the local host organization for this conference, which will bring together thought leaders from around the world to discuss the critical role parks play in the well-being of urban residents. Keynote speakers include: Teresa Heinz, author of This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future and Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder.

Women’s Health & the Environment Conference

Thursday, September 25
8:00 am – 4:30 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
Free
Questions: 412-641-4059 or sue@mcmahon-cardillo.com

Join women – and men who care about the women in their lives – from around the region and beyond for the second conference on Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions. The conference will feature nationally renowned environmental scientists, writers and activists who will share the newest science in three areas essential to health in our everyday lives: air, water, and food. Experts also will address the health affects of personal care products that are supposed to enhance the quality of our lives. In addition to explaining scientific data that show how toxins in our environment negatively affect our health, presenters will share solutions that can create a healthier environment for you and your family. For more information visit www.womenshealthpittsburgh.org .

Governor's Conference for Women

Thursday, October 2
All day event
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
Registration Details

Now in its fifth year, the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day event that features more than 75 renowned speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on the issues that matter most to women, including health, personal finance, executive leadership, business and entrepreneurship, work/life balance, media, and more. The Conference offers incredible opportunities for business networking, professional development, and personal growth.

In Celebration of Wild Places: Connecting People to Nature

Wednesday, October 8
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland
Tickets: $15 for adults; $5 for those under 18
More information

The Sierra Club, Allegheny Group and six other groups are sponsoring a slide lecture by African-American nature photographer Dudley Edmondson, who has spoken on this theme across the country at the invitation of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The slide program will be followed by a panel discussion of the challenges and benefits to the minority community of expanding participation in outdoor activities. Panelists include:
•Bill Strickland, president and founder of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
•Mamie Parker, former asst. secretary, US Fish and Wildlife Service
•Mario Browne, Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh
•Sarah Jamella Martin, Wilderness Educator, Pittsburgh Public Schools
•and Dudley Edmondson.

Save the Date: Get Energy Smarter Community Expo

Sunday, October 12
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
64 South 14th Street (South Side)
Free
Contact: 412-431-4449

Hosted by Conservation Consultants, this festival-type event will feature energy saving tips for the home, a contest to win a free home insulation package or a free energy star home audit, and 3 free compact fluorescent light bulbs when one brings in 3 old style light bulbs. More details to come.

Resources

Bicycle czar will try to tame city streets

"I've always been a bike rider and have always had my ears and eyes on cycling concerns in the city," said Mr. Patchan. He added that he'll "do everything in my power to make this city as bikeable as it can be." . . .Over the next two years, though, Mr. Ravenstahl and Mr. Dowd want to see tax credits and zoning preferences for businesses that accommodate cyclists, better bike route signs, more bike racks, local and national pedal-power events, and volunteer bike registration, among other things. They'd like to find money to repair city steps, with Mr. Dowd suggesting that the focus be on staircases that lead to transit.

New Partnerships Encouraging City Teens to Explore State Parks

Buoyed by success last summer in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is broadening an urban recreation initiative to introduce more young people to the adventure, natural beauty and learning opportunities found in their state parks. . . "You know it's working when a kid who lives to play basketball every day tells you, 'I really had fun'," Hicks said. "And that could have been fishing for the first time, or looking for fossils. One kid actually had the confidence to start swimming lessons."

More

Thomas L. Friedman: Flush with energy

In the last 10 years, Denmark's exports of energy efficiency products have tripled. Energy technology exports rose 8 percent in 2007 to more than $10.5 billion in 2006, compared with a 2 percent rise in 2007 for Danish exports as a whole. "It is one of our fastest-growing export areas," said Ms. Hedegaard. It is one reason that unemployment in Denmark today is 1.6 percent. In 1973, said Ms. Hedegaard, "we got 99 percent of our energy from the Middle East. Today it is zero."

Endangered Species Act Changes Give Agencies More Say

The Bush administration yesterday proposed a regulatory overhaul of the Endangered Species Act to allow federal agencies to decide whether protected species would be imperiled by agency projects, eliminating the independent scientific reviews that have been required for more than three decades. The new rules, which will be subject to a 30-day per comment period, would use administrative powers to make broad changes in the law that Congress has resisted for years.

106 mpg 'air car' creates buzz, questions

You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "fill it up with air."

The Future of Shopping Malls: An Image Essay

CNU insists that redeveloping malls, can reverse the process of urban sprawl. Malls, surrounded by parking lots and located far from residential neighborhoods, once encouraged the expansion of car culture. Now these greyfields present the opportunity to revive neighborhoods in suburbs around a central location. The challenge is to find an appropriate solution for each unique situation.

Leaders look to future with input from present

Local nonprofit, business and government leaders are in the early stages of a widespread planning effort for the future of Western Pennsylvania and beyond, using input from residents of dozens of counties in four states. The effort, called the Imagine Pittsburgh Project, will be seeking ideas from residents in 14 Pennsylvania counties, 12 counties in West Virginia, and others in Eastern Ohio and Western Maryland on what they want the greater Pittsburgh region to be like decades from today.

Cash to help make fishing greener

The Scottish Government yesterday pledged GBP 200,000 to help the Scottish fishing industry to develop sustainable fishing practices to conserve threatened stocks. . ."Scottish seafood is among the best in the world and contributes more than GBP 400 million to our economy. This new investment of over GBP 200,000 highlights the Scottish Government's firm commitment to Scottish fisheries and to ensuring they are well-managed, sustainable and profitable.

Drawing a line in the Sandcastle

It was easy to surmise what this was about. The 335-mile bicycle trail from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., won't be completed as planned this year largely because of an inability to pass through Sandcastle, the great water park in West Homestead owned by Kennywood Entertainment Co. . .Sandcastle could be a trail destination. Cyclists love water, entertainment and food, and while families loaded with beach stuff won't likely bike in, it's easy to envision teenagers and young urbanites pedaling up for a day in the water or a summer job.

RiverQuest's environmentally friendly floating classroom arrives

Explorer can be powered on biodiesel and rechargeable batteries. It can accommodate solar panels -- which RiverQuest plans to add soon with a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection grant. The heating, cooling and lighting systems are energy efficient and much of the boat is made from recycled materials.

North Side's Beleza peddles coffee, community

Founded by seven graduates of Hope College in Holland, Mich., the Beleza Community Coffeehouse opened in February 2006 in an abandoned storefont. The mission, as stated on Beleza's Web site, is for people to "share resources and quality food and drink" while also paying heed to the environment and the local economy by supporting local business.

VIDEO: More train, bus service for Septa

The new initiatives include more frequent service, additional peak, off-peak and weekend service and new late-night Regional Rail service. These measures are designed to address issues of overcrowding, assist growing employment, retail and residential markets and provide service for passengers who lack transportation while working unconventional job hours. . .SEPTA will also introduce 100 newly acquired and fuel efficient hybrid buses to its fleet by year’s end in an effort to improve air quality and passenger volume.

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 2008 from:

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