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

Creating a Sustainable Organization

Optimizing People, Planet and Profits

Thursday, November 13
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Regional Learning Alliance, Cranberry Township, PA
Learn more!

An Interactive Forum for the HR Professional, CEO, CFO, Sustainability Director and. . .the list goes on.

Companies all over the world are embracing sustainability as one of the most important factors for staying competitive. With world-class experts both speaking and facilitating interactive sessions, this is an opportunity for participants to:

• Better define what sustainability means for your organization
• Improve your sustainability strategies - to increase profits and satisfy all stakeholders: employees, customers, vendors and shareholders
• Learn how local and national organizations have profitably implemented sustainable practices
• Understand how to build and maintain an adaptable sustainability culture
• Learn how to modify HR processes and functions to support sustainability

Learn how companies such as Wal-Mart, Giant Eagle, Bayer MaterialScience LLC and many others have implemented sustainable practices into their operations. Matt Mehalik of Sustainable Pittsburgh will be a featured speaker. Event presented by HR Leadership Forum and Duquesne University.

Events Continued

Resources

Low- Cost Municipal Transportation Improvements

Friday, November 7
9:00 am – Noon (8:30 am registration)
Anderson Library of Penn Hills, 1037 Stotler Rd., Pittsburgh 15235
Contact: Anita Lengvarsky at alengvarsky@localgovernmentacademy.org or 412-237-3171
More information

As state funding dries up and PennDOT focuses more on bridges, municipalities are left to maintain traffic signals, mitigate congestion, and accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. How do municipalities handle transportation issues when taxpayers are demanding improved services without large tax increases? The purpose of this seminar is to present low-cost transportation improvements that municipalities can pursue with solutions that reduce congestion, reduce vehicle emissions and encourage alternative modes of transportation. The seminar also includes an update on the SPC’s traffic signal optimization program that will greatly assist municipalities.

Participants will learn:
- Solutions for traffic congestion
- Tools for traffic safety
- How to get started
- Funding options

An Apple Festival

Friday, November 7
The Union Project, North Negley and Stanton Avenues, Highland Park
7:00 pm - Master Apple Grower, Lou Lego – comparing Apples to Apples, plus comparison of fresh fruit and ciders.
Fee: $10

Saturday, November 8
The Union Project, North Negley and Stanton Avenues, Highland Park
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Fee: $5 adults, $3 for kids
Event flyer

Buy Fresh, Buy Local. This Apple Festival features The Third Annual Pro-Am Apple Pie Baking Contest, music, food, and more. (Pie contest rules are available at www.slowfoodpgh.org.) Join Master Apple Grower Lou Lego as he compares Apples to Apples. Lou has over 100 varieties of apples on his own farm and has a USDA grant to compare them one to another as far as all their essential qualities go: sweetness, tartness, pie-making, storage, juice and cider, drying. . .all those things we wish we knew about. Following his presentation at will be a tasting of apples and ciders for comparison. The Apple Festival is sponsored by Allegheny Group, Sierra Club; Slow Food Pittsburgh; East End Food Co-op; the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture; and PA State University Agricultural Extension Service.

The Fully Sustainable Nonprofit

Monday, November 10
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Downtown
Fee: $40 ($30 if payment is received by Nov. 3)
For information or to register call Ivana Spehar at 412-397-6009 or e-mail spehar@rmu.edu.
You may also register online here.

In this wide-ranging panel discussion, we will consider sustainability as a holistic approach to nonprofit management. Court Gould, Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, will present the philosophical concept of the fully sustainable nonprofit. He'll be followed by Chris Siefert, Deputy Director of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, who will talk about green building, Scott Leff, Associate Director of the Bayer Center, who will discuss financial sustainability, and Dr. Barbara Baker, President of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, who will explore the sustainability of an organization's brand.

Creating a Sustainable Organization

Thursday, November 13
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Regional Learning Alliance, 850 Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Township 16066
Registration information

An Interactive Forum for the HR Professional, CEO, CFO, Sustainability Director and...the list goes on.
Companies all over the world are embracing sustainability as one of the most important factors for staying competitive. With world-class experts both speaking and facilitating interactive sessions, this is an opportunity for participants to:
• Better define what sustainability means for your organization
• Improve your sustainability strategies - to increase profits and satisfy all stakeholders: employees, customers, vendors and shareholders
• Learn how local and national organizations have profitably implemented sustainable practices
• Understand how to build and maintain an adaptable sustainability culture
• Learn how to modify HR processes and functions to support sustainability

This is your chance to learn how companies such as Wal-Mart, Giant Eagle, Bayer MaterialScience LLC and many others have implemented sustainable practices into their operations. Matt Mehalik of Sustainable Pittsburgh will be a featured speaker. Event presented by HR Leadership Forum and Duquesne University.

"Community Wind Power: Energy for Home, Farm, and Business"

Thursday, November 13
7:00 pm
Stokes Athletic Center's Twyman Room
Free and open to the public
For more information please call 814-472-2873 or visit www.francis.edu/renewable

Saint Francis University's Renewable Energy Center is presenting "Community Wind Power: Energy for Home, Farm, and Business", a talk by Lisa Daniels, Executive Director of Windustry, a Minnesota-based non-profit that promotes community-based renewable energy solutions.

Due to concerns about increasing electricity prices, climate change and public health, our region is seeing a growth in commercial wind farms and there is also increased interest in small, residential scale turbines. And there's even another way of harvesting the wind: the community way. Communities, schools, institutions, municipalities, and businesses can install one to a several turbines that are owned locally. These kinds of "community wind" projects are usually smaller yet still can pack a big punch in terms of power production--and revenues to the community. The United States will need as much clean energy as possible in the coming years, so responsible wind development across the board--small, community and commercial wind development--is an essential approach.

16th Annual Pennsylvania Community Forestry Council Conference: Healthy Trees - Healthy Communities

November 13 -14
Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA
Fee: $100 for both days or $75 for one day.
Register online at http://www.pittsburghforest.org/communityforestryconference
Reserve your room by October 22nd to receive a discounted rate.
ISA and ASLA continuing education credits available!
Contact: Danielle Crumrine, Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest at 412-362-6360 or danielle@pittsburghforest.org or Mark Remcheck, Extension Educator, Urban Forestry Allegheny County Cooperative Extension at 412-473-2540 or mar15@psu.edumar15@psu.edu
View the Conference Brochure

Tree commission members, arborists, architects and landscape architects, municipal DPW staff, students, educators, elected officials, and anyone who cares about creating healthy & sustainable communities should attend this conference. Featured keynote speakers include: Thomas Hylton, President, Save our Land, Save our Towns, Inc. (Day 1) and Ray Tretheway, Executive Director, The Sacramento Tree Foundation (Day 2).

Celebrate America Recycles Day at “Hard to Recycle” Collection

Saturday, November 15
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lower level parking lot of the Mall at Robinson (100 Robinson Centre Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15205)
Contact: PA Resources Council at 412-488-7490 ext. 236 or visit www.prc.org

To celebrate America Recycles Day locally, the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) has partnered with the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) and the Mall at Robinson to host a “Hard to Recycle” Collection. The event allows residents to drop off their freon and non-freon appliances, e-waste, televisions, tires without rims, ink and toner cartridges, cell phones, compact fluorescent light bulbs, mixed paper, and cardboard and all materials will be recycled or refurbished. Please note there are fees associated with some items! For more information on fees, visit http://www.prc.org/community_collections.html.

What Are Sustainable Communities, and How Do We Get There?

Monday, November 17
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space, Monroeville
Contact: Mark Hudson, Adult Services Librarian, at 412-372-0500 ext. 13 or hudsonme@mac.com

Come join a lively community discussion with Court Gould of Sustainable Pittsburgh to explore what sustainability is about -- its promise and potential. There is growing excitement about sustainable communities, and the mantra of simultaneous wins in economy, social equity, and environment sounds appealing. But what does sustainability mean, how can we assess if a community is on the right track, and what's the best foothold for accelerating the path to sustainability? We'll explore these questions and benefit from your ideas about practical steps the community can take for making sustainability the new business-as-usual.

2nd Annual Cycling Specific Winter Lecture Series

Walls are Bad: Southwestern PA's Outdoor Network & How You Can Get Involved
Wednesday, November 19
7:00 pm
Trek of Pittsburgh, Shadyside
Contact: 412-788-8735 or visit www.trekofpittsburgh.com for a full schedule.

Stay motivated this winter as Trek of Pittsburgh cordially invites you to its Winter Lecture Series, where cycling is the topic and mysteries are unveiled by industry professionals in casual evening presentations. Join Ginette Vinski of Sustainable Pittsburgh as she shares information on cycling and outdoor resources available through Walls are Bad, an initiative supported by many outdoor organizations and other nonprofits in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Walls are Bad. Fresh Air is Good. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Bicycles welcome on the premises.

Sustainable Business: Capitalizing on Opportunities

Thursday, November 20
8:30 am - 4:30 am
Westin Hotel, Pittsburgh
Registration Details:
Full Symposium - Professional: $225; Academic: $125
Luncheon Only - Professional: $90; Academic: $60
Register online by November 12 or contact Rebecca Ellsworth Ligman at beardcenter@duq.edu or 412-396-4005.

Sustainable business is at once about innovation and opportunity, responsibility to stakeholders and enduring financial performance. The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business and the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics present Sustainable Business: Capitalizing on Opportunities, a symposium for business leaders who want to contribute to sustainability while making the day-to-day decisions of running a business.

Keynote speakers and panelists will make a case for pursuing social and environmental goals while helping business leaders build the organizational processes necessary to develop and implement initiatives. Attendees will leave with a foundation for building the business case for sustainability within their organization.

"The Impacts of the Foreclosure Crisis on Local Government”

2008 Wherrett Lecture on Local Government
Friday, November 21
8:30 am
William Pitt Union on the University of Pittsburgh campus
RSVP: GSPIAIC@pitt.edu or 412-648-2282 by November 4

Want to better understand the potential effect of today’s global financial situation on your local community? Want to know how local officials, community leaders, developers and businesses in the Pittsburgh region can better position their organizations to manage the fiscal uncertainties of the next several years? These and other issues facing metropolitan regions will be addressed by nationally noted researcher, lecturer, and author Dr. Susan M. Wachter, the Richard B. Worley Professor of Financial Management and Professor of Real Estate and Finance at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Using the backdrop of our and other metropolitan regions she will discuss the federal housing and economic policies that have led to the current financial crisis and how the crisis and emerging policies affect local governance.

6th Annual Public Officials Design Charrette (PODC)

MUNICIPAL LEADERS, take note.
Finalized Date and Times:
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.

The Sustainable Workplace: Efficient, Healthier, Innovative and Cost-Effective.

Wednesday, December 10
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Fee: $40 ($30 if paid by Dec.3)
For information or to register call Ivana Spehar at 412-397-6009 or e-mail spehar@rmu.edu.
You may also register online here.

Learn how you can apply sustainability policies and practices in your day-to-day decision making and office to accelerate innovation.

5th Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Equitable Development Summit

"The Employment Priority - Inclusion in the Workforce: Positioning Our Region to Prosper and Compete"
Thursday, December 11
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
Register online
Contact: info@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6642
Keynote: Radhika Fox, Associate Director, PolicyLink

Deploying talents of all residents and unleashing the benefits and innovation that come from diversity in the workforce are essential for a region and businesses that strive to secure a competitive edge. Our region, with its stagnant population growth, can ill-afford to leave behind anyone not working to his or her potential.

This year's Summit builds on the momentum from last year's discussion from which a leadership group came together to identify actions to address our region's equitable development. Rising to the fore is the regional economic benefit derived from enabling all African-Americans and others of color to participate fully in the workforce and to live to their productive potential. As southwestern Pennsylvania comes together and more than ever acknowledges that prosperity is directly linked to ensuring all residents are contributing through good jobs and opportunity, it is apparent that ongoing disparities in employment in communities of color are incongruous.

During the Summit, Radhika Fox of PolicyLink will present a draft of a landmark framing paper, specific to southwestern PA, that substantiates this reality and economic imperative. This work will illustrate the bottom-line business benefit and productive role a fully employed diverse population stands to play in the economy. It will serve to catalyze much more than a lip service response concerning a targeted employment agenda.

By rotating through choice of two of four facilitated breakout groups, Summit participants will have the opportunity to help shape the paper and to advance partnerships and practical steps the region will take to remove barriers and to seize on inclusion in employment as a vital part of our economic development strategy and success among business and industry.

Breakout Groups and Facilitators:
- Human Resources: Surmounting Barriers
Randy Brockington, Allegheny County Department of Human Services and Candi Castleberry-Singleton, UPMC

- Business Case for Diversity
Victoria Chester, Highmark and Joe Massaro III, Massaro Corporation

- Workforce Training: Goals, Outcomes, Coordination
Ron Painter, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board

- Outreach Strategy: Community, Media, Political
Allen Kukovich, Southwest Regional Office of the Governor and Bob Oltmanns, Skutski & Oltmanns

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by Lifting Up What Works. Radhika Fox is a senior associate at PolicyLink and principal author of Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding America’s Older Core Cities; Expanding Housing Opportunity in Washington DC: The Case for Inclusionary Zoning; and Regional Equity and Smart Growth: Opportunities for Advancing Social and Economic Justice in America.

Presented by:

African American Chamber of Commerce
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Allegheny County Department of Human Services
David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, University of Pittsburgh, Katz/CBA School of Business
Center on Race and Social Problems, University of Pittsburgh
Coro Center for Civic Leadership
Falk Foundation
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs: Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs: Public and Urban Affairs Program and Innovation Clinic
Heritage Health Foundation, Inc.
Local Government Academy
Mon Valley Initiative
Remaking Cities Institute
Sustainable Pittsburgh's Sustainable Community Development Network
The Black Political Empowerment Project and Coalition Against Violence
Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board
Urban League of Pittsburgh, Inc.
Welcome Center for Immigrants & Internationals
Western Pennsylvania Diversity Initiative
Women and Girls Foundation

Sponsored by:

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Richard King Mellon Foundation

Resources

Regional Insights: Area is fragmented politically but interdependent economically

First, no matter where a business is, it will need to draw on workers throughout the region to fill jobs. So we need high-performing schools in every district; we need regional, not local, work force training systems; and we need transportation systems that connect our communities. Second, it makes no sense for our communities to be competing with each other for businesses and jobs. A company that locates or expands in one community is likely to provide jobs that support the tax bases in many other municipalities, so the only real "loss" is if the business locates in another region entirely. And finally, with limited funding for infrastructure and economic development programs, we need to pool our resources and invest in the most strategic opportunities for the region as a whole.

'Green' operators get boost in training

Workers who maintain mechanical systems and equipment in so-called "green" office buildings will get an opportunity for training to help them do their jobs better. Hundreds of new jobs area expected to be created in the Pittsburgh area in the renewable energy field, and the state is investing $400,000 in an effort to train individuals for those positions...The funding, announced by the state Department of Labor and Industry, is going to the 3 Rivers Clean Energy Partnership and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 95 in Pittsburgh. The state investment will be coupled with $350,000 in private matching funds to provide a total of $760,000 to help Local 95 continue a project that in the past three years trained 500 people in green operations, energy conservation, and on-site efficiency, said Bill Cagney, the union's business agent. Another 200 are expected to receive training as a result of the investment, he said.

More

Transportation for America Calls on the President elect

During the campaign, Barack Obama expressed support for a bold program of investment in our nation's infrastructure. Campaign talk is one thing. Now we must all work to ensure that the new president and Congress follow through - and soon.

City tries to link with 35 close neighbors

Called Connect -- for Congress of Neighboring Communities -- its immediate aim is to hold a spring "congress" on collaboration between Pittsburgh and its 35 neighbors. Representatives of two dozen of the suburbs, plus city Controller Michael Lamb and Councilman Patrick Dowd, met on Halloween at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Place hotel to start the process.

China set to take the initiative in climate talks

From Friday, Beijing hosts a two-day conference to promote a new multi-billion-dollar international fund to invest in climate-friendly technology for the Third World, and it wants rich economies to devote as much as 1 percent of their GDPs to helping poor countries fight global warming. . .But Beijing's new demands also carry a wider message: that it is shedding its role as a retiring if high-stakes player at the table of environmental diplomacy. It wants a bigger say.

Take Action: Send Thank Yous for East Liberty Blvd Safety Initiative

Two weeks ago, East Liberty Blvd went on a much-needed road diet. This wide, high-speed road; which passes in front of a high school, churches and residences, was re-engineered to calm traffic and provide safer access for everyone (motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists). A traffic engineering study showed that the 1.5 mile road was far too wide for the amount of motorized traffic that it carried, so people treated it like a freeway and traveled at unsafe speeds. The 3 new miles of bike lanes (1.5 each direction) extend from Negley Ave to Frankstown Ave, providing a safer alternative to Penn Ave for travelling to the surrounding communities and parks and serve as one piece to a much larger network that will one day connect all the parks in the East End by bike.

Show Employees the Bills to Get Green in a Hurry: Report

Sustainable business experts Envirowise are calling on employers to be more transparent about the impact that their workers are having so that they adopt the same approach to cost cutting at work as they do at home.

For information on becoming a Member of Sustainable Pittsburgh, please visit our website.

3E Links is sent as a service to Sustainable Pittsburgh Members and interested parties and is being distributed for informational purposes. The information above was provided by or obtained from the organizing institution or one of its representatives. Our distribution does not imply endorsement. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Click here to access the 3E Links Archive. Use "Search" on SP's homepage for a great resource.

Sustainable Pittsburgh affects decision-making in the Pittsburgh Region to integrate economic prosperity, social equity and environmental quality bringing sustainable solutions to communities and businesses.

Sustainable Pittsburgh benefits from support in 2008 from:

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



Special thanks to the SP Members

Sustainable Pittsburgh
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1335
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 258-6642
fax (412) 258-6645
E-mail SP