Vegan Pot Luck dinner meeting for December 2, 2013 at 6:00 PM; 7:00 PM What is the Living Building Challenge?

We will meet at 6:00 PM for a Vegan Pot Luck dinner in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Bring along a dish to share along with your utensils, plate and a cup. After dinner, we will have a planning meeting for 2014 and Elisa Beck will give a talk on "What is the Living Building Challenge?"

All meetings of Sustainable Monroeville are free and open to the public. Join Us!

Summer Dogwood in Monroeville, PA

Windmills in Somerset, PA

Honoring Bill Mckibben in Pittsburgh at the Sheraton Station Square on November 4, 2013 at 6:00 PM. Join us!

On November 4, 2013 Bill Mckibben, environmentalist, journalist, and founder of 350.org is being honored by the Thomas Merton Center so let's go support the center and their amazing cause and hear Bill Mckibben's words of wisdom!

There will not be a meeting of Sustainable Monroeville in November. On November 4, 2013 some of us will be going to Pittsburgh to hear Bill Mckibben and participate in the fundraiser for the Thomas Merton Center. If you'd like to carpool, let us know through the Sustainable Monroeville Facebook page!

We will see you on Monday evening, December 2, 2013, at the Monroeville Public Library for the December meeting. If you have an idea for a program or would like to offer a program, let us know!

Ingredients: The Local Food Movement Takes Root at the October meeting of Sustainable Monroeville; 6:00 PM Plant based pot luck; 7:00 PM documentary screening

Monday evening, October 7, 2013, Sustainable Monroeville will show the documentary: Ingredients: The local food movement takes root

6:00 PM Pot Luck with locally sourced plant based food; Pack in and out so bring cutlery and plates!

7:00 PM Film~Screen time is 67 minutes with discussion following

Thanks to Amy Baer for suggesting we screen this film! We are looking for sponsors to pay the $100.00 fee. Contact us if you'd like to donate. There will be a $5.00 suggested donation at the door. Proceeds will be sent to the filmmakers.

To Great Health!

The Monroeville Food Garden is behind the Monroeville Public Library. This amazing garden has supplied 500 pounds of fresh vegetables to four local food banks for the third year in a row! Kudos to Councilwomen Lois Drumheller, the Monroeville Public Library, the Municipality of Monroeville and all of the tireless volunteers!

Garfield Community Farm in Pittsburgh, PA

Solar panels on new bioshelter at Garfield Community Farm

Hops

Children running in Garfield Community Farm Garden

Black Snake crossing Frick Park

 Rooftop in eastern Pennsylvania

Lavender Buddha & Sage 

Sunflower from the home garden

The Joys, Trials, and Tribulations of a Permaculture Landscape in the Suburbs! Wednesday evening, September 11, 2013, at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library

Join Sustainable Monroeville on Wednesday evening, September 11, 2013, at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library. As the founder of Sustainable Monroeville in February, 2009, I will talk about the wonders and joys and challenges of the Permaculture Landscape at our home in Monroeville. Bring along a locally sourced plant based snack to share, if you'd like. All meetings are free and open to the public. Join Us!

Here's some photos to enjoy in the meantime.  If you are interested in seeing our almost 20 year old Permaculture Landscape prior to the meeting for a half hour tour beginning at 6:00 PM, please contact me by messaging me through the Sustainable Monroeville Facebook page, and join me for the grand tour of our suburban Monroeville landscape.

Jewelweed, antidote for Poison Ivy

Delicious Kale 

Delicious Apples

Maple & Tulip Poplar Trees

Echinacea

Hibicus flowers

Rain barrel

Our family attended the North American Vegetarian Society Meeting on the University of Pittsburgh's Johnstown Campus this summer. We enjoyed the T-shirts that said: Only KALE will save the world! We sure enjoyed growing it in our front yard this season and eating and juicing it too!

Alaina Conner of the Allegheny County Health Department speaking at Monday August 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM meeting of Sustainable Monroeville!

Alaina Conner of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) will be our guest speaker at the August 5 at 7:00 PM meeting of Sustainable Monroeville.  Alaina is an Air Pollution Administrator at the Allegheny County Health Department and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. She will speak about the Air Quality / Pollution Control Program in our county. 

“The Allegheny County Health Department Air Quality Program is responsible for protecting the public's health by regulating air pollutants within Allegheny County, enforcing federal pollution standards, and permitting industrial sources of air pollution.” ACHD.  There are 18 air monitoring sites throughout the county with headquarters in Lawrenceville.  One of the most challenging areas is Clairton because of the coke plant located at the base of the valley.  

Alaina will speak about certain weather conditions generating an inversion layer which makes the situation worse! There are six air quality responsibilities at the state and local level: Manage Air Quality, Measure Air Quality, Regulate Pollution Sources, Plan Transportation Controls, Develop Overall Plan, and Track Emissions.

The staff seeks public participation.  Contact them at 412-687-ACHD or go to their web site, or contact Alaina 

Brain Health: Management of Fatigue, Mood and Memory with Safdar Chaudhary, M.D. of S'Eclairer! July 1, 2013 at 7:00 PM. Free!

We are honored that Safdar Chaudhary, M.D., will be our speaker at the July 1, 2013 meeting of Sustainable Monroeville at 7:00 PM on Monday evening, July 1, 2013. Meetings of Sustainable Monroeville are free and open to the public. They are held in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Join Us!

Brain Health: Management of Fatigue, Mood and Memory 

Safdar Chaudhary, MD

Dr. Chaudhary is medical director for Seclairer, an organization devoted to the dissemination of evidence-based practices, located in Delmont, Pennsylvania. He is Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology in General Adult, Addiction, and Geriatric Psychiatry.

He has been practicing psychiatry for the past 20 years and has received two years intensive training by Behavioral Tech Research, Inc (Marsha M. Linehan PhD) in learning and implementing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). He has spearheaded DBT based treatment programs and trainings at both private and public sector. His experience includes providing extensive training, supervisions and consultation to treatment providers affiliated with large public– sector systems in the implementation of mindfulness based treatments. He has initiated the delivery of healthcare in a wellness setting at “S’eclairer” located in Delmont PA. He has organized several CME conferences and has been a guest speaker for Grand Rounds and Faculty Presentations.  

Dr. Chaudhary had served as associate editor of Bulletin, a periodical for Allegheny County Medical Society serving 3,000 physician members, since 1998 and Medical Editor for this monthly periodical for 6 years. He has been actively involved in various aspects of mental health care including private, public and correctional health sectors. He has actively spearheaded securing grants for drug and alcohol prevention program for youth from Department of Justice to serve the needs of this region. He enjoys music, art, culture, biking, traveling, reading, swimming, nature and listening and learning. He can be reached at safdar@seclairer.com. 

Triple Divide Documentary with the Producers! Free Screening on Monday evening, June 3, 2013 at the Monroeville Public Library

Join us for a free screening of the newly released documentary Triple Divide,  co-sponsored by Sustainable Monroeville and the Monroeville Public Library.



The screening at the Monroeville Public Library will be followed by Q&A with the Producers. Show time is 6:30 PM. Free and open to the public. Bring along a friend or two or three!

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.

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 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 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!

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

Our dog, Mango with wheat grass

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! 

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!

"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. 



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.”

We look forward to seeing you on Monday evening, February 4, 2013 at the Monroeville Public library. 

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.