STAYING IN THE KNOW

C4S WORKSHOP SERIES: Click on each link for a workshop report

Vol. 1, No. 5: Perspectives on a Sustainability-Driven Industrial Revolution

Vol. 1, No. 4: Celebrate and Build Local, Sustainable Markets

Vol. 1, No. 3: Certifying Sustainable Products: A SMaRT Workshop

Vol. 1, No. 2: Climate Change Uncertainties: Opportunities for Business Innovation?

Vol. 1, No. 1: The Practice of Sustainability: Translating Vision into Action

 

LISTING of PAST EVENTS

Engineering Sustainable Solutions for Your Community

Date:
June 18, 2009

Location:
Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods
850 Cranberry Woods Drive
Cranberry Township, PA 16066
724-741-1000

Click here for directions and facility information

Cost:
$90 for Members,
$120 for Non-Members
Breakfast and Lunch Provided

This conference featured experts on real-world, practical, cost-saving, sustainable solutions for infrastructure design, including energy systems, water resource technologies, buildings, and community sustainability initiatives. Businesses, engineers, architects, non-profits, and government agencies invested in our region’s infrastructure from a sustainability perspective are invited to learn about the latest advancements and solutions.

Click here to download the event flyer

Agenda

7:30 –8:30 am   Registration & Continental Breakfast/Introductions

Kemal Niksic Chair EWRI Pittsburgh Section
Matt Mehalik Program Manager Sustainable Pittsburgh

Sustainable Energy Practice:

8:30 –9:00        Twelve Steps To Establishing The Region as an Energy Leader

Jan Lauer, Director, 3 Rivers Clean Energy
Click here for presentation

9:00 –9:30        Policy Direction for a Sustainable Energy Strategy

Patricia A. DeMarco, Ph.D.
Director, Rachel Carson Homestead
Former Commissioner, Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Click here for presentation

9:30 –10:00      Saving Energy: Industrial Sustainability in Action

Chris Steffy, P.E., Industrial Energy Engineering
Click here for presentation

10:00 –10:15     Break

10:15 –11:30     Building Green – Panel Discussion:

Panel of experts in policy, design and implementation of sustainable building (Click name for presentation)

  • Phyllis Barber, Highmark
  • Patrick Onufer, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
  • Andrew Rauch, Giant Eagle
  • Aurora Sharrard, Green Building Alliance
  • Catherine Sheane, Astorino (Invited)
  • Raymond J. Sinagra, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

11:30 –12:30 pm  Lunch

Water Resources' Sustainability in Practice:

12:30 –1:15       Sustainability Issues in Water Distribution Systems

Tom Walski, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Product Manager, Bentley Systems, Inc.
Click here for presentation

1:15 –1:45         Managing Green House Gas Emission in Wastewater
                            Treatment Plants

Susanne Adams, Sustainability Project Leader, Weston Solutions
Click here for presentation

1:45 –2:30        Green Infrastructure for Great Cities:
                           City of Chicago Green Streets

                                Janet L. Attarian, AIA, Project Director
                                Chicago Department of Transportation

2:30 –3:00         Managing Stormwater Runoff in Urban Areas:
                            Monitoring and Performance of Pervious Pavements

Jim Pillsbury, Hydraulic Engineer, Westmoreland County
Presentation forthcoming

3:00 –3:15        Break

Sustainable Communities:

3:15 –3:45       City of Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Initiatives

Lindsay Baxter, Sustainablility Coordinator, Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
Click here for presentation

3:45 –4:15       Sustainable Growth: Township of Cranberry Experience

John Trant, Chief Strategic Planning Officer, Cranberry Township
Click here for presentation

4:15 –4:45      Q&A Session / Forum Discussion / Adjourn

Registration Information

  • Online registration deadline: June 16, 2009 via secure server
  • C4S/Sustainable Pittsburgh Members and ASCE, EWRI, AEI Members Register online ($90.00):

For more information (including student registration) contact:
Matthew Mehalik, Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh
mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

or
Bob Dengler
rdengler@GFNET.com
tel: 412.922.5575 x 378

 

Corporate Sustainability Charrette
Friday, January 23, 2009
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The Urban Mountain Gathering Place on Mt. Washington
213 Bailey Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15211

$40/participant
Lunch will be provided.
Open to limited number of companies

Champions for Sustainability (C4S) is organizing its first Corporate Sustainability Charrette.  The purpose of this event is to bring together companies who have common interests in a particular sustainability issue and convene them with regional experts who can provide hands-on, charrette-style consultation to meet those challenges. 

How it works: Several companies have been invited to participate because of their interest in tackling a particular corporate sustainability challenge.  For this particular event, small groups are being invited in the areas of commuting and site-to-site transportation; composting; group purchasing of supplies; and obtaining capital to grow established sustainable business practices.   Each group will have the opportunity to work with several regional experts in each of these areas in order to initiate projects that quickly deliver on benefits and value.   Companies are asked to bring with them materials that can help frame the way they are approaching their issue.  Experts will bring tools to help work with that information in order to provide a first cut analysis and solution for that particular issue. 

Movie and Discussion Night!
Perspectives on a Sustainability-Driven Industrial Revolution

Thursday, October 9, 2008
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm*

*In recognition of Yom Kippur, the film will begin at 7:15—after sunset.

The Carnegie Library Lecture Hall
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pa 15213
(Entrance off of Schenley Drive near Schenley Bridge)

What might a vision for a sustainable economy look like?  What are some proven, practical outcomes from such a broad vision?  To explore these questions, come watch the award winning movie, “The Next Industrial Revolution,” a film that features Architect William McDonough and Chemist Michael Braungart.  The movie highlights some of their sustainability projects in companies such as Ford, Nike, DesignTex, and Herman Miller. 

After the movie, several of the Pittsburgh region’s designers and business leaders will share their thoughts, reactions, and attempts to integrate a sustainable vision into their products and practices. 

After the movie and panel, stay and participate in a discussion for how it is possible for our region’s businesses to continue the transformation of Western Pennsylvania into a hotbed for innovation according to a sustainable vision. 

Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Champions for Sustainability and Steel City Biofuels have partnered to make this first of a potential series of sustainability-oriented movie nights possible.  

Event Timeline

6:30  Reception, informal networking, and light snacks

7:15  Film feature: “The Next Industrial Revolution”

8:10  Panel reactions to the film
 
               Drew Degentesh, Director of Engineering, Daedalus Excel
               Nathaniel Doyno, Director, Steel City Biofuels
               Ned Elderidge, President, eLoop LLC
               Carolyn Pengidore, President/CEO, ClearChoice Energy

8:30  Questions for the panel and discussion of opportunities for our region’s
         businesses and entrepreneurs

For more information, contact:
Matthew Mehalik, Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh
mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644

 

Celebrate and Build Local, Sustainable Markets

Thursday, July 17
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
121 7th Street
6th Floor
Pittsburgh PA, 15222

This event highlighted the ever growing trend of “buying local” here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. From coffee to clothing to produce to green building—small businesses are developing innovative strategies and diverse networks, making the links that are good for business, for our neighborhoods and people, and for the environment.

Innovation was the key theme of the panel’s discussion. The panelists told their own stories of a growing demand for products whose safety and security can be better guaranteed because they are produced locally, from local materials and sources. Local farm goods is one such example. The products also offer higher quality because of the greater attention being paid to what materials were used in creating them, as was the case with some clothing and crafts. Costs of the products were reduced because of less energy needed to ship the products to market from local sourcing, again true of local food sources. Additionally, because local goods have less distance to travel to market typically it means that the carbon footprint for these goods is also lower.

Closer connections between communities and the place of business offers resources, such as access to a niche set of local customers, greater customer loyalty, joint sourcing and shipping of supplies, and promotional opportunities. People are increasingly embracing the concept of being able to walk to local stores and buy local products and receive local services from business owners whom they know and trust. Our local economy is growing and diversifying, providing a broader base across more businesses whose interests align with community interests. This is a key component to having a sustainable economy.

Additional resources:

www.small-mart.org
www.pasafarming.org
www.livingeconomies.org
www.sustainabletable.org/issues/buylocal/
Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility

Program

Come celebrate what our local market champions are accomplishing in our community—making the links that are good for business, for our neighborhoods and people, and for the environment. Seven of our region’s entrepreneurs will share their stories of how they are creating value by acting locally and sustainably.  They are creators of new products, services, and jobs using innovative strategies for engaging with their neighborhoods and their surroundings. 

Stay for opportunities to talk and network with panelists and other business leaders to learn how you can become involved in shaping our region with an emphasis on local markets.   Discuss important questions on how you can help transform Pittsburgh through entrepreneurial action, sustainable practices, and support of local businesses.

Enjoy live music from “Jim Donovan's Drum the Ecstatic,”  sample local beverages and food, and craft new networks on the local market scene!

Jim Donovan is a former founding member of the Pittsburgh band Rusted Root!

Agenda

5:30 –  6:50      Panel of local market entrepreneurs and champions

6:50  - 8:30      Meet and discuss opportunities for supporting and organizing the region’s local businesses and entrepreneurs with panelists and other businesses

Music:Jim Donovan's Drum the Ecstatic

Local food and beverages

CERTIFYING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS: A SMaRT WORKSHOP

May 23, 2008
PPG Headquarters
One PPG Place, Third Floor, Room 3A, Pittsburgh, PA
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

How can my company:

  • Learn how to save money by examining new ways of making products using sustainable materials and reduced energy flows?
  • Improve its product-to-market time?
  • Respond to increasing demands for sustainable products?
  • Create new capacities for innovation and new markets?

Come to this workshop to learn about and to begin certifying your company’s products according to Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) consensus-based standards adopted through an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited process. This is the first offering of this workshop in Western Pennsylvania, and space is limited to the first 30 companies who register.  This workshop provides companies with the needed guidance and background in four key areas: 

  • Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • Documentation of the absence of harmful chemicals  
  • Energy efficiency and baseline assessments
  • Documentation of social equity indicators

SMaRT Registration starts companies on the process towards:

  • Credible sustainable product communication   
  • Improved product design
  • Responding to purchaser demands and FTC requirements
  • Mitigating the long term rising costs of energy and carbon footprint

Registration Information

  • $100/ Person for C4S / Sustainable Pittsburgh Members or $150 for non-members
  • Deadline: May 16, 2008. 
  • Only the first 30 registrants can be accommodated.
  • Registration Fee Includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch Buffet
  • Champions for Sustainability (C4S) / Sustainable Pittsburgh Members Register online:

For more information, contact:
Matthew Mehalik, Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh
mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org or 412-258-6644  FAX: 412-258-6645

AGENDA

9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:30 Welcome and Introduction – C4S and Sustainable Pittsburgh

9:45 SMaRT Sustainable Product Certification

“What’s the Standard, What’s the Value, and How Do You Do It”
Mike Italiano, CEO, Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS)
Margaret Zak, President, Environmental Logic

  • Background on consensus standards
    • How they reduce risk and uncertainty
    • How they are adopted by government and capital markets
  • SMaRT: 15 years of consensus standards
  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • The value proposition
  • New York Stock Exchange launch of SMaRT investment products
  • Local government adoption

11:30 Lunch       

12:30 SMaRT Process

  • SMaRT Registration – Option 1
      •  ISO-compliant LCA or equivalent
      •  Energy inventory
      •  Social equity reporting
  • SMaRT Certification – Option 2
      • SMaRT checklist
      • Application process – Step-by-Step

2:30 Next Steps and reflections on the day

3:00 Adjourn

Climate Change Uncertainties: Opportunities for Business Innovation?
Thursday, March 27, 7:45 am - 5:00 pm
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, Mars, PA

See the event flyer form by clicking here.

Three of Pittsburgh’s business, engineering and environmental professional organizations are came together to convene a regional conversation about climate change, its impacts and responses. Climate change, global warming, greenhouse gases, carbon footprint--all of these terms and issues continue to appear in conversations in the media. Many of these conversations are heated and controversial. One thing is clear about this situation: these issues will present challenges to businesses and individuals, simply because of the degree of interest people have in the topics and resulting worldwide concern and debate. Interest in climate change topics has already prompted foreign, federal, and state governmental considerations and actions.

To meet these challenges, the Pittsburgh section of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), in association with the Allegheny Mountain section of the Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA), and Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Champions for Sustainability (C4S) network invited the region’s business, engineering, and environmental professionals to a one-day seminar focusing on climate change.

Here is a summary of topics covered and speakers. Each speaker's presentation is linked and available for download.

Human Impact on Climate Change – William Easterling (Dean, PSU, College of Earth and Mineral Science and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Click here for presentation.

Natural Cycles of Climate Change - Dr. S. Fred Singer (Science & Environmental Policy Project). Click here for presentation.

Impact on Business - Allison Robinson, PhD, MS (Director, Environmental Initiatives University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). Click here for presentation.

Regulatory Issues – Krish Ramamurthy (Chief, Division of Permits, Bureau of Air Quality, PA DEP). Click here for presentation.

Legal Framework and Carbon Emission Trading – Harry Klodowski, Esquire (Betts, Hull, & Klodowski LLC). Click here for presentation. Here is more information about legislation. Information on useful websites.

Measuring Our Impact – Carbon Footprint – H. Scott Matthews (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University). Click here for presentation.

Possibilities of Offsetting Carbon – George Hoguet (Native Energy). Click here for presentation.

Climate Action and Leadership – Chris Steffy P.E. (Industrial Energy Engineering).

-----

The Practice of Sustainability: Translating Vision into Action
December 6, 2007
An intense, triple bottom line-focused, half-day event to help business and community leaders determine ways to accelerate sustainable solutions. The event was led by an internationally recognized practitioner who has implemented operational sustainability solutions for businesses and featured panelists who shared some of their own local successes and challenges to make sustainable solutions pay.
Click here for a summary report of this event

OTHER PAST CURRENT EVENTS

Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference (State College, PA)
May 7-9 
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) are joining forces for 2009, merging PALTA’s annual PA Land Conservation Conference and CBF’s Biennial Confluence Conference to offer a joint event that focuses on both land and water conservation.
The conference theme is Working Together to Protect Our Land, Water & Communities because these elements are naturally connected with one another. Coordinating our efforts on these issues is vital in building a stronger and more effective conservation movement.
This event will provide attendees the opportunity to harness innovative tools and foster new relationships. Workshops will focus on critical issues relating to land preservation, water restoration, habitat protection, organizational development and more. Click here for more information.

Bioneers Mondays
May 18
Join the Pittsburgh Urban Ecology Collaborative for Bioneer Mondays - monthly evenings of film, discussion and merriment around Bioneers. Bioneers is a forum to connect ecology, health, social justice and spirit. These events are in advance of Pittsburgh's first Bioneers satellite conference taking place October 16 -18, 2009. Click here for more information

Smart Growth Conference
May 21
Today's difficult times are placing extraordinary strains on our region's communities. Rising costs of all types are putting a tight squeeze on municipalities and residents. Expectations and needs are also increasing. The policy and practice of sustainable development offers solutions. Come learn how your community, municipality, or county can put sustainability to work to save taxpayer dollars and avoid costs, meet needs equitably, conserve resources, and attract investment. Sustainability is central to professional management of local government and a collective imperative for Southwestern Pennsylvania's competitiveness and quality of life. Learn how to accelerate your community's success on environmental stewardship, social equity, economic development as well as fiscal viability and organizational capacity to learn, innovate and adapt. Click here for more information.

Rachel's Sustainable Feast
May 24: 12:30- 4pm
Bring your appetite for sampling great local food and your love of the region to the 3rd annual Rachel's Sustainable Feast at the Rachel Carson Homestead in Springdale, PA.  The best of Pittsburgh's chefs committed to buying locally, even more local farmers' markets, and as many of the region's great environment, conservation and fair-trade organizations and vendors as we can squeeze into the block party.  The event is held in celebration of Rachel Carson's birthday (May 27) and helps connect people to all the great things going on in Pittsburgh's backyard.  Click here for more information.

Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium
Sustainability Coordinators Conference (Carlisle, Pa)
May 29, 2009
This one-day conference will be an opportunity to learn and network for current sustainability coordinators (or equivalent positions) at PERC colleges and universities and for representatives from PERC colleges and universities with a serious intent to start a sustainability program at their institution.
The conference will include a variety of presentations and guided discussions led by guest speakers and sustainability coordinators at PERC member institutions about issues that every higher-education institution faces as it attempts to develop a sustainability program. In particular, this conference will focus on campus-operations issues (such as facilities and dining-services improvements) and student and employee participation in sustainability initiatives. The conference will not cover curriculum-integration issues related to sustainability.  Click here for more information.

Reclaiming Vacant Properties: Building Leadership to Restore Communities (Louisville, KY)
June 1-3
With the rising number of foreclosures, blight from vacant properties confronts communities across the country and severely threatens neighborhood stability. Cities of all shapes and sizes are searching for innovative, cost effective strategies to abate these public nuisances and transform vacant properties into catalysts for revitalization. As the new Obama Administration gets under way, what better time to join your vacant property colleagues to share successful initiatives taking place across the country and discuss the new opportunities to change the federal and state policies that affect our cities and towns. 
Reclaiming Vacant Properties: Building Leadership to Restore Communities is the only national conference focusing on building the knowledge, leadership, and momentum to reclaim vacant and abandoned properties for thriving neighborhoods. Click here for more information.

Penn Future's 2009 Annual Clean Energy Conference (Camp Hill)
June 3-4
Now in its ninth year, PennFuture's Clean Energy Conference has become a key venue for government officials, public interest organizations and the energy industry to network and learn about the most up-to-date clean energy markets and policies in Pennsylvania. With over 300 attendees last year, you won’t want to miss this opportunity. Click here for more information

Community Partner Luncheon
June 10
Join us for a Community Partner Luncheon for The Black and Gold City Goes Green Campaign.

  • Hear updates and exciting news about how the campaign is going;
  • Share your experiences with the campaign;
  • Help us develop our plan to get even more people involved;
  • Network with other organizations and individuals. Click here for more information

Green, Healthy Schools Summit (Clarion University)
June 19
Discover the importance of high performance, green, healthy schools. Envision schools as learning laboratories. Understand the economics of building and operating green schools. Listen to case studies from Western PA and Ohio schools. Learn how to finance green schools through existing policies and programs. Click here for more information

2009 World Green Energy Symposium
(Wilkes-Barre, PA)
September 13- 15, 2009
New and "Green" Energy alternatives are the responsibility of all mankind. The 2009 World Green Energy Symposium and Exposition will bring together government leaders, business leaders, businesses, innovators, university and college students, and consumers at large in an atmosphere conducive to information exchange on new and alternative green energy possibilities and opportunities. Click here for more information.

Healthy Buildings 2009: 9th International Conference & Exhibition
(Syracuse, NY)
September 13-17
This international meeting, hosted by Syracuse University and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE), will provide a forum for exchange of leading research and technology developments, a unique opportunity to share information on your company’s innovative products and services, and an extraordinary venue to network with national and global leaders and professionals in the fields of indoor air quality and healthy built environments.  Click here for more information.

Pennsylvania Green Growth Partnership (PAGGP) (Philadelphia, PA)
September 15-16
The PAGGP Forum is a unique networking event designed to connect industries, investors, universities and non-profits interested in capitalizing on the growing market demand for green products, energy efficient technologies and research/ education opportunities. Click here for more information.

PA Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival (Kempton, PA)
September 18-20
A three-day festival about renewable energy, natural building construction, sustainable agriculture, land-use planning, forestry and healthy living practices in general.
Featuring dynamic speakers, national exhibitors, workshops, hands-on demonstrations, vendors, live music and entertainment, children's activities, food and more. Click here for more information.

Green Business: Legal Strategies Forum
Please join the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Community Economic Development Clinic for a Green Business Forum. The Forum will provide legal and business expertise for people looking to start or already operating a small Green business. Local entrepreneurs will offer a range of advice and experience.

When: Saturday, November 22, 2008 10 am to 3:30 pm
Where: University of Pittsburgh School of Law Building, 3900 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
To Register: Email pitt.ced.clinic@gmail.com or Call (412) 648-1300
Cost: Pre-registration $10 mailed to University of Pittsburgh, School of Law Legal Clinics, CED Clinic, P.O. Box 7226, Pgh, PA 15213 Day of registration fee is $12

10:00 a.m.: Welcome, Defining green business

11:00: Councilman Bill Peduto Local assistance

11:30: Networking Panel Sustainable Pittsburgh and Grow Pittsburgh Noon: Lunch Catered

1:00: Raising money for your business Business plan drafting and loans 1:30: David A. Jaffe, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP An Investor’s perspective

2:00: State and Federal Tax breaks

2:30: Protecting You and Your Business (Inc., Partnerships and Nondisclosures)

3:00: Green Business Panel GTECH and Steel City Biofuels

Breakfast Briefing: The Strategic Implications of Global Warming for Your Business
Date: Thursday, December 4
Time: 7 - 7:45 a.m. 7:45 - 8 a.m. 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Registration, Coffee and Networking Breakfast
Program Venue: Westin Convention Center Hotel, 1000 Penn Avenue, 15222
Cost: $40 Member | $80 Non-Member
Register: Online For questions about online registration or to register multiple attendees: E-mail | 412.918.4229

Sustainability-Centered Operations
November 6–7, 2008
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sustainability may well be the “buzzword” of the new millennium, and while many
organizations are incorporating some sustainable practices into their operations, very few put those principles at the center of the decision making process. Public gardens have a unique opportunity to minimize their environmental footprint by creating sustainability-centered operations where every decision takes into consideration ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. In doing so, gardens can model their practices to educate the public on how small changes can have a big impact. This “how-to” symposium will provide concrete ways to incorporate the principles of sustainable operations into the culture of your garden. Click here for more information.

The environment as the key to personal independence and socioeconomic vitality? Ecopreueurial enterprise? What is it and how do I do it?
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 7:30pm
Tazza D'Oro Coffee Shop

Ecopreneuring is a fresh and dynamic approach to entrepreneurial thinking, blending passion for the planet with small business pragmatics and smashing the stereotype that "doing good" and "running a business" are exclusive. Join John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist – 11-year ecopreneuring veterans and trailblazers - as they discuss ways to take advantage of existing business structures and incentives to benefit our endeavors, our planet, and ourselves. Click here for more information on the presenters.

Creating a Sustainable Organization
Nov. 13, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cranberry, PA

An Interactive Forum for the HR Professional, CEO, CFO, Sustainability Director and... Companies all over the world are embracing sustainability as one of the most important factors for staying competitive. With world-class experts both speaking and facilitating interactive sessions, this is an opportunity for participants to:

  • Better define what sustainability means for your organization
  • Improve your sustainability strategies - to increase profits and satisfy all stakeholders: employees, customers, vendors and shareholders
  • Learn how local and national organizations have profitably implemented sustainable practices
  • Understand how to build and maintain an adaptable sustainability culture
  • Learn how to modify HR processes and functions to support sustainability

For more information, click here.

Hard to Recycle Event!
November 15, 2008, 10AM - 2PM
Mall at Robinson Parking Lot
Pennsylvania Resources Council is partnering with the Allegheny County Health Department, Appliance Warehouse and e Loop LLC to bring you Hard to Recycle Events throughout 2008. For more information, click here. 

Sustainable Business: Capitalizing on Opportunities
November 20, 2008 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Westin Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh

Sustainable business is at once about innovation and opportunity, responsibility to stakeholders and enduring financial performance. The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business and the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics present Sustainable Business: Capitalizing on Opportunities, a symposium for business leaders who want to contribute to sustainability while making the day-to-day decisions of running a business.

For more information, click here.

 

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
 
Pennsylvania Biomass Working Group Meeting kicks off the 2nd Annual Energy From Biomass and Waste Exposition and Conference

Pittsburgh, PA October 14, 2008 - Today marks the opening of North America's premier technology showcase and educational forum for the growing business of using energy and biomass waste as a significant source of clean, green energy. More than 70 both local and international organizations and 1,000 delegates will be in downtown Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center this Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday to present the cutting edge of sustainable energy production and safe waste handling products and services. 

The Energy from Biomass and Waste Expo will officially begin at 5 pm today with a ribbon cutting ceremony, exhibit openings, complimentary buffet and remarks from Pennsylvania Department of Energy Acting Deputy Secretary Dan Griffiths.  Other speakers set for today include USDA National Soil Tilth Laboratory Director Dr. Jerry Hatfield, Associate Director of Penn State's Biomass Energy Center, Bob Wallace, and EBW co-host Freesen & Partner GmbH's Managing Director Dr. Ines Freesen.

Earlier in the day from 10-2pm the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund is sponsoring a Pennsylvania Biomass Working Group meeting at the Convention Center to discuss issues of financing and investment and biomass energy project deployment.  Discussions will cover topics such as federal and state funding programs, updates on the progress of Penn States' Biomass Energy Center, project permitting and regulatory considerations and several biomass success stories.
 
On Wednesday and Thursday a rich exchange of information will continue as senior level speakers from the PA DCED's Office of International Business Development, the PA DEP, Innovation Works, the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Penn State University, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Mon Valley Power, the Governor's Action Team and others will gather to share information and insight about the growing energy from biomass and waste industries.
 
In addition to the dozens of exhibits, forums will run from 9 am to 4 pm both Wednesday and Thursday with topics on Market and Project Updates: US and International; Finance and Investment; Conversion Techniques; Plant Operating Experience; Project Development; Fuel Production: Sustainability, Production Efficiency, Quality Assurance; and Workforce Development.  The conference has drawn some of the top people in fields ranging from politics to production to community outreach.
 
For more information, please visit
www.ebw-expo.com
www.pabiomass.org
www.steelcitybiofuels.psu.edu

Second Annual Rachel Carson Legacy Conference:
Green Chemistry: Solutions for a Healthy Economy @ Duquesne University, Saturday, September 20, 2008

Click here for Details and Registration

The Rachel Carson Homestead Association presents Green Chemistry: Solutions for a Healthy Economy. This gathering of leaders in green chemistry, health, environmental and medical research, and industrial research and applications will focus on Economic Development, Informed Consumers, Better Regulatory Tools and a Healthy Future.


Cranberry Goes Green!

“Cranberry Goes Green!” will be a panel discussion about how individuals, organizations, communities, businesses and homeowners can make every-day decisions with sustainability in mind. Click here for more information.
Monday, September 22, 2008, 9:00 - 11:00 AM, Cranberry Council Chambers Room
Call the Chamber Office to reserve your seat:
724-776-4949

Cost: Free!

IN THE NEWS

August 27, 2008
EverPower windpower firm opening Pittsburgh office

EverPower Renewables has signed a lease for about 6,600 feet on the second floor of the Chocolate Factory building in Lawrenceville. The company is currently developing projects in seven states including Cambria County where 25 turbines are being located on a reclaimed strip-mine as part of the Highland Wind Farm Project. The turbines will produce 164,000 megawatt hours of power annually.

National Green Jobs Conference Set for Pittsburgh

March 13-14, 2008
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh
For more information and to register, visit www.greenjobsconference.org.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs: A National Green Jobs Conference will launch a nationwide dialogue about moving our country rapidly toward leadership in promoting the benefits of a new green economy.

The conference has been designed for advocates representing local, state and federal policy makers; labor; business; the environment and public health; economic and workforce development specialists; investors; and scientists and technology experts. It will accomplish three objectives:
• Provide a forum for strategic interaction between the different constituents comprising the developing new green economy;
• Showcase key policy initiatives for the rapid expansion of green job growth and economic development; and
• Demonstrate to the importance of public and private investments in the emerging green economy and launch the public discussion on these ideas

  
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