Pitt turns it blue, gold and green for sustainability festival

Pittsburgh has a dirty past.

For years the soot and smoke of steel mills… Pittsburgh has a dirty past.

For years the soot and smoke of steel mills covered the town. Factories and shipping yards straddled the three rivers for miles, and at times the smog got so thick the streetlights would turn on before noon.

But times and cities change. Now Pittsburgh ranks among the “greenest” cities in the U.S., and on Thursday and Friday Pitt administrators in the Office of the Provost hope to bring similar sustainability to the University.

On those days the second annual Blue, Gold and Green Sustainability Festival will take over the William Pitt Union and Schenely Quadrangle. Throughout the morning and afternoon students will be able to explore green career opportunities, see the latest sustainable products and learn about innovative ideas for creating a more sustainable city.

New at this year’s festival is a Student Sustainability Symposium organized by the Environmental Studies Program of the Department of Geology and Planetary Science. Patricia E. Beeson, vice provost for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, said the festival will also feature the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Distinguished Lecture given by Stuart L. Hart, a Cornell University Professor of sustainable global enterprise.

A complete list of events is available at the Office of the Provost’s website.

Students should expect a mix of academic and entertaining activities, Beeson said.

“Some events will be academic in nature, such as the Heinz lecture and the Sustainability at Pitt luncheon,” Beeson said. “But the street fair, the bike build, product demonstrations and student booths will be aimed at having fun while still promoting sustainable practices.”

Beeson and others are hoping the balance between enjoyment and education will encourage students to learn more about sustainability.

“The main point of sustainability events like this is to educate students about the impact they can have on the environment, both positive and negative,” Aurora Sharrard, director of Innovation at Green Building Alliance, said. “It is vital for students to be aware that they can make a direct impact on climate change issues.”

Pittsburgh has been a leader in the number and sophistication of green buildings since the early 2000’s, Sharrard said, climbing to No. 1 on some lists in 2005. At that time Pittsburgh had more green-certified buildings than any other city in the U.S.

“Green” buildings are those designed to operate in a resource-efficient way, promoting both the health of the environment and occupants. A building must achieve LEED certification to be considered “green.” The LEED system rates buildings on a 100-point scale, giving credit in categories such as sustainability sites, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality, according to the U.S Green Building Council.

These buildings are typically more expensive to build than standard buildings, but they are considerably cheaper over time to run because they waste less energy.

In the past five years Pittsburgh has fallen into 10th place in green building numbers, Sharrard said, still a high position considering the size and state of the city’s economy. Other notable green cities include Austin, Texas, Berkeley, Calif., Philadelphia and New York.

“While Pittsburgh does better than many other cities, there is always room for improvement,” Sharrard said. “We need to continue educating consumers about the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why events like this are so important.”

Students represent an important part of Pittsburgh’s green movement for a host of reasons, Heather Sage, vice president at local conservation agency PennFuture, said.

“We’ve worked with a number of Pitt interns over the years,” Sage said. “Their energy, open-mindedness and enthusiasm are exactly what the conservation movement needs in Pittsburgh.”

In the past college students have assisted PennFuture by generating podcasts, staffing policy campaigns and writing to local newspapers and lawmakers, she said. Students have also contributed to local publications, helping to educate their peers about environmental issues.

“We want students to realize that there are other ways to help protect the environment than going out and planting trees and picking up trash,” Sage said. “Students can also get their hands dirty with the legal process and policy work.”

Because of its roots in coal and natural gas production, southwestern Pennsylvania’s economic fate is tied up in the energy industry, Sage said.

“The political process of going green is going to directly impact our region,” Sage said. “The political process is only going to work for us if we work for it. We need not just students, but everybody to get involved if we want to protect both our future and the environment.”