Putting Down Roots: Maren's List: 201610

Oct 22: Bike Tour of Green Infrastructure Sites

Mayor Peduto has unveiled the city’s new Clean and Green plan to prevent flooding and solve our region’s sewer overflow problems. The Sierra Club and the Clean Rivers Campaign have organized a bike tour of some of the sites identified in the city’s plan as well as existing green installations.

This leisurely, five-mile group bike ride will stop at various sites, including Bakery Square 2.0, the EECO Center, Negley Run, and Heth’s Run.

1:30pm to 3:30 pm, starting at Bakery Square 2.0 (6425 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206). Space is limited; please register online! For more information contact Tom Torres, Conservation Program Coordinator.

Oct 16: Sunday Supper community dinner

The love of good food is universal and has the power to bring people together.

A healthy democracy requires diverse leadership and many voices – it is inclusive and prioritizes access and opportunities for historically marginalized communities to be heard.

This year the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council will connect eating with civic engagement during the Sunday Supper event, a community dinner to celebrate our region's work towards a more just and sustainable food system.

Last year's 500 plates event in Akron last year is the inspiration for this concept.

Join us for a free, family-friendly community meal for 500 people crafted from local ingredients, as well as entertainment from local artists and a community-driven discussion on food-related issues with neighborhood leaders and policy makers.

Volunteers Needed

We are seeking volunteers for our Sunday Supper event on October 16, 2016. If you are interested, please select the volunteer ticket type.

Volunteers will assist in set-up of the event, check-in, and tear-down activities. Your volunteer pass includes your meal and participation in the conversation.

1:15-5:00 p.m. on Grant Street, downtown.

Check-in starting at 1:15 p.m., local entertainment from 2 p.m., supper served at 3 p.m., followed by discussion. For more information go to PittsburghFoodDay.org

Sunday Supper, a Pittsburgh Food Day Celebration is hosted by the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council.

Oct 16: Orienteering in Boyce Park

Want to get out and about on one of our beautiful fall days? There's an orienteering event coming up at Boyce Park (west side, Patrol I shelter), hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club. Orienteering is an outdoor activity in which participants locate flags in the woods (and generally outdoors), using a specially-designed topographic map and compass. It can be competitive, in which participants try to find the sequence of flags as quickly as possible, or it can be non-competitive, in a leisurely hiking mode. The event is open to registration and starts anytime between 10:45 AM and 2:00 PM, during which any participant can start at any time (there is no mass-start time). The event will close at 3:30 PM, at which time no one should be still on the course (everyone should have returned to the finish).

This will be a sprint event; that is, all of the courses will be short. "Sprint" does not mean you have to run. The course director has designed four sprint courses, two are at the beginner/novice level and are about 2 to 2.5 km in length and two are at the advanced level and are 3 to 3.5 km in length. Registration and start are from 11 am to 2 pm and the map fee is $6 (Group or family doing event together with one purchased map, total cost for the entire group is still just $6). Because the courses are short, ONE MAP FEE will give you entry to TWO SPRINTS; you may choose which two. It is a good idea to come early so you can rest a little between the two sprint courses. Sprints provide a good opportunity for less experienced orienteers to try an advanced course that is not very long or for orienteers who normally walk a course to try running without becoming too exhausted because of the length.

Don't forget, if you are bringing a minor who is not your son or daughter, you need to bring a waiver signed by the minor's parent (obtainable under Club Documents at www.wpoc.org ).

Beginners welcome; free instruction on site given by volunteers. Driving directions to the park are here, along with a map.

Oct 12: Cracker plant site tour

The ethane cracker plant that Shell is proposing to build in Beaver County, Pennsylvania will lead to a significant amount of new air pollution that could cause health impacts on area residents. Clean Air Council and other advocates will tour the area near the proposed Cracker facility to learn about the scale and impact of the plant. The tour will provide a view of the incredible size of the Cracker Plant site, the associated dock and rail yard they Shell is building for transporting materials. Riders will hear commentary about the site from a local resident who tracks the project.

What started as a tour just for environmental group staff is now being opened to organizations’ members, so please join us on October 12^th for this important site tour by registering online while tickets last.

Immediately following the cracker plant site tour, participants will also attend the Potter Township Supervisors Meeting at 6PM to see how the cracker plant plan is unfolding to date. It is critical for township officials to see that the public is engaged in this process and that they hear from area residents about concerns related to air pollution, public health, and worker safety.

When: October 12th from 3:30PM to approximately 8:30PM (from and to location #1)

Pickup locations and times:

Pickup location #1: 200 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Please plan to be boarded by 3:15PM so the bus can leave promptly at 3:30PM. There is parking at the corner of Wood and First Avenue and four other lots surrounding the pickup site.

Pickup location #2: Anchor and Anvil Coffee Shop, 7221 Church Avenue, Ben Avon, 15202. Please plan to be at the pickup location early so the bus can leave at the estimated departure time of 3:40 p.m.

Pickup location #3: Beaver Memorial Library, 100 College Avenue, Beaver 15009. Please plan to be at the pickup location early so the bus can leave at the estimated departure time of 4:15.

Ticket cost and registration: Please register online to reserve your seat. The cost for riders from Allegheny County is $17.00 plus a tip for the driver. Residents from townships/boroughs surrounding the proposed cracker plant (Potter, Industry, Center, Beaver, Vanport, Monaca, Rochester) will pay $5. If you can't go, but can assist with paying for someone else’s ticket, please let contact us at dsmith@cleanair.org.

What to bring: Please bring a bag dinner. Drinks will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Dave Smith at 412-954-8494 or dsmith@cleanair.org.

Oct 11: Cooperatives resource fair

How do co-ops work -- and could this be the right model for your business? Attend this resource fair and walk away with new connections and resources.

4:30-7:30 p.m., with a brief presentation at 5:30 p.m., at 1910 Broadway Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Light refreshments will be served. Free, but please register online. For additional info and discussion, visit the Facebook event or contact Josette Fitzgibbons at 412-255-6686 or jfitzgibbons@ura.org.

Part of an ongoing series held by the Mayor's Office and the URA. Learn about available assistance with your building, your business plan, financing, mentorship, and other great opportunities for new and established small businesses. Exhibitors include local non-profits, financial institutions, and business consultants.

Co-Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Mayor's Office, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and the Mansmann Foundation.

Sep 9 to Oct 9: Re:New Festival

A month-long celebration of creative reuse, transformation, and sustainability featuring workshops, talks, tours, performances, film screenings, and exhibits at venues around Pittsburgh!

More information at http://renewfestival.com

Oct 8: Creatives for Climate workshop

This workshop is different than you think.

Yes, we will be talking about climate change and climate science - but without getting depressed. Prepare to be inspired and empowered. Come network with experts and peers alike. Explore and create new ways to deal with climate change. Come create climate art - and be part of something huge.

Thanks to a grant from Climate & Urban Systems Partnership CUSP and support from The Heinz Endowments, this event is free. Details and registration information below.

9:00 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. at Repair the World, Pittsburgh 6022 Broad St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (East Liberty); lunch and snacks provided. Reserve your spot by registering here on EventBrite

Featured Speakers

Neil Donahue, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

Mandi Lyon, Program Development Coordinator, Education & Visitor Experience, Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Climate & Urban Systems Partnership, CUSP Pittsburgh

Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz University Professor, Social and Decision Sciences and Engineering and Public Policy, CMU

MORE INFORMATION:

https://creatives4climate.wordpress.com

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-creatives-for-climate-workshop-tickets-27128588338

https://www.facebook.com/events/321416614872511/

Oct 7 & 8: Reconnect at the Wilkins School Community Center

After a one-year hiatus, WSCC’s fall festival (formerly called Eco-Fest) is returning as Reconnect. The theme of this year’s fair is Reconnecting with Nature through Art. Because the theme is inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy, as portrayed in the beautiful documentary Rivers and Tides, the fair will open on Friday evening, Oct 7, at 7:00 pm, with a free showing of “Rivers and Tides” at WSCC. The film will be followed by a discussion and a ceremony to connect with Nature as inspiration for our artistic creations for the weekend.

Saturday morning begins with activities for both adults and children. The schedule of events is still being finalized, but we’re anticipating a plant and bulb swap, an art supply swap, kid-friendly artistic/crafty upcycling activities, a gardening lecture, nature walk, the building of a bug hotel, a nature photography workshop and a rechargeable transportation petting zoo. In the afternoon, in the spirit of Goldsworthy, we’ll make an off-site trek to make our own ephemeral installation art using only found nature materials: leaves, rocks, twigs, etc.—an activity that is as much meditation as creation. The kids version will take place at WSCC—building a mandala or Green Man with natural materials.

The day offers an opportunity to enjoy your family, friends, community and outdoors while buying nothing. There will be no trinket giveaways and no admission fees. We will have lovely activities, free events and a chili lunch provided by WSCC members.

This is a great chance to support WSCC with your donations. Start setting aside unused art supplies and plants for the swaps, a mug you no longer love for our Chill the Mug event (Fill it–with your chili—then Chill it—trade it or donate it to Goodwill), and of course any cash you can spare to support WSCC’s building fund. Most importantly, set aside time to join us.

7-9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. If you’d like to help out with the event, please contact wsccvolunteer@gmail.com

Oct 8: Union Edge fundraiser with Mike Stout

Patty DeMarco hosts two half-hour segments each week on The Union Edge- Labor's Talk Radio Station for a program called "Just Transitions- Labor, Environment & Health." Over the last year, my guests have addressed hazards to fire fighters from flame retardants, fracking sand health effects to workers, lead exposure, pesticide hazards to field workers, the emerging electric micro-grid system, wind power manufacturing, new battery technologies, coal field justice, and many more. This nationwide broadcast addresses the questions in the workforce transition around the health of workers and the health of the environment. But, nothing is free, and I need your support to keep this show on the air!

At The Union Edge, we know how to hold a fundraiser...we have a BIG PARTY! Join us on October 8th for the release of Mike Stout's newest album "Blue and Green in Black and White" along with a host of performers and lots of food and drinks and a surprise special guest!

8 p.m. at 841 California Avenue, North Side. RSVP: https://www.theunionedge.com/ or call 412-904-1948

Tickets benefit The Union Edge -- help keep the Voice of Labor ON THE AIR!

Help Patty keep the labor-health-environment connection in the mix with "Just Transitions"

We are all in this together. Come out and show your support for environment and health. Meet your fellow activists

and make new friends in labor, fair trade, LGBT, public banking and fair wage communities.

Oct 8: Permaculture workshop

Learn the basics of creating ecologically healthy urban and suburban landscapes where food and medicine abound. In this class you'll study the ethics and principles of permaculture as a design science along with some of the most helpful and important practices being used at Garfield Community Farm, an eight year old permaculture experiment on 2.5 acres of abandoned land. Learn from Garfield Farm's managers, author and educator Darrell Frey and farm director John Creasy. We'll delve into edible food forest production, plant selection, water management techniques, bioshelter design, garden management and more. Check out http://garfieldfarm.com/ and follow the farm on Facebook.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Garfield Community Farm, on Wicklow St. Register online ($60) here.

Oct 8: Cooperatives workshop

This is a free informal workshop on the advantages of a worker-owned business. What kind of opportunity do they offer? How would you start on or turn an existing business into a cooperative?

We'll focus on food oriented business for this workshop since our workshop partner Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers Cooperative of Pittsburgh (BUGS) has a mission to address food deserts, involve more African Americans in producing their own food, and supporting cooperative business.

People with an idea for any type of cooperative, or just those curious about cooperatives, are most welcome to come!

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 7420 Frankstown Ave, Pittsburgh 15208. Free, but please register online if you can.

Oct 7-8: Reconnect at the Wilkins School Community Center

7-9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. If you’d like to help out with the event, please contact wsccvolunteer@gmail.com

Oct 6: Creating Healthy Communities conference

Dr. Sally Darney, current editor-in-chief of Environmental Health Perspectives at the NIEHS and former director at the EPA, will discuss how built and natural environments impact public health, and steps communities can take to create a more sustainable & healthy region. Health Education and Public Health CEUs available.

National Keynote Speakers include:

Dr. Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, award-winning author, and writer of the blog Food Politics.

Dr. Robert Atkins serves as director of New Jersey Health Initiatives, a statewide grantmaking program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Their programs focus on creating a Culture of Health.

Dr. Sally Darney is Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). She previously worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Dr. Maida Galvez, a board certified Pediatrician at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, is co-principal investigator and a designated New Investigator of an NIEHS and EPA funded research project entitled "Growing Up Healthy in East Harlem." .
Read the speakers' full bios and register for the conference here: http://bit.ly/2aAVhlx

In addition to national keynotes, local leaders will facilitate breakout sessions/workshops that address regional issues and priorities.

Conference topics will address regional air quality, food access and production, energy, asthma reduction, maternal and child health, transition from old economy to new (green) one, safe housing, and land use and land vacancy as it relates to food and sustainability of a neighborhood.

8:30-4 at the David Lawrence Convention Center. Registration ($50) at WomenForAHealthyEnvironment.org

This conference is made possible through the generous support of the presenting sponsor Highmark Foundation, the Laurel Foundation, and media sponsor Pittsburgh Magazine.

Oct 5: Climate discussion

From the Backyard to Ballot Box: Climate Change as a Human Issue
Join NextGen Climate PA for a discussion on climate change, sustainability, and how they relate to the November elections. Panelists will include:

Tom Steyer, environmental leader and President of NextGen Climate, an organization he founded in 2013 to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans.

Bill McKibben, environmental author, educator, and leader in the movement against climate change as the co-founder of 350.org.

Gisele Fetterman, local activist and founder of the Free Store and 412 Food Rescue, who works to receive surplus and donated goods and redistributes them to neighbors in need.

Councilman Dan Gilman, City Council member for the 8th Council District of Pittsburgh

The panel will be moderated by Matt Harrison, Operations Manager for NextGen Climate in Pittsburgh and current Political Science and Economics student at the University of Pittsburgh.

6-7 p.m. at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland.

Sep 30-Oct 4: SEED film screening

Few things on Earth are as vital as seeds, worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control most seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed savers work tirelessly to combine ancient stewardship with emerging science. “Seed” tells their hopeful story – and the larger history of human agriculture – with equal parts whimsy and rage.

SEED: THE UNTOLD STORY is a feature-length documentary featuring Vandana Shiva, Dr. Jane Goodall, Andrew Kimbell, and Winona LaDuke, following passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000-year old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 and 5:30 p.m., Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Melwood Screening Room (477 Melwood Ave. 15213; 412-681-5449).

Oct 1: Sustainability Salon on Environmental Justice

The 57th Sustainability Salon will focus on Environmental Justice: from human health to economics, from the city to the countryside. Fred Brown, formerly at the Kingsley Association and now head of the Homewood Children's Village, has been one of the major forces behind the green revitalization of Larimer, and is creating ways to improve the future of urban kids in underserved communities. He was named an 21st Century Environmental Justice Leader by the Ford Foundation. Environmental and social scientist Kirk Jalbert of the FracTracker Alliance (and a member of the PA DEP's Environmental Justice Advisory Board) is studying how resources and impacts are allocated in the Marcellus shale play and similar regions across the country. And public health advocate Jill Kriesky, associate director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project will join us to talk about EHP's Health Registry for areas affected by unconventional oil & gas development.

Since one of the most significant impacts of environmental injustice is on the air people breathe, I wanted to mention Friday's fundraiser for our own effective local air-quality organization, the Group Against Smog & Pollution: GASP's Night At The Aviary. A fun time will be had by all! Also, just prior to this salon, we'll be a featured stop on the sixth annual Pittsburgh Solar Tour, which runs 12-4 p.m. on Saturday. The 58th salon on the Just Transition will take place on November 12th, and the 59th salon on Visualizing Air Quality will take place on December 3rd.

Salons run 3-10 p.m. at Maren's house in Squirrel Hill. Please don't arrive before 3 p.m. We usually aim to start the program sometime around 4, after folks have had a chance to meet, mingle, and tour around an interesting and productive urban permaculture site -- but this time there is no program, so come hang out!. Please email me (at maren dot cooke at gmail dot com) with salon in the Subject line to RSVP (yes or maybe), or click on the link in your EventBrite invitation (if you're not already on my list, please email me to be added!).

July's salon with Bill Peduto

Please RSVP each time -- it helps greatly in several ways. Among other things, attendance varies widely, and these events have been so successful that we need to begin limiting attendance. So RSVP early if you can, to ensure your participation! The free virtual "tickets" on Eventbrite may run out (you don't need to print any tickets, by the way, just be on the list). Also, weather and such can be unpredictable and it's good to know who to contact if there's a change -- and I'll send directions and/or a trail map if you need 'em on Friday or Saturday. Be sure to include salon in the Subject line, as I receive a ridiculous amount of email every day. And if you're new, please let me know how you heard about the Salons!

Bring food and/or drink to share if you can, along with musical instruments if you play. Check back on MarensList (where you can find information on all sorts of environmental and social justice events) for updates. And if you aren't yet on my list, if you're interested in Sustainability Salons (and our occasional house concert, simply contact me and I'll put you on my email list.

As always, I'll be sending out directions and such, and any late-breaking info, to all the RSVP'd folks by the morning of the salon if not before. So if you don't have it yet, please be patient! One of these days I'll streamline this process a bit, but for now it takes a while to to dot all my i's and cross all my t's. (All the extraneous requests for the address don't help; I have lots of other stuff I send out with it, but don't like to let them go unanswered so it adds hours to my prep time. If you RSVP properly (see above), you should get the info by the morning of the salon!)

For the uninitiated, a Sustainability Salon is an educational forum; a venue for discussion and debate about important environmental issues; it's a house party with an environmental theme. We usually have featured speakers on various aspects of a topic, interspersed with stimulating conversation, lively debate, delectable potluck food and drink, and music-making through the evening.

Past topics have included the City of Pittsburgh's sustainability initiatives, fossil energy infrastructure, getting money out of politics, community solar power and the Solarize Allegheny program, the Paris climate negotiations (before, during, and after), air quality (again, with news on the autism connection), reuse (of things and substances), neighborhood-scale food systems, other forms of green community revitalization, solar power, climate change, environmental art, environmental education (Part I & Part II), community mapping projects, environmental journalism, grassroots action, Marcellus shale development and community rights, green building, air quality, health care, more solar power, trees and park stewardship, alternative energy and climate policy, regional watershed issues, fantastic film screenings and discussions (often led by filmmakers) over the winter with Rachel Carson and the Power Of One Voice, Triple Divide on fracking, You've Been Trumped and A Dangerous Game, A Fierce Green Fire, Sustainability Pioneers, films on consumption, Living Downstream, Bidder 70, YERT, Gas Rush Stories, and food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, and more food (a recurrent theme; with California running out of water, we'd better gear up to produce a lot more of our own!).

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: wine, beer, hard or sweet cider (the latter we can mull if you like), juice, tea, whatever. The more the merrier! Local fare is always particularly welcome, whether homegrown or boughten. Dishes containing meat or dairy are fine, though if it isn't really obvious please make a note of it.

If you haven't been here before, you may enjoy checking out our roof garden and solar installation (and now apiary!) as well as the many other green and interesting things around our place.

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 to the Beatles, 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.