June 1, 2015 at Sustainable Monroeville! Six PM Pot Luck and 7:00 PM Meeting at the Monroeville Public Library!

 The June meeting of Sustainable Monroeville on June 1, 2015 is in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. At 6:00 PM we'll have a plant based, as locally sourced as possible, including your yard as a source of foraged food!!!, pot luck dinner followed by our meeting at 7:00 PM. Please pack in and out. Bring utensils, plates and cups!

Lois Drumheller who has spearheaded the Monroeville Food Garden along with several other amazing volunteers will give an overview of what's coming this season! 

Pamela Barroso who has been participating in Sustainable Monroeville since the group was founded in 2009 is spearheading the effort to document Monroeville as a Sustainable Community through the certification program of Sustainable Pittsburgh. Go to www.sustainblepittsburgh.org for more details about this program.

Pam's topic at the June 1, 2015 meeting of Sustainable Monroeville will focus on Local and Regional Cooperation. Questions to be addressed for Local and Regional Cooperation are below: 

 

The numbers on the right hand side of the statements are the maximum number of points that can be acquired for these items on the questionnaire that is being filled out. I am looking forward to the meeting to learn a lot, as I have not a clue what the Council of Governments is, nor how our municipality might work with the ICA's mentioned above!!

What is this Sustainable Community certification process all about and why is it important for the Municipality of Monroeville to participate in this program of Sustainable Pittsburgh? 

In my view this questionnaire is getting the conversation started community wide about the meaning of the word sustainability and is key to facilitate documentation of what is already sustainable about our amazing community! As  the conversation continues, community members, educators, school children, businesses, and politicians have questions we work on answering. We are all working together to manifest a more and more sustainably oriented community as we move along into the middle of the 21st century!

Looking forward to seeing you in June! 

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

Thanks so much to all of our volunteers, and Happy late Springtime!

Elisa :)

Elisa Beck, Founder

www.sustainablemonroeville.com

LIKE Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

September with Sustainable Monroeville: The Monroeville Food Garden on Monday evening, September 1, 2014!

Join us Monday evening, September 1, 2014, at 7:00 PM to pull some weeds and help with the maintenance of the Monroeville Food Garden. The library will be closed, so walk around to the back of the library and find us. Dress appropriately!

Garden Volunteers are a blessing, so please join the crew! Contact Lois Drumheller directly to volunteer. Lois's contact information is l_drumheller@me.com
412.374.0870 (home) or 412.736.1765 (cell)
Here's a garden update from Lois Drumheller, former Monroeville Councilwoman and the lady who facilitates the garden happenings:

Hi Gardeners!

 (Courtesy of Karen Howell)

What stellar weeks we've been having with zucchini, tomatoes, beans. I actually counted that I picked 270 beans yesterday, and I STILL could have gotten more, but dark was falling fast.  Karen, who 's been getting quite a large amount of produce each Friday to Crossroads after the early pantries (we alternate deliveries Tuesday to Pitcairn, like today, or Mnrl Assembly of God, and monthly, Garden City) has been getting way more than the usual STILL at the end of each week. That's no problem, by the way. Everyone's been getting good amounts of organic produce. 

Note: Next week, we'll need to cover Karen's Friday delivery to Crossroads. Sandy has offered, but Sandy, you'll need to get it to them prior to Friday morning, since you're not a morning person (like Thursday afternoon). I believe this may be possible with the phone contact to the pantry, but you'll need to call them a few days ahead (I believe her name is Martha) or someone who will answer the phone before 4 PM. The paster is Rob Marrow and he is usually there to 5 PM to accept the donation. That number is 412-372-2311.  Please tell me if I'm incorrect, Karen, as you go there all the time, and I'm taking my information from what I check once a year.

I'm heading to the garden now to weed wack. The municipality cut the grass today, so it should be tidy for anyone coming. We always need weeding (Michele knows) and Jennifer, let me know if you can. I don't think I can till the hard weeds until the weekend, which I manage to do every few weeks with the tiller on the border of the swale.

I plan to be at the garden Monday (labor day) evening, when we will have an informal garden meeting with members of Sustainable Monroeville. Yes, the library will be closed that day, but stop by anyway!

Oh, yes… I'm still looking for volunteers, always, even if we are nearing the end of the season. Please continue to put the word out there. We've learned every year to be this good.

Best to you, and as always, THANKS!

Lois

l_drumheller@me.com
412.374.0870-412.736.1765 (m)

Peaceable Kingdom documentary on July 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library

Join us on Monday evening, July 7, 2014, at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library to see the award winning documentary Peaceable Kingdom: the journey home, for the July meeting of Sustainable Monroeville. Free and open to the public!

"Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a riveting story of transformation and healing. This award-winning film explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic assumptions of their way of life. Presented through a woven tapestry of memories, music, and breathtaking accounts of life-altering moments, the film provides insight into the farmers sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also making clear the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led them to their present dilemma."

Directed by	Jenny Stein
Produced by	James LaVeck
Starring	Lorri Bauston, Gene Bauston, Harold Brown, Howard Lyman, Jim Mason, Jessi Seif, Peaches Gillete, Jerry Cook
Running time	70 min.
Language	English
Budget	unknown

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

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

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!

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. 

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.

Eating, Third Edition: It's the biggest cause of disease, disabilities and death in the U.S. today

Join us on Monday evening, August 6, 2012 at the Monroeville Public Library for the August meeting of Sustainable Monroeville. Our Raw Foods Pot Luck Dinner begins at 6:00 PM and at 7:00 PM, the movie will begin. We will be screening the movie Eating. Mmmm. mmmm. good! Bring along a raw foods dish, preferably with locally sourced food. Remember to bring along a place setting and a cup as we like to pack it in, pack it out, and make our events, zero waste!

Eating third Edition

A documentary film

"A compelling and often shocking look at the standard American diet." "...asserts that following federal nutrition guidelines can kill you." American Library Association

"Rivet yourself to your chair and watch Eating, a mind-blowing video experience that will forever change the way you think about food."

Joel Fuhrman, M.D.,            author of Eat To Live

"Eating is a brilliant program, showing a side of the food industry that many will find shocking. It also provides an easy and engaging path to health through good food. I highly recommend it." Neal Barnard, M.D.,            author of Breaking the Food Seduction

"I want both to congratulate and to thank you. You've done us all a major service." John Robbins, author of Diet For a New America

Don’t miss the Eating experience! 88 minutes that will change your life!

Reactions

This is part of an email RAVEDIET.com received which describes a showing of Eating:

"WOW! It was unbelievable! We had over 100 people show up to our fundraiser. After the film was over, about 30 people stayed around and talked and asked questions and ate free samples of fake meats and soy/ice/almond milks, etc...that had been donated by our local grocery stores. Before the movie, I decided not to put out handouts and books. I did it during the film, so that when people came out, they came on to the resource table where we had our cook books and our table full of free literature. There was SO MUCH excitement and energy in the theater lobby area. It felt like we changed a lot of lives and a lot of diets. It was enormously successful. Andy helped me and my students set up and break down, and he was also very engaged in talking to people and answering questions. He thought it was incredible! It is a great film to see on a big screen."

May Meeting, Pot Luck dinner and Gardening in Monroeville!

Join us on Monday evening, May 7, 2012 at the Monroeville Public Library for the May meeting of Sustainable Monroeville. We'll have a pot luck dinner at 6:30 pm. The theme for the pot luck this time is Raw Food! And remember to bring a place setting too, as we like to pack in and pack out and make our events zero waste. We will compost any leftovers that folks do not take home with them. At 7:00 PM the meeting will start with a short look at the Monroeville Food Garden. Then we will move right into a discussion about food and the movie we showed last month called Forks Over Knives.

Now is your chance to help prepare the Monroeville Food Garden behind the Monroeville Public Library for the 2012 season. Come de-thatch with your own tools Friday, May 11, 2012, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. There will be some tools available if you do not have any to bring. Cold drinks will be there to keep you cool! Bring along a friend or two or three!

This will be the second year for the Monroeville Food Garden. Last year the garden provided 500 pounds of vegetables to five local food banks. Thanks so much to councilwoman Lois Drumheller, Councilman Bern Erb, Sandy McFall, Pam Barroso, the Girl Scouts, and others that helped with this incredible effort!

Eating a Plant Based Whole Foods Diet

Recently I spent three weeks at the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, and participated in the Life Transformation Program. What an amazing experience! I am convinced that this place is a valid potential model of the hospital of the future where people really heal, and medications are not used to mask symptoms that are speaking to us to tell us what is out of balance in our inner ecosystems. Through their educational programming, serving delicious raw vegan food, and exercise and therapeutic opportunities, they teach each individual how to take charge of their own health and move forward in their lives as joyful, fulfilled spirits. It is a wonderful journey to be on, this life!

Come join us this coming Monday, April 2, 2012, in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library to see the film Forks Over Knives and learn about the advantages of eating a plant based whole foods diet. Elisa Beck for Sustainable Monroeville-- Join us on Facebook!

"Join the conversation that's changing the way America Eats." "The film features leading experts on health and tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for years."
                                                                                                                          from the film jacket

"A film that can save your life," Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times; "Great Movie." Mark Bittman, New York Times Columnist; "Convincing, Radical and Politically Volatile," John Anderson, Variety

Forks Over Knives

The Sustainable Monroeville meeting on April 2, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library will feature the movie Forks Over Knives, a 96 minute film by Monica Beach Media. Discussion will follow the film.

 "The idea of food as medicine is put to the test. The storyline traces the personal journeys of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world renowed Cleveland Clinic. Their seperate research led them to the same conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented- and in many cases reversed-by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet."

Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium

Elisa Beck and Lorraine Vincent of Sustainable Monroeville presented to the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium today. The faith leaders in attendance wrote suggestions about how to involve themselves in gardening efforts in the Monroeville Food Garden behind the Monroeville Public Library and beyond. The Monroeville People's Garden provided 500 pounds of vegetables for the four local food pantries this past year!

Here are some of the things the faith leaders wrote: "My parish may have a person or two who might be interested in working in the Monroeville Food Garden. I would be happy to publicize events in the bulletin, newsletter, etc." Eric Ash

"Advertise, Educate, Inform, Invite congregation to participate. Have a Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium member as part of the leadership."

"Have congregations take turns tending garden. Give us a 'garden mentor' to come to our congregations and create our own, also to benefit the food banks. Help us write the grant to the Monroeville Foundation."

"Ask parishiners to become involved. Develop own garden."

"Promote volunteers via weekly e-mails." Crossroads Church has a wonderful garden. They use their vegetables they grow for the folks that frequent their own food pantry.

"We can volunteer to weed and tend the garden, or start various plants at our homes and bring to garden to transplant."

"Tell someone else about it."

Thanks so much Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium for your efforts!

We talked about the importance of a pure food system, enriching the soil, living soil vs. sprayed lawns and promotion of the ideas of Food, Not Lawns in our beautiful suburb. We are the change we have been looking for!

Come one, come all to our February meeting of Sustainable Monroeville on Monday evening, February 6, 2012, in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Our third anniversary dinner pot luck will be at 6:00 PM with the meeting from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Bring food that is locally sourced, if possible and your own place setting. This will be a zero waste event and leftovers will be composted. We will have reports from the Recycling Committee,  the Monroeville Food Garden, the developing permaculture landscape at the Cedars of Monroeville, and plan for 2012 including the action item of filling out the application for the Monroeville Foundation! Elisa Beck, Founder, Sustainable Monroeville

Vandana Shiva in Pitttsburgh. Pure Joy and Inspiration!

Last night, I went to Point Park University to hear Vandana Shiva, "world- renowned environmental leader and thinker...She is the founder of Navdanya ("nine seeds"), a movement promoting diversity and use of native seeds. ..(she) set up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology in her mother's cowshed in 1997. (Her organization)..has done studies that have validated the ecological value of traditional farming and have been instrumental in fighting destructive development projects in India." She also written many wonderful books including Soil, Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis, 2008, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development, 2010, Earth Democracy, Justice, Sustainability and Peace, 2005, Water Wars: Pollution, Profits and Privatization, 2001, Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge, 1997, (all South End Press) Monocultures of the Mind (Zed, 1993) and The Violence of the Green Revolution (Zed, 1992)

A few of my friends, Steffi S. Eric V. a student from Point Park University, Vandana Shiva and me!

The talk was one of the most upbeat and inspiring talks I have ever heard. Shiva is grass roots and talked about the improtance of doing anything, any small thing, to work towards the world we want to see. She explained how turning land and soil to the organic way by enriching the soil, the earth will heal itself in a very short time, in two years.

After the talk, there was time for Q& A. I told Dr. Shiva that I usually ask questions. Following her talk though, I expressed my admiration that she spoke so well and summarized the healing plan for all of us people, plants, and all organisms through re-establishing the biodiverse earth, that I did not have any questions. Instead I told her what we are doing in our community of Monroeville to work with these issues. I told her about how we are linking the Food Not Lawns campaign with the urban core through the Schwartz Market project on Pittsburgh's Historic South Side.

So the newly established garden behind the Monroeville Public Library in cooperation with the library and the municipality is the first huge step in an outstanding direction. This winter, I will be thinking about, planning,  and designing a food garden for our front lawn, out here in this suburb called Monroeville. Our January meeting will be dedicated to the idea of Food Not Lawns. Join Us!

So what does this have to do with the urban core? Well, the urban folks do not have much space to grow food. Let's provide our suburban food for sale in the city and help the city folks establish their own rooftop gardens and urban farms....We are working step by step by step to establish a vibrant Schwartz Market on the South Side on Historic East Carson Street, main street USA! See http://1317eastcarson.blogspot.com. for more on this urban project. The market is available for vendors to sell food and some art, or have their goods sold. Please contact me if you are interested in being involved on any level out here in the suburbs or in the South Side.

I can be reached by e-mail at elisabeck@aol.com which I check almost daily, or sustainablemonroeville@gmail.com which I check infrequently!

So why am I so excited? Because when a person like Vandana Shiva says, oh, yes, that she did not talk about that last night, but that connecting the rural farmers with the urban core is so important and telling me that what we are doing is exactly what needs to happen, I get even more inspired! Perhaps she'll mention some of our after talking in her talk today at Carnegie Mellon University between 12:30 and 1:30 or tonight when she receives the Thomas Merton Award at the Sheraton in Station Squrare.

Join Us in this magnificent journey of vibrant life!  Elisa Beck :)

Elisa Beck

The Pittsburgh Public Market at Sustainable Monroeville

On Monday, November 14, 2011, at 7:00 PM, Rachel Kudrick of the Pittsburgh Public Market will be our speaker. Rachel will be talking about some of their specific plans for how to help communities become healthier, more sustainable, greener and friendlier, including future planning for educational classes, demos and partnerships.

She'll be bringing some maps of the Strip and a few other give-aways. Rachel, center, came to our meeting in September, 2011, and is pictured below with the two speakers from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Food Security Partnership:

Pittsburgh Public Market is a year-round public market hall located in the heart of the Strip District, Pittsburgh’s historic market district. The market offers a variety of locally grown and produced goods to support local business, industry and agriculture.

They are a non-profit entity under the auspices of Neighbors in the Strip and provide a place for local small businesses to open, learn, grow and thrive without the high cost of overhead that a traditional storefront would entail.

Their mission is to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood, provide healthy food and nutrition education to the neighborhood and surrounding region, provide jobs for low-income individuals with an emphasis on women and minorities, and create a public space that celebrates Pittsburgh’s diverse ethnic and food traditions.

Prior to the meeting NOTE CHANGE! At Monroeville # 4 Firehall, 4370 Northern Pike, in Monroeville, PA, on Monday evening, November 14, 2011, at 5:30 PM there will be a public meeting sponsored by Alcosan to update the community on fulfilling the consent decree to fix the sewage system in Allegheny County.  Sustainable Monroeville will not have a pot luck dinner that evening so we can attend this meeting and then follow it with our meeting at 7:00 PM at the Monroeville Public Library.

Background: Alcosan is planning to spend billions of dollars to expand their facilities and put in a new system to handle stormwater.

Another meeting will take place on Wednesday evening, November 9 from 5:30 to 7:30at the IBEW at 5 Hot Metal Street on the South Side. Alcosan has scheduled other meetings too. Go to their website for details.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's, Kerri LaCharite and James Harrell, Jr., speak!

Hunger and food access affects one in every seven people in the United States, a total of 14.5% of households.  Fresh produce is often the hardest item for families to obtain and purchase.  At the same time 12% of produce goes unharvested due to the cost of labor, market price of produce and other factors.  Kerri LaCharite, Produce Specialist at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will speak about local and urban agriculture initiatives and volunteer opportunities in South Western Pennsylvania and James Harrell, Jr., Regional Coordinator of the SW PA Food Security Partnership, will speak about the Southwestern Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership at the October 3, 2011 meeting of Sustainable Monroeville between 7:00 and 8:30 PM in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Free and open to the public. Join Us!

http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership was formed with the understanding that a unified approach is the way to make substantial progress toward eradicating hunger in our region.  Strengthening communications, sharing resources, identifying gaps and forging new collaborations throughout the Partnership’s network is their methodology.  It is an approach one set of authors recently described as a “collective impact” rather than an “isolated impact” strategy.

 Below is a more detailed link to the Pittsburgh food bank website which shows the types of work that the Partners have been doing in Allegheny County as well as the entire region.

http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/programs/partnership.aspx

Melons surrounded by Marigolds to stave off extraneous large critters in the Monroeville USDA People's Garden, September, 2011

Join our Gift Circle!

For our meeting on Monday evening, September 12, 2011 we will have a pot luck dinner starting at 6:00 PM and Gift Circle beginning at 7:00 PM! Consider bringing some locally harvested and/or produced fare for everyone to share! Also your plate, cup and utensils. This will be a zero waste event and you can be sure we'll compost any food we do not eat! We'll be sure to peak at the garden too!


Chad Mosseso, the facilitator says: "Come join us build friendships, community resilience, and economic self-sufficiency at the Gift Circle. As we share our needs and gifts with each other we are able to discover and utilize untapped resources within our community, effectively turning one person's unused asset into another person's treasure.  This creates more abundance for everyone in the community to enjoy while also cutting waste and unnecessary consumption."


See you at the Monroeville Public Library in the downstairs program room at 6:00 PM on Monday evening, September 12, 2011! Elisa Beck

Annual Pot Luck Dinner

Join us on Monday evening, February 7, 2011 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for our second annual pot luck dinner in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Please bring along a dish that has one locally sourced ingredient or a raw food dish.

Last year we asked folks to bring along a dish with one locally sourced ingredient and it got us thinking! One member of the group brought ham from Isaly's, another a potato dish from the prepared foods section of Whole Foods that had locally sourced potatoes. Be creative! This will be a zero waste event so bring your plate, silverware and cup too!