Sustainability conference set to begin here Thursday
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Energy and water efficiency, and sustainable communities and engineering projects are on the agenda at the fourth annual Sustainability Conference at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Thursday.
The daylong conference, titled "Current Trends in Sustainable Communities," will feature a keynote address by Michael Krancer, state Department of Environmental Protection secretary, and end with a tour of the Phipps Conservatory's new Center for Sustainable Landscapes, billed as "one of the country's first living buildings."
The conference is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Environmental Water and Resources Institute, and Sustainable Pittsburgh's Champions for Sustainability.
Sustainability trends scheduled for discussion include energy and water efficiency, the Marcellus Shale gas well drilling industry's impacts and opportunities, using bonds to finance sustainable projects, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Smart Transportation initiative and a presentation on Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates, described on the ASCE website as "the world's first zero-carbon city."
"Sustainability trends on a basic level are toward energy and water efficiency and controlling any sort of negative output," said Kate Angell, of Pittsburgh ASCE. "We see examples of that kind of highly energy efficient communities in the efforts in Masdar City and at Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, which is at the forefront of the movement."
The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost, which includes breakfast and lunch, is $120 for ASCE, EWRI or C4S members, $150 for nonmenbers and $30 for students. To register, go to www.asce-pgh.org or email rdengler@gfnet.com.
First Published September 19, 2011 12:00 am
