Pittsburgh doesn't just have a proud industrial past, a vital research community in both health and physical sciences, and a remarkable food scene. We also have a wealth of local vision and talent. After a great first outing last month, the 165th Sustainability Salon will continue our enviro-literary theme by featuring a few more local environmental authors with a series of mini-book talks -- discussing their existing and upcoming books, their writing and publishing process, and the motivation for and impacts of their work. We'll have books available for purchase (and signing), and lots of conversation as always! This salon will be both in-person and available via Zoom. Authors -- representing several different genres -- will include Shanti Gamper-Rabindran, John & Sukey Jamison, and Darrell Frey.
• Sept 16: Another opportunity to learn about and taste pawpaws, with Gabrielle Marsden and Grow Pittsburgh. Learn more on the FB event posting, and register here (free!).
• Sept 18-20: Building worker power where unions were born: the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum's Camp Solidarity in historic Matewan, WV. More information and registration here.
• Sept 22: Final deadline for comments about the Endangerment Finding, which has enabled the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions since 2009. The current EPA is proposing to reconsider those regulations, along with motor vehicle standards. Here is the rulemaking docket, where you can see others' comments and make your own. Local energy policy expert (and one of this month's authors) Patricia DeMarco and GASP's Patrick Campbell have also made their testimony available, to inspire others to add comments, and Moms Clean Air Force put together this great toolkit.
• Oct 3-5: Heartwood's annual Reunion. Near Paoli, IN (transportation help available). More information and online registration (soon) here.
• Oct 5: Pittsburghers Against Single-Use Plastic (PASUP) will have its annual Plastic-Free Community Potluck Picnic. Speakers, music, activities, a free clothing swap! 3-6 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Friends Meeting House; rain or shine. More information on Facebook -- and (optional) registration here.
• US Steel's Clairton Cokeworks has once again been in the news, for the wrong reasons. Deadly explosions earlier this month killed two workers and injured ten more, not to mention exacerbating air quality problems in the Mon Valley -- leading to questions about the facility's future. You can support workers and residents through mutual-aid efforts by Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN and Take Action Advocacy Group (TAAG)
• Again, I encourage local folks to sign up for the Indivisible Grassroots Pittsburgh email list, which will bring you lots more listings, more frequently -- email Debra.
• Energy Transfer is suing Greenpeace for $300M because they supported the Indigenous-led protests at Standing Rock (claiming that Greenpeace orchestrated the protests). This is a classic SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), and itself worthy of protest. Greenpeace has a petition you can sign.
• 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.
• 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!
• 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 well over 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; upcoming events are listed here. For household chemicals, here's the link.

No comments:
Post a Comment