Mar 19 and other dates -- Rain barrel workshops

Upcoming PRC Watershed & Rain Barrel Workshops

Workshop participants will learn how to harvest rainwater from their roofs, store it, and use it in the landscape. They also learn how to reduce their contribution to combined sewer overflow (CSO), flooding, and polluted urban runoff by learning how to practice watershed protection and conservation in their own backyards. It’s easier than you think!

PRC’s Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop raises awareness of watershed issues, demonstrates how to install a 55-gallon rain barrel, and introduces other rainwater harvesting options.

Participants will also receive a FreeGarden RAIN 55-gallon rain barrel (seen below). Designed with the homeowner/gardener in mind, it is affordable, attractive, and easy to install.

Cost: $80/person and $85/couple

March 19, 2016
Ross Township Community Center
10:30AM –Noon
Register HERE

April 9, 2016
Organics and More – Sandy Lake, PA11 AM – 12:30 PM
Register HERE

April 12, 2016
North Park – Rose Barn
6:30-8PM
Register HERE

April 14, 2016
Phipps Garden Center
7 -8:30 PM
Register HERE

April 18, 2016
Churchill Borough Building
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Register HERE

April 20, 2016
South Park – Buffalo Inn 
6:30-8PM
Register HERE

April 23, 2016
Ross Township Community Center
11:00AM – 12:30PM
Register HERE

April 26, 2016
Boyce Park – Ski Lodge
6:30-8PM
Register HERE

April 30, 2016
Blueberry Hill Activity Center 
10:30AM –Noon
Register HERE

To register click on the Register Here button under the workshop you wish to attend or please call (412) 488.7490 ext. 247 or email  nancym@prc.org

Workshop gift certificates and premade rainbarrels are now available – contact Nancy Martin at (412) 488-7490 ext. 247 or email her at nancym@prc.org.

Mar 18-19: Local food conference

The 10th Annual Farm To Table Conference will provide consumers with two days of networking and educational opportunities.  Seasonal cooking demonstrations, gardening, and information about the nutritional value of local food are presented by local experts.

Meet with other Locavores to discuss ideas about where your food comes from, and where to find businesses and organizations who can provide you with healthy food and healthy lifestyle choices.

10am-5pm both days at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown;  additional events before and after each day.  More info and register online here.

And this just in:  Friday, March 18, 2016 is officially Pittsburgh Farm to Table Day! Thanks to the Council of the City of Pittsburgh. We will be part of Pittsburgh's 200th birthday that is also kicking off on March 18. Look for our Lettuce Turnip the Beet float in the July 9th bi-centennial parade. 

Mar 17-Apr 3: CMU International Film Festival

Faces of Conflict:  the 10th anniversary season of the CMU International Film Festival premieres with the though-provoking Danish film A War, "a war film for audiences who don’t like war films" followed by a reception.  

7 p.m. at McConomy Hall in the Jared Cohon University Center at CMU.  The theme and schedule, more information on all 16 amazing films, special guests from Spike Lee to Krzysztof Kopczynski, and online ticket sales are at the Festival web site.  Note that as part of the Festival's partnership with Putting Down Roots Sustainability Salons, salongoers may attend each film or the Festival as a whole at the student/senior price (just register that way and identify yourself at check-in.  

Mar 16: The Greening of Phipps

The Greening of Phipps: Aligning Operations with Mission and Values

Pittsburgh is blessed with one of the Earth’s greenest buildings – Phipps Conservatory in Oakland. How this gem came about, based on an evolving philosophy, will be the topic of a Pittsburgh350 talk to be given by Richard Piacentini, Executive Director of Phipps.

The greening of Phipps was a learning and evolving process that occurred over a 10 year period.  It led to building some of the greenest buildings in the world;  Phipps is now working on our third net-positive energy building.  It also led to our realizing that human and environmental health are inextricably connected and that it is important to walk the talk and align operations with mission and values.  Climate change is one of the greatest threats to life on the planet.  Phipps believes in reducing the use of fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy, which includes making socially responsible choices when investing.  Developing a track record of aligning operations with mission and values has made it possible for the Conservatory to take ever increasingly bolder steps, including those directly related to climate change.

7 - 8:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 for welcome and introductions) at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL), 4466 Frew Street Extension, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Directions: The CSL sits behind Phipps Conservatory and down the hill. If you are coming across the bridge from the Oakland area/Carnegie Library, as soon as you get across the bridge you will make a right turn (there is a Christopher Columbus statue there). The CSL will appear down the hill on your left. You may park for free in any of the parking spots you will see near and around the CSL building. You will enter on the first floor (at the far end of the building). 

Mar 16: Soil to Sustenance workshop

This exciting event (Soil to Sustenance, Mind Your Plate) will be held on March 16th, 2016 from 7:30 - 9:30 pm at the Union Project. It is a high energy interactive workshop where people will learn:

-Why soil nutrition is important and how to improve it.
During this Section of the Workshop, Students will also take home their very own potted organic edible herb with directions to care for.

-What is a proper nutrient dense diet.
Learn the basics of nutrition, and how to eat for vitality.

-How to select/source and create nutrient dense food.
Get an overview of how to ferment and sprout to maximize nutrients and absorption!
Take home a sprouting lid to get your journey started in the kitchen!

-How to eat mindfully to reduce stress and increase nutrient absorption.
Learn the fundamental aspects of mindfulness that will reverberate in all aspects of your life.
Engage in a mindful eating demonstration that will alter the way you interact with food!
Take home a mindful eating journal to help you reconnect with your practice.

7:30-9:30 at the Union Project (801 N Negley Ave., 15207).  For more information and online registration ($20), go here .  Registration includes a coupon book for local restaurants, markets, fitness centers, and garden centers, and there will be a raffle of neat gifts from various sponsors for some really cool items - they are keeping it a surprise!  All attendees will also gain access to a 4 day online mindfulness course

About the worksop leaders:

Jessica is a certified Nutritional Therapist, the founder of Eco Nut Therapy, a certified Ecological Farmer, and has a B.S. in Sustainable Living/Living Systems and Living Soils. She also loves working with Rebel Health Tribe and the Bionutrient Food Association.

Jason is a co-founder of the mindfulness company Naked Moment, with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. Jason has a B.S. in Sustainable Living with a specialization in Natural Building. He also has been trained to teach many aspects of meditation and is an empowering personal lifestyle enhancement coach.

Let’s transform the connection we have with our food and its origins through the soil, nutrition, and how we process and consume it. Part of our mission is to enliven the attention and process of eating and its wide impact on our environment. Humans can be a positive influence on the ecosystem. We are merging our passions in this Soil to Sustenance workshop to encourage a regenerative system by minding your plate. Each bite of food has a story.

The Soil to Sustenance, Mind Your Plate event is providing wholistic nutrition, ecological farming, and mindfulness education to the Pittsburgh area community. The funds provided by this event will be used to further spread this crucial knowledge as a means of increasing food security, food nutrition, human health, earth health, quality of life, mental health, and empowerment.

Mar 16: E-Wasteland film screening

Join Cinema Politica Pittsburgh for a film screening and popcorn at TechShop Pittsburgh! 

About the film:

In developing countries, the demand for second-hand electronic equipment is quickly growing, due to an increasing connection to the “global world”, and the inability to afford brand new products.

Every year, around 200,000 tonnes of second-hand and condemned electrical goods arrive in Ghana, West Africa, mainly received from the “developed” world.

Many of these electronics are nearing the end of their life, and will soon be discarded as e-waste. A significant volume of electronics actually arrive as e-waste, exported illegally as second hand goods.

7 p.m. at TechShop Pittsburgh (192 Bakery Square Blvd, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206).  $5 suggested donation.  More info at:  www.cinemapolitica.org/pittsburgh

Mar 15: Nutrition and Mindfulness workshop

Come to City Grows, an urban organic garden shop in Lawrenceville, for a delightful evening of discussion on how to choose the best foods to nourish yourself and your family.  It is not just about what we eat, but how we eat, where it came from, who grew it, and how it was grown.  This workshop will include not only helpful guidance on how to choose the best foods for your health, but also an interactive mindfulness meditation technique that can be used immediately as well as incorporated into your daily life.  We hope to empower and give clarification to jump start a brighter future.

Our two guest speakers are Jessica Smith and Jason Nelson.  Jessica has a bachelor's in Sustainable Living with an emphasis on Living Systems and Living Soils.  She is a certified Ecological Farmer and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.

Her partner, Jason Nelson, is a co-founder of a Mindfulness start up, Naked Moment.  He also has a bachelor's of Sustainable Living and Natural Building as well as training in yoga and meditation.

They have teamed up to educate about wholistic nutrition -- from the soil up -- and mindful living.

http://nakedmoment.com/
http://econuttherapy.com/

7-8 p.m. at City Grows (5208 Butler Street in Lawrenceville).  This class is free, but small donations are accepted to help cover the cost of materials!  Spots are available first come, first serve, so please arrive as close to 6 as possible.  A head count will surely be helpful, so you can RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Mar 15: Clean Rivers Campaign Twitter/Facebook Rally

Join the Clean Rivers Campaign for a Twitter/FB Rally
to thank our Mayor, County Executive and the EPA
and support their continued work to achieve our shared vision!

Tuesday, March 15, 10-11am via twitter and Facebook

As many have heard, the EPA has responded and will allow Pittsburgh to pursue an adaptive management plan and make significant green-infrastructure investments!

Thanks to your hard work for five years, our shared vision can now become a reality!

Join the Clean Rivers Campaign and supporters from across Allegheny County in thanking our elected officials and the EPA during our twitter rally tomorrow.  We need to let them know that the Pittsburgh region is ready to maximize green solutions that will bring the most benefits to our communities! By signing up now, we'll make sure you receive all the information you need to participate (and there is also more info below)!  
   
What’s a Twitter Rally? 
Simple! During that hour we ask all of our supporters to tweet the EPA expressing their thanks and support for a green plan for Pittsburgh. You can also post on facebook and ask your friends to participate, too.  At the same time, the Campaign will deliver a letter and banner signed by ratepayers like you directly to the EPA!

How to Participate:

Sign up and we will email you all the information you need (more info on the registration page). Then on Tuesday, March 15th from 10-11am, everyone tweets and shares!

RSVP Here: 
http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5452/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=81088

Mar 15: From Flint To Your Faucet

“I’m just trying to get to the truth.”

ACLU investigative reporter Curt Guyette describes his battle to expose dangerous drinking water in Flint, Mich.

The Michigan Press Association recently named Guyette its “Journalist of the Year” for his work on the Flint water problem. The Columbia Journalism Review says, "It was Guyette and the ACLU who played key roles in getting the story to this point." 

But the problem is not limited to Flint. Drinking water everywhere faces threats from lead poisoning, fracking waste water and other environmental hazards. Guyette will be joined by a panel that includes Brentin Mock, reporter for The Atlantic's CityLab.com, Kathy Knauer of The Allegheny Front and Myron Arnowitt of Clean Water Action. 

7-9 p.m. at Point Park University (201 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, 15222).  Free and open to the public, but please register online.

This event is made possible by The Heinz Endowments and is being co-sponsored by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation and the Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh. 

Mar 13: "Disruption" screening and discussion

Faith and Environmenal/Climate Justice Film and Discussion

The film Disruption will be shown (53 min), giving a brief laymen's overview of climate science and the 6 months leading up to the Peoples Climate March in September 2014.  The film highlights the diversity of communities working together to bring 400,000 Americans together in New York City including; labor leaders, faith leaders, scientists, environmental justice communities, minority communities, and students.  The film ends with the summation that we can move forward toward a just future, but it will take a multi-cultural, multi-denominational, and multi-generational movement to achieve.

A discussion will follow highlighting what communities of Faith are doing to address Environmental and Climate justice, the need for us to work together to affect change.  Residents living near the Cheswick power plant and Washington Co. residents living with Oil and gas development are included on the panel.

Panelists include Fred Brown (Homewood Children's Village), Randy Francisco (Sierra Club), Lois Bjornson (Washington Co. resident), John Creasy (Associate Pastor The Open Door Church), Dr. Randy Wiesenmayer (First United Methodist Church), Rev. Bob Ruffle (formerly of the Cheswick area).  Panel moderated by Wanda Guthrie, chair of the Environmental Justice Committee at the Thomas Merton Center.

3 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, John Knox Room (616 N Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206).  The event is free, but your RSVP is appreciated to help provide adequate refreshments for guests. RSVP here http://bit.ly/1M392SI

Partnership event between; Green Faith, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light, Moms Clean Air Force, Pittsburgh 350, Sierra Club, and The Thomas Merton Center.

Mar 12: 50th Sustainability Salon -- COP21 reflections by Dixon, Wiley, and Sargent

News Flash:  Mayor Bill Peduto has been called away on Saturday to represent Pittsburgh elsewhere (out of town).  So he won't be joining us this time, after all!  The good news is that this gives us time to go into greater depth with each of our other speakers -- and Bill will be back again with us for a future salon (yet to be scheduled).  Also, I learned this week that I understated the number of Pittsburghers at COP21;  there was in fact a fifth Pittsburgh participant (an environmental attorney working on reforestation) -- she's not available this weekend, but is very likely to speak at future salon(s).  

So... for our 50th Sustainability Salon, we will welcome back three fantastic speakers for a reflection on the COP21 climate summit in Paris.  We'll have three of the five Pittsburghers who attended the summit:   Randy Sargent, who demonstrated a new platform for viewing time-lapse satellite imagery, youth climate activist Angela Wiley, and documentary filmmaker and COP communicator extraordinaire Mark Dixon.  

April will bring our annual springtime focus on Food.   The date will very likely be April 16th (it might be the 23rd or 30th, but not the 2nd or the 9th).  Still working that out with potential speakers...

[everything below this point is the same as the mailing the other day;  I'm including it in full because there have been some additions to the list in the meantime.]

Salons run 3-10 p.m. at Maren's house in Squirrel Hill.  Please don't arrive before 3 p.m.  We usually aim to start the program sometime around 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!).  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, 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;  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 topic, interspersed with stimulating conversation, lively debate, delectable potluck food and drink, and music-making through the evening.

Past topics have included getting money out of politics, Solarize Allegheny, climate (again, this time focusing on the upcoming COP21 negotiations), 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, community solar power, 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 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, 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 of any kind:  wine, beer, 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 homegrown or boughten.  Dishes containing meat or dairy are fine, though if it isn't really obvious please make a note of it.  


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. 

Mar 12: Variety show for CEDAW

There's a move afoot to have Pittsburgh adopt CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.  

You can have fun *and* learn more about the Pittsburgh for CEDAW campaign at an evening of unparalleled and unpredictable entertainment Empower Pittsburgh - A Swive Official Variety Show presented by Ian Insect, with more than 15 acts.  

6 - 10 p.m. at the Black Forge Coffee House up in Allentown (1206 Arlington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15210).  $8 in advance, $10 at the door.  For more information or to register, please contact pgh4cedaw@gmail.com.  This event is in collaboration with Black Forge Coffee House and No Limits for Women.  More information can be found on the Pittsburgh for CEDAW Facebook Page.

Music by:

Midge Crickett, Julia Devine, David Dickinson, Avi Diamond, Morgan Erina.

Performances by:

Andrew the Impaled, Seth Neustein, Ice Cream Social, Atomic Jane.

Comedy by:

Jess Barnes, Blair Parker, Scott Patton, Liz Tripoli

Burlesque by:

Viva Valezz, Boom Boom Bridgette, Zephyr D'Enchantee.

Mar 10: Inspire lecture on The Story and Power of Place

Inspire Speakers Series and p4 Pittsburgh present The Story and Power of Place with Joel Glanzberg, Valerie Goodwin, and Majestic Lane.

5:30-7 p.m. at the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium at the Hill House Kaufmann Center (1825 Centre Ave.).  Networking, food, and drink begin at 4:30).  Fee on a sliding scale, $10-40.  For more information and to register online, go here.  New this season:  free child care -- see details on the registration web page.  GBCI and ACT48 credits available

Joel Glanzberg will share his life’s work on creating a symbiotic relationship between human existence and natural systems, and the role of mindfulness and self-reflection in understanding our place in the complex world around us. He will share insights into previous work completed around story of place work in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood.  Valerie Goodwin will share how fabric, paint and thread can be used to map narratives through three lenses: the personal narrative, the fictional map narrative, and the political/sociological narrative. Majestic Lane will talk about moving beyond placemaking to sustaining and growing places that also promote equity and inclusion.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Joel Glanzberg is a tracker and teacher of patterns in landscapes, and has focused on the integration of humans in their place. He works to help people learn to understand their places and how to live in them as inhabitants and co-creators. He helps people to see and think as nature does and to solve problems finding the “difference that makes a difference.”  An active author and educator in the fields of permaculture and ecological restoration, he is skilled in cross-cultural communication and teaching.  

Valerie S. Goodwin is a Fiber Artist and Associate Professor of Architecture at Florida A & M University’s School of Architecture and Engineering Technology in Tallahassee, Florida. She is the author of “Art Quilt Maps: Capture a Sense of Place with Fiber Collage – A Visual Guide.” Her interest in quilts grew out of her architectural background, and now her students investigate parallels between architecture and quality as an introduction to ideas about composition, ordering systems, color, and pattern.

Majestic Lane is Director of External Relations & Member Engagement with Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group.  A community organizer since the 10^th grade, Majestic is co-founder of Juice Up 412 – a social enterprise that aims to expand health and wellness access to communities that suffer from health disparities – as well as founder of GMTK Changemakers, an organization focused on improving the quality of life in under-resourced communities.

Learn more about the speakers here.

ABOUT THE INSPIRE SPEAKERS SERIES and p4 PITTSBURGH:
We are pleased to announce that Green Building Alliance and The Heinz Endowments are partnering to bring this year’s lineup of exceptional speakers as a collaboration between Inspire Speakers Series and p4 Pittsburgh (People, Planet, Place and Performance). The two initiatives have the shared goal of bringing big thinkers to Pittsburgh coupled with local leaders to help us aspire to higher levels of performance for our businesses, communities, economy, and future growth. We look forward to having this season’s speakers open our minds to collaboration, innovation, and challenging the status quo.

The Inspire Speakers Series is a Community Effort! Thank you to our…

Presenting Partners: Green Building Alliance and p4 Pittsburgh

Series Sponsors: FedEx Ground and Fourth Economy Consulting

Partners & Funders: The Heinz Endowments, Hill House Association, Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows Program, Chatham University, Environmental Charter School, Homewood Children’s Village, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Repair the World, and Urban Innovation21.

Media partners: WESA, WYEP, and NEXTpittsburgh.

READ MORE & REGISTER

Join the Facebook event, and follow the Series on Twitter #inspirespeakerspgh

Mar 9: Beyond Tunnel Vision, Green-first in Kansas City

Beyond Tunnel Vision: Good Jobs & Green Communities in Kansas City 

Fixing our outdated sewer system and cleaning up our rivers will be the largest ever public works investment in our region. Ratepayers have been calling for a green-first plan that benefits our community, and Mayor Peduto and County Executive Fitzerald are leading the way by calling on the EPA to allow a "green-first, green preferred" plan for our region.   

Thanks to your support and hard work, this shared vision can become a reality! Now, we have an opportunity to see how this vision can transform our region.  Join us for a public presentation on Kansas City's green-first, green-preferred approach and what potential these concepts have in Pittsburgh.  Featuring Tim Duggan and Jason Parson, the architects of the Kansas City plan along with Richard Piacentini, Director of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, and Jessica Demoise, Project Coordinator for the Frick Environmental Center and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. 

6 p.m. (reception at 5) at Phipps Conservatory, in the Special Events Hall (adjacent to the Tropical Forest).  Click here to RSVP or for more information.  Co-sponsored by the Clean Rivers Campaign, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and Phipps Conservatory.

Mar 5: Urban farming film and discussion

Join Grow Pittsburgh, Hill House Association and Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-Operative for the Pittsburgh premiere of Can You Dig This, part of Hill House Association's 28! Days. 

2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30) at the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium in Kaufmann Center (1825 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219).  Tickets are a suggested $10 donation.  No advance sales; tickets will be sold at the door only.  Cash and credit cards accepted.  There is explicit language, and childcare will be provided. 

Can You Dig This follows the inspirational journeys of four unlikely gardeners, discovering what happens when they put their hands in the soil. This is not a story of science and economics. This is a story of the human spirit, inspiring people everywhere to pick up their shovels. Featuring Ron Finely and executive produced by John Legend.

Following the film will be a panel discussion featuring members of the Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-Operative.

Mar 2: Last day to sign up for ROCIS 6th Cohort

Those who have attended any of the recent Sustainability Salon​s may have noticed a variety of electronic monitors here and there about the place.  I've been participating in an air quality study called ROCIS (Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces).

A new group will soon begin monitoring their homes, an opportunity to learn a great deal about indoor air quality and how to improve it white contributing to a growing knowledge base about sources and possible interventions. 

Linda Wigington, the head of the program, sent this invitation around, and encouraged me to help spread the word: 

=====================

We are in the process of confirming participants for the 6^th cohort of the ROCIS Low-Cost Monitoring Project (LCMP) which will run from March 3 to March 30, 2016.  We have room for a few more folks – It would be great if you could participate.

We launched the ROCIS Low Cost Monitoring Project (LCMP) in October 2015 with funding from The Heinz Endowments. The purpose of this project is to explore and clarify the value and applications for low cost monitoring devices to address indoor air quality.

Monitoring kits are loaned for a 3–week period. The kit includes nine devices to measure particles, CO (carbon monoxide), CO₂ (carbon dioxide), radon, temperature, and humidity.

The LCMP objectives are to

                1) Understand how to use monitors to empower occupants

                2) Collect baseline data to better understand outdoor pollutant impacts on indoor air quality

                3) Explore the impact of behavioral and technical interventions

We are targeting motivated, knowledgeable occupants, many of whom have been involved with the ROCIS initiative activities as energy, sustainability, health, or housing professionals. Please note: This is not a light-weight investment of time. Please review the participant expectations that are listed at the bottom of this email.

Please reply by noon on Wednesday, March 2, to confirm your interest and availability.

Participation in the kick-off meeting Thursday, March 3, 6-8 PM at Conservation Consultants (CCI) on Pittsburgh’s South Side is a requirement. The other requirements include having a protected place with power to place two monitors outdoors (on a porch, under a deck, or in an out building), and meeting the expectations below. Being away during part of the monitoring period is not a problem, as it is valuable for us to capture data from unoccupied homes as well as active ones.

Let me know if you have the interest and availability to join us. If you have a schedule conflict or if we are oversubscribed for this round, we can put you on the waiting list for a following cohort. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Linda

Linda Wigington

Project Lead │Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS)

Linda M. Wigington & Associates │ Thousand Home Challenge

lwigington1@outlook.com

724-852-3085 (office), 724-986-0793  (mobile)

http://ROCIS.org ; www.1000HomeChallenge.org

Participant Expectations: ROCIS Round 6 Low Cost Monitoring Project

Prior to Kick-off Meeting

1) Complete ROCIS House Characterization Survey

2) Join the Home Energy Pros, Low Cost Residential Monitoring (2-step process)

Orientation

3) Participate in the Round 6 Kick-off meeting, 6 - 8 PM, Thursday, March 3 and pick up your kit

4) Place and plug in monitors by Saturday, March 5

- Two to be plugged in in a protected location outdoors

5) Verify Speck uploading/Dylos downloading, by Sunday, March 6

Ongoing (From March 5 to March 29, 2016)

6) Regularly check on each monitor (Daily, 10-15 minutes)

            - Week 1: Check all readings twice a day, 5 out of 7 days

- Weeks 2 & 3: Check monitors a minimum of once a day

7) Keep a Diary/Log of activity in your home (Daily, 10-15 minutes)

8) Collect data and upload to ROCIS (Weekly, 30-40 minutes)

- Download Dylos data (easiest if you have access to a Windows-based computer; software

  is not as Mac compatible, we have a work-around if you have no access to a PC)

            - Send weekly log, diary, observations, and manually collected readings of radon, CO, and CO₂.

9) Participate in the evening check-in meeting  (6 - 8 PM Wednesday, March 9, 2016)  Can do via conference call

10) Participate in online discussions (several times/week, 15-60 minutes)

             -Home Energy Pros, Low Cost Monitoring Group (closed group)

11) Continue to monitor and experiment! (Week 2 & 3)

-Change behavior or equipment operation to explore  the impact. Examples include increasing runtime of air handler or portable air cleaner, cooking on back burners & covering pans

Close  (March 30, 2016)

12) Return equipment & attend Wrap-Up meeting  (6 - 8 PM Wednesday, March. 30, 2016 at CCI)

13) OPTIONAL – Analyze & share your air quality data and experience during the March 30 meeting

14) Complete close-out survey

Mar 2: DEP protest on drilling setbacks

Setbacks for natural gas wells are not adequate to protect the public, say health researchers – Children’s organizations and families call on Pennsylvania leaders to do more to protect children’s health

Moms Clean Air Force will hold a press conference on Wednesday, March 2^nd, 2016, at the Pittsburgh office of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support the authors of a new research study on setbacks. 

Authors of a new study published by Environmental Health Perspectives* will discuss their findings that most setbacks from oil and gas operations are not derived from peer-reviewed data, data driven analysis, or historical events – they instead are a compromise between governments, the regulated community, environmental and citizen interest groups, and landowners. Current setbacks are therefore not based on science and are insufficient to protect public health from the dangers of natural gas wells. Natural gas wells can emit dangerous pollutants such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide, and can pose a safety risk from blowouts and explosions. In addition to health researchers and environmental organizations speaking, moms from southwest PA will share their experiences  of living in the shale field, and how their proximity to oil and gas operations impacts their families. 

Location:        Department of Environmental Protection – Pittsburgh office

                           400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Date & Time:  March 2^nd @ 10:30am

Speakers:       Patrice Tomcik, Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force

            Dr. Marsha Haley, MD, Radiation Oncologist, study author

            Dr. Michael McCawley, PhD, Interim Chair, Department of Occupational and                          

            Environmental Health Sciences, West Virginia University, study author

            Chelsea Holmes, MS, Director of Community Education, Women for a Healthy Environment

            Jacki Smathers, Mars Parent Group, Mother of three children

            Jane Worthington, Nurse, Mother of two children in the Ft Cherry School District  

Contact: Patrice Tomcik, ptomcik@momscleanairforce.org 412-999-2360 with any questions.