Putting Down Roots: Maren's List

Mar 12: "Triple Divide" film screening with local policymakers and activists

Fracking, With Liberty & Justice For All

[Hey, this is the 1,000th posting on MarensList!]

Join the filmmakers Melissa Troutman and Joshua Pribanic along with a diverse expert panel for a special screening of the investigative documentary Triple Divide and a discussion about fracking.

6:30 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) at the Bricolage Theater downtown (937 Liberty Ave, 1st floor, 15222). Space is limited in this small theatre; get your tickets ($15) and find more information including speaker bios here.

Catch a special screening and discussion of Triple Divide, an investigative documentary about the impacts from fracking in Pennsylvania, on March 12th, 6:30 PM at Bricolage Theater. It’s a film about the complex subject of fracking and will be shown as part of Bricolage’s Fifth Wall Series – which seeks to break down barriers between scripted storytelling and current events in an effort to create a forum for informed discussion about controversial issues. Triple Divide has been called “a bombshell that could reverberate across the state" by Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

This debut documentary by journalists Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman reveals how the state’s "world-class regulations” fall short in protecting people, communities, and the environment. “We wanted to look at what impacts are occurring and how they’re being handled," says Pribanic. "If the state and industry say fracking’s under control, we wanted to see how. It’s only when we see the evidence that we can cast the stone."

“Pennsylvania has some of the best environmental laws in the country, but they aren't being enforced," says Troutman. "In addition, we’ve found during our investigation that basic freedoms which are supposed to be guaranteed to all Americans are being stripped from communities faced with fracking.”

Academy Award-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo co-narrates the documentary, which is named after the triple continental divide in Potter County, Pennsylvania, one of four unique watersheds in North America where three major rivers begin—including the Allegheny River—and flow to separate parts of the continent.

Discussion with the filmmakers and expert panelists will be moderated by Bill Flanagan, host of “Our Region’s Business” on WPXI-TV. Panelists for discussion include attorney John Smith, who led the case that deemed key provisions of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas law Act 13 unconstitutional, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, engineer John Detwiler, who’s active in the group Marcellus Protest calling for a halt on fossil fuel extraction, and Dr. Kent Moors, director of the Energy Policy Research Group at Duquesne University.

“We believe informed citizens are better citizens”, says Jeffrey Carpenter, artistic director at Bricolage. “With so many critical issues facing our community it's important that we create a space to ask questions and hear from thought leaders to help broaden perspectives and promote problem-solving. We believe using art as a crowbar to open the door to dialogue can make those conversations easier to begin and less intimidating to participate in."

“The boom in unconventional gas extraction has created the same debate that we see here in PA in communities around the world,” said Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. "On the one hand, there are proponents of fracking because of the opportunities offered by gas. On the other hand, people are concerned about the environmental and health impacts. This is both a local and a global issue."

Refreshments will be served before the screening which starts at 6:30 PM. Doors open at 6:00 PM and tickets are $15. The Fifth Wall Series is sponsored by World Affairs Council. For more information call Bricolage at 412-471-0999. For previews of the film see TripleDivideFilm.org.

TRAILER, STILLS, AND REVIEWS (embedding codes available at links)

http://vimeo.com/ondemand/tripledivide/63571188
Reviews: http://tripledividefilm.org/about/reviews/
Photographs and stills from the film: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE3Tb8F

Mar 11: "Standardized" film screening

How is the dramatic expansion of high-stakes-testing affecting our schools? What is the impact on our children and their learning?
Come be a part of the conversation at the only public screening in Pittsburgh of the new film, "Standardized: Lies, Money, & Civil Rights (How Testing is Ruining Public Education)"

Please join us for a discussion as we try to think outside the bubble!
Brought to you by the volunteer parents, students, teachers, and community members in the education justice movement.

-- “For decades, standardized testing has been a part of public education. Within the last ten years, however, the testing has taken on a more important, and possibly more damaging, role. Test scores, mistakenly viewed as effective assessments of student ability and teacher/school effectiveness, are anything but. This film sheds light on the invalid nature of these tests, the terrible consequences of high-stakes testing, and the big money that's involved.”

5:30 in McConomy Auditorium in the University Center at CMU. Suggested donation $5

Mar 8, 20, or 26: Veggie Gardening 101

Join the Pittsburgh Garden Experiment for a free lecture by experienced gardener and teacher Carol Brand. She'll cover the basics of soils and vegetables, and answer those basic and not-so-basic questions you might have while starting a food garden.

11:30 a.m. at Schwartz Living Market, 1317 East Carson St. on the South Side. For more information and to register, visit the PGE's Meetup site. Note that the same class will be held at the McKeesport Library on the 20th, and the Fox Chapel Library on the 26th.

Schwartz Living Market is an evolving collaborative space using permaculture design concepts in remodeling an existing building. We'll get a brief intro on what they're doing during the class. You can check out their blog here.

Mar 8: International Women's Day

Does this mean that all the other days are Men's Days? Hope not; that wouldn't seem very equitable. Is there a Men's Day? I don't think so -- and it's probably because all the other days are, by default.

Anyway, by way of celebration, here's an illustration that I drew for the logo of a Women in Science and Engineering conference which took place at Cornell on Earth Day (April 22) in 1989. I just now photographed a T-shirt with the design, so it's not as detailed as the original -- but yes, I hand-stippled the Earth image from a card bearing the famous "Blue Marble" photograph taken by Apollo 17 in 1972 using a light table that my mother had made from a peach crate. It wasn't trivial, as I did it in reverse, since it was to be printed in white on dark.

Mar 3: POSTPONED: Genetically modified food -- lecture at CMU

Sad to say, the DLS lecture by Dr. Michael Hansen that was to take place this afternoon at 4:30pm is cancelled! Unfortunately, the weather and mechanical delays have wreaked havoc on Dr. Hansen’s travel plans!

If you forwarded the lecture announcement on to other colleagues or students please share this cancellation notice with them.

Apologies for any inconvenience! We hope to reschedule Dr. Hansen’s talk before the end of the spring semester and we will announce a reschedule date as soon as possible.

Genetically Modified Food and Consumer Effects

The Carnegie Mellon University Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy welcomes Michael K. Hansen, Ph.D. (Senior Staff Scientist in the Policy and Advocacy Division, Consumer Union).

Dr. Michael Hansen has been sharing his scientific expertise as a senior staff scientist with Consumers Union for more than 20 years. A biologist and ecologist who did his Ph.D. in the techniques of Integrated Pest Management, he currently works primarily on food safety issues. He has been largely responsible for developing Consumer Union positions on safety, testing and labeling of genetically engineered food and “mad cow” disease. Dr. Hansen’s areas of expertise include critical food safety and environmental health issues including mad cow disease, genetic engineering, and pesticide use.

4:30 p.m. in Porter Hall 100. Environment at CMU events website: http://www.cmu.edu/environment/events/

Mar 3: March and rally to support UPMC workers

Faith communities march to UPMC to support workers.

As the city and region’s largest employer, UPMC has incomparable influence on setting wage and benefit standards for its own employees and for the city’s largest industry. Yet even as UPMC continues to grow and prosper, it pays its largest group of workers – the service workers who keep the hospitals running -- so little that they are in a constant state of financial insecurity. In fact, many are living in poverty and rely on food stamps and other public supports just to get by.

UPMC is helping to drive the vast income inequality now facing our country. With $1.3 billion in profits during the last three years (and more than $4 billion in reserves), UPMC paid 28 top executives and doctors more than $1 million each last year, for a total of $48.8 million. Meanwhile, by UPMC’s own admission (disclosed in the report), thousands of its employees are paid less than $12 an hour, a wage that does not support workers and their families, according to studies of the actual cost of living in the Pittsburgh area.

Because of UPMC’s size and influence on the local economy, raising UPMC workers out of poverty will have a much broader positive impact on the region’s economy. A base wage of $15 an hour for UPMC workers would result in $75 million more in the hands of UPMC service workers, which would significantly improve their lives and pull many of them out of poverty; tens of millions in new economic activity as a result of increased spending by these workers; hundreds of new jobs, and substantial new revenue for the City and the public schools.

People from every neighborhood across our city are coming together to call on UPMC to improve wages. PIIN, the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, is organizing a march and rally on Monday, March 3rd.

Marchers will meet at 10:30 a.m. inside St. Benedict the Moor Church, 91 Crawford St (across from Freedom Corner) and at 11 a.m. the group will march from Freedom Corner to UPMC (600 Grant St.). An interfaith lunch will be served, and rally and activities will take place all day at UPMC. For more information, contact PIIN: office@piin.org, 412-621-9230.

Mar 3: Sustainable Monroeville film screening

Join Sustainable Monroeville for a plant-based potluck dinner and a screening of the documentary The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, as well as a preview of next month's movie: Latest in Clinical Nutrition with Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. and discussion following the film!

6 p.m. (dinner) and 7 p.m. (film) at the Monroeville Public Library. More info here. Remember to pack in and pack out your plate, cup and utensils! This is a "zero waste" meeting, so we hope you compost and recycle at home!!!

Feb 27: Climate change series at Pitt

The Global Studies Center, University Honors College and the Model UN Club, will present a series of four events to foster understanding and engagement on the urgent topic of climate change, with key participants in the debates at the UN and from major non-governmental organizations (NGOs). All events start at 4pm and will be held at the O'Hara Student Center, 4024 O'Hara Street, on the Pitt campus.

January 30 The UN Framework on Climate Change

February 13 Drowning: Climate Change Hits a Small Island

February 27 Outside Pressure: NGOs as Climate Change Stakeholders

March 27 Making a Difference in Climate Change Discourse: The UN and/or Popular Movements

Guest speakers, participating via video, will discuss the politics of climate negotiations, the possibilities and limitations of the UN in addressing environmental issues, and how civil society groups, from environmentalist to public-health and peace activists, engage the UN. Recommended readings for each event posted on website. Each session will include time for Q&A and extended dialogue with the guest speakers.

The sessions will be moderated by Dr. Roger Rouse, Instructor in Global Studies at Pitt, and by Ambassador Ahmad Kamal, a professional diplomat from Pakistan who is the Founding President of the Ambassadors Club at the UN and a Senior Fellow if the UN’s Institute of Training and Research.

Speaker bios, relevant readings and more about the sessions are available at the series website http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/dialogs/climate-change-talks

Feb 26: Film screening, Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria

Food & Water Watch's local efforts to rein in factory farm abuse of antibiotics are picking up steam! You are invited to a special opportunity to watch the PBS documentary, "Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria," to learn more about the problem and how you can get involved here in Pittsburgh. There will also be food provided! If you haven't seen the program, it's a must-watch warning on where modern medicine is headed unless we do something to protect our life-saving antibiotics from misuse on factory farms. Here are the details:

7 p.m. at the Allegheny Sierra Club office: 425 N. Craig St. Suite 202, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Free parking available. Email Margaret to register, and for parking details.

Factory farms are abusing antibiotics — feeding daily, low doses to otherwise healthy animals to promote growth and prevent disease in filthy living conditions. As a result, antibiotic resistant infections are becoming a serious public health threat, and the medicines we rely on may no longer work for us when we need them. The good news is that we can do something about it. Come out and join us to watch the film, eat some snacks, and find out more about the local movement!

Feb 27 and Mar 6, 13 & 22: Help with health care coverage

Get covered! Starting Thursday in Greenfield, then Hazelwood, Oakland & Squirrel Hill

There’s still time to sign up for health care coverage. The deadline is March 31, but the sooner you sign up, the sooner your insurance coverage starts. Many people in western Pennsylvania qualify for reductions – sometimes major reductions – in the premiums. The Affordable Care Act is working: more than 123,000 Pennsylvanians have already signed up for coverage.

State Representative Dan Frankel is sponsoring more local sessions to help people obtain health insurance through the marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Come learn about the marketplace from trained educators. You’ll also have the opportunity to sign up for free one-on-one help. Please RSVP with Dan's office at 412-422-1774 for any of these sessions:

• Greenfield: Thursday, Feb. 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Magee Recreation Center, 745 Greenfield Ave., Pittsburgh, 15217

• Hazelwood: Thursday, March 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., The Car Barn, 5344 Second Ave., Pittsburgh, 15207

• Oakland: Thursday, March 13 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oakland Career Center, 294 Semple St., Pittsburgh, 15213

• Squirrel Hill: Saturday, March 22 from noon to 5 p.m., Carnegie Library, 5801 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, 15217

Feb 24: Gas Rush Stories at Mellon Institute

Come join the local chapter of the American Chemical Society for a screening of Gas Rush Stories & a discussion with filmmaker Kirsi Jansa.

Shale gas exploration is one of the environmental issues of our time and place. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court made declared major provisions of the state's new oil and gas act, Act 13, unconstitutional. Governor Corbett's administration filed an appeal. But what does shale gas exploration look like from the perspective of the people who are experiencing first-hand the impacts of the shale gas boom?

Gas Rush Stories, a series of short documentaries, shows how shale gas drilling has changed and is changing the lives of individual Pennsylvanians. Gas Rush Stories also takes a wider look at this issue: How is shale gas exploration changing the Pennsylvania landscape? How is shale gas exploration impacting the development of renewable energy? Gas Rush Stories is produced by independent journalist and filmmaker Kirsi Jansa and funded by The Heinz Endowments and individual donors.

7 p.m. in the Mellon Institute Conference Room (4400 5th Ave, entrance on S. Bellefield). Free and open to the public. For more information, please visit:
http://www.gasrushstories.com/
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/a-fresh-look-at-americas-gas-lands/

Environmental Group of the Pittsburgh Section of the ACS's photo.

Feb 20: Green Drinks at Gus's

Pittsburgh's Green Drinks for February will feature the ReFuel program, a partnership of Greenlight Biofuels and GTECH Strategies.

5-8 p.m. at Gus's Café in Lawrenceville (4717 Butler St, 15206). Free and open to the public. To register for this event, click here. For questions, email pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com.

Green Drinks Pittsburgh is a sustainability network platform to inspire new ideas and awareness, find out what is happening in Pittsburgh, meet up with friends you haven't see for a while, and make new ones too!

Feb 19: Film screening: TINY (houses)

Free public screening of the new tiny house documentary "TINY: A Story About Living Small," followed by a Skype Q&A with the directors from the living room of their famous tiny home!

A designer from IKEA will offer ideas for smart design solutions in smaller homes, and representatives from cityLAB will join us to discuss their experiment in bringing tiny housing to Pittsburgh!

7:30pm at Chatham University's Beckwith Auditorium (located in Buhl Hall/Science Complex)

ABOUT THE FILM
TINY is a documentary about home, and how we find it.
The film follows one couple’s attempt to build a “tiny house”
from scratch, and profiles other families who have downsized
their lives into homes smaller than the average parking space.
Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film
raises questions about good design, the nature of home,
and the changing American Dream.

http://tiny-themovie.com/

Feb 13: Climate change series at Pitt

January 30 The UN Framework on Climate Change

February 13 Drowning: Climate Change Hits a Small Island

February 27 Outside Pressure: NGOs as Climate Change Stakeholders

March 27 Making a Difference in Climate Change Discourse: The UN and/or Popular Movements

Speaker bios, relevant readings and more about the sessions are available at the series website http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/dialogs/climate-change-talks

Feb 13: Gas Rush Stories screening and community conversation

On the second Thursday of each month (Feb 13, Mar 13, Apr 10), join filmmaker Kirsi Jansa for a screening of several episodes of GRS, along with a community conversation.

Shale gas exploration is one of The Environmental Issues of our time and place. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court made history by declaring major provisions of the state's new oil and gas act, Act 13, unconstitutional. Governor Corbett's administration filed an appeal. But what does shale gas exploration look like from the perspective of the people who are first-hand experiencing the impacts of the shale gas boom?

Gas Rush Stories, a series of short documentaries tells stories how shale gas drilling has changed and is changing the lives of individual Pennsylvanians. Gas Rush Stories also takes a wider perspective in this issue: How is shale gas exploration changing Pennsylvania landscape? How is shale gas exploration impacting the development of renewable energy? Gas Rush Stories is produced by independent journalist and filmmaker Kirsi Jansa and funded by The Heinz Endowments and individual donors.

7-9 p.m. at Point Breezeway, 7113 Reynolds St. Suggested donation: $5-15 (no one turned away for lack of funds). Wine and popcorn provided.

More information:

http://www.gasrushstories.com

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/a-fresh-look-at-americas-gas-lands/#postComment

Feb 3: Food, farming, and climate lecture at CMU

The Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy Presents Gary Paul Nabhan, the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Arizona:

"Tapping Into the Wisdom of Traditional Farmers: Sustainably Growing Food in the Face of Climate Uncertainty"

Over the next half century, climate change will dramatically affect which food crop varieties reach optimum quality in nearly every foodscape in North America. Farmers' selection of crop varieties and how they grow them in each microclimate will be radically reworked by declining chill hours, extreme summer temperatures, the changed frequency of tropical storms, and extended droughts. Fresh water scarcity and increasing salinity will also change what food plants can be grown in many localities as well, not just in already arid areas, but along all coasts. By listening to traditional and innovative farmers on five continents and seeing how they are adapting their diversity of food crops to climate extremes, Nabhan offers options to greater reliance on a few "climate-ready" GE crops, each of which costs close to 5 million US dollars to develop, market and employ. The farm-based strategies for innovation developed through biomimicry, ecomimicry and ethnomimicry will be highlighted.

His most recent book is Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land (Chelsea Green, 2013) will be available for purchase prior to and during the lecture.

4:30 p.m. in Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall) at Carnegie Mellon Universaity. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Erika Ninos, Steinbrenner Institute. Environment at CMU events website: http://www.cmu.edu/environment/events/

Feb 3: Sustainable Monroeville -- a Fifth of Solar

Happy Fifth Anniversary! Join Sustainable Monroeville for a wonderful pot luck party and to learn hands-on practical solar information for yourself, your family, and the community!

After a pot luck in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library, Hal Saville of EIS Solar will speak about working together as a community to install solar panels on all of the places we live and work. Help get started in Monroeville and surrounding communities collectively and collaboratively! When we work together, the price comes down.

Monroeville is now "Solar-Ready"! The township's new solar ordinance lays a path to encourage the growth of clean, renewable energy on local homes and businesses. Energy Independent Solutions, the solar developer for Phipps Conservatory and many other local solar installations, will host a free workshop explaining solar power basics, the new ordinance's purpose, and how to get started with solar (including site evaluation, government incentives and project financing). Have your solar questions answered and your home or business evaluated at this informative workshop.

We'll start out the five year anniversary celebration with a pot luck dinner at 6:00 PM. The meeting and talk by Hal Saville will begin at 7:00 PM. Remember to bring along your plate, silverware and a cup too, along with a friend, family, and a few neighbors.

SAVE THE DATES: Sustainable Monroeville Meetings for 2014: March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6, December 1, 2014

For more information, contact Elisa Beck, O.D., F.C.O.V.D., S.M.E. or check out www.sustainablemonroeville.com and monroevillefoodgarden.wordpress.com

Elisa is also the force behind the Schwartz Living Market: an Urban Oasis for Healthful Living

Twitter: SustMonv

You can also find Schwartz Living Market, Living Building Challenge Collaborative-Pittsburgh, Sustainable Monroeville, and Transition Pittsburgh on Facebook.

Feb 1: Sustainability Salon & Sing with Steingraber & Seeger

The Winter Film Series continues with with Living Downstream, an eloquent and cinematic documentary about environmental health based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, PhD. Join us at the 25th Sustainability Salon to share Sandra's experiences as scientist, patient, and activist as she forms an environmental human rights movement called Walking Upstream. You too can become a carcinogenic abolitionist.

With the death of the incomparable Pete Seeger this week, there will surely be a rousing sing in the evening (after the film, discussion, and potluck supper; more on all that below).

The next Sustainability Salon will feature our annual focus on local, more humane, and more sustainable food — and will take place on March 15th.

By the way, many salon-goers have admired the house across the street, with the pretty river birch. The folks who live there are moving on, and the house is being sold. Please contact me if you’d like more information about becoming our newest neighbor!

And a couple of notes by way of followup to previous salons:

1. One of the news outlets featured at our November salon on environmental journalism was PublicSource — a nonprofit journalism website in Pittsburgh providing in-depth news about Western Pennsylvania. They cover issues of energy and the environment, social justice, criminal justice, and more; their motto is Dig Deeper. I encourage you to sign up for their newsletter and become a member of our growing group of readers. They’ll send you their stories in emails once a week and invite you to discussions about topics they cover. You can sign up online at PublicSource.org. And don’t forget to tune in to WESA (90.5 FM) at 7:30 on Saturday mornings (or online) for The Allegheny Front!

2. For salon-goers who joined us at last winter’s screening of Gas Rush Stories (or wish they had), note that there are monthly community screenings taking place in Point Breeze, with conversations led by filmmaker Kirsi Jansa.

Living Downstream

This poetic film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. After a routine cancer screening, Sandra receives some worrying results and is thrust into a period of medical uncertainty. Thus, we begin two journeys with Sandra: her private struggles with cancer and her public quest to bring attention to the urgent human rights issue of cancer prevention.

But Sandra is not the only one who is on a journey—the chemicals against which she is fighting are also on the move. We follow these invisible toxins as they migrate to some of the most beautiful places in North America. We see how these chemicals enter our bodies and how, once inside, scientists believe they may be working to cause cancer.

Several experts in the fields of toxicology and cancer research make important cameo appearances in the film, highlighting their own findings on two pervasive chemicals: atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, and the industrial compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Their work further illuminates the significant connection between a healthy environment and human health.

At once Sandra’s personal journey and her scientific exploration, Living Downstream is a powerful reminder of the intimate connection between the health of our bodies and the health of our air, land, and water. You can watch the trailer here.

3-10 p.m. at Maren's house in Squirrel Hill. Please don't arrive before 3pm; we usually introduce speakers (or start films) beginning around 4pm after folks have had a chance to meet, mingle, and tour around an interesting and productive urban permaculture site. Please email me to RSVP (yes or maybe), or click on the link in your EventBrite invitation. Please do so 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. Bring food and/or drink to share if you can, 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.

Note once again that 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 (assistance would be welcome -- thanks to Beth for her help with the transition to EventBrite), but for now it takes a while to to dot all my i's and cross all my t's.

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For the uninitiated, a Sustainability Salon is an educational forum, a venue for discussion and debate about important environmental issues, a house party with an environmental theme. We usually have featured speakers on 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 mapping projects, environmental journalism, grassroots action, community solar power, Marcellus shale development and community rights, green building, air quality, health care, solar power, trees and park stewardship, alternative energy and climate policy, regional watershed issues, fantastic film screenings and discussions (led by filmmakers) over the winter with Bidder 70, YERT, Gas Rush Stories, and food, food, and more food.

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.

Jan 31 - Feb 2: Grand Reopening of the Pittsburgh Public Market

Friday, January 31st
9:30 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. - Live music with Broke, Stranded and Ugly
5:30 – 8 p.m. – Friends of the Market Tasting. Purchase tickets here.

Saturday, February 1st

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Broke Little Rich Girl fashion boutique truck

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. – The Olive Tap Presents: Cooking with Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Vince Burns, live violin

1 p.m. – Caroline Shannon-Karasik, gluten free cookbook reading & tasting

2 p.m. – Make Your Own lip scrub with Mind Body Essentials
3 p.m. – Trio of Pastas recipe demo & sampling with Ohio City Pasta (RSVP to info@pittsburghpublicmarket.org)
4 p.m. – Eliza’s Oven Boozy Baking Workshop with Wigle Whiskey Tasting ($20/person, $18/Friend of the Market, Register here!) An intoxicating hour of booze education! Learn the ins and outs of baking with booze complete with samples, whiskey tastings and a Q & A session with Boozy Baker Eliza Jane Bowman and Pittsburgh’s Premiere whiskey distillery, Wigle Whiskey.

Sunday, February 2nd
11 a.m. – Live Cookspeak! Podcast with Chef Tom Totin
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Kids activities with our partners at Wonderaddo
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. – Live music with Squirrel Hillbillies
1 p.m. – Terrarium Class with greenSinner.
We’ll talk about considerations for choosing plants, accessorizing your
terrarium, and successfully caring for it. Then we’ll turn you loose on a container
of your choice to plant your very own terrarium. Bring a glass container. Please
RSVP to jonathan@greensinner.com to let us know you're coming.
Class costs $15, which includes soil, moss, rocks, etc. Plants are extra.
12 p.m. – 3 p.m – Balloon art by Kristin in our brand new Kid’s Corner!
2 p.m – 3:30 p.m. - Free documentary screening of Bethany's Story, sponsored by Lean Chef en Route/ Zest Wishes.

Jan 30: Climate Change series at Pitt

January 30 The UN Framework on Climate Change

February 13 Drowning: Climate Change Hits a Small Island

February 27 Outside Pressure: NGOs as Climate Change Stakeholders

March 27 Making a Difference in Climate Change Discourse: The UN and/or Popular Movements

Speaker bios, relevant readings and more about the sessions are available at the series website http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/dialogs/climate-change-talks

Jan 29: Farm to Table Lunch & Learn

Farm to Table Lunch & Learn: Bringing Farm to Table into your Workplace

This complimentary workshop is part of our monthly series at the Pittsburgh Public Market. Lunch is included. Anyone interested in incorporating Wellness into their organization should attend. Discussion will include an introduction to the "Farm to Table" concept: how do you buy local in Western Pennsylvania?

12 noon - 1 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Public Market (2401 Penn Ave. 15222)

Jan 26: Democratic Gubernatorial Forum

Eight candidates are competing in a wide-open race for Pennsylvania governor: John Hanger, Jo Ellen Litz, Rob McCord, Katie McGinty, Max Myers, Ed Pawlowski, Allyson Schwartz, and Tom Wolf.

Please join the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club, the 14th Ward Democratic Committee, the 7th Ward Democratic Committee, and the CMU Democrats for a Democratic Gubernatorial Forum to learn more about the candidates -- and make a New Year's resolution to work toward unseating Tom Corbett this fall.

2 - 3:30 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.) at McConomy Auditorium in CMU's University Center. Note that parking is free on campus on the weekends (in the lot at Forbes & Morewood, or in the garage). For more information, contact Sam Hens-Greco. This forum will also serve as the Club Annual Meeting.

Jan 25: Summit Against Racism

The 16th annual Summit Against Racism will include workshops, panels, discussion, tabling, and meals.

8 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Learn more and register online here.

Jan 23: Green Drinks at TechShop

Green Drinks this month will take place 5-8 p.m. at TechShop Pittsburgh, 192 Bakery Square Blvd.

Jan 21: Healthy Farms, Healthy Families kickoff

Every year, 2 million people contract antibiotic-resistant infections. Food & Water Watch thinks that's 2 million too many. Unless we rein in the rampant use of antibiotics on factory farms, the medicines we rely on won’t work when we really need them. We have a chance to protect our antibiotics -- and public health -- starting here in Pittsburgh, and we need your help.

Join us in Pittsburgh to find out more about our new local campaign as part of a nationwide effort to rein in factory farms.

6:30 - 7:45 p.m. at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh- East Liberty, Room 3B (130 S. Whitfield St., Pittsburgh, PA). RSVP here to join the campaign to make factory farms stop abusing our antibiotics!

Right now, 80% of antibiotics in the US are used on factory farms, primarily to make animals grow faster and to compensate for filthy conditions. This is not how antibiotics should be used. Low doses of drugs only kill some of the bacteria, leaving behind the stronger bugs -- and when humans get sick, these antibiotics may no longer work to make us better.

We want to live in a world where life-saving medications will be there when our family members get sick, but factory farms are playing by their own set of rules and putting the rest of us in danger. That’s why we're launching a nationwide effort right here in Pittsburgh, to pass local resolutions showing Congress and Senator Bob Casey that the people want action to ban the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms. And we need your help!

Jan 18 & Jan 20: Let Freedom Sing! MLK Day concerts

A pair of concerts celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Spoken word, gospel, and drumming. Loved Vanessa German's rousing poem at Bill Peduto's inauguration? She'll be in both of these concerts.

Saturday 7 p.m. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church (2001 Wylie Ave 15219) and
Monday 7 p.m. at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon (1562).

Free admission; monetary donations accepted for local food banks. More information here.

Jan 16: GASP Bike Air Monitor open house

Attention cyclists, friends of cyclists, and all fans of clean air! GASP and Athletes United for Healthy Air invite you to come and check out our brand new, interactive bicycle air monitoring map. This map, compiled from handlebar mounted particulate matter monitors, allows folks to investigate air quality their biking, walking, and running routes. Special thanks goes to the University of Pittsburgh Computer Science program for donating their time to help us create this map. For more info, check out this link: http://gasp-pgh.org/projects/bam/

Meet us in our offices on January 16th @530pm, load up on good food and tasty drinks. At 6pm we'll present the project and discuss some sources of air pollution that you should be on the lookout for. After that, feel free to play with the map, chat with GASP staff, and give us your feedback! We will be wrapping things up at 8:30. We want you to let us know what you think and how the project can be expanded and improved. Hope to see you there! The GASP offices are located at 5135 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224.

Please RSVP on Facebook by following this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/638057592883641/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar

Jan 16: Community Solar gathering

SUNWPA (Solar Unified Network of Western Pennsylvania) is holding a Stone Soup and Community Solar Summit - an education, networking and soup/potluck event focused on “shared solar” (aka, “community solar”), We will explore the various regulatory considerations in Pennsylvania surrounding shared solar projects as well as the possible options for our region.

6 – 8 p.m. at Schwartz’s Living Market on the Southside. Please register so we know how many to expect. Here’s more information and the registration link: https://stonesoupandsolar.eventbrite.com.

In addition, SUNWPA will be starting a Shared Solar Task Force and we will be discussing how to get involved with this activity during the Stone Soup and Solar event on the 16^th. This task force will further explore the opportunities to start a shared solar project in western Pennsylvania.

SUNWPA is also forming a Solar Education Task Force for those who are interested in getting out into the community (libraries, Rotary Clubs, faith groups, etc) to increase solar literacy in the region. The formation of both of these task forces will be voted upon at the next SUNWPA business meeting, which is scheduled for February 13 at the Millvale Community Library from 6:30-8:30pm. You are welcome to attend that meeting as well (more information will be forthcoming). If you can’t attend but are interested, please contact Sharon Pillar to be added to the list. And please email Maren if you'd like to join the email/online discussion/resource group on the topic that grew out of last September's Sustainability Salon.

Jan 16: Inspire lecture with Place-Based Education

Inspire Speakers Series Returns with
Place-Based Education: Making School More Like a Farmers’ Market

Start the new year off right with Phipps and Green Building Alliance at our next Inspire Speakers Series event! On Jan. 16, author and educator David Sobel will show us how a place-based approach to education allows kids to explore their communities and local resources, while Executive Director Jane Werner will share how The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh puts this theory into action.

The gorgeous backdrop of Phipps is a perfect place to take in an inspiring presentation. Enjoy light refreshments and networking with attendees before presentations begin at 6 p.m. You may also register to join the speakers for dinner at The Porch after the event.

5 – 8 p.m. at the Phipps Events Hall. Learn More and Register

Jan 11: Sustainability Salon Winter Film Series

Once again, with dark afternoon skies and uncertain winter weather, the wintertime Sustainability Salons will take the form of film screenings and discussions (along with the usual potluck fare and evening music). We're still working on the film selection(s) for Feb 1st, but rest assured we'll have some tremendous examples of environmental filmmaking to provide fuel for lots of heated discussion during this chilly season! And we'll be physically toasty with the help of the masonry heater.

In the meantime, for Jan 11:

The choice you are making today is what side are you on. -- Tim DeChristopher

Bidder 70 centers on an extraordinary, ingenious and effective act of civil disobedience demanding government and industry accountability. In 2008, University of Utah economics student Tim DeChristopher committed an act which would redefine patriotism in our time, igniting a spirit of civil disobedience in the name of climate justice. Follow Tim, Bidder 70, from college student to incarcerated felon. Redefine justice for yourself. Choose your side.

In the words of local filmmaker (and my co-conspirator for the Winter Film Series) Mark Dixon, "Bidder 70 is extremely compelling. Made me cry. Got me angry. Got me hopeful. All those things." To see the trailer and read reviews and more information, click here.

3-10 p.m. at Maren's house in Squirrel Hill. Please don't arrive before 3pm; we usually introduce speakers beginning around 4pm after folks have had a chance to meet, mingle, and tour around an interesting and productive urban permaculture site. Please email me to RSVP (yes or maybe), or click on the link in your EventBrite invitation. Please do so 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. Bring food and/or drink to share if you can, 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.

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For the uninitiated, a Sustainability Salon is an educational forum, a venue for discussion and debate about important environmental issues, a house party with an environmental theme. We usually have featured speakers on 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 mapping projects, environmental journalism, grassroots action, community solar power, Marcellus shale development and community rights, green building, air quality, health care, solar power, trees and park stewardship, alternative energy and climate policy, regional watershed issues, fantastic film screenings and discussions (led by the filmmakers) over the winter with both YERT and Gas Rush Stories, and food, food, and more food.

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 of any kind: wine, beer, hard or sweet cider (the latter we can mull if you like), juice, tea, whatever (I've got the kombucha covered, though it's always fun to compare). The more the merrier! Local fare is always particularly welcome, whether homegrown or boughten. Dishes containing meat are fine, though if it isn't really obvious please make a note of it.

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.

Jan 6: Last day for Braddock kickstarter

January 6th is the end-date of a Kickstarter campaign to enable a fantastic new enterprise get off the ground in Braddock, bringing together world-class food, ultra-local farming, job training, building reuse, economic stimulus, and community-building for Braddock and for the greater Pittsburgh region. Superior Motors is the once and future name of Kevin Sousa's groundbreaking restaurant-in-the-works. Help make it happen with the Kickstarter campaign!

Here is a wonderful blog about the whole project by Brazen Kitchen's Leah Lizarondo.

Jan 4: Protect Our Parks info session

The Protect Our Parks movement has made some headway and attracted quite a bit of media attention since beginning the fight to protect Allegheny County parks from fracking (back in August). As the New Year begins, here's an opportunity to get up-to-date on the latest information, and ways in which more people can get involved!

The meeting will begin with a brief overview of where we currently stand, followed by a discussion of talking points for County Council, how to register to speak and other logistical details for Council meetings, and brainstorming on ideas for further actions.

11-12 at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church (116 S Highland Avenue, 15206).

Jan 1: Welcome to 2014!

I wish all my MarensList visitors good health in the New Year, and hope that you will be engaged in positive change. Let's turn this train around, bringing consciousness and action to all levels of society.