Sustainable Pittsburgh

WEBCAST: The State of Green Business 2016
2017-01-31 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Pennsylvania
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

WEBINAR: What You Need To Know About Radon Workshop
2017-01-31 11:30 - 12:30 | Pennsylvania
January is National Radon Month. This webinar will instruct communities on the facts and dangers of radon, as well as prevention and mitigation strategies.
1 Professional Development Hour is available for early learning providers.
For more information, please contact:
Chelsea Holmes at Chelsea@womenforahealthyenvironment.org or 412-404-2872

Light, Energy, and Environmental Sensing—A Responsive Vision for Public Art
2017-01-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Learn how teams of experts leverage the Cloud Factory for ideas about data visualization and the environment. For five days, teams comprised of Pittsburgh-based artists, designers, architects, scientists, environmentalists, teachers, students, and other creative minds, led by artist Andrea Polli, turned CMOA’s Hall of Architecture into an idea-generating lab. Each team used the Bellefield Boiler Plant, or “cloud factory,” as a site for data collection factors like on pollution, energy, weather, and climate. They then investigated how public art and data visualization could engage communities with environmental issues using light as the primary tool. Stop by to hear each team’s proposal for our own back yard “cloud factory” as a potential site for imaginative intersection of art and science.

Sustainable Pittsburgh Workshop: Leading the Culture Shift for Sustainable Business Practices
2017-01-26 07:00 - 10:00 | YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, 305 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Registration: 8am-8:30am
Changing habits. It’s a common theme this time of year, with many of us making New Year’s resolutions: eat healthier; start exercising. Yet it’s one thing to focus on changing oneself. How do you approach changing an organization?
Join Sustainable Pittsburgh for this January 26 workshop to learn how to transform organizational culture into one that embraces sustainability. Presenters will discuss how individuals are influenced by their work environment and how to successfully manage the change process. Hear from previous and current Green Workplace Challenge participants on how they utilized the GWC to introduce new initiatives, maintain engagement among employees throughout the year, and celebrate their achievements. Learn about what worked and what didn’t and how you can apply lessons learned in your workplace.
All are invited. Participation in the Green Workplace Challenge is not required.
Featured Presenters

Julie Downs, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Social and Decision Sciences, Dietrich College at Carnegie Mellon University
Kathy Hrabovsky, Sustainability Manager, Allegheny County
David Lassman, Distinguished Service Professor of Organizational Management, Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University
JoAnn Rizzo, ECO-Chair, Associate, AE Works
Jennifer Stockdale, Local Marketing Specialist, IKEA Pittsburgh

REGISTER HERE!

Four Mile Run Watershed Community Meeting
2017-01-24 17:00 - 19:00 | University of Pittsburgh, The Connolly Ballroom, Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
In 2016, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy began work on a plan for green infrastructure improvements in the Four Mile Run watershed. Neighborhoods in the Four Mile Run watershed include Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, and Hazelwood.
This project aims to reduce the frequent flooding in the Run, restore the local ecology, and improve park connectivity. In the coming months, our consultants, led by the landscape architecture firm Phronesis, will be working to refine this concept plan through on-the-ground technical surveys, cost analysis, and continuing community engagement.
We will be holding a series of public community meetings in 2017, the first being January 24th from 6-8pm. At this initial multi-community meeting, the design team will be presenting conceptual designs and seeking input from residents in and around the watershed (Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Hazelwood).
Representatives from Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Phronesis, and partners like Councilman O’Connor’s office, PWSA, the City of Pittsburgh, ALCOSAN, and the URA will be available to take your questions, comments and concerns.
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please be sure to register, and to share with neighbors and friends!

Making the Invisible Visible, An EnvironMENTAL Challenge, Public Workshop
2017-01-23 17:00 - 19:30 | Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, 810 Penn Avenue, 7th floor, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Artist Andrea Polli will share insights and her process in creating Energy Flow, a large-scale light artwork and wind power nano-grid installed on the Rachel Carson Bridge for Light-Up Night 2016. Polli and her team will guide participants through investigations of sensing and visualization strategies to imagine inventive, aesthetic, and informative lighting design concepts for downtown structures.

19th Annual Summit Against Racism
2017-01-21 07:00 - 16:00 | Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Attend the 19th Summit Against Racism, at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary hosted this year by the Metro-Urban Institute and is a multicultural initiative of Black and White Reunion. The conference will provide a forum for discussion about the current state of race relations in the U.S., what we have learned so far, and pathways to deeper understanding, healing and social action.
This year’s theme: “Polarization to Cooperation: HOW DO We Get There?”
*** Online Registration will close on Thursday, January 19th, at 11:59 pm. However, registration will still be available in person from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm on the day of the event, Saturday, January 21st.***

Smart Cities and Sustainability
2017-01-20 11:00 - 12:15 | University of Pittsburgh Posvar Hall, 3911 Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Please join the University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR) for this Brown Bag lunch featuring Grant Ervin, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Pittsburgh.
Developing “smart cities” is a hot topic in the area of urban development and municipal management, but what is it? City of Pittsburgh was selected in 2016 as a U.S. Department of Transportation finalist for the department’s Smart Cities Challenge. Representatives from the City of Pittsburgh will discuss highlights of the proposal, lessons learned and opportunities for integration of smart city approaches to enhancing the sustainability and delivery of services within the City.

Grant Ervin serves as the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Pittsburgh where he oversees the integration of sustainability and resilience into City services, programs and policy. Prior to joining the City of Pittsburgh, Grant served as the Regional Director for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide smart growth and sustainable development policy organization; and as Public Policy Manager for Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG).
Grant brings fifteen years of experience, intersecting the worlds of environmental, community & economic development and infrastructure policy to create innovative and sustainable solutions for local governments, community development organizations and state agencies. Grant has helped lead the development of a variety of innovative programs including Pittsburgh’s inclusion in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Initiative; the creation of the Uptown Eco-Innovation District, District Energy Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh and Neighborhood Community Information System and the Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative.
