Wild Edibles Pot Luck dinner, Wild Edibles and Exotic Invasive talk, and Compost Tea!

For the May 6, 2013 meeting of Sustainable Monroeville, we will have a pot luck dinner at 6:00 PM.  What is the challenge for this pot luck? See if you can make a vegetarian or vegan dish that has at least one ingredient that is a wildly collected edible from a non-sprayed area in this region! 

The meeting, beginning at 7:00 PM, will feature 17 year old, Jake Cothern, teaching us about native wild edibles and supplying some delectables made of the soon sprouting exotic invasive Japanese Knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum (that's the technical genus and species name for knotweed!). 

The other speakers for our May meeting on Monday evening, May 6, will be Jeff Newman of Steel City Soils & The Pittsburgh Garden Experiment, and Jeff Jaeger of Octopus Organics. Jeff Jaeger and Jeff Newman will talk briefly about non-toxic soil management and the importance of soil biology.  They will cover basic vegetable, lawn, and flower garden soils and how to do soil testing, balance the minerals, then maintain using the magic formula of compost, mulch, and aerated compost teas.  

Jerusalem Artichoke: Helianthus tuberosus, from the Aster family

Jerusalem artichoke is not from Jerusalem and it's not an artichoke, it's a kind of sunflower, but whatever it's called, it has fleshy edible roots that are sold in grocery storesas "sunchokes." from The Joy of Foraging by Gary Lincoff, page 126.

See you on May 6 at 6:00 PM! Elisa Beck :)

Allegheny Cleanways on April 1, 2013 at Sustainable Monroeville's April Meeting!!

Join Us for a double feature! Myrna Newman, the Executive Director of Allegheny Cleanways http://www.alleghenycleanways.org/ will present the work of their Non Profit at the Monday evening April 1, 2013, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM meeting of Sustainable Monroeville at the Monroeville Public Library. Michelle Johnson, the Chief Executive Officer of the Spectrum Charter School http://www.spectrumcharterschool.org/ in Monroeville and co- founder of Sustainable Monroeville's Recycling Committee will give an update on the Recycling Committee's work and also talk with us about the Spectrum Charter School's participation in the Green Schools Academy.

The meeting on April 1, 2013, will take place in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Free and open to the public! Please bring along a friend or neighbor or two!

Stan Beck speaking about Sprouting techniques at last months meeting of Sustainable Monroeville.

We sampled sprouts and green juice and learn from one another!

We look forward to seeing you on April 1 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Elisa Beck, Sustainable Monroeville

Sprouting with Sustainable Monroeville on March 4, 2013 at 7:00 PM!

Learn about indoor sprouting and growing techniques from Stan Beck who has his very own indoor sprout farm for himself, family and friends! Join us on Monday evening, March 4, 2013, at 7:00 PM in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Stan will be demonstrating how to sprout wheat, pea and sunflower seeds and how to grow them too. He'll talk about what is involved in  the middle of winter and all year round. We'll sample some wheat grass juice and the Hippocrates Health Institute recipe green juice made of cucumbers, celery, pea sprouts and sunflower sprouts and have some sprouts to eat too! A discussion of our local and national food system will follow. Join Us! Elisa Beck :)

Our dog Mango in front of our mini-indoor sprout farm in our home. You can see the wheat grass near Mango's left ear, pea shoots on the top right shelf and sunflowers sprouting at the top of Mango's head!

Janet McKee, producer of the newly released documentary Bethany's Story about the power of food to heal at the Q&A at the February meeting of Sustainable Monroeville.

Close to thirty people joined us for the screening of Bethany's Story!

Angella and Don Jackson at the raw pot luck dinner prior to the movie screening of Bethany's Story at last month's meeting!

Mmmm, raw foods and raw foodies are fun! Wonderfully delicious and healthful mostly raw vegan food. We must admit the vegan, cooked cup cakes were on the next table and they went fast!

The Power of Food To Heal: Bethany's Story with Janet McKee and Raw Vegan Pot Luck!

LIVE FOOD! 'Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine'~Hippocrates

Sustainable Monroeville is proud that the Monroeville Food Garden, that sprouted from Sustainable Monroeville, produced 500 pounds of fresh vegetables for five local food banks for the past two summers. Lois Drumheller, Third Ward Councilwoman in Monroeville is the one leading the way with many local helpers from Sustainable Monroeville and beyond.

Things are changing! We are honored and excited to screen the newly released film Bethany's Story at our Fourth Anniversary Meeting of Sustainable Monroeville in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library on Monday evening, February 4, 2013. The Executive Producer of the film and local Pittsburgh region Holistic Health Counselor and Food Educator, Janet McKee, will join us to discuss the film. How exciting!

At 6 PM on Monday evening, February 4, 2013, we will have a mostly Raw Vegan, locally sourced, if possible, pot luck dinner. Please bring your place setting as this will be a zero waste event. We will screen the film from 7:00 to 8:15 PM. Following the film, Janet will do Q&A! Go to http://www.sanaview.com/Bethanys-Story.aspx for the film trailer. The film is about the power of food to heal. Bravo to our local celebrity Janet McKee, her dedication and her great work!
This meeting will be in partnership with the Monroeville Public Library to support the film and facilitate Sustainable Monroeville bringing the film to Monroeville and the library. Thanks so much Monroeville Public Library! Payment is not required, but donations of $5.00/person are suggested. Nobody will be turned away.

Paraphrased quotes from the movie trailer:

“Diet and Lifestyle induced dis-ease has never been reversed by surgery.” “Doctors are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States!” “You can actually reverse the aging process. It is the foundation for all healing. “

“Doctors are never taught this information. What the doctor is telling them, is killing them. Food plays a large role, and not just a small role…What is more basic than eating food?"

We are in the worse shape we’ve ever been in. Now, a number of people that are saying, ‘Wait a Minute.’

The body wants to heal itself. Is this diet for everybody? No! Why? Because you have to want to heal yourself. And does everybody want to do this? To love themselves enough to heal themselves? The answer is no.”

Bethany's Story: The Power from Within

Testimonials Very Inspiring. What I liked most about the film was that it was a real family’s story of how change can make a miraculous difference

The Story When Janet McKee met a girl who had been suffering from a mystery ailment that baffled doctors get out of her wheelchair after drastically changing her diet, she knew that the story had to be documented for others to learn from. The resulting documentary chronicles Bethany's moving journey from illness to recovery. While the story is unique unto itself, it’s not the first time McKee has seen people recover in ways that can only be termed “miraculous,” and she’s convinced that diet was the one variable that measurably resulted in those recoveries. *A portion of all proceeds collected will be used to support Bethany and her family. Featuring interviews from 6 internationally recognized health experts Neal Barnard, M.D.- “The number of people saying wait a minute, I want a better way, I want to feed myself better, I want to feed my kids better, that group is bigger than ever.” Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine Brian Clement, Ph.D., N.M.D., C.N.- “She took responsibility because of her youthful, enthusiastic, instinctual understanding.” Hippocrates Health Institute Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. M.D.(H), D.D.- “These are not accidents, these are not miracles, we have the science that makes it very clear.” The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center Brenda Davis, R.D.- “The story itself is just beautiful, inspiring, and it gives us hope for even greater potential with diet changes than we even thought before.” Vegetarian Hall of Fame Michael Greger, M.D.- “Our body has this amazing ability to rejuvenate and repair and regenerate.” Nutritionfacts.org Lewis Mel-Madrona, M.D., Ph.D.- “I suspect, especially in this country, that we need more dialogue, we need to listen better and dialogue more and not to assume that we’re right and everyone else is wrong.” Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine Associate Professor of Psychology University of Hawaii Janet McKee Janet McKee is a board certified Holistic Health Counselor and a certified member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. After working in the corporate environment and obtaining her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. McKee pursued a career in health and wellness by attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in affiliation with Columbia University. She has a private practice where she helps her clients reach their personal wellness goals. She works with individuals as well as groups and teaches how food and lifestyle choices affect one’s overall health and well being. Janet has also been selected to represent The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and The Cancer Project, founded by Dr. Neal Barnard, where she holds a series of nutrition and cooking lectures throughout Western Pennsylvania and on the web. She also offers corporate wellness workshops, either through a program offered by Tangerine Inc, or her own customized offering. Teaching dietary and lifestyle improvements that are both enjoyable and effective are the keys to her successful practice. Janet can be reached by phone at (724) 417-6695 or email at janet@sanaview.com + Learn More We look forward to seeing y'all on Monday evening, February 4, 2013, at the Monroeville Public Library. All meetings are free and open to the public. For this movie screening, the suggested donation is $5.00, but nobody will be turned away! A portion of the proceeds will go to Bethany's family and a portion will be used to offset the cost of the film production. ~Elisa Beck, Sustainable Monroeville~  Join Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

Gift Circle and Promised Land

Our monthly meeting of Sustainable Monroeville will be on Monday evening, January 7, 2013. We will have a short discussion about the movie Promised Land whether or not you've seen it, hear a talk by Wanda Guthrie of Murrysville Marcellus, and host a Gift Circle. You can bring a gift of any kind to share with others and/or be prepared to take whatever there is to give! 

See you at the Monroeville Public Library in the downstairs program room at 7:00 PM! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHQt1NAkhIo Here's the link to the trailer for the new movie Promised Land. 

Vegan and Vegetarian Holiday Pot Luck Dinner December 3, 2012

Join us Monday evening, December 3, 2012, for our December raw vegan and vegetarian pot luck holiday feast! Dinner at 6:00 PM followed by discussion and planning for 2013. Please pack your plates and utensils and we will pack in and pack out, and of course compost yet another zero waste event! We like to begin meetings by talking about what we have done over the past month that is 'Sustainable." What does 'sustainable' mean anyway?!

How is our Monroeville Food Garden a model for the Food Not Lawns movement for our suburbs? We will discuss the opening of the Schwartz Living Market as a new model for hatching green businesses and linking the urban and suburban Food Not Lawns Movement with the urban core throught the Schwartz Living Market Transition Town process in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side. See http://1317eastcarson.blogspot.com for details and join us as our guest on Saturday, December 1, 2012, to get a preview of what's to come and to become part of the dialogue and creative process!

Sustainable Monroeville meetings are free and open to the public and are held at the Monroeville Public Library. We give thanks for our public library that has been hosting our meetings for the past almost four years. We are thrilled that the Monroeville Food Garden outside the library produced over 500 pounds of vegetables for five commmunity food banks for the second season in a row. Thanks to Lois, Sandy, Pam, the Girl Scouts and all of the other volunteers that continue to make this project a success. This permaculture style food garden has some of the healthiest soil around, and healthy living soil is a huge key to good health!

Nick Hein, Rachel and Stan Beck looking at the pedal generator powering a blender!

Pedal Generator built by Nick Hein of Postive Spin in Morgantown, WV. bike donated to the Schwartz Living Market project in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side. What will be powered by this set up? How much pedaling is needed to recharge a cell phone? How about a blender?

We look forward to being with you and eating and drinking with you on Monday evening! Elisa Beck:)

A Drop in the Ocean: Sustainable Monroeville

A Drop in the Ocean

From the album: Cover Photos

By dropintheocean.co

What has Sustainable Monroeville, rather the people in the group, and the Monroeville Library and the Monroeville Food Garden and all the volunteers accomplished over these past, almost four years?Perhaps just a drop in the ocean, but we certainly have begun to educate ourselves about what it means to be a sustainable community and help to move Monroeville forward in the Green Economy. Join us this coming Monday evening, November 5, 2012 to plan our future! 2013, Here We Come!

Please watch this video short and share images of what you see here in Western, PA so we can reach out further and educate more and more people here in Western, PA and around the world for the need to understand and implement the work we do. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4abGpdEXf6g

Who conceived this video? It was a group of folks, including my friend Diana Rotberg Bray and a few of her children, and their friends. We have known each other since perhaps even before kindergarten. We were in a photography class together in eleventh grade. And then she married an amazing Australian man, had four children and well, what led to this video, that part, is history.

Be present in this moment. Linking the world together. Connecting the dots. Raising Awareness. One moment at a time.

See you on Monday, November 5, 2012 in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

Elisa Beck
Sustainable Monroeville, founded February, 2009
A Transition Town Process

Act 13 Educational and Accountability Event, Monday, October 15, 2012

Act 13 Educational and Accountability Event
Monday, October 15

Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Gas Act (Act 13) will have a mayor impact on the environment and on communities in our region. It is therefore important to know how our representatives voted on Act 13, why they did so, and how they would like to see Act 13 amended.
 

6:30-8:30 PM, Monday, October 15,Murrysville Community Center
3091 Carson Avenue
Murrysville, PA 15668

Act 13 is Pennsylvania's controversial new oil and gas law, which stripped local governments of their right to plan where natural gas drilling operation can happen in their communities. In July portions of this new law were challenged by local township government officials, a Monroeville doctor, and Delaware Riverkeeper, and overturned by the Commonwealth Court and declared “unconstitutional.”

But the battle continues, as Governor Tom Corbett and his administration appealed the Commonwealth Court decision. These two sides, will argue their cases before the state Supreme Court on Wednesday, October 17th in Pittsburgh.

Many other municipalities and organizations have filed amicus briefs in support of the Commonwealth Court’s decision that preemption of local municipal control over shale gas extraction is unconstitutional, including American Planning Association (Pennsylvania Chapter), Association of Boroughs, Association of Township Officials, Clean Water Action, Mountain Watershed Association, Murrysville Council, Pittsburgh City Council, and the Sierra Club. 

Two days before the historic court October 17 hearing, the public is invited to a free, educational discussion about the new law, which covers all aspects of natural gas development in the state, as well as how the law came to be.

Our event will include a question and answer period and conclude
with an optional phone bank to call state legislators. 
For more information, contact Melissa at Mountain Watershed Association,
724-455-4200 ext. 6#  or Melissa@mtwatershed.com.

Sponsored by: Clean Water Action, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, PennEnvironment, Sierra Club, and Westmoreland Marcellus Citizen Group.

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Genetic Roulette and Pot Luck Dinner on October 1, 2012 at the Monroeville Public Library

On Monday evening, October 1, 2012, we will have a vegetarian, non-GMO pot luck dinner at 6:00 PM followed by the movie Genetic Roulette at 7:00 PM. Remember to pack your plates and utensils as this will be a zero waste event.

 Join Us! All meetings of Sustainable Monroeville are free and open to the public. They take place in the Monroeville Public Library. See you on October 1! Elisa Beck :)

Genetic Roulette Movie Trailer - YouTube
► 2:27► 2:27	www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv96D_ZURzsUploaded by GeneticRoulette This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans ...

Food Not Lawns in White Oak, PA!

What a joy to see the descendent of a farming family farming her own suburban property and feeding the neighborhood! We went to the home of some friends in White Oak, Pennsylvania, and across the street I had the honor of finally seeing the garden my husband had been telling me about for ages:
Rows and rows of corn, tomatoes and more crops were abundantly producing all summer with only water from the sky! Amazing and wonderful!

The tall fence is to keep the deer from eating all the crops!

Natural Choices Lawn Care and A Chemical Reaction Movie on September 10, 2012n

Join us for the next meeting of Sustainable Monroeville on Monday evening, September 10, 2012, at 7:00 PM to hear Ed Hoffman of Natural Choices Organic and Natural Lawn Care and to view the movie A Chemical Reaction Go to http://www.safelawns.org/a-chemical-reaction/ for details.

Transition Pittsburgh http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dTcvO-o8NTA

So many beautiful colors! These tomatoes on the shelf in Pittsburgh's East End Food Coop are locally grown by responsible farmers. Yippee for the East End Food Coop!

How do we figure out where our food comes from and if their genome has been genetically modified? Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, peaches, tangerines. Would you grow these on your front yard? Do you spray chemicals on your lawn? If so, would you consider not doing that any more and morphing your lawn into a lawn that produces Food Not Lawn? How bold are we anyway?

How long does it take to transform a formally sprayed lawn into one where we are comfortable growing food on it and eating that food?

The food grown in the Permaculture style garden behind the Monroeville Public Library that supplied 500 pounds of fresh vegetables for four local food banks last summer (we are still counting the bounty from this summer) does not use genetically modified seeds. How do we know?

What is the relationship between understanding the composition of the soils on our urban and suburban lots and how the grass is growing and our food systems in the United States? So much to learn! For the October meeting of Sustainable Monroeville, we will show a movie on genetically modified organisms called Genetic Roulette. Join us at the Monroeville Public Library for our meetings. They are free and open to the public!

Jeff Newman of Steel City Soils talking about Permaculture at the Cedars of Monroeville. The Cedars has worked with Jeff to put in a Permaculture garden as part of their landscape. The hearty local plants have done extremely well this season!

Jeff Newman Peddling with his Pierogies on Pittsburgh's Historic South Side! Peddlin' Pierogies uses whole wheat flour from Clarion River Organics and wonoderful organic potatoes too! Mmmm, mmm good!

Alcosan Draft Wet Weather Plan Public Meeting on September 5, 2012

Where, oh where, does water go once it falls from the clouds? What happens to sewage? What alternatives can we suggest to Alcosan? Join the Public Meeting that is FREE and open to the public in the Eastern suburbs on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 from 9:30 to Noon, learn and speak your truth. You can make a difference!