Wanna get painted?, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from ma.co.’s photostream

Take a look under your kitchen or bathroom sink. What do you see? How about in your basement or garage — what’s there? If you’re like most people, you may find some ammonia or oven cleaner, perhaps some old cans of paint or paint thinners, maybe some antifreeze or motor oil, or weed killer or mothballs. All of these items are classified as “household hazardous waste” (HHW). These are common household chemical products that, if we think about it, we know we shouldn’t be tossing into a trash bag because it would be bad for the environment. So, in many homes, they sit and collect dust. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an average home can easily accumulate 100 pounds of these common chemicals.

There is a safe way to dispose of HHWs. The Pennsylvania Resources Council has announced the 2011 Schedule of Household Chemical Collections. There are several of these taking place in our area this year. Individuals can drop off waste materials at these events. There is a $2 per gallon fee which must be paid in cash (no checks or credit cards will be accepted). The events are are being held in conjunction with PRC’s Zero Waste Pittsburgh project in partnership with Allegheny County Health Department, UPMC, NewsRadio 1020 KDKA, the HHW Task Force and other private and public sector partners.

The first event this year is for residents of Allegheny County:

Allegheny County Household Chemical Collection Event
Saturday, May 7, 2011
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
North Park
Swimming Pool Parking Lot

You can view a flyer for the event here and all event dates here. The flyer also includes what items are and aren’t accepted. And, be sure to visit the Zero Waste Pittsburgh website to learn how to reduce waste and to see more about Household Chemical Collections in particular here.

Repatriated Mamas at the fountain, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Julien Harneis’ photostream

According to the United Nations Development Programme:

Globally, almost 1 billion people lack clean drinking water. 2.4 billion people have no access to hygienic sanitation facilities; 1.2 billion lack any sanitation facilities at all. Each day, an average of 5,000 children die due to water and sanitation related diseases, many easily preventable.

Investing in the water supply yields an average economic return of $4.40 for every $1.00 spent. Currently, the lion’s share of the burden of collecting water falls on women and children. Each day, women worldwide spend 200 million hours just collecting water for domestic use. According to Gary White, co-founder of Water.org, “This lost productivity is greater than the combined number of hours worked in a week by employees at Wal*Mart, United Parcel Service, McDonald’s, IBM, Target, and Kroger.”

Beyond the economic issues and disease aspects, in some countries, children are too busy finding water to attend school, girls in particular are forced to drop out of school due to a lack of sanitation facilities, and women are threatened and assaulted when collecting water or visiting public toilets.

By now, you may well be asking yourself, “What can I do to help?”

Amizade is conducting their Fourth Annual Water Walk in Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 9th (April 10th in Morgantown, WV). Participants will carry a water bucket during the 2 mile route in solidarity with, and to bring awareness to, the 1 billion people around the world who do not have access to safe water. Additionally, Amizade supports water projects around the world including:

- Brought clean water to over 300 schoolchildren in the rural Karagwe region of Tanzania.

- Led workshops on the benefits of Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) — a method to produce suitable drinking water utilizing solar rays from the sun.

- Installed a massive 300,000 liter water-harvesting system, including gutters, underground piping, and a solar-powered pump for a new school in the small village of Chonyoyo.

Amizade’s Pittsburgh Water Walk Details:
Saturday, April 9th, 2011
Registration opens at 11:30, Walk begins at 1:00
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
On the Academic Walk

You can also register online here.

Eric Hartman at his Journey toward Justice blog has much more on Amizade and the world water crisis here. Also, be sure to watch this thought-provoking video created by a Duquesne University student:

Electric_Vehicle_Conf_100622-16, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Antonio Villaraigosa’s photostream

ChargeCar is a project of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute’s CREATE Lab. They’re hosting an open house today to unveil an all-electric 2002 Honda Civic. The car is a prototype for their ChargeCar Electric Vehicle Conversion Project. ChargeCar wants to change the way you drive by making electric cars both practical and affordable. Their goal is to revolutionize urban commuting. Best of all, they’ll start taking names today of people who would like to have their own converted vehicle. For now, they’ll only be converting Honda Civics, but plan to add other makes and models in the future. Attendees of the open house can ask questions of the ChargeCar team and representatives from local garages, take a test drive, and “kick the tires” so to speak. Councilman Bill Peduto is also scheduled to be on the program at the open house. There’s a $50 refundable deposit to get on the list and the expected cost of conversions will be discussed at the event.

According to CMU’s website, the cost of conversions won’t be negligible, but the advantages are worth it, says Illah Nourbakhsh, associate research professor of robotics and head of the CREATE Lab:

[C]onversion is a means of recycling and extending the life of older vehicles, while eliminating harmful emissions and supporting local mechanics and garages. Because each vehicle is customized, the size of the battery pack — the most expensive part of an electric car — can be determined based on the commuting needs of the vehicle owner/driver, he noted.

You can find out much more about ChargeCar at their website, including software that calculates the cost of commuting via electric car vs. a standard gasoline-powered vehicle.

ChargeCar Electric Vehicle Conversion Project Open House
Friday, March 25, 2011
3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Electric Garage
4621 Forbes Ave (Oakland)
Pittsburgh PA 15213 (map)

Carnegie Library 2, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Sean_Marshall’s photostream

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) will be hosting a series of community meetings in five neighborhoods (North Side, Lawrenceville, Beechview, East Liberty & West End) during the month of March. CLP wants to share information on their funding status and discuss how together we can sustain and grow our libraries. Space is limited and registration is required for these meetings. You can register by contacting Maggie McFalls at mcfallsm@carnegielibrary.org or at 412-622-8877, or you can register online at the links provided below.

Thursday, March 3, 2011
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
CLP-Allegheny / North Side (map)
1230 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
You can register online by filling in the form here

Monday, March 7, 2011
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
CLP-Lawrenceville (map)
279 Fisk Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
You can register online by filling in the form here

Wednesday, March 16, 2011
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
CLP-Beechview (map)
1910 Broadway Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216
You can register online by filling in the form here

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
CLP-East Liberty (map)
130 S. Whitfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
You can register online by filling in the form here

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
CLP-West End (map)
47 Wabash Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15220
You can register online by filling in the form here

Ghost bus, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from neoliminal’s photostream

Jeffrey Carpenter, a native Pittsburgher and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, founded the Bricolage Production Company a decade ago. He took his inspiration from anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who used the term “bricolage” to mean “the innovative use of what’s at hand.” The Bricolage Production Company is dedicated to “making artful use of what is at hand” to “combine existing elements — physical, social, political, cultural — into new visceral, meaningful theatrical experiences for artists and audiences alike.”

An example of that can be see this weekend in B.U.S. 6, their 6th annual Bricolage Urban Scrawl 24-Hour Theatre Extravaganza. Each year, Bricolage Urban Scrawl has six playwrights take a 90-minute ride on a Pittsburgh city bus. The writers then have 12 hours to each write a 10-minute play inspired by their trip. The directors and actors get 12 hours to rehearse, memorize and stage the plays. The entire process takes place over a 24-hour period. This year it will be from Friday, February 25th at 7:30 PM to Saturday, February 26th at 8:00 PM. B.U.S. 6 playwrights include Gab Cody, Wali Jamal, Gayle Pazerski, Peter Roth, Tammy Ryan, and Dennis Schebetta; and directors include Martin Giles, Melissa Grande, Matthew Gray, Sheila McKenna, Brad Stephenson, and Marci Woodruff. There are 24 actors (click here for a full lineup). Here’s a video that further explains the concept for the uninitiated:

Unfortunately, if you haven’t already purchased tickets, you’re out of luck. They’ve sold out both nights of this, their most popular event of the season. But, you can see upcoming events here and you can help to support Bricolage’s innovative vision here.

Trees, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0)image from sanchom’s photostream

There are almost 2,000 acres of land in Pittsburgh’s four RAD-funded parks — half of which are dense urban forests. Up to 60% of the trees in these parks may be facing significant losses in the coming years due to challenges which include emerald ash borer, oak wilt and overbrowsing by deer. Our trees are our calling card to the image of a new, green Pittsburgh (and a visual refutation of our smokey past). Additionally, they help to clean and cool our air and stabilize our hillsides. Those interested in preserving our green places are invited to attend a free public presentation. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission will conduct a public meeting on Thursday, February 17th to discuss the state of our urban forest, the threats to it, and a Tree Action Plan:

Preserving Pittsburgh’s Trees:
Action and Recovery
Thursday, February 17, 2011, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Frick Fine Arts Building
University of Pittsburgh Campus
(Across from Schenley Plaza)

Speakers include:

Dr. Walter Carson, Associate Professor, Plant Community Ecology and Tropical and Temperate Forest Ecology, University of Pittsburgh

David Schmit, Forest Health Specialist, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Dr. William L. MacDonald, Professor, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University

Lisa Ceoffe, Urban Forester and TreeVitalize Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh

Phil Gruszka, Director of Park Management and Maintenance, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

David Jahn, City Forester, City of Pittsburgh

You can register to attend the tree symposium here.

More on Pittsburgh’s Tree Action Plan:

Paintbrushes, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from John-Morgan’s photostream

The Art Out of the Box project sets up artist studios in modified trailer boxes in five neighborhoods (Friendship, Lawrenceville, Polish Hill, South Side, and Central Northside). Pittsburgh City artists chosen to participate in each of these “Art Boxes” will have one week (40 hours) to create an original piece of visual art. The Art Boxes will be open to the public so that residents can see the artistic experience firsthand and interact with the artists. The goal is to demystify the creative process, create conversation about the value and importance of local art and to connect artists with community development groups and community residents. The entire process will be filmed by artist Chris Ivey and the resulting works of art — along with the documentaries — will be shown at a public art exhibit as part of the Downtown Gallery Crawl. The artworks will ultimately be donated to community development centers in the neighborhoods where they were created.

The concept was created by artist Samantha McDonough who has a longtime interest in community-based art initiatives and who will be the project manager. Art Out of the Box has the support of the following groups: The Sprout Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Friendship Development Associates, South Side Local Development Company, Polish Hill Civic Association, Central Northside Neighborhood Council and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Those professional artists — new or established — interested in participating in an Art Box residency can find out more information at the Art Out of the Box website and can download an application here. They’re looking for artists who have “outgoing personalities” and who can engage with the public while working. Applications will be accepted between January 17 and 5 p.m. on February 18, 2011. Chosen artists will receive a fee of $720 and an additional $250 materials stipend.

Good Luck!

St_Pauls_Cathedral (5), a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from camrich345′s photostream

On September 6th, Pittsburghers joined Bill Peduto and special guests on a leisurely bike ride around Oakland and Pittsburgh’s East End as part of the Pedal Paddle Peduto Hike and Learn Series. Peddle Paddle Peduto is a series of three hiking, biking, and kayaking trips around Pittsburgh. Participants learn about Pittsburgh’s history and the vision for its future by key organizations involved in building the city’s next renaissance.

On this particular ride, they visited the religious institutions that call Oakland and the East End home. You can sign up for future Pedal Paddle Peduto events at Venture Outdoors.

Here’s a recap of that outing:

On Friday, May 21st, the Regional Green Economy Task Force will host the Green Pathways to Prosperity Summit in Pittsburgh.

This summit will bring together government officials, clergy, organizational leaders, business leaders and community advocates who represent traditionally disadvantaged constituencies for a day of discussion on how Pittsburgh can attain the goal of a socially just, economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable future.  Key topics of the summit will include climate change, environmental justice, emerging industries, and public policy.

The goals of the Green Pathways to Prosperity summit are to both contribute to a more informed group of community leaders, and to also inspire collaboration between those in attendance.  For more information on this summit, contact Khari Mosley at k.mosley@gtechstrategies.org.

This Saturday, March 27, join Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto for the return of PeduTube and help raise money for the Geek Art and Green Innovators Festival.

Saturday March 27, 2010
Cappy’s Cafe, Walnut Street
10pm – 2am

For a $5 donation you can request your favorite YouTube video to be played on the PeduTube screen.  All proceeds will go to the Geek Art and Green Innovators Festival.  Come out to Cappy’s Cafe for a night of videos, drinks, and fun with special guest DJ Muddy.