Jul 29-Aug 22: Quantum Theatre's Howling Miller

Quantum Theatre brings its unique mode of theatre to Frick Park this summer, with a post-war Finnish village setting built onto and around the burned-out Frick Environmental Center building, in a world premiere adaptation of The Howling Miller.

Runs July 29 to August 22; reviews, tickets, and more on their web site.

July 27: Community Conversations launch

The Community Conversation is an engaging, fun, and exciting public meeting format that allows all voices to be heard.

Unlike standard council meetings or other gatherings where public input is gathered, Community Conversations bring people together in a positive environment where they can collaborate on ideas and come up with solutions – together.

The Community Conversation format is a tested, lively, and interactive method designed by Washington DC-based AmericaSpeaks, and led by trained facilitators to engage dialogue among diverse populations.

At each Community Conversation, about 30 people will gather and split up into tables of five to six people. At each table, participants work together to collaborate and answer the following questions:

• What does a thriving region look like?
• What key challenges must be address for our region to thrive, and what key strengths can we build on?
• What one or two possibilities must be pursued to ensure the region thrives? Why?
• It is 2025. What makes us most proud of our region, and what was key to getting us here?

Community Conversations are scheduled across parts of four states (32 counties) in a region-wide Power of 32 launch on Tuesday, July 27th, creating a forum for all residents to voice their vision for the region’s future. Residents across the region will unify in beginning the Listening Phase of this unprecedented project during the launch.

“Beginning at 8 am that day, Community Conversations will be held almost every hour in every county across the Power of 32 region,” said Selena Schmidt, Power of 32 executive director. “These public input sessions will continue in each county in August and September, but this is a great way for us to unify as a region and kick off this important initiative.” Find a conversation in your area right here! Voice your vision this Tuesday – register at www.powerof32.org!

• Tuesday, July 27 Community Conversations are scheduled for:
  
  Allegany, MD
  · Cumberland: 5:30 pm at the Allegany Arts Council – 9 N. Centre Street
  
  Allegheny, PA
  · Homestead: 6:00 pm at The Pump House – 880 E. Waterfront Drive
  · Carnegie: 6:00 pm at Carnegie Borough Municipal Center – One Veterans Way
  · Mt. Lebanon: 6:30 pm at Mt. Lebanon Library – 16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
  · Monroeville: 6:30 at Monroeville Municipal Building, Council Chambers – 2700 Monroeville Blvd.
  
  Armstrong, PA
  · Freeport: 11:30 am at IUP Northpoint – 167 Northpointe Blvd.
  
  Beaver, PA
  · Beaver Falls: 2:00 pm at Geneva College – Northwood Hall, Room 013
  
  Bedford, PA
  · Everett: 12:00 pm at Union Hotel – 128 East Main Street
  
  Blair, PA
  · Altoona: 5:30 pm at Altoona Area Public Library – 1600 Fifth Avenue
  
  Butler, PA
  · Butler: 6:00 pm at CDC Office – Pullman Center Business Park
  
  Fayette, PA
  · Uniontown: 5:00 pm at Penn State Fayette Campus – Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium
  
  Greene, PA
  · Waynesburg: 4:00 pm at Southwest Regional Medical Center
  
  Hancock/Brooke, WV
  · Weirton: 10:00 am at West Virginia Northern Community College – Room 115
  
  Harrison, WV
  · Mannington: 9:00 am at Mannington Public Library – 109 Clarksburg St.
  
  Indiana, PA
  · Blairsville: 6:00 pm at Blairsville Recreation Center – 101 North Lane
  
  Jefferson, OH
  · Steubenville: 5:30 pm at Eastern Gateway Community College – 4000 Sunset Blvd.
  
  Lawrence, PA
  · New Castle: 1:00 pm at New Castle Public Library – 207 East North Street
  
  Mahoning, OH
  · Youngstown: 7:00 pm at Newport Library – 3730 Market Street
  
  Marion, WV
  · Fairmont: 5:00 pm at Fairmont State University – Jaynes Hall, Room 104
  
  Mercer, PA
  · Mercer: 1:00 pm at Mercer County Court House – 120 South Diamond Street
  
  Monroe, OH
  · Woodsfield: 3:00 pm at Monroe County District Library – 96 Home Avenue
  
  Ohio, WV
  · Wheeling: 6:00 pm at West Virginia Northern Community College – 1704 Market Street
  
  Preston, WV
  · Terra Alta: 5:00 pm at City Hall of Terra Alta – 701 East State Avenue
  
  Somerset, PA
  · Somerset: 9:00 am at Somerset Church of the Brethern – 606 Plank Road
  
  Tyler, WV
  · Sisterville: 5:00 pm at Sisterville Public Library – 518 Wells Street
  
  Washington, PA
  · Washington: 6:30 pm at Courthouse Square – 100 West Beau Street
  
  Westmoreland, PA
  · Latrobe: 6:30 pm at St. Vincent College Fred Rogers Center – 300 Fraser Purchase Road

July 26: DEP public hearing on Oil & Gas Act

The DEP will hold a series of Public Comment Meetings about Proposed Chapter 78 changes to provide stronger regulations for oil and gas wells, including Marcellus wells.

MEETINGS NOTICE: The PA Department of Environmental Protection will hold four meetings during the month of July 2010 to receive comments on the proposed changes to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78. The new and amended sections are §§78.1, .51, .52, .71-.73, .81-.85, .88, .89, .91-.96, .121 and .122. The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. at each location. They will be held July 19 Tunkhannock, PA; July 21 in Williamsport, PA; July 22 in Meadville, PA; July 22 in Pittsburgh, PA, and (because of a scheduling conflict with an EPA Marcellus hearing in Canonsburg on June 22) also on July 26 in Pittsburgh, PA.

7 p.m. in conference rooms A & B at the DEP Southwestern Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, look at Gas Well Casing Amendments to Chapter 78 (PDF - 99KB). To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.

July 26: Senator Casey's hearing on Marcellus

Senator Casey has announced a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing entitled "Emergency Response in the Marcellus Shale Region." This is another event where a strong turnout will be helpful. One issue that may be involved is the chemical composition of the fracking fluids, so that local fire companies can deal effectively with emergencies.

10am in Courtroom 6A on the 6th floor of the US Courthouse at 7th & Grant Streets; 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

July 24: PASA Summer Farm Tour

Join in on PASA's Buy Fresh Buy Local Summer Farm Tour! For a mere $10 per carload, tour-goers receive a day pass to visit any of the participating farms.

- Forge personal connections with local farmers
- Suitable for all ages
- Hands on Learning
- Learn about the origins of YOUR food
- Sustainable growing practices demonstrated

Take the tour:

* Select a route from our online, interactive map of participating farms - FARM TOUR MAP - Print maps with directions will also be available at each farm that you visit.

* Load up your family and friends!

* Simply pay $10 at the first farm you visit for your day pass and visit as many participating farms as you'd like between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

* The Farm Tour is suitable for visitors of all ages!

* All farms open, rain or shine!

~New for 2010~
PASA is pleased to invite 10 community organizations to take the tour for free! Thanks to the generosity of Pittsburgh Party for a Purpose, we are pleased to offer free tickets & prepaid gas cards to 10 Western Pennsylvania community organizations. If you are part of a community organization that would like to take a group on the 2010 tour, please email information about your organization. You must have access to reliable transportation on July 24th.

July 22: DEP public hearing on Oil & Gas Act

The DEP will hold a series of Public Comment Meetings about Proposed Chapter 78 changes to provide stronger regulations for oil and gas wells, including Marcellus wells.

MEETINGS NOTICE: The PA Department of Environmental Protection will hold four meetings during the month of July 2010 to receive comments on the proposed changes to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78. The new and amended sections are §§78.1, .51, .52, .71-.73, .81-.85, .88, .89, .91-.96, .121 and .122. The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. at each location. They will be held July 19 Tunkhannock, PA; July 21 in Williamsport, PA; July 22 in Meadville, PA; and July 22 in Pittsburgh, PA.

7 p.m. in conference rooms A & B at the DEP Southwestern Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, look at Gas Well Casing Amendments to Chapter 78 (PDF - 99KB). To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.

Note that because of the scheduling conflict with the EPA hearing in Canonsburg, an additional DEP hearing has been scheduled for July 26.

July 22: EPA Hearing on Hydraulic Fracturing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a series of four public information meetings to obtain public input on the EPA's upcoming research study investigating the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health. Here in Southwestern PA, they are coming to Canonsburg, in Washington County. (Other meetings will be held in Fort Worth, Texas on July 8, Denver, Colorado on July 13, and Binghamton, NY on August 12)

In March 2010, EPA announced that it will study the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on drinking water. In developing the study, EPA is holding a series of meetings to receive public input about specific drinking water, human health, or environmental concerns that need to be factored into the study. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that helps production of natural gas or oil from shale and other geological formations. By pumping fracturing fluids (water and chemical additives) and sand or other similar materials into rock formations, fractures are created that allow natural gas or oil to flow from the rock through the fractures to a production well for extraction. The meetings will provide public information about the proposed study scope and design. EPA will solicit public comments on the draft study plan.

To support the initial planning phase and guide the development of the study plan, the agency sought suggestions and comments from the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB)—an independent, external federal advisory committee. The agency will use this advice and extensive stakeholder/public input to guide the design of the study.

EPA requests that citizens who are interested in attending to pre-register by Monday, July 19

Call 1-866-477-3635 toll free to register. Or register on-line at: http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com .

Those wishing to contribute comments to EPA regarding the proposed hydraulic fracturing research study may also submit electronic comments to EPA at hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov ; or send written comments to:

Jill Dean

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Mail code 4606M

Washington, DC 20460.

6pm-10pm at the Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, Pa 15317. For more information on the meetings: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_hydrofrac.html or contact Enesta Jones at 202-564-7873 or 202-564-4355. To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.

July 21: County Council hearing on Marcellus

Many members of the Allegheny County Council view Marcellus drilling as a fine opportunity for new jobs and income in the county. However, we have a chance to influence their decisions in a public hearing on the impact of Marcellus Shale gas drilling in the county. There will likely be a strong contingent of industry-related witnesses at the hearing, so please attend and speak out so they learn of your concerns! Here is the official notice of the meeting:

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Allegheny County Council will conduct a public hearing, on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, beginning at 5:00 p.m. In the Gold Room, 4th Floor of the Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

The primary purpose of this hearing is to allow the opportunity for public comment regarding Marcellus Shale related natural gas drilling within Allegheny County.

Public testimony will be scheduled beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Individuals wishing to speak must register with the County Council Clerk online at www.county.allegheny.pa.us/council , via e-mail (rtc@county.allegheny.pa.us), in person at Room 119 Courthouse, or by phone (412-350-6490), no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the hearing.

Each registered speaker will be allotted a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Written testimony will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on July 23, 2010.

Jul 19: Sustainable Design with Sustainable Monroeville

The next meeting of Sustainable Monroeville will feature Jeff Newman and Jeff Yaeger. The two Jeffs will be presenting An "Alternative Design Overview."

The 1-hour talk will have 2 parts: evaluation techniques and permaculture principles for sub-urban applications. Some examples of topics include: forest gardens, micro-climates, native-species, water and soil management. During this talk, we will introduce ideas to hone your observation skills, add effieciency, and increase the production and health of your suburban homestead.

Jeff Newman of Steel City Soils, the Pittsburgh Garden Experiment and Transition Pittsburgh and Jeff Jaeger of Octopus Organic Gardening will be the speakers.

7 p.m. at the Monroeville Public Library. Feel free to bring a locally sourced food snack to share if you'd like!

For more information, contact Elisa Beck.

July 19: Gas drilling rally

Rally for a moratorium on PA gas drilling, organized by Pitt's Student Environmental Coalition.

7 p.m. at Friendship Park; for more information, email Weenta Girmay. To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.

July 17: Hard to Recycle materials collection

The Pennsylvania Resources Council is holding a "Hard to Recycle" materials collection. Do you have tires, cellphones or other electronics, printer/toner cartridges, alkaline batteries, usable building materials, medical supplies, or compact fluorescent bulbs in your house? If you or someone you know can’t use them, or if they are simply outdated or no longer needed, please do the right thing for the environment and dispose of them properly at this event. More details on the acceptable items arehere.

To learn how to safely and properly recycle and dispose of many common household chemicals and other items year-round, please visit the Recycling & Disposal Resources page.

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Pittsburgh Mills (Pittsburgh Mills Circle, Tarentum, PA 15084). Information on this and subsequent events is here.

July 17: NMRWA's A Midsummer Night's Storm

You're invited to the third annual urban wilderness celebration to benefit the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association! This year, the festivities feature WQED's Rick Sebak as a special guest, along with fantastic food from Point Brugge, delectable drinks, lively entertainment, and super surprises under bigger tents -- making this our most FUN event yet. Entertainment by the Mon River Ramblers, with DJ's J-Malls and High-Top Wrangler. Be there, rain or moonlight!

7-11:30 p.m. in lower Frick Park, at the Lancaster Avenue entrance to Fern Hollow. $60 to join us at 7 p.m. for supper by Point Brugge Café and music from the Mon River Ramblers; $20 to join us at 9 p.m. for beer, snacks, two of the area's top DJs -- and Frick Park after dark. You can get tickets online here.

July 17: A Midsummer Night's Storm

You're invited to the third annual urban wilderness celebration to benefit the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association. Fantastic food, delectrable drinks, lively entertainment and super surprises are back under bigger tents, making this the most fun event yet! Rain or moonlight...

7-11:30 p.m. in lower Frick Park (Fern Hollow, Lancaster Ave. entrance). $60 for supper at 7 by Point Brugge Cafe and music by the Mon River Ramblers; $20 to join us at 9pm for beer, snacks, two of the area's top DJ's and Frick Park after dark. Tickets will be available for purchase through PayPal; check back online.

July 16: Tireless Project river cleanup in the Strip

Join in on the next Tireless event, and help clean up the Allegheny Riverfront along the Strip District Trail. Afterwards, we'll have refreshments and musical entertainment by the Moonlighters. So...stop by after work and join in the fun. There will be plenty of trail work and river cleaning to do. Wear long pants and sturdy shoes or boots and be prepared to get dirty! Check out the calendar of events on the Allegheny Cleanways website for more information and directions.

On Saturday, July 17th, one of our partners in the Tireless Project, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, will be having their annual benefit event. This year it's called "A Midsummer Night's Storm." Find out more information and purchase tickets to the event by going to: http://www.ninemilerun.org/a-midsummer-night-s-storm/.

Finally, if you're finding yourself with a lot of spare time on your hands or would just like to get more involved with our mission to clean up illegal dump sites in Allegheny County, you might want to consider becoming a "Dump Buster." "Dump Busters" is a program we're kicking off this year as a way of addressing some of the 279 illegal dump sites that were identified within the city of Pittsburgh in last year's Illegal Dump Site Survey. A small group of rotating volunteers, led by crew leader Joe Divack, will daily chip away at some of the smaller sites in the city as well as some outside of the city. They will also be available to rapidly respond to new dumping incidents and/or help community groups who are trying to clean up dumping in their neighborhoods. Participation in the group can vary according to your schedule and availability. If you're interested, contact Myrna Newman for more information and/or to get you signed up.

July 16: Northside kickoff for Car Free Fridays

This month, Car Free Fridays heads to the Northside to promote car-free living in one of the city's wonderful historic and cultural centers. Events on July 16 include

Car Free Fridays sign-up -- 7 - 10 a.m., at the corner of East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue in Allegheny Commons Park. Pick up your discount vouchers for Northside, Downtown, and Oakland businesses, and enter a Car Free raffle (if you arrive car-free). A free breakfast will be catered by Bistro To Go and Amani Coffee.

Free pedicab rides to downtown -- 7:30-10 a.m. Green Gears Pedicab is offering complimentary rides from the Wood Street Station to anywhere in the Golden Triangle.

Northside bike tours -- 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Northside Bike/Ped Committee Chair will be hosting mellow, easy-paced rides that will highlight the new bike routes being established in the neighborhood. Both tours will start at the corner of East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue.

Also, be sure to check out the Car Free Walking Tour on July 31 -- hosted by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, participants will explore Allegheny Commons and surrounding neighborhoods.

Take the Pledge to go car free, and be entered into the raffle! Prizes include a monthly bus pass, a Zipcar membership with $75 driving credit, a BikePGH membership, and prizes and gift certificates from local businesses.

July 16: NOVA and Green Drinks at ChargeCar

A huge thanks is in order to everyone who braved the dreadful weather and to come to last week's event! It was excellent to see lots of enthusiastic people interact at our open house, as well as after the screening of "Gasland." If you couldn't make it, there will be two more summer events on the next two Fridays (July 23rd and 30th) for anyone interested in any aspect of ChargeCar.

We would like to invite you to our next community event and cookout at/outside the Electric Garage, in collaboration with Pittsburgh Green Drinks. At 7 p.m., Green Drinks, a freeform social group for people working on environmental issues, will be visiting the Electric Garage; then at 9 p.m. we will be projecting the 2008 NOVA documentary directed by Joe Seamans, "Car of the Future". We are very excited to say that Joe will be joining us at the Garage to introduce and talk about the film.

To stay up-to-date on all things ChargeCar, please visit www.chargecar.org and join the forum and mailing list. ChargeCar's Electric Garage is located at the former Exxon Gas Station on the 4600 block of Forbes Avenue, next to CMU. Here's a map of the area.

July 14: Sierra Club on the Marcellus Shale Boom

Note date change -- or correction of a previous error... back to the 2nd Wednesday!

Join us for a Conservation Conversation on The Marcellus Shale Boom: Who wins, who loses? with guests Juliana Stricklen and Dennis Childers

Prof. Tony Ingraffea, Cornell University

Holding monthly meetings, as we did for over twenty years, has become an “unsustainable” practice. The Group simply didn’t have the funds to continue supporting this activity at about $1300 per year. We’d rather spend that money on other important member-related issues, such as publishing newsletters which reach every member. But we realized that we already pay for a space that is ideal for smaller gatherings: the Club office in Oakland, which can easily accommodate up to about 40 people. So we have created a new format for monthly meetings: Conservation Conversations. Every month we will have a core topic, some local or regional expert and YOU. If you want to learn more or contribute what you already know to the general pool of knowledge, we’d love to have you there.

There are dozens of areas of interest, some of which we may hit repeatedly. Many of us would like to better understand what is really happening with the Marcellus Shale. We’d like to know what the City and County are intending to do about the possibility of drilling right here… since leases are already being signed.

Juliana Stricklen, a Creative and Performing Arts High School Senior, received a $1000 award for a video she created on the Marcellus problem. It’s great! We’ve invited her and her teacher, Dennis Childers, to show the video and discuss the issues. We’ll also have current updates on State and local regulations and concerns about the Marcellus development. This is the biggest environmental threat in the last century in Pennsylvania and worthy of your attention. We will also show part of Cornell University Prof. Tony Ingraffea’s excellent tutorial on the Marcellus issues. This will be a hot event!

7:30 - 9 p.m. in the Sierra Club offices, on the second floor of a building that can be entered either at 3875 Bigelow Blvd or 425 Craig St., in Suite 202. Ring the buzzer at the door; when you are buzzed in, take the elevator to the second floor and follow the signs to the Club office. On-street parking is easier on the Bigelow side. Interesting goodies and finger foods; bring your own to share if you care to. For more information, email Donald L. Gibbon, Program Chair, Allegheny Group

August topic: the movie FRESH and more about Buy Fresh, Buy local and Urban Farming.

Jul 13: History of Frick Park

Susan Rademacher, the Parks Curator for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, will give a talk on the history of Frick Park for the Squirrel Hill Historical Society.

7:30 p.m. at the Sixth Presbyterian Church, at Forbes and Murray; free.

July 12: Marcellus Shale drilling info session

Councilman Doug Shields is hosting a Marcellus Shale Post-Agenda session in City Council Chambers to educate Council members and the public about Marcellus Shale drilling. The post-agenda meeting will be televised on City Cable Channel 13. The public is encouraged to attend in order to learn about this critical issue!

The Agenda is as follows:

An Explanation of the Technical Process of Marcellus Shale Drilling by Radisav D. Vidic, University of Pittsburgh Environmental Engineering Group

Health and Community Impacts by Chuck Christen, University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments and Communities

The Pennsylvania Context and Its Effect on Local Marcellus Shale Drilling by the Honorable David K. Levdansky, PA House of Representatives, Finance Committee Chairman, Game and Fisheries Committee

The Marcellus Shale Play: A DEP Perspective by Jack Crook, Compliance Chief – Oil and Gas, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Potential Problems with the Existing Set of Laws by John Baillie, Senior Attorney at PennFuture’s Pittsburgh Office

Consumer Protection by Nadia Steinzor, Marcellus Regional Organizer for EARTHWORKS

Industry Side by Kathryn Klaber, President and Executive Director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition

July 11: Veganism film screening

Veganism: What It's All About! VFA is holding a special movie showing public outreach event
called Veganism: What It's All About! Come see the original "Peaceable
Kingdom," (2004) a powerful movie about animal agriculture and the
animals affected by it (77 minutes), enjoy a FREE delicious vegan meal,
and hear and participate in discussions about veganism and animal
sentience. There will also be a question and answer session after the
movie.

12 PM - 2PM at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh
(Undercroft Gallery Room) 605 Morewood Avenue Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA 15213

Admission is free but donations are greatly appreciated.
Everyone is welcome! Note: Movie may not be appropriate for children. Parental discretion is
advised.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138965096115412