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Fri, 5 Mar 2010
Building United in Pittsburgh

This week’s podcast features an interview with PennFuture’s Sharon Pillar and the Rev. Dr. Samuel W. Ware, Executive Director, Building United of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Building United’s mission is helping families throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania fulfill their dreams of affordable homeownership and to teach people sound money management principles. Dr. Ware discusses how BUSP started, and their success in moving low and moderate income families into homes that are also energy efficient. This is a project of the faith community, grounded in faith, started by African American clergy in 2001.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania’s environment and economy. Isn’t it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: PennFuture3-4-10.mp3
Category: Green Cities

Fri, 26 Feb 2010
Urban Sustainability Forum: Institutional approaches to sustainability

Many of us have adjusted our individual habits to conserve materials and resources: recycling regularly, installing programmable thermostats, and replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents.  But how do large corporations and institutions adjust their collective habits?  How is change initiated, and how is it managed?  February's Urban Sustainability Forum highlighted a variety of local Philadelphia institutions and corporations that have implemented sustainability policies. Their actions are helping to mitigate climate change.

In this podcast, PennFuture's Rachel Vassar talks with two of the event presenters. We hear first from Catherine T. Hunt, Ph.D., Director of Technology Collaboration Development at The Dow Chemical Company (which took over Rohm and Haas).  She also served as the 2007 President of the American Chemical Society where she championed education, collaboration, and innovation. At Dow, the company initiated an internal audit of their operational and daily practices- and found a host of opportunities to improve, as well as a number of practical measures that they were already doing that save the company energy and money. One of the "coolest" was putting in a cool, white roof at their facility-- significantly saving money and also extending the life of the roof by at least ten years. Philadelphia homeowners can enter to win a cool roof and other energy-savings retrofits for their entire block of neighbors as part of the Coolest Block Contest. And businesses can join companies like Dow as part of the Greater Philadelphia Green Business Program, a project of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

We then hear from Daniel Garofalo, AIA, LEED-AP, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania.  Dan directed the creation of Penn’s first Climate Action plan for carbon emissions reduction, which was released on September 15, 2009. It's a three-part plan aimed at creating a culture of sustainability at Penn. He describes the steps they take to analyze and buildings on campus for their energy performance, so that the biggest energy users (in terms of buildings) are as efficient as possible. Part of the project includes working with students to challenge them to initiate creative solutions to cut their energy use. He notes that staff and faculty are much harder to get motivated and involved!

You can learn more about how to save energy-- and money-- at PennFuture's Web site. There you can also take action and support our ongoing work.

Direct Download: PennFuture2-25-10.mp3
Category: Urban Sustainability Forum

Fri, 29 Jan 2010
Green, Eggs and Ham at Pennsylvania's Riviera

Just like the song about Kansas City, everything’s up to date in Erie. Home to Pennsylvania’s most visited state park, Erie is also home to a lot of green energy companies, and one of the new green economy’s biggest boosters, State Representative John Hornaman (D-Erie).

This podcast features some of the speakers at the Erie Clean Energy Breakfast, held on January 21. PennFuture’s President and CEO, Jan Jarrett, who drove more than 1300 miles in the PennFuture hybrid car to lead discussion at the six clean energy breakfasts we organized in January, once more set the stage for the other speakers. Jan is then followed by Representative Hornaman, one of the members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s Green Dog Caucus. We then hear from some Erie area green business leaders – Brian Gerrits, senior product manager for General Electric, Drivetrain Technologies; Tim Ryan, senior executive vice president of Apex Wind Energy Inc. and Axio Power Inc. and president, Apex Offshore Wind LLC; and Joe Simko, president and general manager for Hodge Foundry.

Passing the Clean Energy and Green Jobs legislation (HB 80) will help these and other green businesses grow here in Pennsylvania. You can do your part to help pass the bill by contacting your own representatives. Just go to PennFuture’s Action Center to urge your rep to vote for clean energy and green jobs now.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania’s environment and economy. Isn’t it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: PennFuture1-28-10.mp3
Category: Energy

Fri, 22 Jan 2010
If itâs Wednesday, this must be Pittsburgh
n the past two weeks, PennFuture President and CEO Jan Jarrett has traveled throughout the state, holding breakfast meetings with business leaders and elected officials on the need to pass the Clean Energy and Green Jobs legislation.

This weekâs podcast features the presentations by Jan, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger, and State Senator Jim Ferlo (D-Allegheny) at the Wednesday, January 20 breakfast in Pittsburgh. The three speakers detail the need for the legislation and outline what business leaders can do to help pass it.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvaniaâs environment and economy. Isnât it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: PennFuture1-21-10.mp3
Category: Energy

Fri, 15 Jan 2010
Is that a backfire we hear?
Early in 2009, Foundation Mining petitioned the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to downgrade the rating of South Fork Tenmile Creek (SFTM) in Greene County, which would allow the company to dump dirty water into the creek with little or no treatment.

But that plan backfired on the company â big time, as former VP Cheney would say. After local conservationists and PennFuture got involved and documented the true value of the creek, DEP actually upgraded many parts of the creek, which means the company now has to take even more action to protect the water.

This weekâs podcast, recorded in part at a celebration of DEPâs decision, features many of the people who worked so hard to get this great result. First, PennFutureâs western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator, Dr. Joylette Portlock, speaks with Krissy Kasserman from Mountain Watershed Association; Terri Davin from Center for Coalfield Justice; PennFutureâs Staff Attorney Brian Glass, who was lead counsel on the issue; and Attilia (Tillie) Shumaker from Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy. In the second part of the podcast, youâll hear Joyletteâs discussion with the experts on the case, Dr. Steve Kunz from Schmid and Company and Dr. Ben Stout.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvaniaâs environment and economy. Isnât it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.Direct Download: PennFuture1-7-10.mp3
Category: Water Quality

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:26:00 GMT
The women behind the Black and Gold City Goes Green Campaign
In this podcast, youâll hear Jessica Schrum, intern from the Student Conservation Association, discuss her experiences at PennFuture with Joylette Portlock, PennFutureâs western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator. They are the women who are leading the charge to make Pittsburgh âeven coolerâ by helping residents make measurable reductions in the heat-trapping gases they produce. The Black and Gold Goes Green Campaign works with Pittsburghâs citizens, helping them take concrete actions to reduce global warming pollution and its impact on the local economy and public health.

This week the campaign announced that Chatham College, United Jewish Federation, East Liberty Development and Sustainable Pittsburgh were the winners in their respective categories of the Black and Gold Community Challenge. The winners prevented the release of about 800,000 pounds of heat-trapping gases during a two-month period.

If you aren't already a member of PennFuture, what are you waiting for? PennFuture was called the state's "leading environmental advocacy organization" by the Philadelphia Inquirer. So join the leader on our secure website, and sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you hear our podcasts first subscribing to them through iTunes.Direct Download: 12-17-09PennFuture.mp3
Category: Global Warming

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:18:00 GMT
Because we absolutely, positively must get there from here
This weekâs podcast was recorded at Novemberâs Urban Sustainability Forum in Philadelphia. The topic, Transportation Reform:  The Ticket Back to Town, was featured, exploring the absolute need for public transit and other automobile alternatives if any city is to be sustainable. Older citizens become trapped in their houses, especially in the suburbs, when they are no longer able to drive. Cities without safe and accessible bikeways and pedestrian friendly development are unable to attract younger workers. Yet states and regions continue to gobble up transportation dollars for faster and bigger highway systems, using money that should be used to fix aging transportation systems.

With the federal transportation funding bills now making their way through Congress, it is vital that Pennsylvaniaâs cities, towns, and regions look beyond what has always been done, and actually examine what their community needs to succeed now and in the future.

This podcast is just what the transportation doctor ordered! PennFutureâs Philadelphia Outreach Coordinator, Rachel Vassar, interviews two great experts, James Corless, director of Transportation for America and Byron Comati, director of Strategic Planning and Analysis for SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), which serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. Together these experts make a thoughtful and compelling case for all communities to seriously consider how transportation choices can help or harm their region.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvaniaâs environment and economy. Isnât it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: PennFuture12-9-09.mp3
Category: Urban Sustainability Forum

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 19:23:00 GMT
Meet John Rowe, Protector of the Planet
This week, we present a vidcast features John Rowe, Chair and CEO of Exelon, one of the nation's largest electric and gas utilities, who was the featured speaker at PennFutureâs southeastern Global Warming conference in October. Rowe is steadfastly fighting the good fight to stop global warming pollution, using his powers of persuasion in the business community, in the Halls of Congress and in the hearts of our citizens.

This video features PennFutureâs President and CEO Jan Jarrett introducing Denis OâBrien, president and CEO of PECO (our stateâs largest utility and part of Exelon), who then intros his boss, John Rowe. Together, these speakers make a powerful case for immediate action to stem global warming.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvaniaâs environment and economy. Isnât it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: JohnRowe-H.264_300Kbps.mov
Category: Global Warming

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:39:00 GMT
How are the 2010 elections like 1994?
This podcast was recorded when PennFuture's Tanya Dierolf caught our Post-Election Forum featured speaker, Dr. Christopher Borick, Director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College's Political Science Department right after his presentation on Tuesday. Dr. Borick discussed what next year's results might look like, and whether the landscape is similar to the 1994 elections, when the Republicans took the House of Representatives under the leadership of Newt Gingrich.

Check out the schedule at PCN-TV to see Dr. Borick's entire presentation, and the legislative panel with Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York), Senator David Argall (R-Schuylkill), Representative Bill Adolph (R-Delaware), and Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), as well as the journalists panel of Pete DeCoursey of Capitolwire, Alex Roarty of Politics PA and Pennsylvania Legislative Services, Laura Vecsey of the Harrisburg Patriot-News and Tom Fitzgerald of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania's environment and economy. Isn't it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: 11-12-09_PennFuture.mp3
Category: News from the State Capitol

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:23:00 GMT
A visit to Great Green Germany
Last week, PennFuture's Director of Outreach, Christine Knapp, participated in a study tour of Germany for regional leaders from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina. The tour was sponsored by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairsâ Transatlantic Climate Bridge Initiative and organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

You may have already read Christine's blog postings; this podcast gives you a chance to listen to others on the tour. Youâll hear from Ellen Pope, director of the comparative domestic policy at the German Marshall Fund, who talks about why the Fund organized this tour. She explains that the states were chosen because they are older industrial states heavily dependent on fossil fuels. She hopes the Americans could learn how Germany is making the transition to clean energy, put those lessons to use when they get home.

You'll then hear from State Senator Dan Clodfelter from Charlotte, NC; Susan Perry Cole, president and CEO of the North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations in Raleigh; Doug Esamann, senior vice president of strategy and planning for Duke Energy in Charlotte, NC; and Lavea Brachman, co-director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center. Their discussions of what they learned and what they will do differently at home are very revealing.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania's environment and economy. Isnât it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

Direct Download: 11-5-09_PennFuture.mp3
Category: Energy