Dec 18: Green Drinks on LEDs

Join Richard Taylor at Pittsburgh Green Drinks for L.E.D. Lights the Way to a Greener Future.

Richard W. Taylor, Esquire is CEO of Pittsburgh-based Imbue Technology Solutions, Inc. (ImbuTec), which provides energy-efficient lighting technology products and services to commercial, industrial, and municipal customers. L.E.D. technology provides both financial and environmental benefits. Earlier this year ImbuTec converted the Allegheny County Jail to L.E.D., with an 83% reduction in energy use. This was all done with fixtures made in Western Pennsylvania that will last 20 to 25 years, maintenance free. ImbuTec was recently awarded a contract with the Pittsburgh International Airport to upgrade the lighting in the parking lots and parking garage to L.E.D. which will produce similiar financial and environmental savings.

Mr. Taylor is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received his undergraduate business degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University, and his Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from Tulane Law School, with a certificate in environmental law. He was actively involved in national political affairs for a number of years, and served as a campaign advisor to several Congressional candidates across the country, as well as to President Bill Clinton. After receiving his law degree, Mr. Taylor served as a law clerk to the Honorable James L. Dennis on the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Taylor also worked as a federal and state governmental affairs representative for Pittsburgh-based Consolidated Natural Gas Company (CNG), and subsequently served as corporate legal counsel and Director of Knowledge Management. He later served as CEO of Macedonia Development Corporation, an affiliate of the Macedonia Baptist Church of Pittsburgh, where he led housing development and other revitalization efforts in Pittsburgh’s Hill District community.

Mr. Taylor is active in service to the community, and he currently serves on the boards of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Macedonia Development Corporation, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics, for which he co-chairs the Economic Development Committee. Previously, he served as a member and secretary of the board for the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, treasurer of the Homer S. Brown Law Association, and as a member of the Board of Elders for Macedonia Baptist Church of Pittsburgh.

Please come mingle with us on December 18th for some bright ideas on green.

5-9 p.m. at the Arsenal Bowling Lanes: 212 44th Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201 (off Butler Street in Lawrenceville) Tel: (412) 683-5992 Map it. For Port Authority Bus Routes, go here: http://www.portauthority.org For more info, email pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com .

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What is Green Drinks?
Every month, people who work in the environmental field or have in interest in a greener planet meet up for drinks at places all around the world at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. Just say, "are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there's always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.

These events are simple and unstructured. Make friends, develop new ideas, do deals and forge a new organic future. It's a force for the good and we'd like to help its spreading to other cities. Green Drinks meets on the 3rd Friday of each month from 5:00 - 9:00 PM...or later!! Put it in your calendar and count on it: Green Drinks is happening every month.

Dec 11: The Allegheny Front's Local Foods Happy Hour

The Allegheny Front, Pittsburgh's own environmental radio show, is hosting its 4th annual Local Foods Happy Hour!

Enjoy live music from the Boilermaker Jazz Band while sampling local produce, cheeses and meats, locally brewed beers, and non-alcoholic drinks, and browsing a silent auction of local eco-friendly items and services.

5:30-7:30 PM at the WYEP Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square on Pittsburgh's Southside. $10 donation at the door; RSVP to info@alleghenyfront.org .

Dec 9: Sierra Club monthly meeting

Christmas Slide Show and Social Hour At the annual December meeting of the Sierra Club's Allegheny Group, the inimitable Luc Berger will delight everyone with his creative photography of everything including the kitchen sink accompanied by his droll commentary. A dozen or so other wide-traveling photographers – perhaps including YOU – will also share their year’s supply of good images with us all. We can use a dozen or so photographers to show their work and fill the agenda. Contact Don Gibbon to schedule your participation (dongibbon at earthlink dot net or 412-362-8451).

Join us for a always-interesting show and let’s get to know each other better afterwards with Holiday goodies – again brought by you. A special component this year will be Cat-Tail Pollen Bread, made by Don Gibbon, with pollen collected in the wilds of West Virginia! He’ll serve it fresh and still-warm with crab apple jelly.

7:30-9 p.m. at the Phipps Garden Center, Fifth & Shady Avenues. Free and open to the public.

Dec 7: Permaculture with Sustainable Monroeville

Please join Sustainable Monroeville to hear Elizabeth Lynch speak on Permaculture and how we can incorporate Permaculture ideas into our landscapes.

7:00-8:30 PM in the Monroeville Public Library program room. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Elisa Beck at elisabeck@aol.com .

Nov 23: Social Enterprise talk at CMU

The Global Rise of Social Enterprise by Jerr Boschee, executive director of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (www.socialent.org) and Visiting Professor of the Practice in Social Enterprise at the Heinz School.
Jerr Boschee has been an advisor to social entrepreneurs in the United States and elsewhere for more than 30 years. He has been a keynoter or conducted master classes in 42 states and 15 countries, and has long been recognized as one of the founders of the social enterprise movement worldwide. He has also been a senior marketing executive for a Fortune 100 company, managing editor for a chain of regional newspapers, a Peace Corps Volunteer in India, and a guest lecturer at numerous academic institutions, including Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Northwestern, Oxford, Stanford and others.

4:30 p.m. in Gregg Hall (Porter Hall 100) at CMU. Co-sponsored by the Heinz College Institute for Social Innovation

Nov 19: Race, Class, & Gender in the Justice System

Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S. Justice System: a discussion led by Rev. Bryan Massingale, eminent Black American scholar and ethicist of Marquette University and Nicholas Cafardi, Dean Emeritus of Duquesne Law School. Come and join in the discourse on a critical social problem of our times.

3-6 p.m. in the Power Center Ballroom at Duquesne University. We offer reduction in parking fees. Please RSVP to Christina Astorga, astorgac@duq.edu with cc to Glory Smith, smithg@duq.edu

Nov 17: Air Toxics conference at Pitt

The 2009 Conference on Air Toxics Control in Allegheny County will cover the science and history of air toxics control in Allegheny County, the specifics of the proposed Allegheny County Air Toxics Control Bill, and air toxics control elsewhere (federal, state, and local). This event, sponsored by the Graduate School of Public Health and the Allegheny County Health Department, has been approved for the Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds. Kudos to Clean Water Action for continuing to bring attention to Allegheny County's air toxics problem. Check out WTAE's 3 part series -- http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/index.html . And for more information on air quality in general, you can always visit GASP.

8-12:30 at the University Club (123 University Drive in Oakland); free and open to the public. RSVP to Angela at aph11@pitt.edu .

Nov 16: Milking the Rhino

Milking the Rhino is a documentary film examining the deepening conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world. It is the first major documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live with wild animals. Shot in some of the world’s most magnificent locales, Rhinooffers complex, intimate portraits of rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of their land.

Carnegie Mellon University is hosting an afternoon panel as well as a screening of the film followed by a Q&A session.

Panel at 4:30 p.m. in Porter Hall 100; the film begins at 7 p.m. in McConomy Auditorium in CMU's University Center.

Nov 12: Managing Risk in the Global Society

Managing Risk in the Global Society, a talk by Stewart E. Sutin of the University of Pittsburgh.

4:30 p.m. in Porter Hall 100 at CMU; more information here.

Nov 11: Egypt in the 21st Century webcast

Great Decisions webcast: Egypt in the 21st Century, a panel discussion from the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

6-8 p.m. in Porter Hall 100 at CMU.

Nov 9: New Water Monopolies and the World's Poor

Is Water the "New Oil"? New Water Monopolies and the World's Poor. Karen Piper, University of Missouri-Columbia.

Part of the Humanities Center lectures on Global Connections, Global Responsibilities.

4:30 p.m. in Porter Hall 100 on the Carnegie Mellon campus.

Nov 9: Holocaust concert

Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Concert Part of City Wide Holocaust Project. Maestro Ronald Zollman leads the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic in a performance of works by prominent European-Jewish composers whose music was banned during the Nazi regime at 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 9 in the Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland.

The performance is part of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project, a month-long collaborative effort with a variety of Pittsburgh organizations that creates educational programming to inspire dialogue about the Holocaust. Noel Zahler, head of the School of Music, believes that the concert emphasizes the role of musical compositions as historical legacies. "Bringing the music together for this concert is just one more way to reaffirm the important role music plays in the lives of individuals, regions and the global community," Zahler said. "Many people who had been victims of genocide still performed and composed music, and those who witnessed the atrocities from afar also reacted musically. Bringing these works to life for a new generation is our obligation."

Tickets for this concert are $5 for general admission, $4 for senior citizens, and free to all college students with valid ID. For more information, read the press release.

Nov 8: Orienteering meet

The Western PA orienteering club will have its last meet in this calendar year at a county park just east of Blairsville, PA. Orienteering is a form of land navigation using map and compass. You find flags in the woods. It is all-weather, all-ages, all-skill levels. You can start anytime between 10 AM and 1 PM. Event closes at 2:30 PM. Cost is $5/map. Group/family doing the event together with one purchased map still pay only $5 for entire group.

There are two geocaches in the park: "Dog Days" and "Pine Ridge Park."

Three courses to try: a 2.2 km white, a rather long 3.6 km yellow, and a 90-minute time-limit score course (find as many as possible within the time limit).

Directions to Pine Lodge:
About two miles east of Blairsville, US Route 22 and US Route 119 separate. From Route 22 going either east or west, take the exit for US 119 North. At the stop sign at the bottom of the ramp, turn left (not north on 119). Go for only 100-150 meters and turn left onto Old Route 22 (in front of the golf course). After about 0.1 miles, the road splits, bear right on Strangleford Rd. After about 0.4 miles at a shart curve in a dip, Chestnut Ridge meets Strangleford Rd. Bear left and onto Chestnut Ridge Rd for another 1.2 miles to the entrance to Pine Lodge on the left. If you are coming south on US Route 119, go under Route 22; about 100-150 meters past Route 22, turn left onto Old Route 22 and proceed as described.

For more information, visit: www.wpoc.org

Oct 6: Sustainability & Comp Sci seminar on ride sharing

"Why People Don't Want to Share Rides and What We Might Do To Change That" a panel with Jim Morris, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley; Lorrie Cranor, Institute for Software Research & Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy; and Kusat Ozenc, School of Design.

On average, it takes people 30-40 minutes each way to travel to work in the US, and the vast majority of them travel in a single-occupant car. The goal of this project is to understand both the positive and negative aspects of commuting, and to design a ridesharing service concept that will leverage technology to overcome obstacles that such services have traditionally encountered. We conducted semi-structured interviews with thirty commuters in the Carnegie Mellon University community, including solo drivers, carpoolers and bus riders. We observed that convenience, cost, commute time, and personal preferences motivate commuting choices. Once commuters establish a routine, they tend to continue commuting using their chosen method. We followed up with an online survey on commuting choice and collected responses from 240 participants. We found our previously observed motivations remained significant in the larger population. However, we observed that people who most valued convenience and flexibility tended to be least motivated by cost. We did not find a significant correlation between commuting preference and standard personality types. People characterize their best commute times when they are experiencing "me-time," "traffic-free time," or "routine and ritual time." Based on our interview and survey results and literature review, we developed 13 ride sharing service concepts and tested them in a series of focus groups. We refined the most popular concepts and developed a paper prototype that we are currently testing in a laboratory study. In this presentation we will discuss the motivation for this project and detail our findings to date.

This is part of a seminar series on computer science and sustainability. The goals are to create a forum for discussion of ways in which computer science can and will contribute to sustainability, energy, and the environment, and to foster greater consciousness, conversation, and collaboration in this area. We hope to cast a wide net: topics will include both computer science research relevant to sustainability challenges, as well as research areas in sustainability, energy and the environment which may provide fertile ground for novel work involving computational thinking. Talks may also present mature research in sustainability -- both to increase our general sustainability "literacy" and to generate discussion about how computer science could help advance the work. In all of these areas, we look forward to collaborating with other groups on campus.

While viewed from a computer science perspective, this seminar is deliberately--and necessarily-- interdisciplinary, and we invite both speakers and participants from all areas. We also hope to foster some "meta discussions:" exploring opportunities for collaboration, funding, outreach, and so forth. Please do let us know if you would like to speak in the near future.

3:00 pm in the Rashid Auditorium, Gates & Hillman 4401. To be added to the sustainability mailing list, please send mail to: copetas@cs.cmu.edu .

Nov 13: Cyprus Reunification talk

Cyprus: The European Union's Lighthouse in the Eastern Mediterranean -- Why Reunification Matters, a lecture by His Excellency Andreas Kakouris, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States and High Commissioner of Cyprus to Canada.

12:30-2 p.m. at the Schenley Room in the Pittsburgh Athletic Association (4215 Fifth Avenue).

Nov 1: Thomas Merton Award Dinner: Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich will receive the 2009 Thomas Merton Award -- please join us for the 37th annual Thomas Merton Award Dinner. Congressman Kucinich is well known for introducing the National Health Care Act, which looks to provide universal single-payer health care for all. On issues of war and peace, he advocates that the U.S. abolish nuclear and space-based weapons, lead multilateral disarmament, and increase dialogue with Iran to avoid militaristic confrontation. Kucinich also supports aggressive emissions reductions and urges U.S. ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement signed by 160+ countries to reduce greenhouse gases.

6 pm social hour, 7 pm dinner at the Churchill Valley CountryClub (800 Beulah Road, Pittsburgh).

Tickets are $45 -low income $25 –table for 10 $400. Reservations necessary -- online at www.thomasmertoncnetr.org or call 412-361-3022.

Oct 30: Arbor Aid 2009

Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest presents Arbor Aid 2009, a fundraiser featuring art created from reclaimed wood along with music by Life In Balance and The Turpentiners. Arbor Aid celebrates the possibilities presented to us by trees as resources within our city. Rather than chip or log urban trees that need to be removed, FPUF encourages giving them a longer life by repurposing them as art, furniture, flooring and everything in between. Food & libations from the East End Brewing Company, the East End Food Co-op, Kate Romane, Six Penn Kitchen, Tazza D-Oro, and Whole Foods Market.

7-11 p.m. on the 6th floor of Guardian Storage at 2839 Liberty Avenue. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $20 for Tree Tenders. For tickets or more information, visit FPUF or call 412-362-6360.

Oct 28: Global Food webcast

Global Food: Great Decisions webcast
Webcast of program by World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
http://www.worldaffairspittsburgh.org/greatdecisions.jsp

6:00-8:00pm in Baker Hall A53 (Steinberg Auditorium)

Oct 25: PASA Sunday Supper Jamboree

Join PASA at the Jamison Farm in Latrobe, PA, on October 25, 2009 from 11AM - 5PM for a Buffet Supper featuring fresh ingredients from regional farms, a Square Dance with Award Winning Appalachian Musician Chance McCoy & Friends, Auction and other fall festivities!

Bring your Family, Friends and Fiddles* for a Day of Fall Fun on the Farm!
*Other Instruments are also welcome!

Tickets:
* $55 (General Ticketing)
* $45 (PASA Members)
* $10 (Kid 12 & Under)
* ** This event is BYOB **

Farm Fresh Supper:
* Served Family Style at 1PM
* Artisan Breads
* Pulled Jamison Lamb Shoulder
* Herb Grilled Pasture-Raised Chicken
* Scalloped Somerset Spuds from Laurel Vista Farm
* Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Blue Cheese
* Local Greens & Beans
* Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese
* Fresh Apple Cobbler & Building New Hope Coffee
* Fresh pressed Cider & BYOB

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS ONLINE or call the PASA Western Regional Office at 412.697.0411 to purchase tickets by phone or for further information!
All proceeds benefit the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

11AM - 5PM at Jamison Farm, 171 Jamison Farm Lane, Latrobe, PA 15650

Oct 24: Regional Apple Festival and pie contest

Pittsburgh Regional Apple Festival and Pro-Am Apple Pie Baking Competition

Music, fun, and apples in surprisingly many forms. Fire up your oven and bring a pie to be judged (and then eaten)! Fabulous apples, cheese, to taste and buy; pie a la mode (with Oh Yeah ice cream); family entertainment: music, jugglers, and lots to learn about Western Pennsylvania's rich apple heritage.

11-2 at the Union Project at Negley and Stanton; free! For more information, contact Don at dongibbon@earthlink.net .

Oct 24: Public Star Party

Share the wonders of the night sky! Please join the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh at their Mingo Creek Park Observatory site, in Washington County's Mingo Creek County Park, as they host public star parties. Dress warmly! Bring something to drink; there's no running water. Arrive before dark, and park your car at the bottom of the hill. Wander amongst the members' telescopes on the hill. Enjoy sharing views through the members' telescopes, as you make your way to the club's observatory atop the hill. Once there, look through the club's permanent 24" RC and 10" refractor. Also enjoy the displays and astronomy videos. The planetarium continues to be under renovation. The star party ends, depending on conditions, sometime after it started -- typically between 9 p.m. and midnight, or later. www.3ap.org

October 11 and 24 at the Mingo Creek Park Observatory, Washington County (conditions permitting).

Oct 23-25: Pittsburgh Eco-Drama Festival

A series of staged readings of four new award-winning plays about the environment and ecology.

Plays include Song of Extinction by E.M. Lewis, directed by Jeffrey Carpenter, Friday at 8 p.m.; Girl Science by Larry Loebell, directed by Sam Turich, Saturday at 2 p.m.; Odin's Horse by Robert Koon, directed by Lisa Ann Goldsmith, Saturday at 8 p.m.; and Atomic Farmgirl by C. Denby Swanson, directed by Anya Martin, Sunday at 2 p.m.

The readings will take place in the auditorium of the Environmental Charter School at Frick Park in Regent Square. Parking is limited; please use alternative transportation where possible and park on side streets if necessary. Admission is free. For more information, email Dr. Wendy Arons at warons@andrew.cmu.edu.

As an added eco-performance bonus, two new short plays by CMU students and local playwright Jay Ball will be presented as part of a late-night ec0-cabaret hosted by the Waffle Shop from 11p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday night. These plays feature references to GASP, among other fascinating elements.

Oct 23: Groundwater Up fundraiser

A night of live music and dance performances to benefit the Groundwater Up Project. It will include performances by Mike Stout, the members of the Pillow Project dance company, and the screening of the short film “Narmada Rising” by the Groundwater Up Project’s Tarini Manchanda.

Friday October 23, 7-10 at The Space Upstairs (214 N. Lexington above Construction Junction). $10 at the door.

“Trickle Down, Groundwater Up” is a forthcoming documentary film that explores the challenges of consuming and accessing water in New Delhi, India. These challenges are examples of the social and ecological impacts of globalization…

…but there’s still hope!

It also tells the stories of people who are working from the groundwater up to reclaim access to the most vital natural resource, and, in turn, to regenerate their ecosystems and communities.

Oct 23: GASP 40th Anniversary: 40 Environmental Heroes

GASP is commemorating 40 years of environmental advocacy and education. Come celebrate with us!

Save the date for our 40th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit We'll be recognizing 40 Environmental Heroes who have had a positive impact on southwestern Pennsylvania's environment. 6-9 pm at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Avenue, Pgh., 15206; $40 Purchase tickets on-line here or by calling Lee Szymkiewicz at 412-325-7382.

Oct 22: Urban Farming talk at CMU

Talk on growing food in urban settings by Dickson Despommier from Columbia University, proponent of the Vertical Farm model.

4:30pm, Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)

Oct 21: Just Harvest harvest celebration dinner

Just Harvest harvest celebration dinner featuring keynote speaker Raj Patel, author of Stuffed & Starved. Seed of Justice awardee: East End Food Co-op, for their strong leadership in social justice circles.

For more information, visit Just Harvest.

5:30 (reception and silent auction); 6:30 (dinner and program) at the Omni William Penn Hotel

Oct 19: International relations talk at CMU

American Politics: A View From Home and Abroad by Andrew Sullivan, British blogger, author, and political commentator. Part of the Giler Humanities Scholars/International Relations and Politics Program Speaker Series.

7:00pm in Rashid Auditorium in the Gates Center for Computer Science.

Oct 19: Sustainable Transportation Choices for Monroeville

Please join a community discussion about how we can create a sustainable transportation system that works for everyone in Monroeville and southwestern Pennsylvania. Panel will include Marilyn Skolnick (Transportation Committee, Sierra Club Allegheny Group), Lee Szymkiewicz (Education Coordinator, Group Against Smog and Pollution), Tom Klevan (Coordinator of Regional Transit Projects, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission) and Michael Hodes (Monroeville resident). The discussion is open to all, so please bring your ideas, issues, questions and concerns as together we consider the future of transportation in Monroeville and the Pittsburgh region.

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space.

Oct 16-18: Beaming Bioneers!

The first Three Rivers Bioneers conference takes place this October 16-18, 2009 at the Pittsburgh Project on the Northside. The Three Rivers Bioneers (3RB) conference is a leading-edge forum highlighting breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet.

As a satellite conference of Bioneers, 3RB provides a hub for people who are hungry for change and are working to make a real difference in their local communities. Bioneers is a nonprofit educational organization hosting the national Bioneers Conference in California for its 20th year. 3RB will broadcast live fifteen visionary speakers from the national conference to Pittsburgh, including Andrew Weil, M.D. and Michael Pollan. Weil is the nation’s foremost authority on holistic medicine and Pollan is author of the bestselling The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food.

The Three Rivers Bioneers Conference will also feature local leaders in the areas of green jobs, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration. Among the forty local presenters will be keynote speakers Khari Mosley, Pittsburgh's liaison for Van Jones' organization Green for All, and Greg Boulos, Western Region Director of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). In addition to the keynotes we'll have a Water Restoration Panel moderated by Janie French, Director of Green Infrastructure at PA Environmental Council. Finally, the conference is rounded out by tours, as well as local and organic food, art installations, spoken word performances, participatory theatre, and much more. Our full schedule is available here.

3RB endeavors to give residents the tools and inspiration to be catalysts for change in their own community. According to organizer Maureen Copeland, "Combining Bioneers national speakers with presentations from Pittsburgh's brightest and most passionate change agents -- in addition to interactive art, music, and wellness activities -- makes for an event to inspire and re-energize Pittsburgh for our greatest work ahead."

Three Rivers Bioneers builds upon the success of two previous conferences hosted by the Urban Ecology Collaborative—the Green Forum and MERGE (Methods to Engage Residents in Grassroots in the Environment). Providing a space to learn, network, and reflect, 3RB is an incubator for ideas and strategies that inspire positive change. A youth studio, activist network room, and peace garden complement the daily workshops and speakers. The Pittsburgh Project, a community development center on the Northside, provides the backdrop for the 3RB conference.

About the Urban Ecology Collaborative
The Urban Ecology Collaborative is a ten-city collaborative that cultivates healthy, safe and vibrant cities through collective learning and united action. UEC does this by developing a unique multi-city network for urban ecosystem research and restoration that makes the connections to issues of social justice; combining programs in education, urban forestry, and advocacy to address common urban ecosystem issues; and creating an integrated toolkit for sharing these strategies.

About Bioneers
Bioneers is a nonprofit educational organization that highlights social and scientific innovations inspired by nature and human creativity. Its acclaimed annual national conference brings together people passionate about making a difference and serves as an incubator for new strategies for just and sustainable change. Through the conference, recordings, books, a radio series, online social network and other resources, Bioneers provides the tools and inspiration to help people connect with each other and catalyze positive change in their own communities.

The Pittsburgh Project is at 2801 North Charles Street, Pittsburgh 15214. Registration for the three-day conference is $99 until October 11th, $125 thereafter, $75 for low income attendants and students, or $45/day.

For more information, contact Maureen Copeland at 412.334.2072 or mocopeland@3riversbioneers.org .

Oct 17: Animal Rescue League Harvest Fest

The Animal Rescue League Wildlife Center is having their annual Harvest Fest benefit event on October 17. There will be hayrides, kids' games, food sales, bake sale, auctions, raffles, and educational programs. This event benefits the Wildlife Center in Verona, with all proceeds going directly to animal care.

12-4 p.m. at the Wildlife Center in Verona: 6000 Verona Road, Penn Hills, PA 15147. For more information, contact Jillnadzam@hotmail.com.

Oct 16: Green Drinks with Luke Ravenstahl

You are invited the 3rd Friday of each month, 5-9pm, to an informal gathering of folks who have an interest in a greener, more sustainable planet.

This month the event will be hosted by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who will expound upon the theme of

From Green to Greener: How the Mayor plans to build on his accomplishments

• In early 2007, Mayor Ravenstahl signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to implement local global warming solutions that will save taxpayer dollars and reduce energy use.

• Following this commitment, the City of Pittsburgh adopted the first Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan in August 2008,which established a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2023.

• In 2008, the City of Pittsburgh hired its first Sustainability Coordinator, as did the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority. Mayor Ravenstahl also created a $100,000 Green Initiative Trust Fund to support the City’s greening efforts.

• Under the leadership of Mayor Ravenstahl, the City has taken strides to improve energy efficiency, including replacing all traffic signals with energy-saving LEDs, engaging in an energy-efficiency streetlighting pilot study, and hiring an engineering firm to complete an energy audit of the City-County Building.

• In September 2009, The Western PA Energy Consortium, managed by the City of Pittsburgh, won a “Green Power Leadership Award” from the US EPA for purchasing 10% of electricity from renewable sources. This percentage will increase to 15% next year.

• Pittsburgh is one of only 25 U.S. cities to be named a Solar America City through Department of Energy. As part of this program, the City will be installing the first solar hot water heater on Pittsburgh Firehouse No. 34 in Woods Run in October, and has plans to install another 5 solar hot water heaters in 2010, eliminating the need to use natural gas to create hot water for showers and kitchens in those buildings.

• To foster non-motorized transportation, Mayor Ravenstahl created the position of Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator, who works to improve general bike parking, access, and safety throughout the city. The Coordinator is also working with a Pittsburgh non-profit (Bike Pittsburgh) to create an employee bike program that can be rolled out to other employers.

• In November 2008, the City expanded single-stream recycling city-wide, meaning citizens can place all recyclables in the same blue bag for curbside pick up, resulting in a 31% increase by tonnage.

• In 2008, the City planted over 700 trees and received a special Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation for developing a partnership with Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest.

• Mayor Ravenstahl created the Green Up Pittsburgh program, which aims to stabilize city-owned vacant lots with the goals of reducing blight, inspiring community pride, and promoting environmental values. To date, Green Up has greened over 100 lots, with the help of thousands of volunteers.

Please join us for some green conversation with the Mayor and each other.

5-9 p.m. at the Fire Engine House No. 25/Clemente Museum, 3339 Penn Ave., 15201 (412) 681-1268. Senator Jim Ferlo will introduce the Mayor between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Free parking; free appetizers and beer compliments of Senator Ferlo.

For Port Authority Bus Routes, go here: http://www.portauthority.org

FOR MORE INFO: pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com

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What is Green Drinks?
Every month, people who work in the environmental field or have in interest in a greener planet meet up for drinks at places all around the world at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. Just say, "are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there's always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.

These events are simple and unstructured. Make friends, develop new ideas, do deals and forge a new organic future. It's a force for the good and we'd like to help its spreading to other cities. Green Drinks meets on the 3rd Friday of each month from 5:00 - 9:00 PM...or later!! Put it in your calendar and count on it: Green Drinks is happening every month.

Save the Date 2009: November 20, December 18

Oct 15: Global Links 20th Anniversary celebration

Join Global Links in commemorating 20 years of sharing surplus, saving lives. IMAGINE going to the hospital and being unable to receive treatment because basic materials-bandages, needles, suture, syringes, blood pressure units-are unavailable. In the United States this situation is unthinkable. However, in many developing countries this happens every day. People around the world are literally dying for lack of even the most basic medical supplies.

At the same time, every year U.S. hospitals throw away an estimated 2,000 tons of unused surgical supplies worth over $200 million. This still useful material often ends up being landfilled or incinerated—needlessly adding to the pollution problem and the cost of healthcare in the United States.

Global Links is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that recovers surplus medical materials from U.S. hospitals and makes it available to hospitals that serve the poorest members of society in less developed countries.

Because poorly planned donations can be worse than no aid at all, each donation is carefully tailored to meet the needs of the recipient institution. Dedicated volunteers help Global Links to maintain high quality standards and low costs. Global Links spends less than 3% on overhead costs.

Tickets: $75 per person* Click to reserve tickets via our online donation form. Please note the number of tickets you need in the comment field. Or call Sarah Ubinger at (412) 361-3424 ext. 214 by October 8, 2009.

Your support provides health and hope for the people we serve. Please consider taking that next step with an additional donation of $20 or more.

*$57.00 of your ticket cost is tax deductible.

Read our special anniversary newsletter. (202 KB)PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES ARE LITERALLY DYING FOR WHAT

6-9 p.m. at Roberto Clemente Museum at Engine House 25: 3339 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15201. Business attire. Free on- and off-street parking available. For directions, click here.