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Events

First Green Workplace Challenge Workshop slated for October 28

Event open to businesses participating in the competition as well as interested parties

Sustainable Pittsburgh is excited to announce the first of 12 in its year-long series of Green Workplace Challenge participant workshops. Join Sustainable Pittsburgh and its Champions for Sustainability network on Friday, October 28, to learn how to start tracking the energy and water usage of your organization’s facilities with the EPA’s free and secure Portfolio Manager software.

You do not need to be Challenge participant to attend the workshop, although participants may attend at a reduced rate.

Using Portfolio Manager allows a company to track energy and water usage, compare your facility’s energy performance to similar facilities nationwide, and see the impact of your green initiatives on your bottom line!

This October 28th event provides an opportunity for businesses to create their accounts, learn how to use the software and get a jump on entering their past utility bills (electric, natural gas, water). EPA representatives will give an introduction to the use of Portfolio Manager via a webinar, and on-site, secure computers will be available. Click here to visit the event page.

Businesses have until October 31 to enter the competition. To learn more, visit http://greenchallenge.c4spgh.org or email Amanda Virbitsky.

Events Continued

Resources

Green Workplace Challenge Workshop #1: Setting Up and Using Portfolio Manager

Friday, October 28
Two scheduled sessions (choose 1):
Session 1: 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Session 2: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Point Park University’s Academic Hall, Downtown Pittsburgh
Cost: FREE for Green Workplace Challenge participants; $25 all other businesses and organizations

Sustainable Pittsburgh is excited to announce the first of 12 in its year-long series of Green Workplace Challenge participant workshops. Join Sustainable Pittsburgh and its Champions for Sustainability network on Friday, October 28, to learn how to start tracking the energy and water usage of your organization’s facilities with the EPA’s free and secure Portfolio Manager software.

Using Portfolio Manager allows you to track energy and water usage, compare your facility’s energy performance to similar facilities nationwide, and see the impact of your green initiatives on your bottom line!

By creating a Portfolio Manager account, establishing usage baselines for your competing facilities, entering data over the course of the competition, and sharing your facility information with the Green Workplace Challenge, your organization is eligible to earn at least 8, and as many as 23 points in the competition. Many more additional competition points can be earned by achieving reductions in electric, natural gas, and water usage.

This October 28th event provides an opportunity for businesses to create their accounts, to learn how to use the software and to get a jump on entering their past utility bills (electric, natural gas, water). EPA representatives will give an introduction to the use of Portfolio Manager via a webinar, and on-site, secure computers will be available.

Green Workplace Challenge participants register here.

All other businesses and organizations register here.

If you are interested in becoming a GWC participant, sign up by Oct. 31 to attend the workshop for free.

DATE CHANGE! Sustainable Product and Service Procurement for Healthcare - December 1

Thursday, December 1
Details forthcoming

The November 3 Workshop, "Sustainable Product and Service Procurement" will be combined with the December 1 workshop, "Information Management for Sustainability and Healthcare."

Learn about the latest strategies for engaging supply chains in the healthcare industry from the perspective of sustainability. Find out how the industry is navigating the use of different information technology strategies to increase access and patient-centered care while maintaining patient confidentiality.

Sustainable Pittsburgh’s sustainable business network, Champions for Sustainability (C4S) has launched a series of workshops that advance the mutually reinforcing agendas of sustainability and healthcare. Each event spotlights how sustainability improves health outcomes, healthcare benefits, business performance and provides best practices, resources, examples, and how to get started. Sustainable Product and Service Procurement for Healthcare is the fourth workshop of this five-part series.

Click here to learn more about the series and to view materials from past programs.

REGISTER NOW! 11th Annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference “Smart Growth is Smart Business”

Keynote:
- Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView "Smart capital for Smart growth"

Tuesday, December 13
8:00 am - 4:00 pm (Registration begins at 7:30 am)
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, downtown Pittsburgh
Lunch provided.
Early registration: $35; After 11/21: $45
More information and registration

Presented by: Allegheny Conference on Community Development; Green Building Alliance; NAIOP Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Technology Council; Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission; Sustainable Pittsburgh; ULI Pittsburgh

Business leaders increasingly recognize regional growth and development patterns -- guided by principles of smart growth and sustainability -- improve quality of life, lessen the cost of doing business, increase profitability, help reduce tax and infrastructure costs, and contribute to talent recruitment and retention. With the business case of smart growth apparent, the conference will galvanize a 'businesses for smart growth' initiative for southwestern Pennsylvania to spur economic prosperity and extend our region's signature livability to more persons.

The conference will focus on three interrelated smart growth imperatives:
"Business opportunity while building community and regional economy"
- Innovative Finance for smart growth solutions for urban real estate, housing, and metropolitan infrastructure
- Blight and Abandonment - business and economic stakes
- Green Infrastructure - savings for businesses, dividends for developers and communities

Be sure to visit the conference website for more information, including a speakers' list.

Creating Sustainable Communities Conference

Thursday, November 3
7:30 am — 4:00 pm
Point Park University
Registration: $30
Questions? Contact Hannah Hardy at (412) 481–9400 or hhardy@pecpa.org
More information and registration
This conference qualifies for 5 recertification credits for the PLNA Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist and the PLANET Landscape Industry Certified Technician, as well as 5 continuing education credits through ASLA.

Join conference organizers at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh for a conference that promotes green infrastructure, healthy communities and low-cost land management practices for government officials, park managers, landscape architects, planners and anyone else interested in balancing human needs with natural resource protection.

EVENT ORGANIZERS: Allegheny County, Allegheny County Conservation District, City of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, Friends of the Riverfront, Pa. Environmental Council, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Western Pa. Conservancy

Case Studies in Transit Oriented Development:
Learn how McKees Rocks Borough is benefitting from TOD and gain insight into how to determine if TOD is a FIT for your community

A program of the Sustainable Development Academy

Wednesday, November 9
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Father Ryan Arts Center, 420 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks 15136
Cost: $50, includes lunch, refreshments and handouts
*Members of the Newly Elected Officials Course Alumni Association receive a $10 discount on all program registration fees
*Elected and appointed officials from communities designated as fiscally distressed (Act 47) by the DCED Governor’s Center for Local Government Services receive an 80% discount on all registration fees
More information and registration

Local Government Academy is taking it successful Transit Oriented Development program “on the road” to examine and learn from transit oriented development projects in other communities. The next stop is McKees Rocks Borough, were the redevelopment of a Brownfield site is connecting existing community assets, including transit and other reinvestment projects, with jobs.

This type of coordinated land use and transportation planning creates sustainable communities that boast a number of quality-of-life benefits, including:
• Improving property values
• Stable real estate revenues
• Stronger local business districts
• Economical use of infrastructure

In addition to studying examples of transit-oriented developments, participants will also learn how to use the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission “Future Investments in TOD,” tool to identify TOD opportunities in their own communities.

Additional topics include:
• How to use FIT in your community. Overcome biases about what TOD is or is not by learning how to evaluate sites via objective criteria
• How development policies and practices like comprehensive planning, zoning, and subdivision factor into to TOD
• What private sector partners look for and need for a transit oriented development to be viable
• Why smarter transit, development policies and greater intergovernmental coordination will benefit the economy and the environment
This program will include a walking tour and hands-on exercise using FIT. Participants will engage in this activity with peers as well as with experts in transit, planning, and development.

Speakers include:
Deborah Grass, Delta Development
Daniel Santoro, Delta Development
David Totten, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Tom Klevan, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
David Wohlwill, Port Authority of Allegheny County
This is a program of the Sustainable Development Academy a series of partnership programs with Sustainable Pittsburgh.

Home Energy Workshops

Saturday, October 22
10:00 am - Noon
Harrison Hills Environmental Center

Tuesday, November 1
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Mt. Lebanon Library

Tuesday, November 8
7:00pm - 8:30 pm
Shaler North Hills Library

COST: $25 per person/$30 per couple (all participants/couple receive an energy savings bag)
RSVP: Sarah Alessio Shea, Pennsylvania Resources Council, at saraha@ccicenter.org; (412) 488-7490 ext. 236, or by visiting www.zerowastepgh.org.
To register online visit http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1109241-kDf4zCSjII

Tired of high gas and electric bills? Want your home to have a friendlier impact on our air and waters? Then attend one of these Home Energy workshops taking place throughout the fall in Allegheny County. This workshop focuses on energy efficiency and will teach participants how to implement practical, low-cost ways to reduce energy loss in their homes. These tips will help homeowners not only save energy but money as well.

Participants will receive an energy saving bag, which includes electricity and gas saving devices. Presented by Conservation Consultants Inc (CCI) in partnership with the PA Resources Council (PRC) and Friends of Harrison Hills.

Rachel Carson Forum: Creating Healthy Places to Live, Learn and Play

Saturday, October 22
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Eddy Theater, Chatham University Shadyside Campus
General Admission: $40.00; Scholarship Admission: $10.00; Student Admission: $5.00
Register now
Act 48 and PQAS credits available. (6 ceu)

Young children are the most vulnerable to environmental contaminants. One can take many steps to make their early learning environment interesting, safe and fun. One can also practice environmentally sound procedures while saving money and building better foundations for this region's children.

Participate in four workshops for providers of early childhood learning. Receive a Green Practices Workbook and continuing education credits. Keynote speakers include Phil Boise author of The Go Green Rating Scale and Jane Houlihan, Sr. Vice President for Research of The Environmental Working Group.

This event is presented by: Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Sense of Place Learning, and Women for a Healthy Environment. For sponsorship opportunities contact Patricia DeMarco at (412) 708-9277.

Green Drinks

Thursday, October 27
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Global Links, 6899 Hamilton Ave. (corner of Hamilton and N. Dallas), Pittsburgh 15208
Free and open to the public
More info

Join Global Links and Senator Jim Ferlo in hosting Green Drinks, Thursday, October 27. Tour the Global Links facility and learn more about their unique brand of environmental stewardship.

Hosts:

Kathleen G. Hower
Chief Executive Officer/ Co-Founder

A native Pittsburgher, Kathleen Hower is the co-founder of Global Links, a pioneering medical recovery organization dedicated to promoting better environmental stewardship and improving health in less developed countries. In 2005, Global Links was recognized by the Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization as a leader in responsible medical recovery. Hower's vision has led Global Links' growth from a small grassroots operation to become the recognized leader in medical material recovery, with partnerships in 9 countries and material recovery efforts topping 250 tons annually. Hower has traveled widely in Latin America and the Caribbean, reviewing and developing programs for Global Links.

Angela Garcia
Deputy Director

Angela Garcia is Deputy Director of Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based medical relief and development organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and improving health in developing countries. Angela is currently responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization, focusing especially on educating the local healthcare community and general public to the benefits of repurposing still useful medical equipment and supplies that otherwise would end up in landfills. Angela has developed particular expertise in determining which equipment and materials can be most effectively employed in the nine countries where Global Links currently has on-going donation programs, and in assuring appropriate preparation and allocation of these materials.

Global Links is a Pittsburgh-based international medical relief and development organization with a twofold mission. We work to improve the health and lives of people in resource-poor communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, while providing hospitals in our region with a socially and environmentally beneficial alternative to sending hundreds of tons of still-useful surplus materials to landfills. Global Links' innovative model of recovery and reuse of medical surplus converts an environmental burden to a life-saving purpose, creating a "virtuous circle."

Building One Pennsylvania Public Meeting:
Advancing an Agenda for Regional Change

Thursday, October 27
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm (Doors open at 12:30 for registration)
Bright Side Baptist Church, 515 Hershey Avenue, Lancaster, PA
This event is free but you must register in advance to reserve your seat.
Register at www.BuildingOnePa.org, or by emailing name, title and organizational affiliation (if applicable), address, phone and email to mneedham@buildingonepa.org.
To defray costs of the event, donations are invited. Suggested donation: $15.

Building One Pennsylvania is a coalition of local elected, faith and civic leaders from the older, financially distressed boroughs, towns and cities in Pennsylvania who have come together to fight for state and federal policy changes that will benefit their communities. On October 27th, leaders from throughout the state will convene to present an agenda for change to state and federal legislators that will:
- Reduce Our Local Property Tax Burden
- Invest in Our Schools
- Create More Balanced Housing
- Redevelop Our Infrastructure While Providing Local Jobs

Confirmed: U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Senators Ted Erickson and Senator Lloyd Smucker

You can make a difference! Please register to attend.

Fifteenth Annual Good Government Awards Dinner: Honoring Civic Leadership in Allegheny County

Thursday, October 27
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sheraton Hotel, Station Square
Tickets: $70 from the League of Women Voters
Contact: (412) 261-4284 or info@pgh.lwv.org
View invitation and order form

Join the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh for a strolling dinner followed by the awards presentation and delicious desserts. This project is designed to honor civic engagement and the many ways in which citizens, businesses, etc., contribute toward making democracy work.

2011 Honorees Are:
Bonnie & Tom VanKirk
Hon. Dan Onorato
A+ Schools
Univ. of Pittsburgh Graduate & Professional Student Assembly

Reflections on Civic Engagement: The Case of Climate Change Policy at the City/Metropolitan Level

Friday, October 28
10:00 am
Twentieth Century Club, 4201 Bigelow Blvd, Oakland, 15260
Free and open to the public
RSVPs are requested: CMSGSPIA@pitt.edu or (412) 648-2282

The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Metropolitan Studies, presents the Changing Nature of Civic Engagement in America Fall 2011 Lecture: "Reflections on Civic Engagement: The Case of Climate Change Policy at the City/Metropolitan Level."

This lecture features Dr. Daniel A. Mazmanian, Bedrosian Chair in Governance; Director, The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise, University of Southern California. Dr. Mazmanian is a widely published scholar in the field of policy implementation and environmental policy.

His current research focuses on the transition to sustainable communities. Professor Mazmanian served as executive director of the “Report of the California Adaptation Advisory Panel to the State of California,” in 2009-2010, and a member of the “Task Force on Environmental Governance of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development,” in 2005-2006. He is past president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

His recent publications include:

Mazmanian, D. and D. Press, “Toward Sustainable Production: Finding Workable Strategies for Government and Industry”; in Norman Vig & Michael Kraft, eds., Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 7th Edition, CQ Inc.; 2010

Mazmanian, D., Y.D. Jung and S. Y. Tang, eds., "Collaborative Governance in the United States and Korea"; Seoul: Seoul National University Press; 2009

Mazmanian, D. and Michael E. Kraft, eds. and contributors, "Toward Sustainable Communities: Transitions and Transformations in Environmental Policy"; 2nd Edition, The MIT Press; 2009

Pittsburgh Solar Tour

Saturday, October 29
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
For tour locations near you, visit www.pghsolartour.org

Join Three Rivers Solar Source on a self-guided open-house tour of solar homes throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. Three Rivers Solar Source is a project of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture).

Healthy Body, Healthy Home, Healthy Planet Workshop

Tuesday, November 1
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Shaler North Hills Library
Cost $20 single/ $25 couple includes a green cleaning kit
Call the PA Resources Council at (412) 488-7490 ext. 236
More information
Register

In 1962 Rachel Carson stated that for the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.

This statement was true then and continues to be true today. Everyone is exposed to a number of different chemicals, carcinogens, and toxins in the environment on a daily basis. But while one may have no control over some exposures, there are many that one does have control over.

A partnership project between Pennsylvania Resources Council and The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Environmental Oncology the workshop focuses on the consequences of these toxins on our health and how we can avoid exposure.

Participants will learn:
-How to make your own cleaning products and personal care products
-Toxins to avoid in personal care products
-How and what to cook with to keep you healthy

Point Park University Global Cultural Studies Presents: Vandana Shiva, Ph.D.

Wednesday, November 2
6:00 pm (reception to follow)
University Center’s GRW Theatre, Point Park University
Contact: Dr. Channa Newman, (412) 392-3480.
To register for the free event and reception, visit www.pointpark.edu/ces. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Physicist, ecologist, activist, editor, author and dedicated defender of the environment, Dr. Vandana Shiva has been called one of the top seven most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine. Point Park University’s Department of Humanities and Human Sciences and Global Cultural Studies program are welcoming the international activist for the program’s signature lecture of 2011.

Shiva will speak about her interdisciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy and her work changing practices and paradigms of agriculture and food. She will discuss founding the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, an institute to address ecological and social issues in India, and Navdanya, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity, defending farmers' rights and promoting organic farming. More than 70,000 farmers are members of Navdanya. The group’s efforts have resulted in conservation of more than 2000 rice varieties from all over India and creation of 34 seed banks in 13 states across the country. Through all of her work, Shiva argues that women must play pivotal roles in helping to solve the issue of food security in the developing world.

Shiva’s most recent books, Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply consider the social, economic and ecological costs of corporate-led globalization. Her first book, Staying Alive (1988) helped redefine perceptions of Third World women.

Shiva’s many awards include the Right Livelihood Award (called the Alternative Nobel Prize) in 1993 and Sydney Peace Prize in November 2010. She consults with the government in India and for government and research institutes around the world.

"Equity Is NOT an Office" - Featuring Linda Lane, Superintendent, PPS

Friday, November 4
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
School of Social Work Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 20th Floor, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland
Lunch will be provided; registration is not required.
Contact: (412) 624-7382 / www.crsp.pitt.edu

The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Center on Race and Social Problems presents the Buchanan Ingersoll Fall 2011 Speaker Series, featuring Linda Lane, Superintendent, Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Dr. Linda Lane was named the Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools by the Board of Directors on Dec. 13, 2010. Lane holds a bachelor’s in Education from the University of Iowa, received a master’s in Education Administration, an Educational Specialist degree and her Doctorate of Education from Drake University. A lifelong educator, Dr. Lane was an elementary teacher from 1971 to 1982. Prior to her move to Pittsburgh, she served as deputy superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and was the first female and minority to hold the position of chief operating officer. In 2006, she became deputy superintendent for instruction, assessment and accountability of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, a district with more than 26,000 students and 64 schools. She is most proud of her contributions to the Empowering Effective Teachers plan—one of only four plans selected by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for funding last year. During her tenure as Deputy Superintendent, the district achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the first time in its history. Now, as Superintendent, she continues to invest in Pittsburgh’s teachers and school leaders as the catalysts for change in our schools. Dr. Lane and her husband, Coleman, reside in Highland Park and have two grown children, C.J. and Alicia.

Walkable and Livable Community Presentation and Conversation

Monday, November 7
6:30 pm
North Boroughs YMCA Community Center, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, Church of the Epiphany - corner of California & S. Home Aves., Avalon, PA
Free Event with Complimentary Refreshments
Please RSVP to (877) 926-8300
Flyer

Join AARP PA for a dynamic and interactive meeting with one of the nation's leading authorities on walkable, livable, and safe communities.

Keynote speaker Dan Burden is an internationally recognized authority on traffic and pedestrian safety. He brings together many issues including street design, transportation, and mobility challenges into a holistic vision for healthy, prosperous communities. AARP PA is pleased to share this unique opportunity with the Bellevue and Avalon Communities.

“Educating for Community Change” - Featuring Andrew Mott, Executive Director, Community Learning Partnership

Wednesday, November 9
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
School of Social Work, Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland
For more information, visit www.socialwork.pitt.edu or call (412) 624-6304
Flyer

Sidney A. Teller Lecture
“Educating for Community Change”
Andrew Mott, Executive Director, Community Learning Partnership

The School of Social Work seeks to advance knowledge and to apply that knowledge for the fulfillment of human potential through the prevention and amelioration of social problems. The school is committed to promoting the values of social and economic justice. Recognizing the complexities of contemporary society, the school dedicates itself through its educational, research, and public service activities to advocating for a society that respects the dignity and achievement of all individuals, families, and communities.

This speaker series is part of ongoing efforts to promote scholarship and inform students, faculty, practitioners, and the community through stimulating, intellectual discourse. The school is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice, and this lecture series is a tool for disseminating information to the people who need it most and who want to make a difference in their communities.

Sustainable Business: Responsibility and Results

Beard Sustainability Symposium
Thursday, November 10
8:00 am - 2:30 pm
Fairmont Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh
Registration fees vary
This symposium is worth five (5) Continuing Professional Education credits. When registering online, be sure to check the CPE box.
Contact: Dawn Culver, Program Manager, (412) 396-5259 or culverd@duq.edu
More info

Business has entered a new era of responsibility and accountability. In addition to producing solid financial results, business leaders are now responsible for managing their company’s environmental and social impacts, as well as addressing the expectations of stakeholders including legislators, investors, customers and employees.

By embracing these increased responsibilities, business leaders can foster their employees’ creativity and innovation – leading to resource and waste efficiencies, cost savings, new market opportunities, greater bottom-line results and a more sustainable future for the world.

Attendees will:
- Discover a “systems approach” to sustainability that boosts creativity and innovation
- Interact with business leaders who have increased bottom-line results by embracing sustainability best-practices
- Learn how to gain competitive advantage in a more sustainability-driven business environment

David L. Lawrence Convention Center Green Progress Report

Thursday, November 10
7:30 am - 10:00 am
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh 15222
Cost: $35 GBA Members; $35.00 Member of Partner Organization, $65.00 Non-member
Registration and more information
Questions: Contact Karen Puff (412) 773-6000 or Karenp@gbapgh.org

A publically owned and financed construction project, the DLCC established Pittsburgh and the region as a leader in green building. Now it’s time to grade the investment. Attend this highly informative breakfast and discover how the world’s first green convention center measures up.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
* Caren Glotfelty, The Heinz Endowments
* Aurora Sharrard, Green Building Alliance
* Christine Mondor, evolveEA
* Alan Traugott, CJL Engineering
* Vivian Loftness, Carnegie Mellon University

Q & A PANEL:
* All speakers above, plus
* Mary Conturo, Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
* Mark Leahy, SMG

Resources

New Report on America's Crumbling Bridges

Today, Transportation for America released our latest report looking at structurally deficient bridges in the nation's 102 largest metropolitan areas. In it, we found that just a quarter of U.S. bridges carry as much as 75 percent of all traffic crossing a deficient bridge each day. Learn more about the report on our website, where it is also available for download.

Before spending more money building new infrastructure, Congress should take care of what we have right now. That is why we are calling on partners to get in touch with their senators and tell them to support S. 1193, Senator Cardin's Preservation and Renewal of Federal-Aid Highways Act of 2011.

The Experienced Dreamers

Each of us has a dream – some great thing we'd like to do with our lives, something we feel we were born to achieve. And Pittsburgh civic leaders have announced a national contest in search of experienced dreamers who are ready to begin chasing their dreams.

The Experienced Dreamers contest is asking people 45 and older from across the country to share their dreams at www.ExperiencedDreamers.org and is offering a $100,000 prize to one individual whose entry will ultimately be selected by a public vote of the people of Pittsburgh.

The contest is an effort to raise awareness of Pittsburgh as a wonderful place to live, work, run a business, raise a family and turn dreams into reality. The winner will receive a $50,000 cash prize along with a $50,000 charitable trust in his or her name on the condition that they relocate to Pittsburgh and begin working to pursue their dream by the end of 2012.

More

Now Recruiting: SCA Green Cities Sustainability Corps

The Green Cities Sustainability Corps aims to build capacity in the Pittsburgh region to mitigate climate change and increase sustainability, while providing meaningful professional experience to its corps members. Members of the Green Cities Corps fellowship program implement sustainability projects with local government and non-profit agencies to mitigate climate change locally. Fellows work full time from March through mid-December, following intensive training in February. The crew meets monthly for ongoing training and collaboration.

Social service cuts by county called 'draconian'

Proposed cuts in Allegheny County's social service programs could affect as many as 10,000 families, the county's human services director said Wednesday. . . Successful CYF programs help to keep children out of foster care and to make sure they are ready for school, reducing costs for special education and placement programs, Mr. Cherna said. "These programs are not mandated ... but they help parents raise children safely, reduce child abuse and neglect and reduce demand for other child-and-youth services," he said. Such support programs "are one of the jewels of Allegheny County." . . Mr. Cherna said he was not lobbying for additional funding. "My job is to educate the public and decision makers on what the ramifications are of these reductions and to minimize the damage," he said. "If they come to pass, it will mean a lot of heartache."

GOP lawmaker drafts funding plan to fix Pa.'s roads, bridges

"The governor will be the ultimate determiner of whether this goes forward," Mr. Costa said. "We've been waiting for leadership and direction on this important issue for quite a while." In addition to repairing infrastructure, a funding infusion would create jobs and boost the economy, supporters said. . . Enactment of transportation funding legislation also is vital to the future of the Port Authority, whose leaders recently warned of a "death spiral" of continuing service cuts, fare increases and layoffs if nothing is done at the state level.

The Importance of Comprehensive Planning in a Down Economy

A good comprehensive plan that has earned the support of the community is one of the most effective tools planners have in effecting positive change in our communities. An effective comprehensive plan will: . . . The slowing of development in America has provided planners with an opportunity to put effective comprehensive plans in place now that will shape our cities and towns for years to come. This is an opportunity we must not let pass us by.

From Sprawl to Complete Communities

The objective of the sprawl repair strategy is to build communities based on the neighborhood unit, similar to the traditional fabric that was established in towns and cities prior to World War II. The primary tactic of sprawl repair is to insert needed elements—buildings, density, public space, additional connections—to complete and diversify the mono-cultural agglomerations of sprawl: residential subdivisions, strip shopping centers, office parks, suburban campuses, malls, and edge cities. By systematically modifying the reparable areas (turning subdivisions into walkable neighborhoods, shopping centers and malls into town centers) and leaving to devolution those that are irreparable (abandonment or conversion to park, agricultural, or natural land), sprawl can be reorganized into complete communities.

Driller wins approval to halt water to Pa. town

Pennsylvania environmental regulators said Wednesday they have given permission to a natural-gas driller to stop delivering replacement water to residents of a northeastern Pennsylvania community whose drinking water wells were tainted with methane. Residents of Dimock expressed outrage and threatened to take the matter to court.

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 ($1,000 and up) in 2011 from:

Alcoa Foundation
Allegheny County - Dan Onorato, County Executive
Bayer Corporation
Bayer USA Foundation
Buhl Foundation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
BNY Mellon
Dollar Bank
FedEx Ground
The Heinz Endowments
Highmark
Elsie H. Hillman Foundation
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Pashek Associates LTD
Pittsburgh Quarterly
PNC Financial Services Group
Port Authority of Allegheny County
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