Putting Down Roots: Maren's List

Apr 22: Free gardening class in Oakmont

Local community gardener Carol Brand will present a series of free gardening classes at the Oakmont Public Library:

Thursday April 8th

"Growing Vegetables Spring into Winter" Learn what and how to plant vegetables starting early spring thru summer with harvests into winter

Thursday April 15th

Vegetable Gardening 101: Want to grow vegetables? Trying to avoid a previous gardening disaster? Learn the Basics using block planting in a 4 by 4 foot space.

Thursday April 22nd

Container Vegetable Gardening: No backyard? Learn to grow vegetables in pots on your balcony.

6:30 p.m. at the Oakmont Public Library. The classes are free of charge, but please RSVP to Carol Brand at (412) 828 1601 so she can plan appropriately.

Apr 21: Women's Health & the Environment Conference

Mark your calendars for the 2010 Women's Health & Environment Conference. Sponsored by Teresa Heinz, the Heinz Endowments, and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, this is possibly be the most popular and well-attended free event in Pittsburgh each year. The conference will be held on April 21 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Conference registration will be open soon, and many more details on this year's conference will soon emerge; in the meantime, you can peruse the web site and watch video podcasts from the 2008 conference.

Apr 19: Global Poverty panel

The Causes of Poverty and Global Obligations to the Poor: What is the Link?

This panel focuses on the relationship between the causes of poverty and global obligations to the poor.Mathias Risse argues that domestic institutions are the primary determinant of wealth or poverty. This argument, along with the inability of international actors to do much to affect the shape or quality or domestic institutions, means that global obligations to the poor are sharply limited. Nicole Hassoun criticizes the philosophical justification for one of the metrics for distributing foreign aid used by international financial institutions. This metric is based on the CIPA index, a measure of "institutional quality." She is critical of this measure, arguing that it either relies on an unjustifiably simple story about the causes of growth and poverty or that it is designed to fend off moral hazard arguments which are themselves ill-justified (probably both).Michael Goodhart argues that we don't need clear or definitive answers to questions about the causes of poverty to answer questions about global obligations to the poor. Causes are relevant for designing effective aid programs, but not for assigning responsibility for addressing poverty.

Panelists include Michael Goodhart (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh), Nicole Hassoun (Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University), and Mathias Risse (Associate Professor, Public Policy and Philosophy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University).

4:30 in Gregg Hall (Porter 100). Humanities Center lecture Co-sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy (CAAEPP).

Apr 17: Earth Day at the Frick Environmental Center

Celebrate Earth Day at Frick Environmental Center

Citiparks festivities offer a chance to learn, explore, and enjoy

The entire family will enjoy celebrating Earth Day surrounded by the beauty of nature at the Frick Environmental Center on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Nature lovers of all ages will enjoy a full day of free activities including bird walks, live entertainment, nature crafts, animal encounters, flowerbed planting, and a garlic mustard pull. Individuals and groups can leave a lasting legacy by volunteering — choose from numerous park stewardship projects.

The Frick Environmental Center is at 2005 Beechwood Boulevard, near where Beechwood hits Forbes. For more information, call 412-422-6538.

Earth Day...Come play with your kids!

Apr 16: Green Drinks on Marcellus Shale

Pittsburgh Green Drinks tries to answer the question What About Marcellus Shale? ...with George Jugovic, Jr., the Regional Director of the Southwest Regional Office of the Department of Environmental Protection.

map pit-pumps

Come join us for a Green Drinks discussion about the opportunities and environmental challenges presented by the Marcallus shale play, with comments by our host, George Jugovic, Jr. Regional Director of the Southwest Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. DEP's Bureau of Oil and Gas Management regulates the safe exploration, development and recovery of Marcellus Shale Natural gas reservoirs in a manner protective of the commonwealth's natural resources and the environment.

Mr. Jugovic was appointed to Regional Director of the Department of Environmental Protection South-west Regional Office in November 2009. He began his legal career in 1984 with DEP’s Office of Chief Counsel and focused his practice in water and waste litigation. Additionally, he prosecuted environmental crimes cases as a Special Deputy Attorney General with the Office of Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Section For seven years. He left state employment to run the Law Department for the non-profit Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future where he initiated citizen suits under Federal environmental laws, and represented the organization before the Public Utility Commission.

Mr. Jugovic received his B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management from the Pennsylvania State University, and J.D. and Certificate in Environment and Natural Resources Law (honors) from Lewis and Clark Law School. He interned with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has taught advanced courses in Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has written on the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's imposition of strict liability for environmental crimes, and was primarily responsible for drafting the Commonwealth's sentencing guidelines for environmental crimes for the Pennsylvania Crimes Commission.

5-9 p.m. at Mitchell's Restaurant, Bar & Banquet Center 304 Ross St (at Third Avenue) Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Map & Directions For Port Authority Bus Routes, go here: http://www.portauthority.org

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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 Non profit, academia, labor, government, media 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.

2010 Calendar - Save these dates: May 21, June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17, October 15, November 19, December 17

Apr 15: Rain Barrel workshop at EEFC

Rain Water Harvesting and Watershed Awareness

Rainwater harvesting is an effective, ecological and economical method for the conservation and protection of this precious natural resource. By catching, storing and re-directing your roof water for on-site usage you can take advantage of this free source of precious water while at the same time contributing to a reduction in the combined sewer overflow (CSO) problem that plagues the Greater Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas, helping to reduce flooding and nonpoint source pollution, and contributing to recharging our groundwater supply. You’ll also have a free source of non-chlorinated water for use in your yard and garden.

Learn how to harvest rainwater from your roof and divert it for on-site usage in the landscape. Attend a rain barrel workshop and return home equipped with the knowledge and hardware needed (not the 55-gal. drum) to assemble and install a rain barrel. It’s easier than you might think.

2010 PRC West Watershed Awareness/Rain BarrelWorkshops

6:30 – 8pm on Wednesday, March 10th at CCI Center on the South Side

6:30 – 8pm on Thursday, April 6th at the Green Tree Municipal Building, W. Manilla Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15220

6:30 – 8pm on Thursday, April 15th at the East End Co-Op

6:30 – 8pm on Thursday, April 22nd at the Richland Twp Municipal Building, 4019 Dickey Road Gibsonia, Pa 15044

6:30 – 8pm on Thursday, April 29th at Heidelberg@ Three Hierarchs Eastern Orthodox School, 1819 Ellsworth Avenue Carnegie, PA 15106-3947

7 - 8:30pm on Thursday, May 6th at the Upper St Clair Library, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road · Upper St.Clair, PA 15241

10am – 11:30am on Saturday, May 15th at the Schrader Environmental Center, Oglebay Institute Wheeling, WV 26003

6 – 8pm on Wednesday, May 19th at the Regional Environmental Education Center in Boyce-Mayview Park, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241

7 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 27th at Phipps Garden Center (5th & Shady Avenues)Wednesday, June 2nd

7 – 8:30pm at Lauri Ann West Memorial Library, 1220 Powers Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

2 - 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 13th at Hahn Nursery in the North Hills

6:30 – 8pm on Wednesday, September 8th at CCI Center on the South Side

For more information or to register for a class please call (412) 488.7490 ext. 247 or email Nancy Martin.

Apr 15: Free gardening class in Oakmont

Local community gardener Carol Brand will present a series of free gardening classes at the Oakmont Public Library:

Thursday April 8th

"Growing Vegetables Spring into Winter" Learn what and how to plant vegetables starting early spring thru summer with harvests into winter

Thursday April 15th

Vegetable Gardening 101: Want to grow vegetables? Trying to avoid a previous gardening disaster? Learn the Basics using block planting in a 4 by 4 foot space.

Thursday April 22nd

Container Vegetable Gardening: No backyard? Learn to grow vegetables in pots on your balcony.

6:30 p.m. at the Oakmont Public Library. The classes are free of charge, but please RSVP to Carol Brand at (412) 828 1601 so she can plan appropriately.

Apr 14 & 24: Sierra Club Film Festival

The Allegheny Group Sierra Club's Fifth Annual Environmental Film Festival at the Frick Environmental Charter School features films selected for their high quality and the relevance of their themes to the environmental challenges of today. Some are funny, some are just plain gorgeous, some are infuriating. This stuff isn’t seen on your local TV or movie theater screen… except for Michael Pollan’s Botany of Desire, a great film you need to see twice anyway! (it was shown once on PBS.)
Different films both nights (except Botany of Desire, shown in two part); continuous showings. Free kids films 5-6 p.m. on April 24.
Wednesday April 14, 6-10pm
6 pm Seeds A concise explanation of the importance of genetic diversity to the food supply. 25 min
6:30 pm Toast A classic energy film made in 1974, set to music – must see! One of the most effective energy films ever made. 12 min
6:50 pm Everything’s Cool A toxic comedy about the conflict over Global Warming 89 min
8:30 pm The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan: Apples and Tulips – the centerpiece of the Festival. Two parts of a four part look at the way plants have focused human attention on their attributes. The other two parts will be shown April 24 at 8pm. A beautiful and startling film. Very special. 60 min
9:30 pm Green Animation 11 very short, challenging, funny films about various aspects of environmental issues from the UK. 28 min
Saturday April 24, children’s films: 5-6pm, regular films: 6:15-10pm
5 pm Bunch of Fives Five funny animated films by Nick Hlligoss, wordless, about relationships with nature, both human and non-human. 31 min
5:35 pm Wake Up, Freddy Another classic about resources, where stuff comes from and where waste goes. 21 min
5:55 pm Song Bird Story A look at migratory songbirds and a call for even children to be concerned about their declining numbers… and why that may be happening. 13 min
6:15 pm Natural Connections Outstanding, beautiful, compelling looks at biodiversity within three ecosystems. 46 min
7 pm Gene Blues Outstanding video that examines some of the ethical issues associated with DNA testing and sets the stage for a national debate on the ramifications of human gene technology. 30 min
7:30 pm Community Microcredit changing lives in Bangladesh.
24 min
8 pm The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan: Marijuana and Potatoes – the centerpiece of the Festival. 60 min
9 pm Weather the Storm Hopeful and beautiful film about sustainable small-scale fisheries on the French coast. A look at a totally different solution to the problems of over-fishing 36 min

The event is family-friendly and refreshments will be available for a small donation. Adults: $4, kids under 12: $2.
The Frick Environmental Charter School is at 829 Milton Ave, Pittsburgh 15218 (at Milton and Henrietta Streets, off South Braddock Avenue near the Frick Park tennis courts in Regent Square). For more information, contact Don Gibbon.

Apr 10: Sustainable Forestry Field Day

Join Troy Firth, Guy Dunkle and Susan Stout for some time in the woods, looking at common-sense strategies for sustainable forestry under the guidance of some seasoned professionals.

How can landowners manage their forests to ensure that there is room to grow for new seedlings of species they want to have in the long-term future? Natural regeneration is the heart of sustainable forestry, but deer, fern, and slow-growing, shade-loving shrubs and saplings can make the forest floor so dark that the seedlings you want just can't grow.

The program will start with a walk through a woodlot that was harvested last summer. The discussion during the walk will include identifying interfering vegetation that hinders germination and tactics for controlling it to allow for optimum growth of the desired species.. The participants will then return to the Firth sawmill for some classroom time before lunch.

After lunch, we’ll head off to another woodlot to learn about “worst first” tree selection, logging with horses and uneven aged silviculture. There will be opportunity to watch a couple of trees fall safely and see the horses work as the loggers skid some logs. This woodlot is also tapped for maple syrup, too, and there will be discussion around that.

The material presented on this day will help you recognize problems and address them in manners that emphasize both the long-term health and ecology of the woodlot and the overall return to the owner as priorities.

This Field Day is one of many conducted as part of the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s year-round educational program. Cost for the program is $15 for PASA members and $25 for non-members. Contact www.pasafarming.org for registration information or call 814-349-9856.

Presenters:

Troy Firth owns and manages several thousand acres of woodlots in PA. In addition to timber management and forestry education, Troy, assisted by Guy Dunkle, also runs a sawmill and produces maple syrup. The Firth family has managed some sections of these forests for over a hundred years. Firth Maple Products is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the state, marketing over 5,000 gallons a year, primarily to the wholesale market where it is used as sweetener.

Troy’s unique strength lies in his talent for conveying the integrative manner in which the various components – from tree selection and silviculture to the vital contribution of horse logging - work in synergy around forest restoration and stewardship.

The Foundation for Sustainable Forests was created by Troy and Lynn Firth in 2004. A 501c3 nonprofit, the Foundation was designed to protect and manage working forests as an example to private and public landowners. Since 2004 the Foundation has grown to include more than 400 acres of land in three Pennsylvania counties. The Foundation has received independent certification by the Forest Stewardship Council of the Rainforest Alliance.

Susan Stout is a Research Project Leader for the USDA Forest Service research group. She leads a team of 13 forest scientists in PA, OH, and NH who conduct research on topics from regeneration through forest fire physics to climate change. Susan’s been in her current position for 18 years, and has worked on problems of sustaining Pennsylvania forests from the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Irvine, PA for 29 years.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Firth Maple Products, 22418 Firth Road, Spartansburg, PA 16434 (in Crawford County); 814-654-7265. Organized by the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the PA Chapter of the Sierra Club. Financial support from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

Apr 10: Preserve Pittsburgh Summit

The Preserve Pittsburgh Summit is an interactive, collaborative workshop on historic preservation for young people to learn about and help shape the outcome of endangered historic sites in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood. The event includes lunch, a bus tour of the historic sites, and a keynote address by Kate Burns Ottavino, Director of Preservation Technology at Brooklyn High School of the Arts. An evening reception will feature winners of YPA’s Preservation Video Contest, presented by First Commonwealth Bank, and the Michael Eversmeyer Promise Award, presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, given to an emerging preservationist. Participants will enjoy networking and entertainment by a local performer. The objective of the Preserve Pittsburgh Summit is to develop a model framework for how young people can shape the

future of historic sites in their community by using real-life examples in Pittsburgh. YPA will encourage friendly competition by hosting a “So You Think You can Preserve?” contest for those who attend. Participants will break out into teams that will develop proposals for the reuse of historic sites. A panel of preservation experts will judge each team’s proposals at the end of the day to determine the winner! Last year’s event was extremely successful. The Final Report can be found on YPA’s website.

8:30 a.m. -4 p.m. in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at Pitt. $15, $10 YPA members, students free (and students can receive credit for attending).

Apr 9: Human Rights and Global Women's Issues

Human Rights and Global Women's Issues: A conversation with Ambassador Steven Steiner

Ambassador Steven E. Steiner is a Senior Advisor in the Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues that was established in April, 2009. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor in the Department of State’s Office of Trafficking in Persons and as Senior Coordinator in the Department’s former Office of International Women’s Issues. He has also served as director of the Department’s Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative.

3:30 p.m. in Hamburg Hall 1000. Free and open to the public; co-sponsored by the International Relations and Politics Program and the Heinz College.

Apr 8: Global Health and the Global Economic Crisis

Global Health and the Global Economic Crisis (part of the Humanities Center Lectures series on Global Connections, Global Responsibilities), by Solomon R. Benatar, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Director of Bioethics Centre, University of Cape Town, and Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

The evolving global financial crisis reveals both the fragile state of the global economy and the major long-term implications of an increasingly unfair global economy for global health and human flourishing. We are also at a critical juncture in world history in relation to understanding and endeavoring to counteract the adverse effects of modern life on climate change and our natural environment – which also has major implications for health. If the growing world-wide interest and apparent commitment to global health and environmental security are to have a significantly constructive impact it will be necessary for us become more deeply introspective about our value system and reconsider what needs to be done to ensure long-term and secure human flourishing in an interdependent world. It is proposed that belief in endless economic growth and emphasis on an entirely medicalized approach to health needs to be replaced by a vision of healthy human life that is achievable and sustainable for a greater proportion of the world’s population.

4:30pm in Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall). Free and open to the public; co-sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy (CAAEPP).

Apr 8, 15, 22: Free gardening classes in Oakmont

Local community gardener Carol Brand will present a series of free gardening classes at the Oakmont Public Library:

Thursday April 8th

"Growing Vegetables Spring into Winter" Learn what and how to plant vegetables starting early spring thru summer with harvests into winter

Thursday April 15th

Vegetable Gardening 101: Want to grow vegetables? Trying to avoid a previous gardening disaster? Learn the Basics using block planting in a 4 by 4 foot space.

Thursday April 22nd

Container Vegetable Gardening: No backyard? Learn to grow vegetables in pots on your balcony.

6:30 p.m. at the Oakmont Public Library. The classes are free of charge, but please RSVP to Carol Brand at (412) 828 1601 so she can plan appropriately.

Apr 6: Rain Barrel workshop