Sustainable Pittsburgh

2023 Annual Commonwealth Sustainability Week
2023-10-02 13:00 - 2023-10-06 12:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Presented by: PA GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability

The week’s events will feature daily webinars, each featuring subject matter experts followed by an open question & answer discussion providing folks the opportunity to share their questions and receive feedback in real-time.

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Indiana County's 6th Annual Sustainable Economic Development Summit
2023-10-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC), 711 Pratt Dr, Indiana, Pennsylvania, 15705
Presented by: The Sustainable Economic Development Task Force

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to support a sustainable economy in Indiana County!

This year’s topics include:

– Solar Leasing In Indiana County with Tom Beresnyak and Joseph Conklin of Penn State Extension of Indiana County

– Indiana County Broadband Deployment Initiative with Byron Stauffer Jr and Rea Energy

– Outdoor Recreation Economy with Adriene Smochek, First Waves, Laura R. Herrington, and Robert Nymick

– Second Annual Electric Vehicle Car Show!!!

– Air Liquide Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Plant In Center Twp., PA

– And “Uplifting People, Place, & Projects: Economic, Workforce, & Community Revitalization in Indiana County” with Sherene Hess, Indiana County Commissioner

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Solar Guidebook for Pennsylvania Landowners: Leasing Property for Large-Scale Solar Development
2023-10-20 12:00 - 13:15 | Virtual
Solar is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the U.S. solar industry is on target to add a record-breaking 32 gigawatts of new solar capacity to the grid in 2023, which is 50% more than it added last year. Due to several policy incentives and the fact that large-scale solar is now the least expensive form of electricity, energy companies around the world are expanding their solar operations through large-scale and community solar operations. Many of them have their eyes set on Pennsylvania due to its abundance of land and proximity to electricity transmission lines. That’s why the Pennsylvania Solar Center and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services have teamed up to develop a Guidebook for Landowners to navigate Pennsylvania’s growing solar markets.

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Climate Action Community Bike Ride
2023-10-22 10:00 - 13:00 | PA|PA
Presented by: World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh

Do you want to protect our world, but don’t know where to start? Join The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh for a Climate Action Community Bike Ride on October 22, 10AM-1PM to enjoy our region’s trails and connect with our globally-minded community.

Together, you will ride on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, looping through Point State Park and ending in the Strip District. Along the way, attendees will hear from speakers on how you can take action to build a more sustainable world.

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Climate Action Community Bike Ride
2023-10-22 10:00 - 13:00 | Three Rivers Heritage Trail, 3328 Penn Avenue & 21st Street POGOH station, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219
Take advantage of the crisp weather and enjoy the peak of fall foliage as we ride along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Along the way, hear from local organizations about how they’re working to make our region more sustainable and learn how we can take climate action in our daily lives.

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Pittsburgh WRISE Inaugural Gala Event
2023-10-25 16:30 - 19:30 | Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, United States
Presented by: Pittsburgh WRISE

Join national clean energy leaders on October 25, 2023 to launch the WRISE Pittsburgh. Meet Abby Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association, who co-founded #REPlus and is a C3E Women in Clean Energy Ambassador, as the keynote, with welcoming remarks from DOE’s Anna J. Siefken and WRISE Executive Director Doseke Akporiaye along with local government officials and industry leaders.

WRISE accelerates the transition to a sustainable and equitable energy future by igniting the collective power of community, and imagines a transformed energy ecosystem where all people and our planet thrive by focusing on community, equity, courage, and authenticity. The organization offers networking and mentoring for women and others who want to make an impact.

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Bridge to Equity: Affordable Housing
2023-10-26 08:00 - 10:00 | Fairmont Pittsburgh, 510 Market St, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222
Bridge to Equity examines how economic and social disparities in communities populated by people of color are jeopardizing various aspects of the region’s economy. This installment explores affordable housing — what’s being done to ensure underserved populations are getting access to the housing they need and what still needs to happen to move the needle further.

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Life Without Lead Summit
2023-10-26 08:30 - 16:00 | Virtual
Join for an exciting day at the Life Without Lead Summit! This event is your chance to learn, connect, and take action for a lead-safe future in Allegheny County. Hear from inspiring speakers, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and discover innovative solutions to eliminate lead from our lives and prevent childhood lead poisoning. Lead poisoning affects communities as a whole, so we all need to take responsibility for addressing this issue.

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Webinar Series: Designing Successful State Energy Office IRA Rebate Programs
2023-10-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Webinar #1 (October 26): Program Design Principles and Elevating Equity

The webinar series kickoff will feature rebate program design principles and best practices for elevating equity and multifamily solutions. Expert speakers will highlight key considerations for both SEOs and their implementation partners, including utilizing data to set program objectives, offering hands-on support for participants and contractors, ensuring durable retrofit market momentum, and facilitating stakeholder involvement to inform solutions. Equity priorities will be a common thread throughout the webinar, including guidance for serving affordable multifamily housing.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about innovative program design and solutions that connect with disadvantaged populations to maximize rebate program impacts in your state.

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Webinar Series: Designing Successful State Energy Office IRA Rebate Programs
2023-11-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Webinar #2 (November 2): Investing in a Community-Based Efficiency Workforce with the IRA

The second webinar of the series will dive into how states can leverage new funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to train, test, and certify energy efficiency and electrification contractors. This funding, called the IRA Contractor Training Grants, can assist in establishing and growing a statewide efficiency workforce. Speakers will provide an overview of the intent and requirements for the funding, as well as on-the-ground examples of programs states can implement, no matter their current workforce status.

This is a great opportunity to learn how states can leverage this funding to invest in and lay the groundwork for a well-trained, equitable, statewide energy efficiency workforce.

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Inspire Speakers Series presents: Everything Old is New Again: A Lesson In Material Reuse
2023-11-02 17:30 - 20:30 | Assembly, 5051 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
The circular economy is an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products. While the notion was first theorized in the1930s and evolved into a movement with the book Cradle to Cradle in the early 2000s, many cultures and communities have already been following a reuse lifestyle for generations. While the circular economy relates to any type of consumer product, it can be especially impactful when applied to the buildings where we spend our time. Our buildings contain thousands of materials and products, most of which are sent to the landfill at the end of use. But there are ways in which our buildings can help preserve our health, the environment, and our culture.

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Electric Vehicle Charging Community Information Session
2023-11-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, 42 21st St, Suite 101, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222, United States
Join for an interactive community discussion about deploying electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in your community. Learn about Pennsylvania’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Plan for a convenient, reliable, affordable, and equitable electric vehicle charging network. Provide your feedback on electric vehicles and the needs of your community.

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2023 GPNP Summit
2023-11-09 00:00 - 2023-11-11 23:59 | David L Lawrence Convention Center
Presented by: The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership

The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP) biennial Summit offers an opportunity to connect 1,000+ attendees with pertinent resources; identify and develop cross-sectoral strategies for nonprofit organizations, local businesses, and the public sector; and empower individuals as well as organizations to collaborate, advocate, and act.

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Webinar Series: Designing Successful State Energy Office IRA Rebate Programs
2023-11-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Webinar #3 (November 9): The Crucial Partnership with Regulators: What Should SEOs Ask of PUC/PSCs

The third webinar in the series will answer questions that could make the difference between a program that decarbonizes a limited number of homes and one that decarbonizes homes and transforms the entire building and home appliance market in your state.

Hear from a cutting-edge program implementer about the key elements that allow for leveraging of multiple funding streams and still ensure seamless delivery to customers. Regulatory experts will then share actionable recommendations for how to make this best practice scenario a reality in your state.

This is a perfect opportunity to learn how a lasting, cooperative partnership between the state energy office and utility regulator is an essential tool for maximizing benefits from the IRA.

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GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute Webinar Series: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Repair Cafes
2023-11-09 13:00 - 13:45 | Virtual
Repair Cafes are gaining momentum! These Cafés provide a community response and engagement that is helping to address our “throw-away” culture. Hear about Pennsylvania’s first Repair Café and how the model can be expanded within Pennsylvania.

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Webinar Series: Designing Successful State Energy Office IRA Rebate Programs
2023-11-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Webinar #4 (November 16): How to Leverage IRA Programs to Offer Whole-Home Solutions

The final webinar in the series will highlight ways that SEOs can harmonize IRA rebates with other programs to offer whole-home solutions.

Many people, especially those living in low-income households or disadvantaged communities, are in need of more than just one appliance upgrade. States can better meet these families’ needs if they can effectively engage with such households and communities to find strategies that offer multiple benefits at once, and help residents afford, navigate and sequence their needed improvements.

Come hear about what SEOs and implementers can do to meet households’ whole-house needs!

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Community Choice Aggregation: Boroughs are Ready!
2023-11-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join the Pennsylvania Solar Center and their panel of experts to learn more about Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), an opportunity for Pennsylvania boroughs to advance solar in their communities. CCA is well established in more than a dozen states, and it has already been authorized for Pennsylvania boroughs to take action. CCA enables local governments to choose electricity providers for their constituents while residents and local businesses can opt out of CCA at any time. When combined with solar, CCA provides strong energy price stability and lower energy costs compared to what individual consumers can negotiate on their own.

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Priority Climate Action Plan
2023-12-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Clairton City Hall, 551 Ravensburg Boulevard, Clairton, Pennsylvania, 15025
As part of the IRA, the DEP is administering a new grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to combat damaging climate pollution. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program will use the funding to provide grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop climate action plans and implement projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air co-pollutants. This program aims to achieve three objectives:

Tackle damaging climate pollution while supporting the creation of good jobs and lowering energy costs for families.

Accelerate work to address environmental injustice and empower community-driven solutions in overburdened neighborhoods.

Deliver cleaner air by reducing harmful air pollution in places where people live, work, play, and go to school.

By reducing these GHG emissions and other air pollutants, we can reduce the human impact on the environment and improve health outcomes related to climate hazards. The CPRG program has two funding phases: planning and implementation.

Outreach and Engagement

During the planning phase, the commonwealth will develop climate action plans that identify emissions reduction measures. The Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) by March 1, 2024, and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) by July 1, 2025. The PCAP will include GHG reductions that are a priority for Pennsylvania communities and businesses, focusing on strategies for the industrial sector.

As a part of our engagement process, DEP plans to host meetings in communities around the state to convene with residents, learn about their needs and climate concerns, and incorporate their priorities into its PCAP. Public outreach will begin in Fall 2023 and will continue through the end of the CPRG Planning Phase in 2027.

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Priority Climate Action Plan
2023-12-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
As part of the IRA, the DEP is administering a new grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to combat damaging climate pollution. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program will use the funding to provide grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop climate action plans and implement projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air co-pollutants. This program aims to achieve three objectives:

Tackle damaging climate pollution while supporting the creation of good jobs and lowering energy costs for families.

Accelerate work to address environmental injustice and empower community-driven solutions in overburdened neighborhoods.

Deliver cleaner air by reducing harmful air pollution in places where people live, work, play, and go to school.

By reducing these GHG emissions and other air pollutants, we can reduce the human impact on the environment and improve health outcomes related to climate hazards. The CPRG program has two funding phases: planning and implementation.Outreach and EngagementDuring the planning phase, the commonwealth will develop climate action plans that identify emissions reduction measures. The Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) by March 1, 2024, and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) by July 1, 2025. The PCAP will include greenhouse gas reductions that are a priority for Pennsylvania communities and businesses, focusing on strategies for the industrial sector.As a part of our engagement process, DEP is hosting meetings in communities around the state, as well as this virtual session, to convene with residents, learn about their needs and climate concerns, and incorporate their priorities into its PCAP. Public outreach will continue through the end of the CPRG Planning Phase in 2027.

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GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute Webinar Series: Climate & Environmental Health
2024-01-12 13:00 - 13:45 | Virtual
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has been doing a significant amount of work recently around environmental health, environmental justice, and the impact of a changing climate on health. Learn how DOH is addressing its core objectives around ambient air quality, heat-related hospitalizations, and lead exposures.

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2024 Strategy Summit
2024-01-16 11:00 - 2024-01-17 13:30 | Virtual
Presented by ReImagine Appalachia

Celebrating Our Victories; Visioning What’s Next to Build an Appalachia That’s Good for Our Workers, Communities and Climate.

Join us to hear from experts from labor, economic development, environmental justice, racial and community justice on what it will take to compete successfully for federal resources and to strategize with us on the work we need to do TOGETHER to draw down those resources and start turning our collective vision for a 21st century sustainable Appalachia into a reality.

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Racial Equity Consciousness Institute's Film Premier: "Illuminating the Vaccine for Racism"
2024-01-25 17:45 - 20:00 | Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh
“Illuminating the Vaccine for Racism” highlights the groundbreaking Racial Equity Consciousness Institute here at the University of Pittsburgh, including reflections from the faculty, staff and students who have participated in RECI. This film not only sheds light on the complexities of systemic racism, but also highlights the strengths within community and open dialogue.

The evening will feature:

Catered reception (courtesy of Roxanne’s catering)

Panel discussion with Ron Idoko and film participants

Reflection gallery (featuring art by Morgan Overton)

Standalone art exhibits by Sylvia Rhor which will be in the University Gallery (closes at 7 pm)

Access to the Library (closes at 7 pm)

Swag giveaways and more!

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GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute Webinar Series: Encouraging Sustainable Behavior with Sustainable Pittsburgh
2024-02-09 13:00 - 13:45 | Virtual
Sustainable Pittsburgh was established in 1998 and has been advancing the goals of equity, environmental and economic success in Southwestern Pennsylvania ever since. Learn how Sustainable Pittsburgh works to encourage sustainable behavior by supporting Sustainable Pennsylvania Certifications, restaurant certifications, and many other initiatives that advance sustainable behavior.

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Lunch and Learn Series 2024: Your Health and Your Environment
2024-02-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-03-21 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-04-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
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GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute Webinar Series: Sustainable Transportation – PA Turnpike
2024-03-15 13:00 - 13:45 | Virtual
The PA Turnpike was the first of its kind and received nationwide acclaim as an engineering marvel. It was touted as America’s First Superhighway when it opened on October 1, 1940, and was the national standard for superhighway design and engineering. Now the PA Turnpike is leading the way on sustainable transportation initiatives – learn how this iconic highway is transforming into a roadway of the future!

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CMU Energy Week
2024-03-19 08:00 - 2024-03-21 17:00 | Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Hosted by Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, CMU Energy Week brings energy and sustainability leaders, including scholars, investors, and entrepreneurs, from across the nation to Carnegie Mellon University to combine forces and exchange ideas on the world’s most pressing issues in energy.

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GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute Webinar Series: Sustainable Buildings Initiative
2024-04-12 13:00 - 13:45 | PA|PA
Buildings are responsible for a large percentage greenhouse gas operational emissions nationally. Penn State and the Commonwealth are partnering to advance sustainable building education, with a goal of improving building designs and construction practices in our portfolios. Join in to learn what’s coming next to advance sustainable buildings!

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Understanding the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) and its Implications for Pennsylvania's Energy Landscape
2024-04-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
Hosted by the Energy Efficiency Alliance and Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia

Are you curious about the future of renewable energy in Pennsylvania? Join the Energy Efficiency Alliance and Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia for a comprehensive discussion on the Governor’s recent PRESS proposal and its potential impact on the state’s energy landscape.

During this one-hour webinar, expert panelists will delve into:

– The key components of the PRESS proposal

– The current and prospective roles of renewable energy and energy efficiency under existing and proposed standards

– Potential changes in energy sources and tiers under the new PRESS proposal

– How the state’s portfolio standard impacts economic growth

– Opportunities for workforce development and job creation in the clean energy sector

– Insights into why PRESS matters for PA’s clean energy sector

Esteemed panel of experts will include:

– Rob Altenburg, PennFuture

– Jason Campbell, Blue Delta

– Sharon Pillar, PA Solar Center

– Dan Siegel, E2

This event is tailored for advocates, businesses, regulatory and legislative staff, and elected officials keen on understanding the role of an energy portfolio standard in driving economic growth and the clean energy scene in Pennsylvania.

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