Hennessy Green Construction, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Polygon Homes’ photostream

Smart growth and sustainable development are phrases we’ve been hearing often over the past few years. Developers, governments, community organizations, and foundations tout their achievements in these fields and point to their commitments to the concepts. But what do smart growth and sustainable development look like in practice and how do these concepts affect your community?

In November, my Council office submitted a grant proposal to Smart Growth America, the nation’s leading advocacy organization for smart growth planning and sustainable development. We were soon informed that Pittsburgh was among 15 municipalities around the country chosen to receive the grant. Funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program, the grant paid for time and travel for staff members of Smart Growth America, the EPA, and consultants from Clarion Associates to travel to Pittsburgh to help us conduct a Sustainable Code Audit and begin to make changes to our zoning and building codes to remove barriers to innovation.

We brought together a group of stakeholders from the community including labor leaders, real estate developers, sustainability experts, university representatives, nonprofit leaders, and others to help us develop a list of priorities to explore during this process. Our work focused on three broad issue areas: Green infrastructure and water quality, housing diversity, and energy conservation. With this grassroots community input and guidance we hope to make some common-sense changes to our City codes that will make it easier for all of us to control our stormwater and reduce flooding, use energy more efficiently, incentive development we want and disincentive development we don’t, and improve our housing options for people at all income levels.

green roof, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Beach650′s photostream

While the meaning of the terms smart growth and sustainable development may not always be readily apparent, the effects can have a huge impact on the quality of life in your neighborhood and the City as a whole. Other cities that have undergone an intensive zoning code audit have dramatically improved life for their residents by limiting unsightly sprawl, providing homeowners tools to track their home energy use, and promoting the highest standards of building technology. With some simple changes to our zoning and building codes we could lay the groundwork for a cleaner, greener, safer City for years to come.

Washington Park Construction, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from akeg’s photostream

Installing solar panels, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from OregonDOT’s photostream

I had the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia (this was before the Pens started playing the Flyers, so it was ok) at the beginning of April to speak to the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference about Pittsburgh’s stormwater challenges and the work City Council has done to help meet them. My friends, Tom Hoffman of Clean Water Action and Barney Oursler of the Clean Rivers Campaign, asked me to join them for a panel discussion entitled “Sewer Infrastructure — The Biggest Public Investment in History.”

We spoke about the need for a green solution to our combined sewer overflow problem and our many stormwater challenges, rather than the incredibly expensive, disruptive “grey” solutions currently being proposed by the PWSA and ALCOSAN. We also discussed what has been done at the local level by Pittsburgh City Council to require that when public dollars are spent for private development that the developers use the best available environmental technologies to capture stormwater on the site and reduce harmful diesel emissions from their construction equipment.

Cleaning up our rivers, ensuring that we’re using the best available technologies when building new housing or office space, and working with labor unions and nonprofits to train or retrain our workers is creating economic results for our City. With cutting-edge green technology and a healthy and safe environment, we can attract the kind of high-paying jobs we need in this region.

storm sewer, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from midquel’s photostream

springville, PA, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from arimoore’s photostream

On May 2nd, there will be the first ever public forum in Allegheny County on the health impacts of hydraulic fracturing Marcellus Shale gas extraction. In January of this year, Christopher Portier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, noted that studies need to be done to examine whether wastewater from shale gas drilling can harm people or animals and the vegetables they eat. From Bloomberg.com:

Some “data of concern” are showing up at fracking sites, Portier said. Fluids used in drilling contain “potentially hazardous chemical classes” including petroleum distillates, volatile organic compounds and glycol ethers. Wastewater may also contain salts and be radioactive, he said.

In December, the EPA said for the first time that it had found chemicals consistent with those used in drilling in groundwater near wells in Wyoming. The driller, Encana Corp. (ECA), has disputed the agency’s findings.

IMG_8646, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from weaverbl’s photostream

There have long been concerns about the health effects of fracking. On December 7, 2010, Pittsburgh became the first major city in the United States to ban natural gas drilling in a unanimous vote by Pittsburgh City Council which cited health and environmental concerns.

Speakers for the May forum will include Dr. Bernard Goldstein, Pitt Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), and Dr. Jill Kriesky, GSPH Senior Project Coordinator. Both speakers have extensive expertise and experience in this field. Technical information will be discussed, but presented for a general audience. Speakers will also address the recent state law (“Act 13″) which some think may prevent physicians who treat victims of toxic chemicals in the fracking and related processes from keeping their patients fully informed.

The forum is being sponsored by the 14th Ward Democratic Committee, the 7th Ward Democratic Committee and the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club. It’s free and open to the public. You can see a flier for the forum here.

“The Health Effects of Marcellus Fracking How Safe Is It?”
When: Wednesday May 2, 2012, 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Where: 1st Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave. (Ellsworth & Morewood Avenues), Pittsburgh, PA1 5213 (map)

Hubbard 1, 6-H, 5-H, Springville, PA, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from arimoore’s photostream

Nature in my hands, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Alessandro Musicorio’s photostream

Sunday is the 42nd annual celebration of Earth Day and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson — a book widely credited with helping to launch the environmental movement. The City of Pittsburgh is honoring these two events with proclamations by City Council created by Councilor Bill Peduto and co-sponsored by all members of Council.

Silent Spring, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Sterling College’s photostream

Council declared April 17, 2012 to be “Rachel Carson Day” in the City of Pittsburgh. Council honored and recognized Rachel Carson and the Rachel Carson Institute for “their research, education, and outreach in support of clean air, pure water, fertile soil, and biodiversity.” Carson’s book, Silent Spring, was originally published in 1962. It documented the ecological and human damage caused by pesticides. While it received a storm of criticism from chemical companies, it led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. But, it did more than that — it was the inspiration for the grassroots environmental movement and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was born in in Springdale, Pennsylvania in a farmhouse that’s just 14 miles up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh. She went to college at what is now Chatham University. The Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring. There will also be a bicycle parade displaying environmental messages in Carson’s honor on Earth Day by students from local universities, Bike Pittsburgh, Venture Outdoors and REI.

Pittsburgh City Council is also joining more than one billion people around the globe in participating in the 42nd annual recognition of Earth Day. It has proclaimed April 22, 2012 as “Earth Day” in the City of Pittsburgh so that the City may join in on “voicing their appreciation for the planet and demanding its protection.” The proclamation also commended two institutions, the Green Infrastructure Network and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, for their “exceptional contribution to improving the quality of the region’s environment [and] continuing to raise awareness of air and water quality issues.”

globe in hands, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from noticelj’s photostream

Blue Marble (Planet Earth), a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from woodleywonderworks’s photostream

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a worldwide network of large cities who work locally to reduce carbon emissions, and in doing so, also aim to have a global impact on climate change. While cities only take up about 1% of the earth’s surface, 50% of the global population reside and work there. More to the point, they consume 75% of the world’s energy and produce 80% of its greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing the importance cities play in climate change, C40 was created in 2005 by then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone. In 2006, C40 formed a partnership with the Cities program of President Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI) to forward its goal to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in cities around the world. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is the current chair of the C40.

Last month, C40 organized the Economic Cooperation and Development Conference in Chicago, IL. During the conference, Bloomberg announce two new global networks to help cities achieve both sustainability and prosperity. The first of these focuses on sustainable infrastructure finance and will be led by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City of Chicago. From Bloomberg’s remarks:

With assistance from C40’s staff, this network will help cities learn from one another, and work together in creating, evaluating, and replicating new financing structures for improved mass transit, alternative power generation, and other ‘green’ projects. Having Chicago lead this global network will enable others to learn from what Chicago has already achieved, and also the challenges you’re still working to overcome.

[snip]

This kind of city-to-city exchange, particularly between cities in economically advanced nations and the rapidly growing cities in developing nations, is something C40 is strongly committed to.

The second network focuses on green growth:

This network, which is being led by the City of Copenhagen and which the staff of C40 will also assist, will focus on the full range of ways cities can work with the private sector to attract investment and create jobs, in ways that also meet our environmental goals.

This morning, I touched on several ways we’re doing that in New York – through our ‘greener, greater’ building laws, and our plans to convert some of our municipal waste to renewable energy. Other cities are also bringing the private sector into partnerships to address such issues, too.

There are currently 58 member cities in the C40. In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is a member. As the group focuses on the largest cities in the world, Pittsburgh is not a member. However, as we blogged here earlier this month, Pittsburgh has its own Climate Action Plan and Initiative.

You can read all of Mayor Bloomberg’s remarks here.

Pittsburgh Skyline, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from aaranya’s photostream

There’s good news on the environmental front for the City of Pittsburgh! First is the passage of the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, Version, 2.0. In 2008, Pittsburgh City Council unanimously adopted the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan Version, 1.0 as a “guiding document” and the Pittsburgh Climate Initiative was founded later that year. The goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now, City Council has once again unanimously passed a new Green Plan for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, Version, 2.0, sponsored by Councilman Bill Peduto, outlines what has been accomplished in the past four years and what remains to be done to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals, increase energy efficiency, and save taxpayers money. The comprehensive plan targets the sectors of municipal government, business, community and higher education. The exact goal is to achieve a citywide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 20% below 2003 levels by 2023. And, at the same time, to serve as a tool for Allegheny County to achieve its goal of a 20% reduction in government greenhouse gas emissions below 2008 levels by 2015.

What’s the importance of greenhouse gas reductions? From the plan’s Executive Summary:

Climate change remains a major threat facing both Pittsburgh and the international community with short, medium, and long term consequences for the economy, the environment, and society. Locally, the Pittsburgh region will ultimately experience a variety of climate-related effects including higher prices and shortages of basic goods, higher susceptibility to flooding, increased public expenditures from increased responses to extreme weather events, and higher rates of infectious diseases and heat-related illnesses.

Here are some of the key recommendations for the community sector:

• Encourage ridesharing, telecommuting, and sustainable transportation options
- 2012 blitzes to include transportation component
- Close collaboration with transportation groups around Pittsburgh

• Engage public through education campaign
- Continued work on outreach and climate education

• Create neighborhood climate champions
- 2012 focus neighborhoods will identify strong neighborhood leaders
- Continued work in neighborhoods will bring about strong
- Community partnerships

You can read the entire plan here.

The other news was the Green Building Alliance’s (GBA) unveiling of their new three-year strategic plan. The Green Building Alliance is a nonprofit organization, headquartered in Pittsburgh, which promotes the creation of healthy, high performing buildings and strives to lead the green marketplace. Founded in 1993, it was one of the first U.S. Green Building Council affiliate organizations. The overall goal of their new plan is to prove the value of “going green” to the broadest possible market with a focus on the improvement of existing buildings. GBA remains committed to maintaining their role as the “go-to” resource in Western Pennsylvania for green buildings.

From GBA:

Our programs will include a place-based initiative designed to transform a local community, a Green Schools Academy, and the launch of DASH—a performance measurement, decision-making tool.In addition, we will continue to provide valuable resources via web-based learning products and a robust knowledge network. Collectively, these initiatives will leverage our past successes while repositioning GBA towards the ultimate goal of influencing the mass market.

You can read their plan here.

Pittsburgh 4-21-2005 10-32-42 AM.JPG, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Colin McMillen’s photostream

The benefits of trees cannot be underestimated. They remove carbon dioxide from the air, reduce global warming, produce oxygen and help fight runoff and erosion. Additionally, trees increase the value and desirability of a community. TreeVitalize Pittsburgh is a joint project of Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, Tree Pittsburgh, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. They have a goal to plant 20,000 trees throughout the Pittsburgh region to improve our quality of life. TreeVitalize Pittsburgh is now accepting applications for their planting program. Community groups, non-profits, and municipal agencies are encouraged to apply.

TreeVitalize Pittsburgh is seeking groups wanting between 10 and 100 trees to be planted. According to their website, preference will be given for street tree plantings  in neighborhoods that:

have demonstrated the capacity to organize volunteers for planting and stewardship activities;

have a low number of trees per resident;

have a predominance of residents at or below the median income;

are implementing other environmental improvements such as stormwater best management practices; and/or

are implementing other community improvements such as beautification, residential redevelopment or business district reinvestment

More information can be found on eligibility here and on selection criteria here. 

All City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods are eligible to participate and they ask you to contact them (412-586-2396 or email them at trees@paconserve.org ) to discuss your community’s goals and preparedness. You can download an application for the City of Pittsburgh from a link on their website here. City of Pittsburgh Tree Request forms are also required and can be found on that page. (Allegheny County applicants are asked to use a separate application on that page and should call Jeff Bergman, TreeVitalize Director, at 412-586-2396 before they begin the process.)

All applications are due by 4:00 PM on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Funding is limited, so apply soon!

Ghost Cathedral, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Caitlinefa’s photostream

8-13-10 Insulation: Walls and Attic 12, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Best Practices Research Alliance’s photostream

How can you improve your home, reduce your energy usage and save money? Come to the Energy Conservation Session for Homeowners and find out! On March 21st, ACTION-Housing Green and GTECH (with support from the Heinz Endowments Breathe Project) will present a free energy conservation session for Squirrel Hill residents. Energy efficient homes not only benefit the environment, they also benefit homeowners by providing healthier homes and lower utility bills.

Spring is the perfect time to weatherize your home for energy savings. At this session, you’ll learn about energy efficiency while connecting with local programs and contractors who can help you to save energy and lower your bills. The event will include food and refreshments and families are welcome to attend. Join your neighbors and attend this informative session!

Registration is required for this event. Please call 412-361-2099, ext. #7 by March 14th to register.

Energy Conservation Session for Homeowners
When: Wednesday, March 21st, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: The Jewish Community Center, 5738 Forbes Ave, Levinson Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (map)
Cost: Free

The 2010 Hunger Report, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from
Bread for the World’s photostream

springville pipeline 2, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from arimoore’s photostream

Last month, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed and Governor Tom Corbett signed an historic and sweeping overhaul of gas-drilling regulations for the state (HB 1950). The measure imposes a per-well fee on drillers, updates state environmental regulations and includes restrictions on local zoning laws. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The largest ripples from the bill will be felt by local officials, who will be forced to rewrite strict drilling ordinances or find themselves locked in costly legal battles.

Under the new law, municipalities cannot prevent gas drilling in most areas, except for residential areas of a certain density. Rules cannot be more stringent for drilling than for other industrial activities.

Tougher ordinances would be subject to review by the PUC and could cost a town its share of the impact fee dollars.

“Well over 100 municipalities are going to find out that their ordinances have been declared illegal,” predicted Myron Arnowitt, state director of Clean Water Action.

Already, officials in South Fayette, Peters, Robinson and Cecil are considering legal action against House Bill 1950.

On Wednesday, March 14, the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the Local Government Academy and the Post-Gazette’s award-winning PIPELINE shale news website, will present a free informational forum at the Heinz History Center on the preemption of local control of Marcellus Shale drilling titled “Marcellus Shale and the Challenges of Intergovernmental Coordination.” The event will address such issues as next steps for local governments; how local, state and federal entities will coordinate shale production regulation, environmental oversight and revenue collection; how state oversight will be balanced with local zoning rules; and if public safety will be ensured.

The panel will be moderated by WQED Multimedia President and CEO Deborah Acklin and featured panelists will include:

The Honorable Kathleen McGinty – Former Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection; Appointed to the Federal Energy Subcommittee on Natural Gas dealing with shale gas best practices; Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Strategic Growth at Weston Solutions, Inc.

Jules Lobel- Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh and the Bessie McKee Wathour Endowed Chair at the School of Law; President of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Shannon Debes – Legislative Committee Chair, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association (PA-APA) ; Chaired the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh’s Marcellus Shale issues study.

Ed Knittel – Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB), Senior Director of Education and Sustainability.

Sean Hamill – Reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and its award-winning Pipeline website on shale news.

You can see a flyer for the event here. You can register for the event online here or by calling 800-617-4253. (Pre-registration is encouraged although not necessary.)

Marcellus Shale and the Challenges of Intergovernmental Coordination
When: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 7 PM to 9 PM
Where: Heinz History Center, 5th Floor, 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (map)
Cost:  This event is free and open to the public.

Hubbard 1, 6-H, 5-H, Springville, PA, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from arimoore’s photostream

mill in motion, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from the photostream of Hindrik S

On February 13th, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Innovation Practice Institute and Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law will present a daylong forum: Building Sustainable Neighborhoods: Powering Sustainable Development in Allegheny County. The forum is being hosted by Phipps Conservatory. The day will feature compelling discussion by legislators, innovators, and industry experts on how Allegheny County can become a leader in sustainable growth and energy development.

Topics will include:

• The Transition to Renewable and Alternative Energy
• Local Energy Initiatives: Power Grid Infrastructure and Integration
• The Sustainability of Natural Gas Development
• University Research – At the Vanguard of Regional Development
• Preserving Historical Roots in the Face of Innovation
• Pennsylvania: Capitalizing on Innovation Without Sacrificing Environmental Resources
• Green Buildings: Investment and Payback
• Growing the Green Economy: Green Jobs and Economic Development
• Growing the Green Economy – Social Enterprise
• National Academies of Science Framework for Sustainability at EPA: The Green Book

Councilman Bill Peduto will moderate the discussion on Growing the Green Economy – Social Enterprise. US Congressman Mike Doyle will give the keynote address. You can see a full schedule of panels and speakers and additional event details here.

This forum is free and open to the public. (Lunch is provided for a fee of $10.)

Building Sustainable Neighborhoods:
Powering Sustainable Development in Allegheny County
When: February 13, 2012, 8:30am – 4:00pm
Where: Phipps Conservatory, One Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213 (map)