The Greening of the Region…and How You Can Be a Part of It.

Hosted by

PNC

At

Fairmont Pittsburgh

 April 12, 2010

Registration and Refreshments:  5:00 to 5:30PM

Panel Discussion:                       5:30 to 6:30PM

Networking and Refreshments:  6:30 to 7:30PM

 Panelists

Hannah Hardy, Jeaneen Zappa

Ann Gerace, Susan Golomb

 Moderator

Caren Glotfelty

 EWC Members: Free                        Guests: $20

The Greening of the Region will bring together leaders from local businesses, nonprofits and government who are leading the charge toward a more sustainable way of living and doing business in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  Each will share information and take questions on their
area of expertise and provide plenty of options for you to get involved.

CAREN GLOTFELTY, Environment Program Director, Heinz Endowments, which promotes smart growth, green building, civic design and sustainable development in southwestern Pennsylvania and in state policy.  The Environment Program also continues to support efforts to clean up the region’s industrial legacy of contaminated land, dirty water and polluted air, emphasizing the connections between health and environment.

Caren holds a master’s degree in regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She spent the first half of her career working in Pennsylvania and Maryland state government on policy and planning issues involving land use and water management.  Subsequently, she held the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resources at Pennsylvania State University.

ANN GERACE, Executive Director, Conservations Consultants, Inc.

Energy: Subject areas:  consumer energy consumption considerations and programs individuals can take advantage of.

Call to action:  numerous ways that an individual can have an impact on energy consumption or conservation 

Ann Jones Gerace was awarded the PRC Energy Efficiency Leadership Award, 2001; Award for Excellence, CATALYST, Carnegie Science Center, 2002 ; Twelve Making A Difference, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 2003 and the GBA Shades of Green Leadership Award 2005.

SUSAN GOLOMB, Director of Retail Development, PNC

Green in the Business Model: Subject areas:  benefits of building green into the business model

Call to action:  things your business can do or you can encourage your employer to do to be green that brings something to the business

Formerly Director of the Department of City Planning for the City of Pittsburgh, graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in History of Art.  She worked for 14 years as a photographer, specializing in architectural and industrial photography.  She also worked for a real estate development company prior to becoming the Executive Director of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, a community-based, non-profit, real estate development and planning organization.  She serves as Vice Chair of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, on the Executive Board of Construction Junction, and the Board of Friends of the Riverfront, and on the Planning and Design Committee of Riverlife.

HANNAH HARDY, Program Manager, PA Environmental Council

Outdoor Recreation: Subject areas: urban green space, conservation, trails

Call to action: volunteer for preservation, interact with the environment (and organizations that can help you do so, advocate) 

She is the program manager for the Pennsylvania Water Trails Program for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, working statewide on the development of water trails.  Through this work, she travels around the Commonwealth working on a variety of water trail projects and providing technical assistance to local project managers who want to initiate water trails on their local waterway.  Hannah is very active is the development of land trails throughout Western Pennsylvania including the completion of the Great Allegheny Passage and the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.  Hannah serves as President in the Steel Valley Trail Council, Vice President of the Allegheny Trail Alliance and is Past President of the Regional Trail Corporation.  

Before joining PEC Hannah worked in the Mayor’s Office in the City of Pittsburgh with primary responsibility for the Regional Parks Master Plan and development of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System.  She is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in urban studies); attended the Center for Global Education in Windhoek, Namibia, learning about the development of Women in Southern Africa.  Hannah has a Masters in Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.   She was awarded a Community Development Fellowship from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department.

JEANEEN ZAPPA, Allegheny County Sustainability Coordinator

Municipal Planning: Subject areas:  county plan for embracing greener ways (policy, procedure, energy audits, energy changes)

Call to action:  civic participation (making your vote count or volunteering for projects)

She serves as the first Sustainability Manager for Allegheny County, a role in which she is responsible for helping the County to identify priorities and contributing to organization-wide strategies related to greener purchasing, energy reduction, greenhouse gas inventorying, recycling, waste water issues and community outreach. Previously, Jeaneen worked for the Green Building Alliance, where she directed the Green Building Products Initiative and participated in the project team that built out a LEED Platinum office space for GBA. Prior experience includes over 15 years in marketing, working at a variety of public and private industry employers, primarily in the technology and logistics sector, and volunteered for several conservation organizations.  

Jeaneen sits on the Board of Directors for PowerLink and for Pittsburgh Green Innovators and she is a former member of the Green Advisory Council to the Pittsburgh Technology Council. She holds an MBA and attained LEED-Accredited professional status.