Dec 4: Food & Water Watch fundraiser

Please join Food & Water Watch and Sustainable Monroeville for a potluck celebrating a year of Allegheny County communities standing up to fight the fracking industry.

6-10 p.m.  Help the organizers keep track of how many people to prepare for for by RSVPing here: fwwat.ch/mopfundraiser. Once you RSVP, they'll send you an email with the event location.
We’ve seen amazing victories over the past year.  In Monroeville and Oakmont, ordinances were passed to protect communities from seismic testing, and oil and gas zoning ordinances to protect families from fracking are moving forward.  The Plum Borough community is fighting newly proposed fracking wells and underground injection wells for the disposal of fracking wastewater.

These victories show what is possible when we get organized to fight for our health and safety.  Food & Water Watch wants to replicate this fight in many of the surrounding communities, such as North Huntington, Upper and Lower Burrell, Pitcairn, and Penn Hills.  That means building the resources needed to scale up this important work.

Please consider signing up as a monthly contributor to Food & Water Watch at this event! If you can't make the event, or want to sign up as a member before you come, you can do so here:

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/Donation2?6194.donation=form1&df_id=6194&mfc_pref=T

We’ll have de-toxifying green drinks, made with organic veggies and roots, as well as delicious salad and soup. There will be a potluck starting at 6 PM so please feel free to bring vegan, preferably organic, dishes.

Starting at 7 PM we'll have a short program with speakers including former Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields, who has led the Food & Water Watch’s Municipal Outreach Project.

RSVP at this link and you'll receive an email with the event location:
fwwat.ch/mopfundraiser

There's also a Facebook event:  https://www.facebook.com/events/298741497281067/

To read more about the campaign, check out this Post-Gazette article: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2017/05/30/Marcellus-Shale-drilling-Allegheny-County-zoning-ordinance-pa/stories/201705240023-- 

Dec 2: Power Pittsburgh Forward rally

In the aftermath of our Mayor publicly announcing that Pittsburgh would run on 100% renewable electricity by 2035, and over 500 local leaders being trained by Al Gore and colleagues at the Climate Reality Workshop, this is our moment to seize our vision for an equitable, sustainable future for Pittsburgh.

The Power Pittsburgh Forward rally aims to bring together faith groups, government, community groups, energy workers, non-profits and the indigenous population for a broad perspective on what this transition could mean.  Changes are coming, but our vision and how that happens should come from our communities, particularly the most impacted.

Come hear from community leaders from all walks of life, and take immediate action with many local organizations: from helping to build a mural project, letter writing, video story capturing, to making calls to legislators, this will be a great opportunity to connect to our broader community and make a difference.

Interested in tabling?  Sign up here and our event organizers will be in touch ASAP!

The rally will mark the beginning of our community dialogue tour, going neighborhood to neighborhood, group to group, dialoguing and envisioning of energy future for Pittsburgh.

Dec 1: House concert with Michael Holt

Please join us for another great show in the Putting Down Roots Occasional House Concert Series!  This time, we are proud to present genre-crossing, community-building multi-instrumentalist Michael Holt!

Fresh back from his latest European tour, Michael will join us for a concert at our home in Frick Park.  Formerly performing with various bands including The Connotations, Pajama Garden, the Mommyheads, and The Kids, nowadays Michael puts on a spontaneous, one-man variety show using multiple instruments, moods, and characters.  He weaves covers of Debussy, Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fela Kuti in with Beatlesy pop songs on the guitar, original classical pieces on the piano, and Fellini-esque lounge music on the organ.  His newest material is about the converging social, environmental, and economic crises facing our world today, but he's just as likely to don a strange costume and sing a song that will make you laugh.  He also believes that "house culture" can be an important part of political activism and community-building -- right in line with our Sustainability Salons and occasional house concerts!

"Michael Holt writes an all-too-rare kind of music, in which sophistication is in the service of emotion.  His personal, powerful songs are really smart, but you realize that only after you first experience them as intimate, direct, and deeply meaningful.”
                  – David Garland
                     WNYC (America's most-listened-to public radio station)

watch: http://www.youtube.com/michaelholtvideos
listen: https://soundcloud.com/michael-holt/sets/music
info: http://www.michaelholtmusic.com

House concert at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 for an optional potluck) at our home in Squirrel Hill.  Directions and other info will come after you RSVP -- and please do RSVP even i f you know your way!  RSVP by email to maren dot cooke at gmail dot com with "concert" in the Subject line, with name(s) of attendees -- and/or via the Eventbrite notice that will appear soon, if you're on the email list for Sustainability Salons (email me with "salon" in the Subject line if you'd like to be added!)  Suggested donation is $10-15 (goes to the performer);  we won't use Eventbrite tickets but we will be passing the proverbial hat. 

Previous Putting Down Roots house concerts have included Layla Frankel and Brad Yoder, Two of a Kind, Mike Agranoff, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Putnam Smith, Ken Gaines and the Squirrel Hillbillies, and Randal Bays & Davey Mathias.  We also host a regular monthly environmental education event called Sustainability Salons;  the next one is on December 9th.  

Nov 30: Real Costs of Fossil Fuels & Next Steps

The Real Health, Economic, and Climate Crisis Costs of Fossil Fuels to Southwestern PA -- and next steps.  Join the JCC's Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement for a great program of speakers, and get to know what's going on in our region.

                            Program:

Our Moral Challenge  (Rabbi Ron Symons, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh)

The Global Climate Crisis 

     (Joy Blaustein, PennFuture, Climate Reality Project Leader)

Potential Environmental Hazards Associated with Petrochemical 

     Development in Southwestern PA    (James Fabisiak, Ph.D., 

     University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health)

The Petrochemical Build Out — Corporate Power versus Community Rights 

     (Lisa Graves Marcucci, Environmental Integrity Project)

Fossil Fuels versus Green Energy: Competing Narratives for 

     Economic Development in Southwestern PA 

     (Matthew Mehalik, Ph.D., Breathe Collaborative)

The Future Is Here: Big Problems, Simple Solutions.  

     What's Happening in Pittsburgh? (pediatrician Edward Ketyer, M.D.)

Getting Involved  (Rabbi Ron Symons)

Many local organizations will be tabling at the event;  come learn how you can get involved!

          Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC )

           League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania

           Clean Air Council

           Penn Environment

           Citizens’ Climate Lobby

           Allegheny County Clean Air Now

           PennFuture

           GASP

7-9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh(5738 Forbes Avenue, 15217).  Free and open to the public.  For more information, contact Rabbi Ron Symons (rsymons@jccpgh.org 412-339-5395).

Nov 18: Sustainability Salon on Ecological Ethics

Environmental ethics as a basis for moving from awareness to action on climate change and social justice. Continuing our Environmental Justice theme into the realm of ethics, the 70th Sustainability Salon will feature salon stalwart Patty DeMarco and her new book Pathways to our

Sustainable Future:  A Global Perspective from Pittsburgh.  Patty, an energy and environmental policy expert and local policymaker as well as a Rachel Carson scholar and general visionary, will provide a framework for our discussion, as we think about the ethical ramifications of the Anthropocene.  Joylette Portlock, geneticist and educator, president of Communitopia, producer and star of Don't Just Sit There, Do Something, and one of the facilitators of the recent Climate Reality Leadership Corps training will share her thoughts on international and intergenerational justice.  And ecological ethicist and theologian Dan Scheid, of Duquesne University, will explore the grounds for ecological ethics, the "Cosmic Common Good," in many different religious traditions and in Pope Francis's Laudato Si.  We'll have a book signing with Patty -- she'll have a limited number of books available, as well.  I'll be hosting a house concert with Michael Holt on December 1st, and the 71st salon will almost certainly take place on December 9th.
By the way, if you are interested in becoming involved with the new local chapter of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps (and haven't yet), email me with CRL in the Subject line, and I'll connect you!  The next general meeting will be on November 29th.  And, speaking of climate as we so often do, two important events coming up:  This weekend, people will gather from all over to strategize about how to keep fossil fuels in the ground at the People's Summit. And on Nov 30th, speakers and tabling at the JCC about the all too often under-counted Real Costs of Fossil Energy in our region. 

Salons run 3-10 p.m. at Maren's house in Squirrel Hill.  Please don't arrive before 3 p.m.  We aim to start the program not long after 4, after folks have had a chance to meet, mingle, and tour around an interesting and productive urban permaculture site.   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 (see below), 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, it's a mini-conference, it's 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 particular topic, interspersed with stimulating conversation, lively debate, delectable potluck food and drink, and music-making through the evening.

Past topics have included community inclusion, air quality monitoring, informal gatherings that turn out to have lots of speakers, getting STEM into Congress, keeping Pittsburgh's water public, Shell's planned petrochemical plant, visualizing air quality, 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 films on Food Systems, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Plastic Paradise, 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, 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:  wine, 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 homemade or boughten.  Dishes containing meat or dairy are fine, though if it isn't really obvious please make a note of it.  We refill a bunch of growlers at East End and provide a big batch of mostly-homegrown pesto (cheesy and vegan), and other things as needed.  More details will come after you RSVP (hint, hint!). 

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. 

Nov 17-20: People vs. Oil & Gas summit

Pittsburgh, the epicenter of shale gas exploitation, has been selected as the location to gather for the national People vs. Oil & Gas Infrastructure, A Summit for Communities Fighting Back.

Pittsburgh is hosting one of the largest gatherings of communities fighting back against fossil fuels. The oil and gas industry is aggressively planning expansion, putting more and more lives and livelihoods on the line.  Whether you’re fighting fracking, tar sands, pipelines, oil trains, gas storage, refineries, chemical plants, you'll be able to share stories, strategy, skills, and plans to collaborate.

This summit is for any grassroots or frontline activists ready to do more.  The program will include key panel discussions, trainings and collective strategy building.  The local Pittsburgh community will also open the summit with a big welcome and close the last day by leading us into the streets for a fun, cooperative action.

The training sessions will be split into four fun, informative tracks:  Advocacy and technical legal skills, political campaigning, action/arts workshopping, and organizing/recruitment training.

For more information and online registration:  http://peoplevsoilgas.org

Nov 16: Fracking info session

Horizontal Fracking in Bell Acres?

All are welcome to attend a FREE informal program about natural gas operations, often called “Fracking”, and what we have learned from science and other community’s experiences.  

Background: A natural gas well pad has been proposed in nearby Economy Borough, and land owners in Bell Acres have been approached with leases to drill under their property. 

The informational program is designed to answer questions that community members, including land owners, have about fracking and the risks to water quality, air quality, health, and safety. 

Speakers are:
• Dr. John Stolz, PhD, Director of Center for Environmental Research and Education, Duquesne University, “Water Quality”
• Dr. Marsha Haley, MD, Radiation Oncologist, “Public Health and Safety”
• Ryan Grode, Environmental Health Project, “Air Quality”
• Lisa Graves Marcucci, Environmental Integrity Project, “Community Advocacy”

7-8:30 p.m. at 1850 Big Sewickley Creek Rd, Sewickley, PA 15143.  Free & open to the public;  light refreshments will be served. RSVP is appreciated but not required. For questions about the program contact Patrice Tomcik at ptomcik@momscleanairforce.org 

For questions about Community First Sewickley, contact Communities1Sewickley@gmail.com or connect on Facebook at Communities First - Sewickley

Program is hosted by Moms Clean Air Force Pennsylvania and Communities First - Sewickley in partnership with Clean Water Action - Pennsylvania, Environmental Health Project, and Environmental Integrity Project.

Nov 13: LWV Shale & Public Health conference

The fifth annual Shale & Public Health Conference will be presented by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and will feature new research and practical applications:

• New health registry research results
• The latest Geisinger studies from Johns Hopkins’ Brian Schwartz MD and Tara McAlexander MPH 
• Researching the public health impacts of an ethane cracker and petrochemical development
• Gwen Ottinger PhD on Fenceline Monitoring
• Walter Tsou MD MPH, Executive Director Philadelphia PSR, past president of the American Public Health Association and former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia

… and more!

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pitt University Club(123 University Place, Pittsburgh PA 15260).  The conference itself is free, $14 for buffet lunch.  More information and online registration here.  

Nov 8: ACCAN's Music & Air Fest

Join Allegheny County Clean Air Now to celebrate cleaner air! 

Enjoy music with Roger Day on tuba, Clint Hoover on harmonica and Martin Rosenberg on guitar. 

6:30-8:30 at the Anchor and Anvil Coffeehouse (7221 Church Ave., 15202).  Dessert and coffee/tea/soft drinks will be served.  RSVP on Facebook if you are a facebooker!

Nov 8: Speak out for public water

Our Only Option is Public Water

What should happen to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority? The people have made it clear that we want public control of our water. Now, the Mayor and his team of outside consultants will be presenting their recommendations to the City on Nov 8th. The future of our drinking water is at stake! 

Join the Our Water Campaign to make our voices heard and to demand a fully public solution to solving Pittsburgh's water crisis!

#OurH2o is too vital of a resource to be sold off to a private company for profit. Join us and stand up for PUBLIC water!

2:30 p.m. at the City-County building (414 Grant St., 15219)

Nov 6-Dec 8: Sustainability Pioneers course

Climate change is a challenging topic to face. Yet, an inspiring and empowering reality is emerging as a response to climate change.

In this interactive class, participants will learn about sustainability, energy, climate science and climate solutions through presentations by Rachel Carson scholar Patricia DeMarco. Documentary filmmaker Kirsi Jansa will screen her Sustainability Pioneers short documentaries showcasing communities and states taking bold climate action.

This five-week course will empower participants to have constructive conversations about global warming and make changes for a sustainable future.

6-8 p.m. each Monday from November 6 to December 4 at the Frick Environmental Center.  Free, but registration is required:  

https://www.showclix.com/event/sustainability-pioneers-2017

Patricia DeMarco and Kirsi Jansa are both visiting researchers at the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

More information: www.sustainabilitypioneers.com

Oct 22: House concert with Layla Frankel and Brad Yoder

A little folk, a bit of blues, a smattering of soul.  Please join us for another great show in the Putting Down Roots Occasional House Concert Series!  This time, we are proud to present Chicago-based singer-songwriter Layla Frankel, along with local favorite Brad Yoder.

Layla's music is a blend of blues, folk, and soul sounds featuring expressive vocals that bring to mind Bonnie Raitt and Nora Jones.  

Raised in a musical family in Chicago, Layla has been delighting audiences of all ages for as long as she can remember.  A performer from a young age, she played with her father Joel both on stage and on his children's records.  As a teenager, with formal training in choirs and a range of musical influences, Layla began composing songs and quickly developed her own vocal style.  At the University of Illinois, she started as a jazz studies major, but soon realized that her passion lay in songwriting as well as music.  She began to focus on creative writing and poetry while also singing in big bands and jazz combos -- gaining experience as a songwriter and band leader.

Honing her craft as a songwriter, she recorded a debut EP, Tame the Fox -- music conceived during a 600-mile hike along the Israel National Trail, carrying a backpack and a copy of The Little Prince (which inspired the title).  

Layla Frankel performs in Chicago as a solo artist but is often accompanied by her full band consisting of bass, drums, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and backup vocals. Her debut six-track EP, "Tame the Fox" was released in April 2017.

Opening for Layla will be local singer-songwriter Brad Yoder!  We'll enjoy a taste of Brad’s unique mix of humorous, poetic, political, funky and edgy original songs, covering a musical range from folk to indie rock (with unexpected musical and lyrical twists) which has earned him a loyal following ranging from kids to retirees.  

House concert at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 for an optional potluck) at our home in Squirrel Hill.  Directions and other info will come after you RSVP -- and please do RSVP even if you know your way!  RSVP by email to maren dot cooke at gmail dot com with "concert" in the Subject line, with name(s) of attendees -- and/or via the Eventbrite notice that will appear soon, if you're on the email list for Sustainability Salons (email me with "salon" in the Subject line if you'd like to be added!)  Suggested donation is $10-15 (goes to the performers;  we won't use Eventbrite tickets but we will be passing the proverbial hat). 

Previous Putting Down Roots house concerts have included Two of a Kind, Mike Agranoff, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Putnam Smith, Ken Gaines and the Squirrel Hillbillies, and Randal Bays & Davey Mathias.  And coming up on December 1st, we'll welcome Michael Holt!  We also host a regular monthly environmental education event called Sustainability Salons;  the next one is on October 21st.