Sustainable Pittsburgh

Inspire Speakers Series Presents: Inspirational Stories about Creating a Sustainable, Vibrant, Healthy, and Just Region
2017-02-09 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Hill House Kaufmann Center, Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium, 1835 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, United States
The evening’s theme is “Loving Your Place.” This Moth-style and TED-like event will dare us to dream big about what is possible for our communities, projects, and places. Our presenters are creating places that help our communities thrive, make us healthier and more vibrant, and are designed for everyone, and we’re delighted for the opportunity to hear from them. Come be inspired by the amazing work that Pittsburgh citizens are doing to make this community a place we can all love.

Inspire Speakers Series Presents: Inspirational Stories about Creating a Sustainable, Vibrant, Healthy, and Just Region
2017-02-09 16:30 - 18:00 | Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium at the Kaufmann Center, 1825 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Storytelling is our way of expressing the soul of our community to one another. Stories expose our beliefs, emotions and vulnerabilities that can connect with people in ways that facts and statistics can’t. Stories foster empathy, remind us of what it means to be human, and challenge us to be the change we seek.
Join the Green Building Alliance for its second annual Storytelling Inspire Speakers Series event to hear stories from citizens who are working to create sustainable, vibrant, healthy, and just places for us all to live, work, learn, and play. This Moth-style and TED-like event will dare us to dream big about what is possible for our communities, projects, and places.

THE NEW LANGUAGE OF CARBON A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH WILLIAM MCDONOUGH
2017-02-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Live Webinar, Select a Country:
Carbon has a bad name. Businesses, institutions and policymakers have struggled to respond to the idea that if we reduce our carbon emissions and shrink our carbon footprint, we can defeat the ‘carbon enemy.’ But carbon is not the enemy we perceive it to be. What if the world’s cities revered and cultivated carbon as an asset in soil, plants and durable earthbound forms, and reduced carbon as a liability in the atmosphere?
In this series of Sustainable Brands “fireside chats” with William McDonough, the visionary architect and designer discusses the pivotal role of Cradle to Cradle thinking in the marketplace, along with case studies, applications, misconceptions and new developments in the field.
Bill has invited the Sustainable Brands community to join the discussion, to pool our collective creativity and ingenuity to help move the conversation – and implementation – to the next level, so we invite you to submit questions to help us frame each discussion.

"Parcel Scale Green Infrastructure Siting and Cost Effectiveness Analysis for Pittsburgh, PA"
2017-02-03 11:00 - 12:30 | University of Pittsburgh Posvar Hall, 3911 Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
UCSUR’s Brown Bag Speakers Series Presents…

Michael Blackhurst, Ph.D., Research Development Manager, Urban and Regional Analysis Program, University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research
Seminar Title: Parcel Scale Green Infrastructure Siting and Cost Effectiveness Analysis for Pittsburgh, PA
The Pittsburgh region is served by a combined sewer, which collects, conveys, and partially treats both stormwater and wastewater in the same infrastructure system. During periods of heavy rainfall, stormwater can exceed the capacity of combined sewers, which causes overflow into nearby rivers and streams. While these combined sewer overflows (CSOs) mitigate upstream flooding, they release untreated wastewater into receiving water bodies. Improvements to “gray” infrastructure – pipes, pumps, storage, and treatment facilities – can increase the capacity of the collection system to accommodate more severe wet weather events, but “green” infrastructure includes features that reduce the stormwater entering the collection system by retaining or diverting stormwater. This project works towards a comprehensive green infrastructure strategy by identifying broad areas appropriate for green infrastructure, given variation in hydrologic (land use plus topography) and hydraulic (the capacity of pipes, pumps, and treatment), then applying a mix of additional criteria to target specific installations. A demonstration of green infrastructure siting and cost effectiveness is demonstrated through in an interactive mapping project.
Visit the map – Recommended Siting of Green Infrastructure by Type in Allegheny County: http://sb.ucsur.pitt.edu/steve/green/index.html

How Love of Community Drives Grassroots Sustainability
2017-02-02 16:30 - 18:30 | Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory, accessible off Frew Street, One Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Biophilia: Pittsburgh February Meeting
The Thurs., Feb. 2 Biophilia: Pittsburgh meeting will feature Millvale Sustainability Coordinator Zaheen Hussain, who will lead a discussion on “How Love of Community Drives Grassroots Sustainability.” A native of Bangladesh and a Pittsburgh transplant by way of Connecticut, Zaheen serves as Millvale’s sustainability coordinator. Supported by the Millvale Community Library, and working with the Millvale EcoDistrict Collaborative, Zaheen’s efforts are a shared community resource that helps advance Millvale’s EcoDistrict goals in the areas of food, water, energy, mobility, air quality, and equity. Prior to his work in Millvale, Zaheen worked on various sustainability initiatives as a project manager at GTECH Strategies. Focusing primarily on energy efficiency, Zaheen helped lead the ReEnergize Pittsburgh Coalition, where he worked collaboratively to increase demand for energy efficiency services by bridging organizational partnerships and increasing community level advocacy and educational programming.
Meetings are free to attend; however, advance registration is required.
Biophilia: Pittsburgh is the pilot chapter for a global Biophilia Network of creative minds dedicated to strengthening the bond between people and the natural world through education, discussion and action.

"White Privilege: Not so Invisible Anymore?"
2017-02-01 11:00 - 12:30 | University of Pittsburgh, Room 2017, Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
The Center on Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh is proud to host Dr. Paul Croll of Augustana College for the second lecture in the Reed Smith LLP Spring 2017 Speaker Series, with an introduction by Carlos Torres, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations.
Dr. Croll is an expert in the field of critical race and whiteness studies, and co-author of Race and Ethnicity: The Basics. He has published many articles in top sociology journals regarding US racial attitudes, white racial identity, and color-blind ideologies. His research and teaching focuses on examining race relations through a sociological framework.
“While we have made great strides in the post-civil rights era, we continue to see racial discrimination in employment, wealth, education, and the criminal justice system. In a recent audit study, researchers found that employers discriminated against African Americans and Latinos in job searches and “black job seekers fared no better than white men just released from prison.” The wealth gap between whites and people of color continues to grow. . . Hard work alone does not guarantee success. To say otherwise is to ignore our nation’s history.”
Read more: “Awareness, Not an Apology”
No RSVP required; lunch provided.
Overflow room will be available during the event in Room CL 2101. All lectures are recorded and uploaded to crsp.pitt.edu in the days following the lecture.

WEBINAR: PET Recycling Markets Trends and Challenges
2017-01-31 12:30 - 13:45
Join PA Recycling Markets Center and National Recycling Coalition for this Sustainable Materials Management Webinar. An update from the trade association for PET packaging in the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be presented and will include current market conditions as well as the challenges faced by the recycling industry with regard to PET recycling.
Speaker:
Kate Eagles, Program Director for the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR)

Schedule of additional webinars

WEBCAST: The State of Green Business 2016
2017-01-31 12:00 - 13:00
Join GreenBiz for the release of the 10th annual edition of State of Green Business, GreenBiz Group’s award-winning annual report.
Each year, the report looks at 10 key trends and dozens of metrics assessing how, and how much, companies are moving the needle on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The report is produced in partnership with Trucost, a world leader in helping companies, investors, governments, academics and thought leaders to understand the economic consequences of natural capital dependency
In this one-hour webcast, coinciding with the report’s release, GreenBiz Group chairman and executive editor Joel Makower, Trucost CEO Richard Mattison and GreenBiz Vice President and Senior Analyst John Davies will provide insights into key trends and metrics in sustainable business and the sustainability profession.
Among the topics:

How the blockchain stands to upend supply-chain transparency, from groceries to gemstones
The radical notion of “unlimited water” in company operations
How environmental performance has become a fiduciary responsibility for investors
The new rules of sustainability storytelling
