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

"The Road to Sustainability" Conference 2009

Information on Going Green and Sustaining your Green Organization

The Community College of Beaver County, Congressman Jason Altmire, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, and Sustainable Pittsburgh are hosting “The Road to Sustainability” Conference on October 13 in the CCBC Dome in Beaver County. Taking place from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm, the conference will provide 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

Guests 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

The cost to attend is $35 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Vendors are invited to participate. For more information, please contact CCBC’s Career and Workforce Development Office at 724-480-3443 or visit the conference website at: http://www.ccbc.edu/attending/news_events.jsp

Events Continued

Resources

Support Sustainable Pittsburgh by Supporting Wilkinsburg

Through the generosity of The Pittsburgh Foundation, you have a one-time opportunity to significantly leverage your donations to nonprofits that are featured on a new online giving Web site: www.PittsburghGives.org. Please consider making an online donation to Sustainable Pittsburgh through this web site on Wednesday, October 28 at 10:00 am sharp. Your donation will be matched .50 cents on the dollar by The Pittsburgh Foundation up to a maximum of $2,500! Sustainable Pittsburgh will designate your donation and the match funds you leverage toward conducting a Sustainability Assessment of the Borough of Wilkinsburg.

A Sustainability Assessment is a niche service we offer to municipalities and businesses to assess and recommend practical means to save money, conserve resources, and integrate sustainability into management systems for the long haul.

Please help us help Wilkinsburg -- a community to be applauded for its commitment to accelerating the policy and practice of sustainability. Wilkinsburg is on the cusp of a transformation. Through collaboration with the state, county, local businesses and nonprofits, the community is laying the foundation for future prosperity where sustainability is the framework for maximizing social, economic, and environmental wins. The Sustainability Assessment is well-timed to complement their soon to be completed local comprehensive planning process.

In helping to deploy Wilkinsburg's Sustainability Assessment, you not only benefit this community but the region as a whole as the sum is only as strong as the parts.

Learn more by visiting www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/PittsburghGives_SP.html.

Business Solutions Energy and Climate Focus Group Series

Hosted by: The Business Climate Coalition (BCC) and Champions for Sustainability (C4S)
October 5, 19, and 26, 2009
11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh
To register, click here or contact: Jillian Ryan, 412-258-6652 or Matthew Mehalik, 412-258-6644
Please indicate which date you would prefer to attend. Meeting details will be provided upon registration.

The Business Climate Coalition (BCC) and C4S are hosting a series of focus group luncheons for businesses. The goal of the luncheons is to gain insights from the expertise of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s business community on what action items participants believe are feasible, cost effective, and produce meaningful energy savings and climate impact reductions. The results of the sessions will characterize which action items, both behavioral and technological, are the most effective for regional businesses in reducing their energy cost and climate impacts. Your participation will help the BCC to provide useful recommendations for Pittsburgh’s businesses.

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, contact CCBC 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.

Actions for Businesses: Resources to Reduce Energy Use, Costs, and Climate Impacts

Presented by: The Business Climate Coalition (BCC) and C4S
Thursday, October 29
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Avenue, Strip District
Click here for directions Cost: $25 per person; Light hors d'oeuvres and beverages provided
Space is limited.
For more information and to register, click here or contact: Jillian Ryan, 412-258-6652 or Matthew Mehalik, 412-258-6644
Please indicate which date you would prefer to attend. Meeting details will be provided upon registration.

Discover practical, “what to do” resources and perspectives for businesses to save money through smarter ways of using energy and reducing climate impacts.

Energy conservation provides an ideal way to reduce costs and climate impacting emissions. Businesses of all sizes are looking to seize the opportunities to advance both objectives. This event is intended to help businesses by highlighting energy reduction programs in utility operators and distributors under PA ACT 129 and other conservation and demand response programs. Other tools, such as Energy Star-affiliated Portfolio Manager and energy audits provide useful guidance and ways of measuring progress, both keys to successful business management.

Learn about other businesses who are leading in their achievements that have positively impacted their bottom lines. This event builds off of this summer’s insightful energy and climate debates by providing practical, tangible steps for businesses that pay off. The presented solutions remain robust despite pending legislative uncertainty regarding energy and climate policies.

Panel of Featured Business Case Studies:
Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters and Evolve EA
Regional Enterprise Tower and Constellation Energy

Panel of Resources:
Business opportunities through PA ACT 129: Dave Defide, Program Manager, Duquesne Light
Energy Procurement and Demand Response Programs: Carolyn Pengidore, CEO, Clearchoice Energy
Portfolio Manager: The Key to Measuring Progress: David G. Byro, Business Assistance Center, U.S. EPA Region III
Energy Efficiency and Auditing: Greg Wozniak, G. A. Wozniak & Associates
Regional Energy Strategy: Jan Lauer, Director, 3 Rivers Clean Energy

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
- Housing Alliance of PA

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

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.

Green Infrastructure Symposium

Wednesday, October 21
8:30 am - 4:30 pm (8am registration)
Point Park University, Downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: $25, $10 for each additional individual from the same organization/municipality
Breakfast and lunch is provided with registration.
Space is limited. Reservations are required by October 15.
Contact: Gavin Deming at gdeming@paconserve.org
For more information, visit www.paconserve.org/270

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Community Garden and Greenspace Program invites municipalities and community organizations to come learn from top researchers and practitioners from across the country about the value of green infrastructure for solving some of our toughest community problems including:
*Storm water management
*Business district revitalization
*Air and water quality
*Vacant land management

These experts will present information and examples of successful work that is helping communities solve problems using practical, often low-cost green strategies. With support from local groups that are beginning to put these strategies into action here in the Pittsburgh area, participants will have a chance to dig deeper and work directly with the speakers on questions about their own communities.

Big Thinking for a Big World

Luncheon Sustainability Session: "How to Ride the Sustainability Wave and Thrive"
Friday, October 23
Noon - 1:30 pm
Chatham University, Shadyside
Participants may select to attend the morning or luncheon session, or both.
Cost:
Luncheon Session: $45 individual (table of 10: $450)
Register by October 16, 2009
Parking is free. Register early - limited space available.
For more information about the morning and luncheon sessions, and to register, visit Think Big Registration

The Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University is celebrating the University's 140th anniversary by encouraging "Big Thinking for a Big World" at its annual THINK BIG Forum. This year's event will encourage big thinking through panel discussions with prominent local businesswomen who will address issues pertaining to strategic business growth, entrepreneurship, leadership, and sustainability.

The luncheon features a panel of cutting-edge Pittsburgh women who work in the growing area of sustainability. This session will focus on what sustainability means to business growth, product positioning, profit, consumer expectations and acceptance.

Luncheon Panel Moderators
* Mary Whitney, University Sustainability Officer, Chatham University
* Nancy Gift, Acting Director of the Rachel Carson Institute, Chatham University

Luncheon Panel Speakers
* Lindsay Baxter, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
* Tania Bikerman, Chief Operating Officer, Castle Co-Packers
* Janice Donatelli, Owner & Co-Founder, ARTEMIS Environmental
* Victoria Holt, Senior Vice President, Glass and Fiber Glass, PPG Industries, Inc.
* Christine Mondor, Principal, Evolve Environment

David Lewis Lecture on Urban Design: Featuring Peter Bosselmann

Thursday, October 29
6:00 pm
Carnegie Museum of Art Theater, Oakland
Free
Contact: Lori Sipes at Urban Design Associates, 412-263-5200

A world-renowned practitioner and urban theorist, German-born Bosselmann lectures internationally on urban design and planning. He established urban simulation laboratories in Milan, New York City, and Tokyo, modeled after the Berkeley laboratory that has been under his direction since 1983. His most recent book, and the subject of his lecture, is Urban Transformation: Understanding City Design and Form. He has produced documentary films about urban design issues in San Francisco and New York City, narrated by Jason Robards and Paul Newman.

Bosselmann has won numerous design awards for his projects and research from the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the American Planning Association and has held teaching residencies at the Politecnico di Milano, the Royal Danish Academy of Art, and the University of Tokyo. An invited exhibition of his work was shown at the Triennale in Milan. Bosselmann is a graduate of the Karlsruhe University in Germany and earned dual master degrees in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of California, Los Angeles.

This will be the eighth annual David Lewis Lecture on Urban Design. It is co-sponsored by the Remaking Cities Institute of the School of Architecture of Carnegie Mellon University and the Heinz Architectural Center of the Carnegie Museum of Art. The lecture series is underwritten by Urban Design Associates in honor of Mr. Lewis, founder of the firm and Emeritus Distinguished University Professor at Carnegie Mellon. Previous speakers in the David Lewis lecture series have been Donlyn Lyndon, Fred Koetter, John Norquist, Leon Krier, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Hank Dittmar, and Joan Busquets.

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.

2nd State of the Watershed

Saturday, November 7
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Environmental Charter School at Frick Park
Free to attend
Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
To register contact Lisa at 412-371-8779 ext. 15 or email lisa@ninemilerun.org

Want to know more about the health of Nine Mile Run since the completion of the Nine Mile Run Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project? The transformation of Nine Mile Run is truly remarkable but how exactly has it improved the stream and how are the NMRWA’s programs making a difference?

Come to the Second State of the Watershed Meeting where you will hear about the ongoing monitoring efforts from the dedicated experts on the NMRWA Monitoring Committee. Learn about innovative programs that will improve water quality in Nine Mile Run. Participate in hands-on activities to help you become more involved in a greener and brighter future for the watershed.

Tom Biebighauser, Wildlife Biologist for the US Forest Service Center for Wetlands, will be the keynote speaker. Tom began restoring wetlands in 1982 and since then has established over 950 such sites throughout Minnesota, Kentucky, Ohio, and British Columbia. In 2003, he wrote and published the book, A Guide to Creating Vernal Ponds, in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and the Izaak Walton League of America.

Sustainability: The Bridge to the Future

Tuesday, November 10
8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Westin Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh
For more information, contact Courtney Cox, 412-396-5831 or coxc@duq.edu or visit www.duq.edu/beardsymposium

Learn why environmental, financial and social resonsibility -- the tripple bottom line -- are essential for economic recovery, innovation and growth. Opening keynote address: Adnrew Savitz, author of The Triple Bottom Line and former head of PriewaterhouseCoopers' sustainability consulting practice. Luncheon Keynote Address: Andrew S. Winston, author of Green Recovery and co-author of Green to Gold. Additional panelists and speakers are listed at www.duq.edu/beardsymposium.

Pittsburgh Regional Center for Science Teachers - 25th Anniversary event

Tuesday, October 15
8:30 am-3:00 pm, Lunch included
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Lecture Hall
Reservations must be submitted by October 5, 2009
Email: Konrad@pitt.edu or call 412-648-7315

Providing current, accurate, and relevant classroom resources has been the hallmark of PRCST. In that spirit, this program will give you insights into strategies for the classroom already used successfully by teachers, and provide you a CD with lesson plans from the “Environment and Health Initiative” (EHI).

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Devra Davis
Dr. Davis was designated a National Book Award Finalist for her book When Smoke Ran Like Water. Her book The Secret History of the War on Cancer was a Newsweek must read pick for the week. Book Signing after Lunch. Also get a Behind The Scenes Tours of the Museum of Natural History. All Educators Welcome: Teachers, Administrators, Educational Organizations/Supporters, etc. Six Act 48 Hours.

Green Light + Green Energy Pittsburgh

Wednesday, October 7
Noon - 5:30 pm; 5pm - 7pm mixer
Heinz Pittsburgh History Center, Strip District
Full Conference Registration (includes keynote lunch and 3 seminars. Full access to exhibition floor and Green Party)
- $100 EL members; $150 non-members
Keynote Luncheon Only (includes keynote lunch and access to exhibition floor and Green Party)
- $50 members; $75 non-members
Per Seminar (includes one seminar, access to exhibition floor and Green Party)
$30 members; $60 non-members
More information and registration

Green Light + Green Energy Pittsburgh brings the industry together under one roof to see the best in sustainable products and services for the electrical and lighting communities. The event, which includes educational programming, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking prospects, gives you unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest innovations, exchange ideas and develop new business relationships.

Keynote Luncheon: A Green Conversation
Featuring Richard Piacentini, Executive Director, Phipps Conservatory
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens launched Project Green Heart to inform and inspire others to adopt a more sustainable relationship to the environment. Learn more about the ambitious design and construction plans of Phipps from its Executive in charge.

Resources

Inclusion in the Workforce Reports Available for Distribution

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 our 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.

These beautiful, full color reports are available from Sustainable Pittsburgh. Get yours today. Call 412-258-6643 to arrange for pick up. Multiple copies are available.

Cranberry showcases its sustainability

He said those inspections already have led to improved sustainability practices and have helped cut down the township's utility bills. He said Cranberry is saving tens of thousands of dollars per year after installing waterless urinals in the municipal center, a move that also saves thousands of gallons of water per year. Court Gould, Sustainable Pittsburgh executive director, said it is practices such as these that create a win-win situation for municipalities and the environment. Implementing sustainable practices, he said, is a sort of "code of ethics" when it comes to healthy, eco-friendly expansion and development. "Sustainability is a promise to current and future generations to do unto others what you would want done unto you," he said.

Protesters weigh impact of their carbon footprints

Many Downtown companies allowed employees to work from home, and that could lead to eco-friendly changes down the road, said Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh. The practice of telecommuting can lower greenhouse emissions, keep commuters off roads and improve worker productivity, he said. "Many companies will now gain experience in telecommuting," Gould said. "Perhaps that will lead to some companies saying, 'Hey, this works pretty well. Maybe it's something we'll adopt in the future.' ".."Let's hope it not only inspires them long-term, but on the spot, and that inspiration makes its way into the deliberations of this eminently powerful global organization," Gould said.

News Analysis: What Killed Dunkard Creek?

Most of the aquatic animals that live in a thirty mile stretch of Dunkard Creek have died. The creek runs from Morgantown, West Virginia into Greene County, Pennsylvania. Regulatory investigators have spent the last three weeks trying to figure out what happened. The Allegheny Front's news analyst Ann Murray joins host Matthew Craig to talk about what we know so far and what still needs to be uncovered.

More

Exelon Quits Chamber Over Climate Change

Power generator Exelon became the latest utility to drop its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the group's opposition to legislation that would limit emissions of greenhouse gases. "Inaction on climate is not an option," John Rowe, Exelon's chairman and chief executive, said in a speech at an energy-efficiency conference. "If Congress does not act, the EPA will, and the result will be more arbitrary, more expensive and more uncertain for investors and the industry than a reasonable, market-based legislative solution."

GE: The US Chamber Does Not Speak for Us on Climate

Another company has joined the procession of firms distancing themselves from the US Chamber of Commerce's position on climate change, making it clear that the Chamber does not represent its views.

EPA, Senate Take Aim at Greenhouse Gases

The Obama administration said Wednesday that it is moving ahead to curb carbon emissions by issuing a proposed rule that would require the nation's biggest greenhouse-gas emitters to install advanced pollution-control technology to operate any facility they plan to construct or significantly modify. The action by the Environmental Protection Agency came as Senate Democrats introduced a climate bill that would nationwide limit greenhouse gases. The two efforts could influence the outcome of U.N.-sponsored talks in Copenhagen in December, where more than 180 nations will attempt to forge a new international climate pact.

The New Sputnik

What do we know about necessity? It is the mother of invention. And when China decides it has to go green out of necessity, watch out. You will not just be buying your toys from China. You will buy your next electric car, solar panels, batteries and energy-efficiency software from China...Hat’s off to the courageous chairman of Pacific Gas and Electric, Peter Darbee, who last week announced that his huge California power company was quitting the chamber because of its “obstructionist tactics.” All shareholders in America should ask their C.E.O.’s why they still belong to the chamber.

Boost funding for clean transportation in the climate bill!

The U.S. transportation sector accounts for one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions, yet the House climate legislation would direct only one percent of revenues back into cleaner transportation alternatives.

Fred Krupp has helped accomplish what some thought was impossible—getting businesses to go green voluntarily.

In this interview with Stanford Social Innovation Review Managing Editor Eric Nee, Krupp explains why EDF is putting so much energy into getting a cap-and-trade bill regulating greenhouse gases on President Obama’s desk. Krupp goes on to discuss the lessons EDF has learned from its pioneering partnerships with corporations like FedEx and McDonald’s. And last, Krupp explains why EDF opened an office in Beijing 15 years ago and why he is optimistic that China is on the right environmental path….Some companies, like GE, which played a leadership role in pulling together the partnership, say, “Give me the rules and we’ll figure out how to profi t from them.” They’ve got the self-confidence that they can profit from change. As for the companies that don’t support this measure, I’m not sure that they can see over the horizon. Perhaps they don’t believe in global warming. Or maybe they’re cynical enough to believe that they can profit more with the status quo. That certainly describes Exxon. They’ve clearly decided that they can be more profitable in a world that does not limit carbon emissions, so they have opposed efforts to go forward.

Cities can learn from comparing their carbon footprints

The results, which will be published in the October 1st issue of Environmental Science and Technology, showed that the total emissions of the ten chosen cities varied considerably, ranging from 4.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person in Barcelona to 21.5 tonnes in Denver. Other low emitters included Geneva and Prague; Los Angeles, Cape Town and Toronto were among the high emitters. The rest fell in between.

Does poverty make people obese, or is it the other way around?

If poverty can be fattening, so, too, can fat be impoverishing. Paul Ernsberger, a professor of nutrition at Case Western Reserve University, lays out this argument in an essay from The Fat Studies Reader, due out in November. Women who are two standard deviations overweight (that's 64 pounds above normal) make 9 percent less money, which equates to having 1.5 fewer years of education or three fewer years of work experience. Obese women are also half as likely to attend college as their peers and 20 percent liess likely to get married. (Marriage seems to help alleviate poverty.)...The point here is that sickness, poverty, and obesity are spun together in a dense web of reciprocal causality. Anyone who's fat is more likely to be poor and sick. Anyone who's poor is more likely to be fat and sick. And anyone who's sick is more likely to be poor and fat.

EPA Finalizes the Nation’s First Greenhouse Gas Reporting System/Monitoring to begin in 2010

On January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will, for the first time, require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to begin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data under a new reporting system. This new program will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities. “This is a major step forward in our effort to address the greenhouse gases polluting our skies,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “For the first time, we begin collecting data from the largest facilities in this country, ones that account for approximately 85 percent of the total U.S. emissions. The American public, and industry itself, will finally gain critically important knowledge and with this information we can determine how best to reduce those emissions.” EPA’s new reporting system will provide a better understanding of where GHGs are coming from and will guide development of the best possible policies and programs to reduce emissions.

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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


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