Environment/Health

07/10 2013

Bike Share station proposals

During the most recent OTF meeting which was held on Tuesday, June 11, 2013,  a brief review was provided for the planned installation of Bike Share Stations in Oakland. There were many questions being asked at the time of that discussion. Unfortunately we only had a DRAFT map of the City of Pittsburgh – Bike Station System plan showing the proposed installation locations of 50 stations throughout the City of Pittsburgh to reference for the discussion.

Since that time, we have been able to obtain more Detailed plans that provide:

  • ·         Station dimensions
  • ·         Optional station configurations
  • ·         Detailed station installation plans/street, and/or intersection, or sidewalk (location within public right-of-way, station size and dimension, abutment property owner)
  • ·         View of Station footprint/street, and/or intersection, or sidewalk

The proposed station locations for Oakland include:

1.       Atwood Street/Bates Street

2.       Bayard Street/Neville Street

3.       Carlow University (West side of Halket Street between Euler Way and Fifth Avenue)

4.       Cathedral of Learning (East side of Bigelow Boulevard between Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue)

5.       S. Bouquet Street/Forbes Avenue (East side of S. Bouquet Street, south of Forbes Avenue on sidewalk adjacent to Law school)

6.       Schenley Drive/Frew Street (West side of Frew Street, north of Schenley Drive)

7.       Zulema Street/Coltart Avenue (off-street location, North side of Zulema Street, west of Coltart Avenue)

Some plan diagrams available on request from SONG.  More info as it is released.

07/09 2013

Tree Care Event – Monday 7/15 5:30-7:30pm; Next Green Team Meeting 8/15

Monday, July 15 the Green Team is partnering with Tree Pittsburgh to care for Oakland’s trees. We will be working from 5:30-7:30 pm at Frazier Field at Frazier St and Dawson St in South Oakland. Please sign up here http://treepittsburgh.org/events/tree-care-oakland-0 or email me to RSVP David at dzwier@opdc.org for this fun event.

· We will be taking a break from official Green Team meetings for July. The next meeting will be Thursday, August 15.

· Fall is approaching and with it the deadline for next spring’s TreeVitalize application. This fall we expect to plant over 100 trees in the Oakland neighborhoods. This feat would not be possible without the efforts you made to talk to your neighbors, friends, and co-workers, thank you. We want to keep this momentum going; if you’re interested in helping get the word out please email or call me. Let’s put the Oak back in Oakland!
David Zwier
Community Programs Manager
Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC)
235 Atwood Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

07/09 2013

ReuseFest ReTurns on August 3

ReuseFest ReTurns on August 3
Summer is upon us.  Did you finish your spring cleaning and realize you have a ton of stuff that you no longer need?  Wondering what in the world to do with it?  Well we have the answer:  come to the second annual ReuseFest on Saturday August 3rd at the Goodwill Workforce Development Center in Lawrenceville!

ReuseFest is a one-day collection event for materials destined for reuse that will take place on August 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.at the Goodwill center located at 118 52nd Street, Pittsburgh 15201.  This year’s event includes many great local nonprofit organizations including Global Links, Construction Junction, Off the Floor, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Goodwill, FreeRide and the Animal Rescue League.  All of these great local non-profits will be collecting materials for FREE for reuse including: bikes, medical supplies, usable building materials, gently used furniture and mattresses, clothing and household goods, art supplies, pet carriers and much much more.  All materials donated will be reused in some fashion, whether resold, repurposed or given to those in need in our region and around the world.

Visit www.zerowastepgh.org/reuse or call 412.488.7490 ext. 236 for a longer list of items that will be collected as well as more information on all of the participating partner organizations.  The second annual ReuseFest is presented by the Pennsylvania Resources Council with the support of the American Eagle Outfitters Foundation.   See the event flyer!

06/22 2013

Oakland Green Team meeting Thur, July 18, 6:00pm – 7:15pm CANCELLED

Oakland Green Team Monthly Meeting Thur, June 20, 6:00pm – 7:15pm, Oakland Career Center, 294 Semple Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213   (Use Louisa St entrance)

The Oakland Green Team seeks to put the “oak” back in Oakland, improving trail connections and creating attractive open spaces. The team will identify, guide and implement greening activities throughout Oakland. They meet the third Thursday each month–all are welcome!
Contact David Zwier at dzwier@opdc.org or 412.621.7863 ext. 14 for more information.
06/17 2013

WalkPittsburgh – Summer Walk Challenge Programs

WalkPittsburgh is here!

On Friday, May 10, 2013 the three Southwestern Pennsylvania Transportation Management Associations – Airport Corridor Transportation Association (ACTA), Oakland Transportation Management Association (OTMA) and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership TMA (PDP) –  jointly launched WalkPittsburgh.org, a web-based initiative which aims to reduce the region’s carbon footprint, encourage individuals to stay healthy, and promote safe walking as a commuting alternative.

The fun and easy program allows users to participate by visiting WalkPittsburgh.org to create a user name and password and choose the neighborhood in which they currently reside and/or work. Once registered, participants are able to keep track of steps taken by downloading a free app that turns the user’s iPhone or Android Smartphone into a pedometer which count steps, tracks progress, and uploads the information (identifying you only by neighborhood) to WalkPittsburgh.org. Each time a participant signs in to WalkPittsburgh.org they can see their own private walking profile page, view and compare the progress of surrounding neighborhoods, and see how many gallons of gas has been saved by walking.

Check out their website

06/07 2013

Pittsburgh Green House June Workshops

The Pittsburgh Green House, a project of ACTION-Housing, Inc., is a weatherization training and educational facility where contractors and the general public can learn about residential energy usage, water savings and improving the comfort of housing.

Home Energy Conservation — Thursday, June 6 — 6:00PM – 7:00PM — $5
Public Open Hours Event — Saturday, June 8 — 9:30AM – 12:00PM — Free
Home Water Conservation — Wednesday, June 12 — 10:00AM – 11:00AM — $5
Residential Solar 101 — Saturday, June 15 — 10:00AM – 11:00AM — FREE
Combustion Basics — Wednesday, June 19 — 10:00AM – 11:30 AM — $10
HVAC Sealing Essentials — Thursday, June 20 — 1:30PM to 2:30PM — FREE
Sustainable Building Materials — Saturday, June 29 — 10:00AM – 11:00AM — FREE
Backyard Habitat Gardening — Saturday, July 18 — 10:00AM – 11:00AM — FREE

Register for workshops  online

Check out their website

06/05 2013

Oakland Farmers Market Starts In New Location At Schenley Plaza this Friday June 7

Newly located in Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Avenue, The Oakland Farmers Market is the perfect spot to grab a bite for lunch while picking up fresh local foods to bring home for the weekend.  A project of the Oakland Business Improvement District, the Oakland Farmers Market helps increase our community’s access to healthy foods while supporting local farmers.  Stop by and visit us any Friday between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. starting June 7th!

Check out their website

 

 

05/31 2013

Oakland now has its own Belkin Meter to test “phantom” power usage

Oakland now has its own Belkin Meter!

What is a Belkin Conserve Energy Use Monitor (Belkin Meter for short)?
It will help you to understand how much energy your electronic devices ruse—including, the cost of operation, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in generating the electricity consumed, and watts.

How does it work?
A Belkin Meter is a small device that you can plug into any household outlet and then plug in any electronic device into. Within minutes you will have a reading on how much CO2 the electronic device uses and how much money that usage adds to your electric bill (there are settings for both monthly and year calculations).

Why should you use it?
We should all be mindful of what we have plugged in, for how long and if it really needs to be plugged in for that long. Not only does wasted energy waste your money, but it also puts unnecessary CO2 into the atmosphere thereby contributing to poor air quality, hurting or health as well as the health of others (including plants and animals). Pittsburgh has the 8th worst air quality in the nation; if we all start making small changes in our energy efficiency you will not only have a happy wallet but a healthy environment too! Healthy environment = Healthy communities!

Where can I get a Belkin Meter?
You are in luck – Oakland has a Belkin Meter Sharing Program! It lives at OPDC; if you interested in borrowing it please contact Tara Sherry-Torres at tarat@opdc.org or 412-621-7863.

After I have this information, then what?
Oakland is one of 16 communities in Allegheny County which is participating in a program called ReEnergizePGH. ReEnergizePGH aims to educate people on reducing energy consumption in their homes through both simple and high level changes. Tara Sherry-Torres from OPDC is your Energy Ambassador through this program and can talk to you about simple ways to reduce your home’s energy consumption. Please check out ReEnergizePGH’s website for more information, http://www.reenergizepgh.org/.

The meter is available to be borrowed by Oakland residents for one week at a time, it’s on a first come first serve basis (but you can sign up for your week ahead of time). All borrowers must have an Oakland address to be able to participate in the sharing program.

Looking forward to loaning this out!

Take care,
Tara

05/17 2013

OPDC E-Newsletter #17 – May 2013

Link to Newsletter

In This Issue

05/17 2013

Oakland Green Team meeting Thur, June 20, 6:00pm – 7:15pm

Oakland Green Team Monthly Meeting Thur, June 20, 6:00pm – 7:15pm, Oakland Career Center, 294 Semple Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213   (Use Louisa St entrance)

The Oakland Green Team seeks to put the oak back in Oakland, improving trail connections and creating attractive open spaces. The team will identify, guide and implement greening activities throughout Oakland. They meet the third Thursday each month–all are welcome!
Contact David Zwier at dzwier@opdc.org or 412.621.7863 ext. 14 for more information.
05/17 2013

Pittsburgh “Green” House

The Pittsburgh Green House, a project of ACTION-Housing, Inc., is a 110-year-old home that has been renovated as a weatherization training and educational facility where contractors and the general public can learn about residential energy and water savings and making homes healthier. Visitors can browse the resource center for information on do-it-yourself projects, contractors, and retrofit financing; engage in interactive educational activities; discover useful facts on informational signage throughout the building; and interact with our knowledgeable staff.

ACTION-Housing staff, regional experts, and a variety of local nonprofits and product specialists will teach a range of classes geared toward the general public on a rotating schedule. Contractors can receive hands-on training including building science, weatherization skills, blower door technology, and Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification in a typical regional home preparing them for career opportunities in the residential weatherization and retrofit market. Some courses are free, while others have associated fees. Take a look at the calendar to find a class that interests you.

308 North Sheridan Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 362-4PGH

Pittsburgh Green House Website