Putting Down Roots: Maren's List
Information bringing people together...
Maren's list of environmental, cultural, and
social justice events in and around Pittsburgh.
MarensList is Experiencing Technical Difficulties
Due to a change in how this platform works, it has become very difficult to make new postings for future events. I hope to find a solution soon, but in the meantime my apologies for a rather thin slate of events! I do consolidate a wide variety of events in each Sustainability Salon listing, so look there for "Other Items of Interest". There really is a lot going on... note that I also share events on Facebook, so look me up there if you're at loose ends.
Local food resources
Oct 13: Sustainability Salon on Air Quality
In his work with PennEnvironment, clean air advocate Zachary Barber helped bring a Clean Air Act citizens' suit against U.S. Steel for illegal pollution by Clairton Cokeworks following the catastrophic Christmas Eve fire in 2018. That lawsuit wrapped up in January of this year and resulted in the largest penalty of its kind in PA's history, required tens of millions of dollars of pollution control upgrades, and established millions of dollars in clean air community funding. He will reflect on lessons learned from the legal process, some blockbuster discoveries about what led to the fire and how local health authorities dealt with the aftermath, and what this outcome means for residents of the Mon Valley.
Mark Dixon is a local photographer, filmmaker, and activist, mainly around climate and air quality. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his third film, Inversion: The Unfinished Business of Pittsburgh's Air. Mark has been keeping a weather eye on air quality issues all around the region, and will share many key insights and help frame our conversation.
There's also a whole lot of other important events happening in our region (or online); please check out the list below for a few of 'em.
• Most days this month: Want to get outside to enjoy this lovely fall weather? I'm dismantling part of the roof garden to prepare for some roof repairs, so there's lots of gardening activity -- it's always more fun with company, and educational to boot! Contact me (text is best, or FB message, or email me as noted above) if you'd like to join in, get your hands in the plants, and go home with garden lore and produce!
• Oct 9: State of Climate Advocacy webinar by the national Sierra Club. 7 p.m., online; more info and registration here.
• Oct 10: LGBTQ+ Town Hall with PA State Representatives, hosted by Pittsburgh Equality Center and Steel City Stonewall Democrats. 6 p.m. at 2681 Sidney St., 15203. More information on this FB event page.
• Oct 12: Orchard Open House! Remember Kretschmann Farm? It was the region's biggest CSA farm -- and since their retirement, daughter Maria has continued orcharding, with After the Fall Cider. She's holding an Open House with cider tastings, orchard strolls, and good company! Free, noon to 4 p.m. at 257 Zeigler Road, 15074.
• Oct 17: Join the Black Appalachian Coalition, the Ohio River Valley Institute, and Main ST for a Lunch & Learn session on maternal health. Noon, on Zoom -- register here.
• Oct 18: Reimagined Recycling fundraiser and Trashed gallery opening. 6-9 p.m. at Atithi Studios and Ketchup City Creative. Tickets here.
• Oct 21 or 22: Introductory webinar for ROCIS (Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces). 7 p.m. on Monday or noon on Tuesday. Sign up here.
• Oct 25: Paint & Sip fundraiser for ReImagine TCWAC. 6-9 p.m. in North Versailles. More information and registration here.
• Liquid and solid waste from gas and oil extraction (much of which is radioactive) is currently being stored in a building (part of a former steel mill, which was never cleaned up properly in the first place) near the municipal drinking water source for thousands of people in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The facility had a permit for 600 tons at a time, but held as much as 10,000 tons. It is in the floodplain of the Ohio River, and waters rose up to the front doors this spring. This petition, by Concerned Ohio River Residents, asks officials to halt waste processing there and keep it out of the Source Water Protection Area, clean up the site, and conduct environmental testing and monitoring. This practice is insane; we have to stop legitimizing dangerous extractive industries.
• ReImagine Food Systems, which we've talked about at past salons (and is part of ReImagine TCWAC), is raising funds for the coming year's operations (food gardens and hands-on education offered at no cost to residents in environmental justice communities, by volunteers). If you have something to spare, you can contribute via GoFundMe. And we're always looking for more volunteers, too! Email reimaginefoodsystems@gmail.com.
• Concerned Health Professionals of NY recently released the 9th Edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas & Oil Infrastructure. Check it out!
• PA is considering legislation to (a) greatly increase the renewables portion of our electricity generation, and (b) enable community solar!! The Pennsylvania Solar Center has made it easy to speak out to support this action!
• We know that only a tiny fraction of plastic has ever been recycled. And yet, NPR has been airing sponsorship messages for the American Recycling Council, which is continuing to perpetrate the "recycling" hoax. Does that make your blood boil? The national group Beyond Plastics has a petition/sign-on letter to get them to stop -- please sign, for yourself or for an organization you represent!
• It's been two years now! You can support striking Post-Gazette workers here (and consider signing up for the alternative online publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress -- and maybe even cancel your P-G subscription until they start treating workers fairly!). This strike has garnered national attention; one recent picket even made it into Teen Vogue.
• PRC continues to hold online workshops about composting, rainwater harvesting, and waste reduction. They have several Hard-to-Recycle events each year; 2024's are listed here. For household chemicals, here's the link.
Sept 15: Sustainability Salon on Stories that Inspire
There's also a whole lot of other important events happening in our region (or online); please check out the list below for a few of 'em.
• Followups from the last salon, on Forest Protection: Petitions are easy, but I heartily encourage everyone to write your own comment letters to the National Forest Service. If you are involved with an organization, consider conveying these organizational sign-ons to its leaders. I include them here because they are very substantive, and can provide details for your own comment letter.
And here's where you can submit comments online (preferred).
Or, via USPS:
Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination
Re: Project 65356 Amendment to protect Old-Growth and Mature Forests201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108
Washington, DC 20250-1124
• Also, I just learned that liquid and solid waste from gas and oil extraction (much of which is radioactive) is currently being stored in a building (part of a former steel mill, which was never cleaned up properly in the first place) near the municipal drinking water source for thousands of people in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The facility had a permit for 600 tons at a time, but held as much as 10,000 tons. It is in the floodplain of the Ohio River, and waters rose up to the front doors this spring. This petition, by Concerned Ohio River Residents, asks officials to halt waste processing there and keep it out of the Source Water Protection Area, clean up the site, and conduct environmental testing and monitoring. This practice is insane; we have to stop legitimizing dangerous extractive industries.
• Sept 6: The Thomas Merton Center's long run has come to a close, but one of the organization's many projects, East End Community Thrift (a.k.a. Thrifty), has become so important to the local community that there'll be a fundraiser to keep it going into the future. (Noon to 9 p.m., 5123 Penn Ave. in Garfield; more information here.)
• Sept 10: Ecosocialist global forum -- Roadmap to Ecosocialism: Strategy, Tactics, & Demands to Defend our Environment. Online at 2 p.m. in our time zone; more information and registration here.
• Sept 12: Climate Action Plan Justice Coalition is working to make the Allegheny County Climate Action Plan more transparent, inclusive, and equitable. CAPJ's next strategy session will include Dr. Susan Clark, chair of the Community Climate Change Task Force in Erie County, NY, and that county's Sustainability Coordinator Tracy Skalski -- this all-volunteer task force worked in partnership with the county to develop an excellent CAP for the Buffalo region; we are advocating for a similar approach here in Allegheny County. (6-8 p.m. via Zoom; please register here.)
• Sept 14: What happens to our sewage? ALCOSAN's annual Open House boasts a huge array of fun educational activities including a fascinating tour of our local waste treatment plant (Free; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 3300 Preble Ave., 15233; please register here.)
• Sept 14: Forage Fest will feature workshops, vendors, a plant swap, and a clothing and food drive. Free, 5-8 p.m. at Velum Fermentation (2120 Jane St. 15203).
• Sept 17 and 24: Pawpaw party! Ever tasted a pawpaw? (you can at this month's salon, too). Grow Pittsburgh's Garden Dreams will host Gabrielle Marsden (who first shared her work to restore the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly to Pittsburgh by planting pawpaws at a 2022 salon) to talk about America's largest native fruit and its fascinating connections to animals huge and tiny. An opportunity to taste this unique fruit, too (also at this month's salon!). 4:30-6:30 at Garden Dreams in Wilkinsburg. Free; sign up here.
• Sept 18: Allegheny County Council will hold a combined Post Agenda and Public Hearing regarding the County Climate Action Plan to be developed. Starting with expert testimony at 4:30, followed by public comment. In the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant St. downtown; please attend, and consider speaking! (here's the link to sign up, at least 24 hrs in advance).
• Sept 19: This month's installment of the Petrochemical Lunch & Learn series about environment and health will feature Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome, Senior Director for Environmental Justice for the Council on Environmental Quality of the White House. (noon, via Zoom; register here)
• Sep 19: It's been a year since the Pitt health studies were released, linking fracking and related infrastructure to childhood cancer and other health problems. How have Pennsylvania leaders responded? (6 p.m., on Facebook Live; more information here.)
• Sep 21: Foundation for Sustainable Forests holds its annual field conference, Loving the Land Through Working Forests. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Cambridge Springs, PA; more information and registration here.
• Sep 22: On the UN World Rivers Day, local events all around the world will highlight the many values of our rivers, increase public awareness, and encourages better stewardship. Free; 4-7:30 p.m. at Tree Pittsburgh (32 67th St. 15201); RSVP here.)
• Sep 25: Another opportunity to learn about and taste pawpaws, with butterfly crusader Gabrielle Marsden, at the East End Food Coop. 6-8 p.m. at the co-op; $10-15, tickets here.
• Sep 27: The Pittsburgh Media Partnership celebrates the Pittsburgh Story with Newsapalooza. Maren and Sustainability Salons are among those being recognized as civic catalysts! Here's a piece by The Allegheny Front (five-minute radio piece and a longer article at that link).
• Oct 1: Green Drinks -- join fellow environmentalists for a timely discussion of the Environmental Voter Project. 6-8 p.m. at the East End Brewery, 144 Julius St. in Homewood. More info and RSVP on FB.
• Oct 18: Reimagined Recycling fundraiser and Trashed gallery opening. 6-9 p.m. at Atithi Studios and Ketchup City Creative. Tickets here.
• ReImagine Food Systems, which we've talked about at past salons, is raising funds for this year's operations (food gardens and hands-on education offered at no cost to residents in environmental justice communities, by volunteers). If you have something to spare, you can contribute via GoFundMe. And we're always looking for more volunteers, too! Email reimaginefoodsystems@gmail.com.
• Concerned Health Professionals of NY recently released the 9th Edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas & Oil Infrastructure. Check it out!
• PA is considering legislation to (a) greatly increase the renewables portion of our electricity generation, and (b) enable community solar!! The Pennsylvania Solar Center has made it easy to speak out to support this action!
• We know that only a tiny fraction of plastic has ever been recycled. And yet, NPR has been airing sponsorship messages for the American Recycling Council, which is continuing to perpetrate the "recycling" hoax. Does that make your blood boil? The national group Beyond Plastics has a petition/sign-on letter to get them to stop -- please sign, for yourself or for an organization you represent!
• It's been more than a year now! You can support striking Post-Gazette workers here (and consider signing up for the alternative online publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress -- and maybe even cancel your P-G subscription until they start treating workers fairly!). This strike has garnered national attention; one recent picket even made it into Teen Vogue.
• PRC continues to hold online workshops about composting, rainwater harvesting, and waste reduction. They have several Hard-to-Recycle events each year; 2024's are listed here. For household chemicals, here's the link.