Laurel Highlands Conservation Coalition Conference this Thursday

Great opportunity awaits you, as a business-owner and as an individual, to meet with others in the region to discuss conserving the natural resources of the Laurel Highlands.

According to the adage “strength in numbers,” the Pennsylvania Environmental Council is hosting a day-long conference to bring together conservation partners and welcome new interest.

The conference is this Thursday, September 30th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

@ Ligonier Town Hall on the Diamond in Ligonier

The Coalition would like to:

a) advance more thorough policy

b) attract more attention from foundations and economic vectors for regional issues

c) make sure that the region won’t miss opportunities to protect and benefit from its natural resources

d) unify opinion to push a broader campaign

e) educate by hosting a regular forum on regional issues

Conference Agenda

Register – 9:00

Welcome – 9:15

Why form this coalition? – 9:30

Break – 10:30

Renew Growing Greener/gas extraction tax – 10:45

* Andrew Heath, Executive Director, Renew Growing Greener

Take action – how to support funding – 11:45

Lunch and presentation: Visualizing Public Health Impacts of the Marcellus Shale Play

* Chuck Cristen, Director of Operations, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health

Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission – 1:15

* Chuck Duritsa, member of ORSANCO

Policy and Planning Recommendations Regarding Marcellus – 1:45

* Jack Ubinger, Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Break – 2:15

Monitoring of Marcellus impacts (panel) – 2:30

* Len Lichvar, Somerset Conservation District; Bev Braverman, Mountain Watershed Association; Drew Banas, Loyalhanna Watershed Association.
* Dave Sewak, Trout Unlimited

Wrap-Up – 3:30

To register: Email your name, organization, and contact information to laurels@pec-pa.org.

Click here for more information about the event.

The Coalition would like to:a) advance more thorough policy,

b) attract more attention from foundations and economic vectors on regional issues

c) make sure that the region won’t miss opportunities to protect and benefit from its natural resources

d) unify opinion to push a broader campaign

e) educate by hosting a regular forum on regional issues

FORUM: Commissioning Local Artists

Inviting local artists to showcase their work in your establishment supports community art and helps you keep decorating costs low.

Please use this forum space to air your ideas about:

– Improving the aesthetic of your business in a sustainable way

– Artists who have influenced your decor

– Your interest in hosting local artwork

– Your challenges/successes with facade design

– Creative re-use of materials

(To participate in the forum, please describe your business-type and location with your initial comment.  This will help to provide a context for your comments.)

FORUM: Cardboard Recycling

WELCOME TO THE FORUM on Cardboard Recycling!

This year, the new Trail Towns Outreach Corps would like to expand the function of this blog by hosting forums in addition to posts about current news and sustainable suggestions.

Though all posts merit your feedback, the forum will identify a very specific question or topic to encourage active dialogue between SBN members.

TTOC will pick forum topics based on previous member comments AND/OR general articles that have particular relevance for the SBN along the Great Allegheny Passage.

To start off our very first blog forum, we’d like to highlight a post by an SBN member in Confluence who writes:

“Any ideas on what to do with cardboard when no recycling is easily available in our area?”

We’d like to follow up with these questions:

1.  Has your business tried to coordinate some sort of recycling system when a municipal or commercial pick-up structure is not already in place?  Who did you talk to?  Are there any restrictions?

2.  Can you think of any alternative ways to handle your recycling?  For example, you might partner with a business that needs cardboard for packaging.

3.  What other strategies do you use to reduce the amount of cardboard you generate/throw away?

4.  Would you be willing to pool your cardboard waste with that of other businesses in your area in order to afford a monthly bulk recycling pick-up?

Please do not hesitate to respond, so the discussion can begin!  Include your business-type and location with your initial comment.