Dear Neighbors,

Spring is coming, and Pittsburgh is blooming greener than ever.  Though it can be hard to stay motivated through the winter, we have worked on finding greener ways to improve the way we run our City.

Over the last few months, we have upgraded 3,700 business district streetlights to brighter, cleaner, cost-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) streetlights – an improvement that is anticipated to reduce the City’s energy usage by more than 60 percent and save taxpayers approximately $110m000 per year; begun the development of “Green Central,” a centralized space where residents and City employees will have easy access to information related to everything green; purchased new Compressed Natural Gas (CnG) waste haulers, set to run quieter, cleaner and more efficiently than ever on trash day; and assisted with the weatherization of 70 homes for City residents. And they are just a few recent accomplishments.

There are many projects currently in the works that will keep Pittsburgh as a leader in sustainability, including increasing our recycling program and development of the Civic LEAF Academy.

This month, in honor of Earth Day, I invite you to celebrate the preservation of our planet all week with the City’s first-ever Earth Market, April 23 – 27, in Market Square, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not only will you learn about Pittsburgh’s sustainability efforts, but you can stock up on resources to help your greening projects all year long. Also, don’t miss this year’s annual Earth Day celebration in Frick Park on Saturday, April 21.

If your green organization would like to participate in our Earth Market, or you would like more green-related information, please contact the City’s Sustainability Coordinator at 412- 255-2254. I also encourage you to sign up for an electronic copy of the Green Scene, the Office of Sustainability and Energy Efficiency’s new newsletter that provides valuable resources and information about Pittsburgh’s push toward a greener future. Go to pittsburghpa.gov/green and click on “Sign up for email updates” to subscribe to the Green Scene.

Creating a sustainable City is a collaborative effort that balances protection, preservation, maintenance and innovation. I am proud that Pittsburgh provides a great quality of life for our residents, and I look forward to working with residents, as well as the public and private sectors, to ensure a green, sustainable, most livable future for our City.

Sincerely,

Luke Ravenstahl
Mayor, City of Pittsburgh