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

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). Click here for presentation.

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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

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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