Across the globe, April 22nd is recognized as Earth Day—a day to show support for the initiatives and organizations that protect our environment and natural resources. The City of Pittsburgh goes above and beyond in its Earth Day celebration, with events spanning 3 days from Thursday, April 20th to Saturday, April 22nd. As a proud sponsor of Pittsburgh Earth Day, we’d like to highlight some of the ways you can get involved this year, and how we’re taking action as a company to help protect our region’s environment.
Learn
There are several public events during Pittsburgh's Earth Week where community members can learn more about various environmental initiatives in the region, but who knew that learning could be so colorful? On Thursday, April 20th, the Fairmont Hotel downtown will be kicking off the Earth Day festivities with the “Ecolution Fashion Show,” showcasing styles made of recycled and reused materials. For a full list of Pittsburgh Earth Day events, click here.
Discuss
On Friday, the David L. Lawrence convention center will host a Sustainability Business Breakfast, where local experts and business leaders will talk about their experiences with going green, and how sustainability can benefit businesses. Our own Director of Communications and Community Relations, Barry Kukovich, will be one of the speakers on the panel, discussing the essential role that sustainability plays in our region and how we, as a company, are helping to make Pittsburgh more sustainable. Later that day, the PNC Sustainable Lunch + Learn will take place at the Tower at PNC Plaza. The luncheon will focus on how to maintain the “wellness” aspect of sustainability, featuring local leaders and a keynote address from Curt Ellis, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of FoodCorps, an organization that aims to provide healthy food for children in schools across the country.
Take Action
Volunteer. While learning about and discussing environmental protection is a vital first step, we believe that real change happens through active volunteerism. In 2016, our employees spent hundreds of hours volunteering—a commitment we’re already carrying into 2017. Friday, April 21st, we’re sponsoring Wild Earth Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium — “A celebration of wildlife and conservation.” Around 20 of our own employees will be volunteering at the event to help make an impact this Earth Day. We hope to see you there!
Partner. We are also thrilled to continue our support of Venture Outdoors—a local organization whose mission is to bring the outdoors to everyone by providing “the gear, guidance and inspiration to make outdoor recreation part of people’s lives.” Starting in May, they will be hosting Paddle without Pollution “Clean Up Paddles,” where kayakers can volunteer to help clean up Pittsburgh’s rivers as part of the organization’s Pollution Stewardship Program. For more information and to register, keep an eye on their activities calendar.
Change. One of the most powerful ways we've taken action to protect the environment is the huge steps we've made towards improving our own infrastructure. Currently, we are taking a proactive stance on reducing our methane emissions. Working with Google, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Carnegie Mellon University, we’ve used specially-equipped Google Street View mapping cars to detect methane gas leaks in aging pipes, which—while not hazardous to public health—pose a threat to the environment. These maps then help us to prioritize pipeline repairs and replacements. Click here to learn more about this initiative.
Protecting the environment is one of the core pillars of our company. Our goal is to reduce the region’s carbon footprint through the safe delivery of natural gas, but we see this as a stepping-stone towards other renewable energy sources. That’s why we're investing in the development of progressive energy technologies such as fuel cells, microturbines, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. To us, it is extremely important that we keep learning about and actively supporting environmentally friendly programs and technologies. We hope you will join us in these efforts on Earth Day and every day!