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

Sustainable Pittsburgh releases Inclusion in the Workforce report

Illustrates economic benefits of hiring more people of color in SWPA

The economic case is clear -- in order to thrive and prosper in the global economy, the Pittsburgh Region must work to achieve higher levels of inclusion of communities of color and diversity in the workforce. Inclusion in the Workforce: Positioning the Pittsburgh Region to Prosper and Compete, reviews hard numbers and compelling themes that show equity and inclusion are directly tied to a region’s economic health. The report analyzes racial disparities in employment in the region, reviews the critical role that a diverse workforce plays in improving economic competitiveness, and features numerous recommendations on how the Pittsburgh region can work to remove structural and attitudinal barriers to reduce its racial employment disparity. Recommendations revolve around three principle themes:
- Promoting job growth in a diversity of living-wage sectors;
- Helping African Americans overcome systemic barriers to employment; and
- Generating demand for diverse employees.

To view the report, along with the cover letter, visit www.sustainablepittsburgh.org.

Upcoming Sustainable Pittsburgh Programs: Register Now

Sustainable Pittsburgh has plenty of events scheduled this Fall, sure to inform and invigorate. Ranging from sustainable business operations to inclusion in the workforce to vacant property remediation, these events feature experts in the field providing current, applicable knowledge for people from all sectors. More information is available by clicking the links below:

• Information Forum: Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission –

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Update and CMAQ Program Development and Management

• Sustainable Development Academy presents: The Cranberry Plan
• Road to Sustainability
• Adventures in Regionalism – European style
  How Pittsburgh can learn from Turin, Italy and Essen, Germany
• Global Sustainability - Trends and Developments in the Built Environment
• 7th Annual Public Officials Sustainable Community Design Charrette: CALL FOR MUNICIPALITIES
• 6th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Equitable Development Summit
  "Going Regional on Addressing Blighted and Abandoned Properties"

Events Continued

Resources

Information Forum: Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission –
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Update and CMAQ Program Development and Management

Monday, September 14
10:00 – Noon
Regional Enterprise Tower, 31st floor
No fee to attend
Pre-registration to: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642. Please provide full contact information.
NEW: Please note that photo identification is required to enter the Regional Enterprise Tower. Please allow extra time for security in the lobby.
NEW: Webcast Available: This forum will be available as a live webcast. Space is limited. Please contact Tom Straw (tstraw@spcregion.org) at SPC by noon Friday if you are interested in logging on to the forum.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is now focused on developing the region’s 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP serves to identify needed regional transportation investments over a four-year period that support the region’s Long Range Transportation and Development Plan within fiscal constraint. A visible element of the TIP development process will be the recommended program of projects for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ).

Come learn about these important regional processes for prioritizing needed transportation improvements. Gain insight in what it takes to get a project ready for the TIP and in particular learn about the CMAQ funding process and project eligibility.

This information forum, being presented by SPC in cooperation with Sustainable Pittsburgh, is timely given that both the TIP update process and CMAQ project selection process are just beginning. At the forum staff will highlight TIP update activity, present the process and schedule for developing and managing the CMAQ Program, and engage participants in a lively Q&A session including opportunity for attendees to discuss potential project ideas in an informal, rapid-fire session with SPC staff.

Sustainable Development Academy presents:
The Cranberry Plan

Thursday, September 24
8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Cranberry Township Municipal Building, 2525 Rochester Road, Cranberry Township
Fee: $20.00; Tour and Lunch included
Register

Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work-—today and tomorrow. Both the current and future resident benefit when a local government approaches its service to taxpayers with the point of view that simultaneously cares for the economy, social equity and the environment. Indeed sustainability is a process--a work in progress. Happily a growing number of municipalities in our region are adopting sustainability as a framework for their progress. As the region is host to the G-20 on September 24, local governments in southwestern Pennsylvania have an opportunity to consider how they can best serve their communities in a global economy by advancing the policy and practice of sustainable development.

Join in this in-depth program on “The Cranberry Plan” -- a community planning process guided by principles of sustainability. This day long program is designed to be "nuts and bolts" and features both an overview of the plan's process and goals. In addition to an instructional program by the plan's key developers, this program will feature tours and demonstration of key implementation activities relating to policy, operations, and engineering, including:
Public Works & Physical Plant: Buildings, Vehicle Maintenance, Alternative Fuels
Energy & Climate Action Plan
Transportation Management: signalization project
Golf Course: irrigation, Audubon certification
Sewage Treatment

Graham Park: streambank stabilization Transportation Management: traffic roundabout

Presented by:
Cranberry Township
Local Government Academy
Sustainable Pittsburgh

This program is available to those communities declared fiscally distressed by Act 47 at no charge.  A limited number of scholarships are also available from the Michael P. Lynch Scholarship Fund for other municipalities via the Local Government Academy.

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)
Contact: CCBC’s Career and Workforce Development Office at 724-480-3600
Registration and more information

“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

Attendees will hear from regional experts in the sustainability movement as well as from a panel made up of corporations who are taking the lead in helping to make their businesses environmentally-friendly. A Resources Room will also be available throughout the day, highlighting vendors displaying green products and services. If you are interested in being a vendor for a cost of $125 per table, contact us soon.

Hosted by:
Community College of Beaver County (CCBC)
Congressman Jason Altmire
L. Robert Kimball & Associates
Sustainable Pittsburgh

Adventures in Regionalism – European style
How Pittsburgh can learn from Turin, Italy and Essen, Germany

Sustainability and Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum
FEATURING: Tracy Certo, Pop City; Pat Getty, Benedum Foundation; Allen Kukovich, Power of 32; and Audrey Russo, Pittsburgh Technology Council

Tuesday, October 20
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Regional Enterprise Tower, 23rd Floor, A.E. Hunt Room
No fee to attend. Bring a bag lunch. Desserts provided. To register, email: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or call 412-258-6642

While the Pittsburgh region is recognized internationally for its comeback story, nevertheless many regions around the globe similarly offer valuable lessons from their own renaissances. The featured guests of this forum are recently back from a Transatlantic Cities Network idea-exchange in Europe hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the US. Come hear about the regionalization reform strategy of two metropolitan areas: Turin, Italy, and Essen, Germany. What lessons apply to Southwestern Pennsylvania and our mega-region as we aspire to prosper and compete in the ever-broadening global contest? With the G-20 behind by the time of this discussion, the question surely will be: How to catalyze the Pittsburgh region's next great story of prosperity through regional collaboration and sustainable development on the global stage? For a discussion preview, see Tracy Certo's article in the Post-Gazette.

Global Sustainability - Trends and Developments in the Built Environment

Sustainability and Smart Growth Brown Bag Forum
FEATURING: Vivien Loftness, University Professor at the School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University and a Senior Researcher for the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics

Friday, November 6
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Regional Enterprise Tower, 23rd Floor, Fetterolf Room
No fee to attend. Bring a bag lunch. Desserts provided.
To register, email: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or call 412-258-6642

Vivien Loftness is an internationally-renowned researcher, author and educator with expertise in environmental design and sustainability, advanced building systems and systems integration, climate and regionalism in architecture, as well as design for performance in the workplace of the future. An appointee to the Assurance Group to Advance Mandate of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Vivien will discuss global sustainability trends and developments. She will also provide insight to the work of WBCSD, a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development. The Council provides a platform for companies to explore sustainable development, share best practices, and to advocate business positions. Come learn about the business case for and how businesses in our region can be advocates for sustainability here and globally.

Presented by:
Green Building Alliance
Sustainable Pittsburgh

7th Annual Public Officials Sustainable Community Design Charrette
CALL FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Friday, November 20
8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Greentree Municipal Building
Free; lunch will be provided.
Open to limited number of municipalities.

Municipalities in SWPA, this is for you:
Free expert consultation on pressing sustainable community design challenges and opportunities.

Sustainable Pittsburgh's Sustainable Community Development Network, AIA Pittsburgh, and the Local Government Academy are now welcoming interested municipalities to propose to be "clients" for this free, half-day, hands-on, charrette-style consultation.

How it works: Up to five municipalities will be selected to benefit from the assistance of a team of pro bono experts. The municipality identifies a pressing sustainability challenge or opportunity and we assemble a team of experts to be on hand to work through the issue and generate practical solutions. Issues may relate to: main street revitalization, infill development, transportation access, energy efficiency or resource conservation, community development, a social or human service concern, community or green space, etc. For ideas and insights, refer to the Sustainable Community Rapid Assessment and 14 Sustainable Community Resource Sheets found at: www.sustainablecommunityessentials.org

Are you an interested municipality? Please call 412-258-6643. We'll discuss your needs and determine if there's a good fit. All that is required is attendance from your municipality to include at least one elected official, a municipal staff person, and one community leader.

6th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Equitable Development Summit
"Going Regional on Addressing Blighted and Abandoned Properties"

Tuesday, December 15
8:30 am - 12:30 pm (8:00 am - Registration and Continental Breakfast)
Twentieth Century Club, 4201 Bigelow Blvd., Oakland
Fee: $10 Sustainable Pittsburgh members; $15 non-members
To register and for more information, contact: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Keynote: John Kromer, Sr. Consultant at the Fels Institute, author of Fixing Broken Cities: The Implementation of Urban Development Strategies

The presence of blighted and abandoned properties are among Southwestern Pennsylvania's most pressing threats undermining sustainable communities and regional equitable development. Blight and abandonment is a tip of the iceberg issue that undermines and potentially exacts a downward spiral sentence on quality of life and prosperity across social, economic and environmental essentials for a sustainable community. Without mitigation, this problem will continue to grow and be a drain on the region’s resources. It undercuts the ability of the region's communities to maintain their footing as places of choice. There are real costs. As the Statewide Blight Task Force noted in 2008, “Blight is an “economic crime” costing taxpayers and municipalities millions of dollars annually in lost property tax revenues, sewer and water fees, and increased municipal expenditures.”

Addressing blight and abandonment offers the chance to build assets in a community. It is a win-win strategy that pays in stabilizing neighborhoods, increased revenue, job creation, increase in property values and lower crime. Given the regional nature of this issue, regional approaches are in order. However, at present, there exists no regional plan, decision-making table, nor coordinated regional effort to tackle the growing crisis of abandonment and blight in our communities.

This year's Summit will present findings are recommendations from recent work, specific to our region, on how regional capacity can be developed to address blight and abandonment. Practical strategies and cooperative efforts will be highlighted as ripe for deployment to the benefit of individual communities and the regional as a whole. The Summit will be a key milestone in developing new structures and well-substantiated plans for raising capacity around the region to attack blight and return properties to community benefit and often local tax rolls.

Keynote, John Kromer is Senior Consultant at the Fels Institute of Government and is the author of Fixing Broken Cities: The Implementation of Urban Development Strategies. He is a serving as strategic consultant to Sustainable Pittsburgh's Regional Blighted and Abandoned Properties Solutions Project.

Presented by:
- Sustainable Pittsburgh's Sustainable Community Development Network
- University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs: Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership

Sponsored by:
The Buhl Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Richard King Mellon Foundation

Homeowner Preservation, Sustaining our Communities One at a Time

Friday, September 11
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
East Liberty Town Square, 9552 Penn Avenue

Saturday, September 12
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Community Appreciation Day, Kennard Field, Kirkpatrick & Reed Street, Hill District

Contact: Jada Grandy, Fifth Third Bank, at 412-291-5465

Get on board the Fifth Third Homeownership Mobile. The "eBus" is a 40-foot that doubles as a mobile classroom and it's FREE to the community! What you can do on the eBus:
- Request a free credit report
- Apply for a mortgage loan*
- Receive information on the prevention of foreclosures
- Receive money management and budgeting information
- Receive a personalized evaluation of your finances
- Apply for employment
- Receive giveaways and enter to win daily prizes
- And much more!

Transit Development Plan (TDP): Public Hearing

Tuesday, September 15
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, Downtown
Details below.

Individuals wishing to testify 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. Persons who have not pre-registered can register to speak at the hearing and will be called on as time slots become available. Port Authority will provide a sign language interpreter for the public hearing and make Braille copies of all information available to those who request it. Individuals wishing to comment in writing about the proposals should mail their comments to Port Authority Fare and Service Proposals, Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527. Public comments on the proposals also will be accepted on Port Authority’s Web site at http://tdp.portauthority.org.

The official public comment period starts Aug. 28 and the deadline is Sept. 30. at 4 p.m.

List of locations where detailed information about the plan may be reviewed:

Port Authority's Web site
Port Authority offices, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Port Authority’s Downtown Service Center, 534 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Visually impaired individuals may request information by calling the Authority at 1-866-583-0837.
Several Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh locations:
- Woods Run: 1201 Woods Run Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
- Homewood: 7101 Hamilton Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15208
- Carrick: 1811 Brownsville Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15210
- West End: 47 Wabash Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15220
- Hill District: 2177 Centre Ave. at Kirkpatrick Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
- Main (Oakland): 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Shaler North Hills Library: 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd., Glenshaw, PA 15116
- Bethel Park Public Library: 5100 West Library Ave., Bethel Park, PA 15102
- Monroeville Public Library: 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
- Robinson Township Library: 1000 Church Hill Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15205
- Braddock Carnegie Library: 419 Library St., Braddock, PA 15104

A Port Authority bus shuttle serving the hearing will run throughout the day and stop at several Downtown locations, including Fifth at Grant, Smithfield & Fourth Ave., Blvd. of the Allies at Wood, Blvd. of the Allies at Stanwix, Liberty at Gateway #4, Wood Street Station opposite Ninth Street, and Seventh Ave. at William Penn Place. The shuttle will run at least once every half hour.

ALCOSAN Open House

Saturday, September 19
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Alcosan, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh 15233
Free and open to the public. Contact: Nancy Barylak at ALCOSAN at 412-734-8353 or nancy.barylak@alcosan.org
View Flyer

Join ALCOSAN for the largest watershed and environmental festival in the region. Families are encouraged to attend and participate in hands-on environmental activities and exhibits, treatment plant and laboratory tours, games, food and fun!

Household Hazardous Waste Collections

Allegheny County
Saturday, September 19
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Settler’s Cabin Park, wave pool parking lot

Beaver County
Saturday, October 3
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Bradys Run Park, Brighton Township
For more information concerning the upcoming collections visit www.swpahhw.org or call the Pennsylvania Resources Council at 412-488-7452.

Pennsylvania residents will have two more opportunities in 2009 to safely and cost effectively dispose of hazardous chemical products commonly found in their homes at collection events sponsored by the Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, UPMC and other private and public sector partners.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an average home can easily accumulate 100 pounds of “household hazardous waste.” These common household products include cleaners, paints, stains and varnishes, car batteries, automotive fluids, pesticides, pool chemicals and other products containing potentially hazardous ingredients.

Individuals dropping off waste materials will pay a fee of $2 per gallon. Payment will be cash only (no checks or credit cards accepted).

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.

National and regional speakers include:
Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Ken Cook, President of Environmental Working Group
Jerome Ringo, President, Apollo Alliance
Dr. Terry Collins, Thomas Lord Chair of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Conrad Dan Volz, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Michael Wilson, Research Scientist, School of Public Health, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California, Berkeley
Tim Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Green OX Catalysts, Inc.
Paul Renner, Associate Director, The Labor Institute
Dr. Talal El-Hefnawy, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh U.S. Representative Michael Doyle

"Hard to Recycle" Collection - including canes, crutches and other medical supplies

Saturday, September 26
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Kennywood Shops, Hoffman Boulevard, West Mifflin
For more information visit www.prc.org or call the PA Resources Council at 412-431-4449, ext. 236.

Individuals can drop off televisions, e-waste, cell phones, printer/toner cartridges, compact fluorescent bulbs, alkaline batteries and tires without rims for recycling. Fees are charge for electronics and tires; other items collected at no cost.

“This year we’re excited to introduce an opportunity to drop off medical equipment that can be reused at hospitals in Latin America,” according to PRC Regional Director Dave Mazza. “Annually, Global Links diverts 200 tons of materials that would have been landfilled or incinerated by redirecting home medical materials away from curbside trash cans and into the hands of individuals in need.”

The final hard-to-recycle collection of the 2009 campaign will take place on November 21 in Robinson Township. The 2009 campaign is presented by PRC in partnership with Allegheny County Health Department, eLoop llc, Waste Management, Steel City Harley Davidson, The Mall at Robinson and Global Links.

Three Rivers Bioneers Conference

October 16-18, 2009
Times:
- Friday Registration 7:30 am - 8:15 am. Conference 8:15 am - 5:30 pm, with social events in the evening until 7.
- Saturday Registration 7:30 am - 8:15 am. Conference 8:15 am - 5:30 pm, with social events in the evening.
- Sunday Registration 8:00 am - 9:00 am. Conference 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.
Pittsburgh Project in the Northside
Fee: Full Registration (3 Days) $99.00; Student/Low Income Registration (3 Days) $75.00; Single Day Registration $45.00; Two Day Registration $90.00
For more information and to register, visit www.3riversbioneers.org/registration

Founded in 1990, Bioneers promotes “practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring Earth’s imperiled ecosystems and healing our human communities”. The Bioneers believe in a systemic "solve-the-whole-problem" approach”, “Taking care of nature means taking care of people, and taking care of people means taking care of nature”. They “connect the dots among most areas of human endeavor including environment, health, justice and spirit”.

The annual conference held every October has grown so large, and so popular, that twenty cities throughout this country are now holding satellite conferences in tandem with the main conference in California. The Pittsburgh Urban Ecology Collaborative is partnering with Bioneers to bring a 2009 satellite conference to Pittsburgh this fall.

3Rivers Bioneers will feature some of our local visionaries, with mornings of workshops and tours. Locally grown and cooked meals will precede the national speakers; an evening of socialization, networking, and fun will follow. The two keynote speakers are two true Bioneers. Khari Mosley is the Director of Green Economy Initiatives at GTECH and is the liaison with the national organization, Green for All. He will be speaking on regarding green jobs and social justice. Greg Boulos, the Western Region Director of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), will be speaking about local food/local economy. These two will be joined by over 40 other visionaries that will be running morning workshops on everything from urban school gardens to how to form community benefit agreements.

Rental Housing Finance: Third Course in PCRG’s 4-Part Community Development Finance Training Series

November 2-4, 2009
Doubletree Hotel in Pittsburgh (One Bigelow Square)
The Tuition:
- Regular Tuition: $595/person
- 501(c)3 Staff: $395/person ($200 discount per person)
- PCRG Members: $195/person ($400 discount per person)
Please direct all questions and RSVPs to sstutts@pcrg.org or 412-391-6732 x208.
RSVPs must be received by Monday, October 19th. Participants will receive some pre-program materials to look over in the few weeks leading up to the course.

The Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) has partnered with the National Development Council (NDC) to bring the three-day course “Home Ownership Finance” to Pittsburgh! This class examines in detail the financing and developing of rental property. The course emphasizes the criteria used by lenders and investors to decide if they will put money into a project. The course also explores methods to attract private funds and the use of public funds to fill financing gaps. Topics to be covered include financial projections, private financing, tax credits, and deal structuring. This course is intended to be introductory, with no prior knowledge of home ownership deals required.

This course is made possible by funding and support from Citizen’s Bank, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Their support has allowed us to assist neighborhood groups and other non-profit organizations by providing scholarships to attend this valuable program. Scholarships are reflected in the discounted registration fees. You may save an additional 10% when registering two or more people for this training program.

State Transportation Hearing has been rescheduled

Thursday, November 5
8:00 am
31st Floor Conference Room, Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh
Please contact Mr. Nolan Ritchie via email if you have additional questions.

This hearing is rescheduled from the original August 21st date. Please note the date for submitting written testimony has been extended to Friday, November 13, 2009. Click the following links to access the updated guidelines and project abstract form.
Project Abstract Form Electronic Submission
2011 STC Hearing Guidelines

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.

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.

GBA Hiring for 2 Full-Time and 2 Part-Time Positions

Green Building Alliance is now hiring for two full-time and two part-time positions. Those positions include:
· Manager of Green Building Education, Membership, & Funding Development
· Green Building Products & Policy Specialist
· Graphic Design & Web Communications Assistant (Part-Time)
· Research & Resource Assistant (Part-Time)

If interested in applying, please send cover letter and resume for immediate consideration to hr@gbapgh.org. Full job descriptions in the link below. All of the above positions will be open until filled, with anticipated start dates of October 5th. GBA offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits in a great working environment.

More

AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team RFP -- 2010

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design announces the 2010 Sustainable Design Assessment Team Program (SDAT) Request for Proposals. The RFP solicits applications for inclusion in the Sustainable Design Assessment Team 2010 program.

The SDAT program is a community assistance program that focuses on the principles of sustainability. SDATs bring teams of volunteer professionals (such as architects, urban designers, planners, hydrologists, economists, attorneys, and others) to work with community decision-makers and stakeholders to help them develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future. The submission deadline is November 13, 2009.

Walk Appeal: Homes in Walkable Neighborhoods Sell for More: Study

The report, "Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities," looked at 94,000 real-estate transactions in 15 markets. In 13 of those markets, higher levels of "walkability" were directly linked to higher home values. The report was commissioned by CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders from the civic, business, academic and philanthropic sectors.

Smarter Cities

When thinking about the urban environment, more often than not problems come first to mind. Less commonly thought about is the potential presented by cities, potential to rethink and reshape their environments responsibly. Today urban leaders—-mayors, businesses and community organizations-—are in the environmental vanguard, making upgrades to transportation infrastructure, zoning, building codes, and waste management programs as well as improving access to open space, green jobs, affordable efficient housing and more. If they succeed in making their cities more efficient, responsible and sustainable, what will result will be smarter places for business and healthier places to live.

Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The report is the first in a series of publications dedicated to providing brief, succinct information on childhood obesity prevention specifically for policymakers. Funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the report focuses on one of the major recommendations in two previous Institute of Medicine (IoM) reports on obesity (Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance and Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?) regarding the vital role of local governments in helping to prevent childhood obesity. The report includes built environment strategies for getting children physically active such as encouraging walking and bicycling for transportation and recreation through improvements in the built environment, and promoting programs that support walking and bicycling for transportation and recreation.

Mayors and Climate Protection Best Practices

The U.S. Conference of Mayors Awards Program recognizes mayors for innovative practices in their cities designed to increase energy efficiency and curb global warming. In June 2009 the cities of Denver, Colorado and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania received top honors for their efforts.

Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions

Increasing population and employment density in metropolitan areas could reduce vehicle travel, energy use, and CO2 emissions from less than 1 percent up to 11 percent by 2050 compared to a base case for household vehicle usage, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council, although committee members disagreed about the plausibility of achieving the higher estimate. Assuming compact development is focused on new and replacement housing -- as converting existing housing to higher densities could be prohibitively difficult -- significant increases in density would result in modest short-term reductions in personal travel, energy use, and CO2 emissions. However, these reductions will grow over time.

Smart Growth: On Common Ground: Summer 2009

To say that we are at a pivotal time in addressing transportation would be an understatement. A confluence of factors -- including economic distress, politics, and changing real estate markets -- is posing a rare opportunity to create a new national transportation vision in a way not seen since the Interstate Highway system was created. The time is ripe for transportation to take a new direction. This issue will take a look at some of these new directions.

States, EPA Open Investigation Into Fracking's Effects On Drinking Water

Drinking water in some Wyoming towns, including the town of Pavillion, "contains traces of arsenic, barium, cobalt, copper and other compounds identified in water tests that cannot be seen, smelled or tasted," and residents "blame their water woes -- and what they perceive to be the unusual health problems in their midst -- on hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' a common technique used in drilling new oil and gas wells." Although similar complaints "have surfaced across the county in areas where energy producers use fracking," the oil and gas industries say "the practice is safe, and the federal government has exempted the process from its oversight." In the meantime, "some states are investigating complaints associated with fracking, but this community in central Wyoming is the only place where the Environmental Protection Agency has opened its own investigation, according to agency officials.”

Get Energy Smarter(TM)

Concerned about high energy bills?
Is your home chilly in the winter?
Want to help reduce damage to the environment?

Conservation Consultants, Pittsburgh's nonprofit energy experts since 1978, urge you to GetEnergySmarter(TM), and save money too! Take advantage of tax credits and rebates for home energy improvements:
1. Get up to $1,500 back for eligible improvements, such as insulating your home or installing a high-efficiency heating or cooling system.
2. Go solar! Apply for state grants that pay up to $2,000 for a solar hot water system and up to $22,500 for a solar electric system.
3. Get an energy audit to learn what you can do to save the most money and energy.

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 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