Sustainable Pittsburgh was established in 1998 as part of the Pittsburgh Technology Council with financial backing from The Heinz Endowments. The organization was an outcome of the Pittsburgh visit of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (September 1998), where a committee of civic leaders organized several days of community visioning around introducing concepts of sustainability to the region. Sustainable Pittsburgh became a project of the Tides Center in March 2000 and was awarded IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status on November 1, 2006.
Since its inception, Sustainable Pittsburgh has advanced the simultaneous goals of equity, environmental and economic success by promoting the policy and practice of sustainability in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We do this through four main areas of work:
- Creating communities and networks of sustainability practice in different sectors through our different performance programs
- Working to change the regional narrative about sustainability through our communications and activities,
- Informing policy conversations in multiple contexts
- Providing regional expertise as a trusted resource on sustainability.
Sustainable Pittsburgh serves communities throughout the 10-county region of Southwestern Pennsylvania, engaging hundreds of decision-makers and practitioners to advance progress at the intersection of environment, economy, and social equity.
In 2018, Sustainable Pittsburgh’s founding director, Mr. Court Gould, stepped down. After a national search, Dr. Joylette Portlock was hired as the new executive director of the organization.
In late 2024, Dr. Joylette Portlock stepped down as executive director. In January 2025, Sustainable Pittsburgh’s board of directors appointed Bhavini Patel as the next executive director. Sustainable Pittsburgh is excited for Bhavini to bring her leadership and expertise to this next chapter as we work together to advance our mission of empowering decision-making that builds a fundamentally equitable, resilient, healthy, and prosperous Southwestern Pennsylvania.