Pumpkin Carving

October 22, 2009 in Uncategorized by webmaster


Come carve Pumpkins

in the Barco Basement

Friday October 30th from 1-3.

Snacks and Carving tools provided. Please bring $5 to cover the cost of the pumpkin and RSVP to ELCpitt@gmail.com by Tuesday if you would like to attend.  Non ELC members welcome!

(picture borrwed from <sarahmeyerwalsh.wordpress.com>)

October 12, 2009 in Uncategorized by webmaster

GREEN Drinks!!

You are invited the 3rd Friday of each month, 5-9pm, to an informal gathering of folks who have an interest in a greener, more sustainable planet.

REMINDER: THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16th, 2009, 5-9pm

Hosted by

MAYOR LUKE RAVENSTAHL

From Green to Greener

How the Mayor plans to build on his accomplishments

Fire Engine House-Clemente Museum

Senator Jim Ferlo will introduce the Mayor between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.

  • In early 2007, Mayor Ravenstahl signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to implement local global warming solutions that will save taxpayer dollars and reduce energy use.
  • Following this commitment, the City of Pittsburgh adopted the first Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan in August 2008,which established a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2023.
  • In 2008, the City of Pittsburgh hired its first Sustainability Coordinator, as did the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority. Mayor Ravenstahl also created a $100,000 Green Initiative Trust Fund to support the City’s greening efforts.
  • Under the leadership of Mayor Ravenstahl, the City has taken strides to improve energy efficiency, including replacing all traffic signals with energy-saving LEDs, engaging in an energy-efficiency streetlighting pilot study, and hiring an engineering firm to complete an energy audit of the City-County Building.
  • In September 2009, The Western PA Energy Consortium, managed by the City of Pittsburgh, won a “Green Power Leadership Award” from the US EPA for purchasing 10% of electricity from renewable sources. This percentage will increase to 15% next year.
  • Pittsburgh is one of only 25 U.S. cities to be named a Solar America City through Department of Energy. As part of this program, the City will be installing the first solar hot water heater on Pittsburgh Firehouse No. 34 in Woods Run in October, and has plans to install another 5 solar hot water heaters in 2010, eliminating the need to use natural gas to create hot water for showers and kitchens in those buildings.
  • To foster non-motorized transportation, Mayor Ravenstahl created the position of Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator, who works to improve general bike parking, access, and safety throughout the city. The Coordinator is also working with a Pittsburgh non-profit (Bike Pittsburgh) to create an employee bike program that can be rolled out to other employers.
  • In November 2008, the City expanded single-stream recycling city-wide, meaning citizens can place all recyclables in the same blue bag for curbside pick up, resulting in a 31% increase by tonnage.
  • In 2008, the City planted over 700 trees and received a special Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation for developing a partnership with Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest.
  • Mayor Ravenstahl created the Green Up Pittsburgh program, which aims to stabilize city-owned vacant lots with the goals of reducing blight, inspiring community pride, and promoting environmental values. To date, Green Up has greened over 100 lots, with the help of thousands of volunteers.

    FREE PARKING
    FREE APPETIZERS*
    FREE BEER    *

    *Compliments of Senator Jim Ferlo

Please join us for some green conversation with the Mayor and each other.

Where: Engine House No. 25 3339 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA, 15201 (412-681-1268)

For Port Authority Bus Routes, go here: http://www.portauthority.org

FOR MORE INFO: pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com

Upcoming Events

September 24, 2009 in Uncategorized by webmaster

October 3rd- No Plate Left Behind- We plan to meet at Barco and head over to Schenley Park for a hike, some games and fun, and lunch.  Attendees only need to bring a plate, drink, and utensils.  RSVP by Tuesday 29th, tag-alongs welcome!

End of October- Pumpkin Fun!- We plan to go to a local farm and get some pumpkins, maybe check out a maze, then head to Barco Basement to sip cider, eat cookies, and carve pumpkins.  Everything will be provided except the pumpkin!

Mid November- Career Panel- we are in the process of organizing a career panel with various practitioners of Environmental Law in the area.  There will be representatives from government, grass roots, and firms.


Thank You!

September 17, 2009 in Uncategorized by webmaster

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday to assist in the clean-up of Southside Park! We had some exciting adventures with invasive plants and a good lunch to follow!

If anyone is interested the Southside Slopes group hosts a StepTrek in October, more information can be found at www.southsideslopes.org.

Additionally there are a lot of great environmentally related things going on in Pittsburgh this month:

Carnegie Library is hosting Sustainable September with films showing free of charge on weekends. Info at Sustainable September

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture is hosting various events all month long in the Pittsburgh Area for more info see September Local Food

Welcome to the new ELC site!

September 4, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin | 1 comment

Hello Everybody! Thanks for checking out the new Environmental Law Council site.  We hope to utilize this site to keep everyone updated on events the ELC hosts, events around campus and Pittsburgh, and news or discussion worthy environmental events.  Make sure to check back often to see what we have posted on our blog or to see any upcoming events on the calendar.  We have included many useful links on the site to help you find environmentally related legal research, community projects, Pittsburgh events, and ways to get outside and enjoy yourself!  We look forward to a fun filled educational year and hope to see you at meetings and events.1_oxygen-cylinder-tree-copyright2

A Chris Madden Cartoon borrowed from  www.grinningplanet.com