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Aug 30: Climate press event
Aug 27: All About Earthships
Mark Dixon (of YERT fame) and Christie took a week this summer to go help build an Earthship in Vermont-- learning how to pound tires, make can walls, haul concrete, dig trenches, and pretty much anything else that was needed. It was an extraordinary experience to work side-by-side with the official Earthship crew-- many of whom had built dozens of Earthships through the years. They picked their brains as much as possible, and would like to share what they learned with you-- including dozens of detailed pictures about how Earthships are built.
Please join Mark and Christie for an evening of pictures and stories (and a video or two) from our Earthship building experience!
6pm-7:30pm at the Pittsburgh Green House, 308 N. Sheridan Ave., Pittsburgh, PA (next to Home Depot). Free and open to the public, but please RSVP with mark@yert.com. Space is limited. Free popcorn will be provided. :-)
A big thanks to the Pittsburgh Green House for opening their doors for us! You can check them out online here: http://www.pittsburghgreenhouse.org/ . Here's a little more info about them: The Pittsburgh Green House, a project of ACTION-Housing, Inc., is a 110-year-old home that has been renovated as a weatherization training and educational facility where contractors and the general public can learn about residential energy and water savings and making homes healthier.
Aug 18: Sustainability Salon & Sing
Join us for the Seventh Putting Down Roots Sustainability Salon, another in our ongoing series of monthly enviro-conversational gatherings with potluck food and homemade music. Following our rousing discussions on solar power, food, trees, alternative energy and climate policy, and several wide-ranging events in between, this month we'll have another open environmental salon. We can revisit growing and sourcing food, check in on our rooftop garden and solar panels, learn about green building, regional air quality or the ever-changing situation with Marcellus Shale, contemplate the meaning of "sustainability"... What we talk about will depend in part upon who comes; that's the beauty of an open-ended gathering like this! The potluck will surely include lots of wonderful things from our gardens, and perhaps yours as well!
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Quite a few people have asked me what sorts of food to bring -- and my answer, as always, is whatever inspires you; I believe in the "luck" part of potlucks. Tasty noshings for the afternoon, hearty main dishes or scrumptious salads and sides for dinner, baked goods from biscuits and breads to brownies or baklava -- and/or beverages of any kind. The more the merrier! Local fare is always particularly welcome, whether homegrown or boughten. Dishes containing meat are fine, though if it isn't really obvious please make a note of it.
And if you like to make music or listen to homemade music, don't forget the evening sing -- we typically run the gamut from Irish fiddle tunes to protest songs, and a fun time is had by all. Bring instruments if you play, and/or pick up one of ours! Conversations will continue through the evening as well.
Regular, that's the plan. Eminent and intellectual people, to be sure -- that's yinz. House, check. Woman, c'est moi. High society, celebrity, socialite? Not so much. Salons occurred in 17th-century France, purportedly powering the Enlightenment, and were more recently repopularized by the Utne Reader. I've long contemplated hosting an ongoing series of conversational salons in this tradition: informal gatherings around the notion of sustainability. Some will have a featured guest to lead a discussion on a particular topic, others will be open to whatever comes up.
Aug 13 & 18: Community garden info sessions (deadline Aug 24)
City Growers Community Garden Program
In response to the increasing interest in local food and gardening, Grow Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy have formed a partnership to assist communities wishing to start community food gardens. In its third season, the City Growers program is currently seeking organized communities looking to start sustainable and productive community food gardens in their neighborhoods.
The garden program lasts for two years, with the goal of garden self-sufficiency by the end of the second growing season. To be eligible, garden groups must have a partnering non-profit, and a suitable site with lead levels below 400 PPM on public or non-profit-owned land in the City of Pittsburgh. For gardens outside the City, please consider applying to the County's Allegheny Grows Program.
Information Sessions
Those considering applying for the City Growers program are strongly encouraged to attend an information session. These will provide the opportunity for personalized feedback.
Monday, August 13, 6:00-7:00 pm at Grow Pittsburgh
Saturday, August 18, 10:00-11:00 am at Grow Pittsburgh
Please RSVP to Marisa Manheim (412) 362-4769 ext. 103 or mmanheim@growpittsburgh.org.
Application Deadline: Friday, August 24, 2012
Application for 2013 Pittsburgh gardens (click to download)
Completed applications and attachments must be postmarked or submitted by 5:00 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012 to be considered.
Aug 17: Green Drinks at the Green House
This month's Green Drinks will be a summer potluck picnic at the Pittsburgh Green House in East Liberty. Bring your picnic basket, snacks, and drinks to share; plates, flatware, and glasses will be provided.
The Pittsburgh Green House, a project of ACTION-Housing, Inc., is a contractor and resident training and resource center for sustainable home renovations. Located adjacent to the East Liberty Home Depot, the PGH staff and partner organizations teach hands-on weatherization and green renovation classes. The space is also available for green events. Phipps Conservatory has partnered with ACTION-Housing to provide a sustainable garden, indoor clean air plants and gardening classes.
5:30-8:30 p.m. at 308 N Sheridan Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. The Pittsburgh Green House is open to the public 4-7 PM on Wednesdays and by appointment. For more information on upcoming events, visit www.pittsburghgreenhouse.org .
Green Drinks Calendar for the remainder of 2012:
* September 21st, Hosts, Green Building Alliance and Rotary Korea Team
* October 19th Elements
* November 16th, Scott and Eva Kerschbaumer, EsSpa Kozmetica
* December 21st, Someplace Special
What is Green Drinks? Every month, people who work in the environmental field or have an interest in a greener planet meet up for drinks all around the world at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. We have a lively mixture of people from NGO's, 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 some new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there is 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' like to help it spreading to other cities. Green Drinks meets on the third Friday of the month. Put it on your calendar and count on it: Green Drinks is happening every month.
Email us at pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com with questions, comments.
Pittsburgh Green Drinks Data Sheet
WHAT: The world-famous Green Drinks
WHEN: Third Friday of the month, 5:00-9:00 pm
STATUS: Informal, self-organizing network
GLOBAL: Now active in 812 cities worldwide. Every month globally since 1989, locally since 2005.
Average attendance: 90
WHERE: Rotating venues in Pittsburgh
HOW: Walk, cycle, bus, boat, taxi or drive
WHO: Anyone working on environmental issues
or who wants to!
WHY: Fun, contacts, alcohol (or not), info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure
NEW: Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.
www.greendrinks.org/PA/Pittsburgh
Aug 16: ALCOSAN press event and public meeting
Last month, ALCOSAN, our local sanitary authority, released their proposal to fix our outdated sewer system. With a price tag of $2 billion dollars, this will be the biggest, most expensive public works investment our region has ever seen. Unfortunately, the proposed plan focuses on building miles of storage tunnels underneath our rivers to hold sewage that overflows when it rains. This plan does not eliminate those overflows and it does nothing to benefit our local communities.
We need a better plan! Join us on Thursday, August 16th, at 6pm, to call for Clean Rivers, Good Jobs, and Great Communities!
6pm, August 16th (Press conference/Action at 6pm, Public Meeting at 6:30pm. Meeting will include public comment, but we're not sure of the structure yet) at Sheraton - Station Square, 300 W Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
We need a plan that focuses on green solutions! Infrastructure like green roofs, permeable pavement, rain gardens and street trees will capture stormwater where it falls. These solutions not only capture stormwater, they also help us improve air quality, revitalize business districts, create permanent jobs and increase home values. And these green solutions are more affordable for ratepayers like us!
Over the next two months, ALCOSAN will hold a series of public meetings to explain their plan and get your feedback. To make sure green solutions are included in the final plan, we need your support!
Please join the Clean Rivers Campaign at the first ALCOSAN public meeting on Thursday and make your voice heard!
Aug 15: YERT film screening at Pittsburgh Green House
There is a free screening of "YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip" (with hot dogs and popcorn, too!) at the Pittsburgh Green House this coming Wednesday. Director and co-star Mark Dixon will be there for discussion (and a bite of popcorn), and would love to see you there.
Click here to register for the screening.
After seeing the YERT film, people often ask, "What can I do now?" And the Pittsburgh Green House is a great place to find some important answers to that vital question. The screening starts at 6pm, but you can swing by for a tour of the house at 5:30pm. Here's a blurb about the Pittsburgh Green House:
The Pittsburgh Green House, a project of ACTION-Housing, Inc., is a 110-year-old home that has been renovated as a weatherization training and educational facility where contractors and the general public can learn about residential energy and water savings and making homes healthier. http://www.pittsburghgreenhouse.org/
Wed, August 15, 6pm – 8pm at the PGH, 308 N Sheridan Ave, East Liberty (map)
Come watch a great film with the local activists who made it. Your Environmental Road Trip (YERT) is a fun film about our impact on the environment.
50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - packing hope, humor. . .and all of their trash - searching for innovators and citizens solving humanity's greatest environmental crises. Piling on personal challenges as they explore every state in a year (the good, the bad, and the weird), an unexpected turn of events pushes the team to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and others.
Learn more and watch the trailer at yert.com
Enjoy a tour of the Pittsburgh Green House, hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, and of course, an awesome movie. The movie will start promptly at 6pm, but come at 5:30 for a tour of the Pittsburgh Green House. After the movie, stick around for a brief discussion with the filmmaker, Mark Dixon.Click here to register for the screening.
Click here to find or arrange a screening of "YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip."
Watch the YERT trailer here.
Watch the YERT trailer here.
"YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip" is an official Selection at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Heartland Film Festival, Dallas VideoFest, Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY), Southern Appalachian International Film Festival, Costa Rica International Film Festival, DocuFest Atlanta, Take One Action Film Festival, Charlotte Film Festival, EcoFocus Film Festival, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Festival, Orlando Film Festival, Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, deadCENTER Film Festival, Cincinnati Film Festival, Cinema Verde Environmental Film Festival, Route 66 Film Festival, Building Change Film Festival, Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, FiLUMS International Film Festival, Oneota Film Festival, New Hope Film Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival.
Aug 10: BikeFest Birthday Party!
Join BikePgh in celebrating their 10th year of bike advocacy in Pittsburgh! Last year 700 people danced the night away at the Pittsburgh Opera. This year a sellout is expected, so tickets may or may not be available at the door.
Friday, August 10 at the Pittsburgh Opera, 2425 Liberty Ave in the Strip District
This legendary party not only raises funds for BikePGH, it also gives us a chance to see old friends and make new ones. Raffles and a silent auction will feature many great prizes, including this lovely bicycle and others donated by local bike businesses.
VIP Entertainment (6pm-8pm): DJ Nice Rec
Pittsburgh's own Wigle Whiskey is formulating a signature BikeFest cocktail just for the occasion. Wigle Whiskey is made from local, organic grain and is the first whiskey distillery in Pittsburgh since Prohibition. Attend the party as a VIP and enjoy food from Salt of the Earth's Kevin Sousa and Pittsburgh Magazine's 2011 Chef of the Year, back to cater this special event!
For $125, you can attend the VIP Party (ticket includes admission to the Main Event, a BikePGH Membership, drink and raffle tickets) and help stimulate Pittsburgh's bicycle infrastructure in a meaningful way.
Main Event Entertainment (8pm-midnight): DJ's Pete Spynda from Pandemic, Mary Mack, Edgar Um, and Expensive Sh*t
Locals Penn Brewery will be providing the beverages during our annual BikeFest Fundraiser Party - one of the best parties of the year in Pittsburgh. As always, we'll have great raffle and silent auction prizes (more details to follow).
Main Event Ticket Prices: $35 Member, $40 Non-member, $20 Student/Limited Income and include drink and raffle tickets
Tickets are now available so click the link below.
Locals Penn Brewery will be providing the beverages during our annual BikeFest Fundraiser Party - one of the best parties of the year in Pittsburgh. As always, we'll have great raffle and silent auction prizes (more details to follow).
Main Event Ticket Prices: $35 Member, $40 Non-member, $20 Student/Limited Income and include drink and raffle tickets
Tickets are now available so click the link below.
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