Sustainable Pittsburgh

Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge Workshop - Tracking Progress: Tools and Tips
2018-02-15 07:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | Global Links, 700 Trumbull Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
The Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge invites participants to track progress toward sustainability goals throughout this yearlong program. This workshop will provide a detailed introduction to the measurement tools in five Challenge categories: Energy, Water, Materials Management, Transportation and Air Quality. Participants will learn how these tools can help set organizational goals, establish competition baselines, and measure results. Participants will also receive an introduction to some of the SP Challenge partner organizations, each of which can assist Challenge participants in meeting sustainability targets.
Participants will receive an in-depth introduction to Energy Star Portfolio Manager, as well as the tools used to measure progress in other action categories. Don’t forget, attending this workshop will also earn you points with action EA30: Attend a Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge Workshop (1 to 50 points).
All are invited to attend. Registration and breakfast from 8:30 am – 9:00 am.
Register here!

WEBINAR: Lead, Radon & Mold in Residential Housing: Ensure Access to Healthy Homes
2018-02-15 12:00 - 13:15
Register here
FREE
Join Conservation Consultants Inc. (CCI), for this Sustainable Community Development Network (SCDN) webinar brought to you by Sustainable Pittsburgh and Local Government Academy to learn how communities can mitigate the sometimes deadly problems caused by lead, radon, and mold in our homes. CCI’s new report, “The Case for Healthier Homes: Recommendations for the Pittsburgh Region,” and accompanying outreach material: poster, paper summary, petition are designed to help community officials, local child care providers, renters and home owners fully understand the problem–and learn about existing resources, innovative actions, trends, and best practices that are being utilized around the country and beyond.
Ensuring healthy, efficient housing for all residents in your community is a priority for public officials. Our region’s residences have three key health hazards: lead, radon and mold, which are frequently amplified by the age of the house or rental unit. A full eighty-two (82) percent of Allegheny County homes were built before 1978, when lead was a common ingredient in paint. Lead exposure to children can result in developmental delays, reduced IQ, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other issues. In addition, Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania homes are statistically likely to have radon counts above the EPA-recommended level. Long-term radon exposure can result in lung cancer, and radon causes more deaths per year in the United States than drunk driving. Mold can occur in any home wherever there is moisture, causing asthma, obstructive lung disease, and lung infections. It can result from roof leaks, poor foundation drainage, or improper air-sealing, and mold problems disproportionately impacts low-income and minority households.
Conservation Consultants Inc. (CCI), is a nonprofit organization based on the South Side of Pittsburgh, that oversees more than 4,000 home evaluations each year. The Allegheny County Health Department Lead Task Force recently published its own recommendations for lead mitigation as well. Alison Steele, Director of Community Outreach and Advocacy at CCI, and Jeaneen Zappa, CCI’s Executive Director, will discuss the issues and potential solutions for local governments.

Maximizing Your Handprint: Education Session on Setting “Net Positive” Sustainability Goals
2018-02-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Green Building Alliance, 33 Terminal Way, Suite 331, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Today’s sustainability commitments typically focus on calculating one’s negative environmental “footprint” and taking actions to reduce it. While this is a critical first step, it leaves out of the equation all our positive impacts, or “Handprints.” Instead of aiming for zero environmental impact, which is almost never feasible, Dr. Greg Norris, Chief Scientist for the International Living Future Institute, will explore how the Handprint framework allows individuals or organizations to set a more inspiring goal to be Net Positive, where your Handprints are greater than your footprints. Greg will review existing Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tools and discuss how they can be adapted to evaluate Handprints. Learn how organizations have started bringing Handprinting ideas to their companies and employees, creating a culture of positive good. For more information, view the event flyer here.
This session will be valuable for organizations that are being asked to demonstrate their social and environmental impact, but the content will be relevant to all manufacturers, architects, designers, building owners and sustainability professionals. This is the second workshop in our three-part series, The Building Blocks of Living Products, which is also exploring ingredient transparency and social equity.
Presenters:
Gregory Norris, Chief Scientist, International Living Future Institute
Benson Gabler, Pittsburgh Living Product Hub Manager, International Living Future Institute
Hosted by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, 611 William Penn Place, Suite 1300, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
The event will be followed by a happy hour from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

Pittsburgh, Let's Talk About Race, presented by PublicSource
2018-02-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Repair the World: Pittsburgh, 6022 Broad St., Pittsburgh, PA, United States
“Let’s Talk About Race” face to face at Repair the World in East Liberty on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, from 6-8 p.m. There will be a guided discussion with a panel featuring Pittsburghers who have been leading the conversation. Join us; it’s free and light refreshments will be served.
**PublicSource has reached capacity on this event and is looking for an alternate space. Please continue to indicate your interest and they will provide an update if tickets are reactivated. **
Facebook event page

Workshop: Lowering Flood Risk and the Cost of Flood Insurance
2018-02-20 07:30 - 11:00 | Cranberry Township Municipal Building, 2525 Rochester Rd., STE 300, Cranberry Township, PA, United States
More frequent and intense storm events have led to a greater flood risk in our region. National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance policy holders throughout the SPC region collectively pay millions of dollars in flood insurance premiums every year. Municipal officials have the opportunity to put hundreds of thousands of dollars back into their residents’ and business owners’ pockets. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) Program promotes strong floodplain management practices and provides discounts on NFIP flood insurance premiums throughout participating jurisdictions. This session will discuss the CRS Program, how to determine if participation is right for a municipality, municipal activities that would earn CRS Program credit, and how to enter and succeed in the CRS Program.

Sustainable Pittsburgh event: Getting Started with Supply Chain Sustainability. REGISTER TODAY!
2018-02-21 06:30 - 11:00 | Cumberland Woods Village Conference Center, 700 Cumberland Woods Dr., Allison Park, PA, United States
Supply chain management is one of the most impactful opportunities for business sustainability – from reducing expenses to ensuring needed raw materials, fair labor practices, and supplier diversity. What are opportunities and best practices for incorporating sustainability into supply chain decisions and processes?
Join UPMC and Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Champions for Sustainability to explore sustainable supply chain basics, how your business can get started, and how it stands to benefit.
What You Will Learn:

How does incorporating environmental, social equity, and governance considerations into the supply chain benefit your bottom line?
What is purchasing vs. supply chain?

What are advantages of working with local suppliers that might include veteran-, women- and minority-owned businesses?

How can supply chain management help you mitigate risks like security breaches, gaps in product supply, labor and other reputational disruptions, and distribution challenges?

Featured Presenters:

Valarie Cofield, Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council
Patrick Flaherty, UPMC
Benson Gabler, Pittsburgh Living Product Hub at International Living Future Institute
Tim Nedley, UPMC
Richard Price, Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities
Toni Silva, UPMC
Justin Stockdale, Pennsylvania Resources Council
Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Bart Wyss, UPMC

Plus: Featured Panel Discussion Moderated by Doris Carson Williams, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania
Who Should Attend:

Executives in Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Warehousing, Fleet Management, Waste Management, O&M
Leaders in Strategy, Business Development, and Marketing
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Professionals

REGISTER HERE!

Program runs from 8:00 am until Noon. Breakfast and registration begin at 7:30 am.

Workshop: Lowering Cost of Flood Insurance
2018-02-21 07:30 - 11:00 | Peters Township Police Department, 200 Municipal Drive, McMurray, PA, United States

Mitigating Climate Change by Transitioning to a Renewable Resource-Based Economy
2018-02-26 13:00 - 16:00 | University of Pittsburgh William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
A lecture by:
Dr. Steven Cohen
Executive Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Climate change is the first widely recognized global crisis of environmental sustainability. Its solution requires the implementation of a transition from a fossil-fuel based energy economy to one built on renewable resources. This transition requires the development and diffusion of new technologies. The technological challenges of this transition will require significant political, organizational and financial resources and capacities. This talk will discuss the challenges of this transition and outline a path for meeting these challenges by the middle of the 21st century.
This lecture is free and open to the public but space is limited.
Monday, February 26th
2:00 PM
William Pitt Union, Assembly Room
University of Pittsburgh, Oakland Campus
