Our rooftop and The Search for Sustainability Documentary Series produced by Nathan Crane

Hello and Happy February!

Join us to view the entire Search for Sustainability Series produced by Filmmaker Nathan Crane for the rest of the monthly Sustainable Monroeville meetings in 2016. The movies will be followed by discussion. The next Sustainable Monroeville meeting is on Monday, March 7, 2016 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Episode # 2 of the series to be shared at the March meeting is titled Sustainable Food, Water, and Soil. 
Sustainable Monroeville meetings are free and open to the public and take place in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library on the first Monday evening of each month. Please note: * July date will be posted soon....  See you at the movies!

Check out the link below to see the first in the series for free:

http://theselfreliancesummit.com/the-search-for-sustainability-home/

My personal Sustainability Lesson for 2015:

My big lesson in sustainability for 2015 was when we needed to put a new roof on our suburban Monroeville home. I wanted to put the greenest, most sustainable rooftop on the face of the planet on our home, but things did not end up that way.
What am I talking about? Well, a metal roof with solar panels, the more sustainable choice in my view would have cost about three times as much as the asphalt rooftop I eventually settled for. The best we could do was put an Energy Star rated rooftop, light in color on our roof. The shingles were made in a relatively local factory somewhere in Ohio....Why is it that the metal roof would be so much more expensive? My understanding is that the oil industry is so heavily subsidized that asphalt shingles which are oil based cost way less than other alternatives including composite materials and natural materials such as slate or ceramic roof tops....

The other rooftop revelation was that at this moment in time,  there is not one place in Western PA or Eastern Ohio that will recycle asphalt shingle. A prominent roofing company in Western PA misled me initially saying that they would take the old shingle and have it recycled with an UPCHARGE. When I checked into this through the PA Resources Council and by following through myself, I found out that indeed this was NOT true. This roofing company was appalled when I told them the truth and they made sure they will not spread untruths any more. They also made sure the company that said they were recycling asphalt shingles, but were not, took that fictitious service off of their web site!

Elisa Beck :)
sustainablemonroeville@gmail.com
Like Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

The Search For Sustainability

Happy 2016! What an amazing time to be alive! 

Join us on Monday evening, January 4, 2016 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM for the January meeting of Sustainable Monroeville.  Searching For Solutions, the first part of a 12 part Searching For Sustainability documentary will be shown. Join us in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Free and open to the public!

Please watch the film series trailer here  www.TheSearchForSustainability.com       After interviewing 49 leading visionaries in the sustainability movement, we've edited the content into 12 different facets of sustainability and look at everything from land, soil, water, and education - to politics, business, agriculture, self-reliance, and economics - all from the viewfinder of sustainability and regenerative living.    Every interview has something incredibly valuable to share, and every person we interviewed appears in one or more episodes.    Filming and editing this series has changed my life, my family's life, and inspired and educated us to live at such a higher level of connection and meaning and sustainability - giving us deeper tools and resources to continue advancing to more sustainable living - and I can't wait for you to experience the value and benefit we all have.    To a sustainable future,    Nathan     Nathan Crane is an award winning author, inspirational speaker, conscious filmmaker, and highly sought after publisher and promoter of personal growth teachings, books, events and training courses.  Nathan is the founder of the Panacea Companies including The Panacea Community, Panacea Publishing, Inc., Panacea Life School, and Panacea Hope.  He is the President and CEO of Integrated Health International, and produces highly transformational events that positively impact and transform hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.  Nathan's full venture, product, and resource list can be found at www.nathancrane.com

Backyard composting with Pennsylvania Resources Council on Monday evening, February 2, 2015 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Monroeville Public Library!

Join us on Monday evening, February 2, 2015 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM with PA Resources Council in collaboration with the Monroeville Public Library to learn about Composting in your yard! Please note there is a fee for this program and you will go home with a composting bin! Woo Hoo!

Backyard Composting

Composting is nature’s way of recycling. By utilizing the natural process of decomposition, organic materials often considered “waste,” such as grass clippings, food scraps, autumn leaves and even paper, can be recycled back into a rich soil conditioner. Through this transition, soil organisms, many of which are too small to see, break down the organic material in a compost pile so that valuable plant nutrients can be released for future generations of plants to use. Composting helps you reduce your waste stream, it improves the health of your gardens, and most of all its easy to do and enjoyable. 

Workshop Details:

This workshop thoroughly covers the importance of composting, setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance and ways of using finished compost. Participants will receive an Earth Machine Compost Bin with attendance. This bin, approved across the state as an ideal bin for urban and suburban areas, has an eighty-gallon capacity. 

Backyard Composting Workshops

Sign up for a Backyard Composting Workshop and turn your yard waste and food scraps into a valuable resource for your garden. If you would like to receive workshop updates by email, please send a request to the contact information below.

For more information, email compost@prc.org or call: (412) 488-7490 ext. 226

Cost: $50 per person/$55 per couple

February 2, 2015Monroeville Public Library at Sustainable Monroeville Meeting 
7 - 8:30 PM

Please note that meetings of Sustainable Monroeville are generally FREE, but there is a cost for this workshop! 

Screening of Urban Roots at January 5, 2015 Meeting of Sustainable Monroeville~ 7:00 PM! Composting Class in February!

Join Sustainable Monroeville in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library on Monday evening January 5, 2015, at 7:00 PM, to see the documentary Urban Roots!

Urban Roots is Produced by Leila Conners (The 11th Hour) and Mathew Schmid, and directed by Mark MacInnis. "The film follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future."

 Following this 93 minute film, the participants will choose to watch one of two special features, Protecting the Right To Grow Food, A short by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund about how to protect the right to grow food, 7 minutes; Insights and Tips on Urban Farming, with Urban Roots farmers sharing their expertise on how to start and maintain an urban farm throughout the year, 18 minutes, or have a discussion of the film.

Suggested $5.00 donation will go to www.urbanrootsaction.com which donates a portion of proceeds to "Putting Farms in Schools."

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Save the date for Sustainable Monroeville's February 2, 2015, meeting. PA Resources Nancy Martin will teach a class on composting: It’s Time to Compost!!

Not sure what to do with your kitchen, garden and yard scraps? Would you like natural, home-made compost for your lawns and gardens in the spring? Expand your recycling efforts to include kitchen scraps and yard debris.

You receive a composting bin at class!

This PA Resources Council workshop thoroughly covers the importance and benefits of composting, the process, setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance, and ways of using finished compost. Participants will receive an Earth Machine Compost Bin with attendance. This bin, approved across the state as an ideal bin for urban and suburban areas, has an eighty-gallon capacity. 

Cost $50 single/ $55 couple and includes one compost bin

Where: Monroeville Public Library/Sustainable Monroeville’s February meeting

When: February 2, 2015 at 7:00 – 8:30 PM

For more info or to register go to:

www.prc.org 

or call 412-488-7490 X 226

This workshop is made possible by the generous support of the Giant Eagle Foundation.

Court Gould of Sustainable Pittsburgh on Certifying Sustainable Municipalities! Monday evening, April 7, 2014

Join Sustainable Monroeville at 7:00 PM on Monday evening, April 7, 2014, in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library to hear Court Gould, Executive Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh speak about how Monroeville can become the next Certified Sustainable Municipality! 

Accolades for the 18 Certified Sustainable Municipalities

Through an underwriting campaign on 90.5 WESA and 91.3 WYEP, Sustainable Pittsburgh is bringing community accolades to the eighteen municipalities in southwestern Pennsylvania that have earned recognition through SP’s Sustainable Community Essentials Certification.

Ranging in certification level from Bronze through Gold, these municipalities have met the program's rigorous performance criteria, which tracks 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community.

The Sustainable Community Essentials Certification assists municipalities with saving money, conserving resources and serving vibrant communities. Municipal officials, there is still time to complete the certification and be recognized. We can even provide hands-on assistance to get you started. Call us at (412) 258-6643 or visit www.sustainablecommunityessentials.org to learn more.

What you will find on the certification website
The certification website is chock full of useful information:
- Click “View Certified Municipalities near you” to see a list of certified municipalities and also those that have pledged to become certified.

- View the information municipalities provided to earn certification.
Once you access the list of certified municipalities, you will notice their names are live web links. These links allow access to the policies and practices the municipality claimed and points earned. From here one can follow web links (little green boxes) provided by the municipality to material on their website that the municipality provided as validation of their certification points earned.

- The “Learn” button on the home page includes a drop down menu link to a “Library of Sustainable Municipal Policies and Practices.” Tracking all 131 certification criteria, this library is automatically populated as municipalities provide their web links to validate their points earned.

Applause for Certified Sustainable Municipalities!
Gold: 
Forest Hills, Connellsville, Moon, Scott, Latrobe, Cranberry, Upper St. Clair, Baldwin, Monaca

Silver:
Edgewood, Dormont, Etna, Heidelberg, Findlay, Millvale, Peters, Mt. Lebanon

Bronze: 
Swissvale

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!

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.

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!

Sustainable Monroeville at End of Summerfest in Monroeville, PA

This was the first 'officially' combined composted and recycled event, that we know of, in Monroeville, PA. How exciting! Kudos and thanks to PA Resources Council, PRC.org, and their Zero Waste Pittsburgh program for making this possible! In collaboration with Sustainable Monreoville, the Municipality of Monroeville, and Temple David at the End of Summerfest, the PA Resources Council provided 10 recycling containers and one compost container for us.

Kyle came to pick up the compostables and enjoyed posing for this photo with his Steelers Zero Waste shirt! Thanks so much Kyle for all you do! Thanks Temple David, and the Municipality of Monroeville for making all of this possible! Here's Kyle Winkler, of PRC helping out at the end of the day along with a member and huge organizer and helper of the End of Summerfest from Temple David. 

Hey, we wanted a bunch of compost containers, but were educated by Kyle and changed our minds. We decided one compost container for this first collaborative event would be just right. But why? Well, folks, that is, the general public, understands recycling and what to do with their plastic bottles and aluminum cans. But composting? That's a whole different story!

In the 1500's, composting must have been the norm. Or was it? These Renaisasance folks sure were a bit confused looking at these oversized plastic containers. They had chalices hanging from their belts and carried their pewter plates with them. Now that's a vote for sustainability! To learn more about the Renaissance and have lots of fun, consider going to the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival sometime between August 25 and September 30, 2012. Go to www.pittsburghrenfest.com for details. And tell the King and Queen we sent you!

The King and Queen recycling their water bottle. Wait you might think, we just mentioned that the Renaissancers were carrying chalices with them. So here's the real scoop: They were adding bottled water that was supplied by the festival to their chalices in the big tent on the field, their hideaway for the day. But those Renaissance folks are responsible, yes they are. At the end of the day, one of them asked where to recycle the 70 bottles of plastic they had accumulated over the past many hours! They put all of their empty used bottles in the proper blue receptacles. We were informed that usually they have a giant urn filled with water that they use to fill their chalices. Another vote for sustainability! We sure are interested to know more about the Renaissance and what we can learn from looking back. Thanks for being such wonderful participants in our frecycling and composting efforts, King's Court and the King and Queen! We had fun dancing with you too!

    Ira, of Sustainable Monroeville and his beautiful wife visiting us at our booth.

                                                                                         

These ladies were sampling meatballs and cheese. Neither of these food items could go in our compost. Why is that? For small scale composting, meat and cheese are kept out of the pile so as not to attract pesky animals. If not eaten, that meat and cheese was put in the trash. 

        

Dana of Healcrest Farms in Garfield, an awesome urban farm, was selling delicious teas and other wild provisions. Their booth this year was the only booth that intentionally provided compostable tea sampler cups this year. Bravo to Dana and Healcrest!

Who are these groupies? Must be Lois, the hugger guy, a local couple,Pam, Skip, and Lu! Check out that wheatgrass on the table, the beautiful flowers, the great photos of the Monroeville Food Garden and more!

Elisa, founder of Sustainable Monroeville, with Kyle of PRC, at the end of the day. PA Resources Council is the oldest environmental non-profit in the state of Pennsylvania and their work is fantastic!

Thanks again and again for working with us!

End of Summer Festival 2012 in Monroeville Park 2451 Tilbrook Road with Sustainable Monroeville

Join Sustainable Monroeville and the Monroeville Food Garden to celebrate at the End of Summer Festival on Sunday, August 19, 2012, in Monroeville Park. Through Pennsylvania Resources Council's Zero Waste Pittsburgh program, along with Temple David, and the Municipality of Monroeville, we'll be recycling bottles and cans and composting food and other products! Look for the blue containers to recycle glass, plastic and aluminum containers, and look for the green container to compost food waste and other compostables at the event!

Monroeville End of Summer Fest

WHEN: Sunday - August 19, 2012

WHERE: Monroeville Community Park, Tall Trees Amphitheater,
399 Tilbrook Road, Monroeville PA 15146-4232
(Allegheny County Pennsylvania.)

DESCRIPTION: Monroeville End of Summer Fest is a food and music festival open to the public. Admission is free. There will be vendors, arts, crafts, food, a band playing on the stage, carnival-type game booths, face-painting, activities, raffles, and contests.

The event benefits the Weiger School at Temple David.

CONTACT: Email: "endofsummerfest @ gmail.com"

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/events/190510707661573/#!/pages/End-of-Summer-Fest-Aug-19th-2012/195206017182180 .

 End of Summer Fest

Sunday, August 19th   11 am – 7 pm

Monroeville Community Park
2451 Tilbrook Road, Monroeville, PA 15146

The I Made IT Market will be bringing 16 artists to join in the festivities at End of Summer Fest in Monroeville Community Park from 11 am – 7 pm. It’s second year, End of Summer Fest is a fundraiser for the JESP Preschool at Temple David in Monroeville (this school is open to all for enrollment).

This family event centered on health and wellness.  Featuring a kids area with games, activities, and face painting, live entertainment from five bands including Rox Academy, Chasing 9, Lightening Box, and the Pittsburgh Passion, this event will keep the family busy all day long.

Meet and shop from local retailers, food and our local artisans selling handmade wares as part of the I Made It! Market.  This event is free to the public to attend.

A portion of each artist’s sales will be donated to JESP Preschool.

Your Garden Soil: An Underground City

Join us on Monday evening, May 3, 2010, at the Monroeville Public Library from 7:00-8:30 PM at our regular May meeting. Jeff Newman of Steel City Soil will be our featured speaker. He'll be talking about and showing us some soil. Where does soil come from anyway? Why care about soil quality?

Harvey, one of the participants in the recent organic gardening workshop, was amazed that the rich black compost he saw in the wheelbarrow was made from the leftover vegetable clippings and leftover fruit scraps from the household waste stream. Do you compost your food scraps yet?