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Events

Resources

Movie and Discussion Night!

Perspectives on a Sustainability-Driven Industrial Revolution

Thursday, October 9
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm*
*In recognition of Yom Kippur, the film will begin at 7:15-—after sunset.
Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland
(Entrance off of Schenley Drive near Schenley Bridge)
Registration Information:
• $5 for C4S/Sustainable Pittsburgh Members
• $7 for non-members
• Deadline: October 8, 2008
• Register online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html

For more information, contact:
Matthew Mehalik, Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

What might a vision for a sustainable economy look like? What are some proven, practical outcomes from such a broad vision? To explore these questions, come watch the award winning movie, The Next Industrial Revolution, featuring Architect William McDonough and Chemist Michael Braungart. The film highlights some of their sustainability projects in companies such as Ford, Nike, DesignTex, and Herman Miller.

After the movie, several of the Pittsburgh region’s designers and business leaders will share their thoughts, reactions, and attempts to integrate a sustainable vision into their products and practices.

Stay and participate in a discussion for how it is possible for our region’s businesses to continue transforming Southwestern Pennsylvania into a hotbed for sustainable innovation.

Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Champions for Sustainability and Steel City Biofuels have partnered to make this first of a potential series of sustainability-oriented movie nights possible.

Resources Continued

Local Food Week

September 21-27
Listing of events

Celebrate local flavor at its peak all week. Presented by the Buy Fresh Buy Local® program of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), Local Food Week will demonstrate how important ensuring a vibrant local food community has become to our region with exciting, tasty and educational opportunities spotlighting local foods, businesses and producers across Western Pennsylvania. Learn more about local food by attending one of the many events throughout this exciting week.

Pittsburgh Green Jobs Now Rally

Saturday, September 27
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 5941 Penn Ave, East Liberty
More information

Hands-on activities for people of all ages will be available. Speakers, performers, information from community members, organizations and institutions will present what it means to be GREEN and all the ways that one can be green. Learn what Green jobs are, how people can be trained to do them, where they will be, and participate first hand—literally--in some good green work.

Pittsburgh Design Fair for House and Garden

Sunday, September 28
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Grand Hall at The Priory, North Side
Tickets: $5 in advance; $7 at the door.
The Deutschtown House Tour occurs on the same day in the same neighborhood. Combo tickets to both the Design Fair and House Tour are available for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
To purchase tickets and for more information, visit pittsburghdesignfair.org or call 412-391-4144.

This year’s Design Fair features the theme of Green Living, and highlights a range of eco-friendly services and products such as flooring, windows, kitchens and baths, and landscaping for a healthier, more energy efficient home. The Pittsburgh Design Center—a sponsor and featured exhibitor at last year’s Design Fair—is expanding its presence at this year’s event by offering informal consultations with some of the region’s finest interior designers. Questions about furniture, accessories, lighting, kitchens and baths, fireplaces, architectural finishes, fabrics, and even garage floor coatings and finishes can be addressed to experts. Also new at the 2008 Pittsburgh Design Fair for House and Garden is an extended demonstration area at the outdoor Blumengarten, across the street from The Priory’s Grand Hall, showcasing the green practices of rain barrel water collection and composting. The Pittsburgh Design Fair for House and Garden is an event of the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP).

Alternative Transportation Festival

Friday, October 3
11:30 am - 6:00 pm
Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave., Oakland
Contact: khalling@pgh-cleancities.org

The Alternative Transportation Festival is an event designed to raise public awareness of alternative means of transportation and advocate for the use of public transportation, car-sharing, alternative fuels, and human-powered vehicles. This event will combine internationally observed events with Pittsburgh’s own innovations and activities. Join organizers for panel discussions, demonstrations, and activities focused on alternative methods of transportation in Pittsburgh!

cityLive! 10 people. 3 minutes

Tuesday, October 7
6:30 pm
New Hazlett Theater, North Side
RSVP: rsvp@citylivepgh.org
More information

10 opinionated souls give us their most brilliant ideas for change. From the reasonable to the audacious. Give us 30 minutes and we'll change the way you see the city.

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.

Get Energy Smarter Community Expo

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

Hosted by Conservation Consultants, this family friendly expo will feature numerous exhibitors, giveaways, and contests! Get energy saving tips for the home, register to win a free home insulation package and trade in 3 of your old bulbs for 3 new energy saving bulbs. For more information visit www.getenergysmarter.com. And don't worry - Sunday the 12th is a Steelers bye-week!

Sustainable Energy Field Day

Homeowners’ How-To
Thursday, October 16
9:00 am – 2:00 pm (Workshops), followed by an Open House until 6:00 pm
Westmoreland Conservation District, GreenForge and 214 Donohoe Road buildings – all located adjacent to each other, Donohoe Road, Greensburg (1 mile from Westmoreland Mall/ U.S. Route 30)
Fee: $20 includes all workshop sessions (four of your choice) and lunch
Register by October 3. Space is limited.
More information: www.wcdpa.com or Mimi at 724-837-5271, mimi@wcdpa.com.

Get the latest on materials, technologies, and techniques to make your home, yard, and life more energy efficient. Plus, join in the special discussion: "H+T Affordability Index" – the true affordability of a house that factors in travel costs to work, school, shopping, and social events.

The open house period is does not require registration and is free.

Sleep-In for the Homeless

Friday, October 17
City-County Building, Downtown

To increase a positive public response to tackling the issues of housing insecurity, Community Human Services Corporation (CHS) will host a Sleep-In for the Homeless on October 17, 2008. As part of the Sleep-In, CHS and its partners will present the Home is where the Heart is awards to individuals, businesses, community leaders, homeless service providers, elected officials, media, educators, foundations and churches. Applications for nominations will be accepted until October 1, 2008.

For sponsorship information for the Sleep-In for the Homeless contact Diane McMahon at 412-621-4706 or dmcmahon@chscorp.org. To learn how your organization can join the planning committee and sleep overnight to raise money and awareness to help homeless people call or email Diane or log onto www.chscorp.org and click on Sleep-In for the Homeless or Home is where the Heart is.

2008 Greening Existing Buildings Exhibit

Tuesday, October 21
Duquesne University Power Center, 1015 Forbes Ave., Uptown
9:30 am
Fee: $20 Member* / $50 Non-Member / Space is limited!!
*Member price is available to members of BOMA, GBA, IFMA, IREM, NAIOP, Sustainable Pittsburgh and WPAA.
Registration form

Join BOMA and the Green Building Alliance for two seminars ("Generations at Work" and "LEED EB Overview") along with lunch and a Trade Show dedicated to 'green' products.

6th Annual Public Officials Design Charrette (PODC)

CALL FOR MUNICIPALITIES
Friday, November 21
12:00 pm - 4:00 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.

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.

Resources

Onorato Launches Comprehensive, Countywide Green Initiative

The key elements of the plan are the hiring of a sustainability manager reporting directly to the County Executive and creation of the Allegheny Green Action Team, a group of experts and stakeholders who will help the County to meet its green objectives and goals.

“As a community, we’ve taken steps to clean our air, water and land and to promote smart growth and sustainable development – but we can and must do more,” said Onorato. “Through the Allegheny Green initiative, County government, including our authorities, will lead by example, and we will develop policies and incentives to encourage our residents, businesses and municipalities to become ‘greener’ as well.”

Study Ties Wage Disparities To Outlook on Gender Roles

Men with egalitarian attitudes about the role of women in society earn significantly less on average than men who hold more traditional views about women's place in the world, according to a study being reported today.

It is the first time social scientists have produced evidence that large numbers of men might be victims of gender-related income disparities. The study raises the provocative possibility that a substantial part of the widely discussed gap in income between men and women who do the same work is really a gap between men with a traditional outlook and everyone else.

More

New USCM Energy Block Grant Program Comes Online Just in Time

The new EECBG program is largely modeled after the highly-successful Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which was first enacted in 1974. . .The new law generally identifies three key goals for recipients of these block grant funds: 1) reduce fossil fuel emissions, 2) reduce total energy use; and 3) improve energy efficiency in the transportation, building, and any other appropriate sectors.

Mascaro Center Undergraduate Design Competition

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh is collaborating with the Heinz Endowments to sponsor an undergraduate design competition titled “The 2008 Energy Efficient Building Technologies Challenge”. The challenge is open to all undergraduate students enrolled at any University/College in Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland or Washington Counties and asks students to design a product or system that could be incorporated into an existing building that would reduce annual demand from the electrical grid such that the design would pay for itself in one year or less. The deadline for submission is 5pm on October 17, 2008.

Lessons From Germany

Environment Ministry estimates more than 14% of the country's electricity now comes from renewable sources. That's more than double the proportion in 2000, the year that a federal "Red-Green" government — a coalition of Social Democrats and Greens — introduced the EEG. Today the law has support from all of Germany's major political parties. "It's the most successful tool. It's the cheapest way of phasing in renewables," says Sven Teske, renewable-energy director for Greenpeace International. . .If the U.S. were to introduce similar laws, environmentalists say, it could expect even bigger gains.

New Social Innovation Podcast: Business Solutions to Climate Change

Since the oil crisis of the 1970s, Amory Lovins has been advising corporate and world leaders on how to save and create substitutions for fossil fuels. In this talk, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Lovins details how, by 2040, the United States can reduce its need for oil altogether. This effort, he argues, can be led by business for profit.

Lovins offers specifics and metrics that demonstrate, through a combination of increased energy efficiency and the use of biofuels, how various business sectors can create savings, profits, and jobs. He makes materials, design, and production recommendations for how to increase fuel efficiency while creating better, safer, more technologically advanced, and ultimately less expensive cars and homes. He also discusses how various large companies' efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency are leading to higher net profits.

Economic program aims to aid minorities, women

The state Department of Community and Economic Development said yesterday that it was expanding a program that provides assistance to minority-owned and women-owned small businesses to 15 counties in Western Pennsylvania.

Address climate change through land use

With these examples as models, several cities in the region, including San Jose and Richmond, are now in the process of revising their general plans, which serve as blueprints for guiding future growth and development. The discussions on these new general plans have included increased focus on incorporating mixed land uses, infill, higher density and transit-oriented development. On a broader scale, regional organizations such as the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission, have joined forces implementing the program Focus Our Vision. The committee's goals include encouraging future growth near transit, infill development, mixed-land uses and promoting conservation efforts through partnerships with local governments and community groups, all of which will help reduce vehicle use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Green City-Style Tysons Plan Wins Fairfax's Approval

But it opens up the possibility of creating smaller-scale urban districts in Tysons with the look and feel of true cities, supporters of the plan said. The task force also recommended allowing developers to build the highest, densest offices and condos within one-eighth of a mile of the four planned Metro stations. That density is likely to be one of the most controversial aspects of the recommendations because many residents fear even more traffic at Tysons and the surrounding neighborhoods. The vision for Tysons seeks to harness a growing public urgency over the environment, and its supporters also believe they can make history by transforming a suburb into a city and providing a model for the rest of the nation to follow.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN ME! Keynote by 5th grader - Dallas Independent Schools

More than 17,000 Dallas ISD employees kicked off the 2008-2009 school year, which begins Aug. 25, with a celebration of past accomplishments and a discussion of future goals. Students from several Dallas ISD schools performed during the event and Charles Rice Learning Center fifth-grader Dalton Sherman delivered a moving keynote speech to close the event. . .The district's mission is to prepare all students to graduate with the knowledge and skills to become productive and responsible citizens.

The human side of N.J.'s affordable housing law

Though some towns chafe at the regulations, numerous families find them "a blessing."
The debate on New Jersey's affordable housing requirements is often abstract, an argument that pits a government mandate meant to help people in need against the rights of towns to control their character. But for these four, affordable housing is a tangible reality, "a blessing," in Singh's words. Their stories are of people grateful for New Jersey's aggressive affordable housing laws and of the communities around them, grappling with the conflict of idealistic goals and real-life limitations. Proponents of the deals, used statewide, say they provide affordable housing without over-building and bring money to communities that need it. Critics label the agreements an exclusionary tool that leads to few low-income homes in the suburbs. Lawmakers banned the practice this year, leaving towns fewer methods to satisfy larger obligations.

Women in action - We are working hard to make our communities healthier

Inspired by last year's Women's Health & Environment Conference and the Rachel Carson Centennial Birthday celebration that followed, Kathy Lawson, Western Pennsylvania director of Clean Water Action, and Rachel Filippini, the executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, partnered with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and bus company owners to create the Healthy School Bus Fund. The project's first-stage goal is to eliminate diesel pollution from the district's 350-bus fleet. Eventually, the two women want to package the novel process and take it to the other school districts in Allegheny County. . .Today, Women for a Healthy Environment continue that activist fight for a healthier community, one jar of organic baby food at a time, one white hanky-tested school bus at a time, one rural public education session at a time.

City's parks offer urban relief

In the parks, there's a common ground where people of all ages, walks of life and income levels can come together. That's the whole idea of the park: it's free to everybody to use and enjoy."

Bike tour to mark reopening of Point State Park, city's birthday

From far and near, bicyclists will pedal to Pittsburgh on Oct. 4 to help the city celebrate its 250th birthday and the re-opening of Point State Park. . . "History, the region's importance in the formation of the country, our environmental legacy, human accomplishment and hope for the future," said Mr. Rohr, chairman of the Pittsburgh 250 Commission and CEO of PNC Financial Services Group. "These attributes describe the Pittsburgh region of 1758 as well as today."

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
Highmark
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