Hydraulic Fracturing aka Fracking and associated infrastructure is upon us in Monroeville, PA and the Eastern Suburbs

Hello and Happy end of June 2018! What's new in Monroeville, PA and surrounding communities in the Eastern suburbs. A lot of active and proposed hydraulic fracturing wells and associated infrastructure including the injection well just approved for Plum, PA...

Please come to the July 2, 2018 at 7:00 PM meeting of Sustainable Monroeville at the Monroeville Public Library to learn more from Gillian Graber and what action items you can take.

Modeling our Regenerative future and taking care of Mother Earth 🌏 is what we all are learning by spending time at Boyce Park at the Meadow on Indian Hill. The beautiful brown-eyed Susans are in full bloom! We learn how to give back to the earth by putting plants in the ground that are good for pollinators like 🦅 birds and 🐝 bees. We understand we can reduce the amount of grass in our yards and parks and instead plant wild flowers and food. We learn to steer clear of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides on our yards and in our food and water.

In conjunction with all we learn, we must understand why it’s of utmost importance that Monroeville PA put an oil & gas ordinance in place with specific restrictions on noise levels, light levels, air and water pollution monitoring and more. So far Monroeville Council and the Mayor do not agree. What is your opinion? Please join us for the Monday July 2, 2018 at 7:00 pm meeting of Sustainable Monroeville at the Monroeville Public Library (MPL) to learn from Gillian Graber, Executive Director of Protect PT for updates about proposed fracking sites in two of our neighboring communities Penn Township and Trafford. Ms. Graber will also cover what we as individuals can do to protect ourselves.

Other Save the Dates: Thursday, July 5, 2018 for Citizens Night and Tuesday, July 10 at 7:00 pm for the council meeting at the Monroeville Municipal building Wednesday, July 18 6:30-8:30 for Clean Air Council’s Groups of 10 at the MPL. Free, open to the public & All are welcome!

Put August 29, 2018 on your calendar as a tentative SAVE the DATE for the EHP coming to Monroeville, PA to sign folks up for the health registry. We are within 5 miles, most of us, of an active pad in Plum, I think....The proposed well pad just over into Westmoreland County beyond the bike path on Saunders Station is 0.2 mile from the Monroeville Municipal pool. About 1.2 miles from Ramsey Elementary and closer to Crossroads Pre-School.

See you on Monday, July 2, 2018 at 7:00 PM to hear genius Gillian Graber of ProtecT PT educate and activate all of us!

Elisa Beck :)

sustainablemonroeville@gmail.com

SustainableMonroeville.blogspot.com

Like Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

The Way We Live Documentary Screening with Tom Jefferson LIVE! Monday evening, March 6, 2017 at 7:00 PM. Whole Food Plant Based Pot Luck at 6:00 PM!

Hello and Happy Full Moon! Mark your calendar for the next meeting of Sustainable Monroeville on Monday, March 6, 2017. Get ready for an AMAZING EVENING!

At 6:00 PM we'll have a whole food, plant based pot luck dinner. Please bring your own plate and utensils and we'll pack in, pack out and have a zero waste event! Beginning at 7:00 PM, we'll screen the documentary. The Way We Live, filmed and produced by local Pittsburgh documentary filmmaker and photographer, Tom Jefferson. Mr. Tom Jefferson has been involved in filming and educating the world wide community about climate change and social justice related to EcoWarriorship for a very long time. Here's the link to the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0YDgBxLz3s Tom will join us for Q&A and brief discussion before and after the film. We'll also explore local ACTION opportunities.

Sustainable Monroeville meetings are free and open to the public. There is a $5.00 or more suggested donation for this meeting to compensate Mr. Jefferson for his amazingness.

Blessings again and again for a Happy Healthy 2017 for all of us!

Elisa Beck:)
LIKE Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

Free Documentary Screening; Nathan Crane's Search for Sustainability: Sustainable Health! Wednesday< may 4, 2016 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM

Join us on Wednesday evening, May 2, 2016 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM for the next meeting of Sustainable Monroeville. This meeting will be held in conjunction with the Monroeville Public Library. We will be showing the third documentary in Nathan Crane's Search For Sustainability Series. The title of the documentary is: Sustainable Health. Following the screening, there will be Q&A with Sustainable Health and Wellness Practitioners. Feel free to be one of those practitioners.... See you at the Library!

Details here: https://www.facebook.com/Sustainable-Monroeville-296298929312/

Many Blessings for abundant Health and Wellness,

Elisa Beck:)
Founder, Sustainable Monroeville
LIKE Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

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

July 6, 2015 Sustainable Monroeville Meeting on Beekeeping and more!

July, 2015 with Sustainable Monroeville!

Join us on Monday, July 6, 2015 in the downstairs program room of the Monroeville Public Library to learn about Beekeeping! We have two amazing local speakers on bees, Christina Newmann and John Yakim. We'll also continue the Sustainable Community Certification conversation with Pam. Thanks so much to our amazing volunteers! Elisa Beck :)

Virginia Bluebells in early spring with bee pollinating!

Bees love to pollinate Echinacea, a wonderful medicinal plant!

Goldenrod and Asters in a yard in Monroeville for the bees!

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! 

Lessons learned from The Great Climate Marchers and Sustainable Monroeville in Monroeville, PA !

The Great Climate Marchers came through our town! We are blessed Monroeville, PA!

College students walking across the country! That's called experiential learning!

Scouting out the route is one of the important jobs. The route from The Monroeville Church of the Brethren on Haymaker Road, crossing Route 22 and 48 to travel to Saunders Station is not yet bicycle or pedestrian friendly! No young children in the rickshaw for this part of the journey!

 Playing and cheering along the way! The young ones, they preserve the spirit of play!! So much fun!

 Thank you founder of the Great Climate March from Iowa!

Solar panels, bicycles, rickshaw and walkers....

Not much space to walk on the side of the road in Monroeville, PA while approaching the intersection of Routes 22 and 48....Lots of potential for this second busiest intersection in the state of PA!

 We have lots to learn about composting toilets. Cradle to cradle and the whole ecosystem functions so efficiently as we educate ourselves to come back to ourselves and be wise about using all of our resources!!!

What lessons did I learn through this experience with and likely because of my involvement with Sustainable Monroeville for these past many years ?

1) Sustainable Monroeville's Carol Cutler sure knows the lessons of perseverance! Thanks Carol from the bottom of our hearts for persisting by calling so many churches and temples to finally, after 12 calls to religious institutions in Monroeville, PA, find an institution willing to graciously host the Great Climate Marchers! That amazing space is called the Monroeville Church of the Brethren. This church's generous spirit and trust was truly a blessing for hosting many of the Climate Marchers while they were in Monroeville, PA.

2) The religious institutions in our town are not yet acculturated to understand how important it is to open their doors to tired, amazing individuals that are working to make the world a better place. Time will heal!

3) The Climate Marchers taught me how important it is top lighten our loads, remain unattached to material goods, and never give up!

Thanks, thank you, WOW, THANK YOU 50 Great Climate Marchers for your courage, your wisdom, for sharing your lives with us, even for the brief moment that you crossed our paths in Monroeville, PA! We honor you, we bless you, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks so much to all of the amazing individuals that live in Monroeville, PA for hosting marchers in their homes!

The Great Climate Marchers will be arriving in Washington D.C. on November 1. If you go to meet them and make your voice heard about cultural shifting, let them know you are from Monroeville, PA, and you support them. They are happy to accept monetary donations for their work!

Elisa Beck, Founder
Sustainable Monroeville
LIKE Sustainable Monroeville on Facebook!

Beekeeping with John Yakim on October 6 and The Climate Marchers in Monroeville, PA on October 16, 2014!

The Monroeville Food Garden....

 Thanks so much to Laura and Sandy and all of the amazing volunteers!

 Thanks so much to Lois Drumheller!

Join us on Monday evening, October 6, 2014, at the Monroeville Public Library to hear John Yakim talk about his beehives in Monroeville. Lois Drumheller will show us how the Monroeville Food Garden behind the Monroeville Public Library is being "put to sleep"!

Join us also on Thursday, October 16, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for a pot luck dinner with about 50 Climate Marchers at the Monroeville Church of the Brethren on Center Road! The Climate Marchers started their journey in California in March, 2014, and we are honored to host them on Thursday, October 16!

Information about the Great March For Climate Action can be found here: http://www.icontact-archive.com/GvQYexmXvqPhARbh3npQzEgWEeiGdtLk?w=3

If you'd like to offer your home to host a few folks, let us know. E-mail to sustainablemonroeville@gmail.com, or contact us through the Sustainable Monroeville Facebook page!

See you soon!

Elisa Beck :)

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)

Join us this coming Monday evening, March 3, 2014, for a plant based pot luck dinner at 6:00 PM, and to see the movie The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil  starting at 7:00 PM. Film run time is 53 minutes."When Cuba lost access to Soviet oil in the early 1990's, the country faced an immediate crisis-feeding the population-and an ongoing challenge: how to create a new low energy society. Cuba transitioned from large, fossil-fuel intensive farming to small, less energy intensive organic farms and urban gardens, and from a highly industrial society to a more sustainable one.

This film tells the story of the Cuban people's hardship, ingenuity, and triumph over sudden adversity-through cooperation, conservation and community, told in their own words. " "As the world (is experiencing) approaches (is the word in this text), Peak Oil. Cuba provides a valuable example of how to successfully address the challenge of reducing our energy use."

"Everyone who is concerned about Peak Oil needs to see this film. Cuba survived an energy famine during the 1990's, and how it did so constitutes one of the most important and hopeful stories of the past few decades. It is the story not just of individual achievement, but of the collective mobilization of an entire society to meet an enormous challenge." Richard Heinberg, author of The Party's Over, Powerdown

The time is now y'all. Let's learn together! Following the film on the Power of Community, we will show a few short excerpts of next month's film on the Latest in Clinical Nutrition by Michael Greger, M.D. creator of NutritionFacts.org. Dr. Greger is an amazing resource and appears each year at the North American Vegetarian Society meeting and recaps all of the literature produced from the prior year regarding nutrition. I call him a comedian doctor!

Join us with a friend or two and some of your family! This meeting is free and open to the public and you can be from any community! We'd love for you to join us! 

Elisa Beck :)

Founder, Sustainable Monroeville 

Cross pollinating communities; Join us!

Laura Beck and Pam Barroso of Monroeville at Schwartz Living Market's Upcycle/ARTZ Market!

Pat Fulkerson and his lovely wife, of Monroeville, participating in the South Side Soup Contest at the Schwartz Living Market! 

 Last month's Fifth Anniversary Pot luck dinner party of Sustainable Monroeville!

 Happy Five Years Sustainable Monroeville~!

 Hal Saville of EIS Solar demonstrating a solar panel at last month's meeting of Sustainable Monroeville. Thanks Hal!

 Houses with solar panels and smiling faces!

Life is Good! On Route 376 traveling towards Pittsburgh, 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!