New 'Green' Wing Added to Pitt's Falk Elementary School
All materials used in the renovation meet requirements for being LEED certified. Green components include a “living” roof that will absorb 80 percent of rainwater. Plants on a “living” roof filter the air, improving air quality by using excess carbon dioxide to produce oxygen. Low-flow toilets and urinals in the restrooms and motion sensors on the faucets will decrease water usage. Most rooms also are equipped with air-exchange systems that draw cool air into the building and push warm air out. More>
Pitt Hosting Conference on Efficient, Environmentally Responsible Use of Coal and Coal Byproducts
The week that world financial leaders converge on Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit, Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering will host the foremost experts on fossil fuel research and environmental policy from 26 countries at the 26th annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference (PCC), the premier conference devoted to the more efficient and environmentally responsible use of coal and coal byproducts. The 2009 conference, titled “Coal-Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development,” focuses on the environmental, technology, and policy issues related to the continued use of coal. More>
Undergrad 'Green' Design Challenge No. 2
Pitt's Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation is offering a $5,000 cash prize to Southwestern Pennsylvania undergraduates who create multipurpose replacements for common, single-use products. It's a followup to the center's 2008 challenge to create a technique for "greening" old buildings that would reduce electricity consumption and pay for itself within one year. Project concepts are due Oct. 21. More>
p
Sustainable design and construction are
nothing new at the University of Pittsburgh.
Pitt installed its first campus-wide energy management system in 1975. Thirty years later, the University received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, located on Pittsburgh’s South Side.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Other recently constructed Pitt buildings—ranging from the Biomedical Science Tower 3 (BST3) to the University’s Darragh Street Housing facility—also have followed the latest “green” design and construction standards, such as mandatory occupancy sensors and a minimum of 25 percent recycled content in carpet installations.
Meanwhile, the University community has done its part via initiatives like a campaign, launched in 2003, to encourage students, staff, and faculty to enable the “sleep” function of their computers. Last fall’s Pitt student orientation spotlighted “Shooting for the Top,” a new educational campaign (cosponsored by the University) that highlights green efforts undertaken by Oakland’s big and small institutions.
Mascaro Center
Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation is a center of excellence in sustainable engineering focusing on the design of sustainable neighborhoods. The center, part of Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, encourages and nurtures new collaborative projects based on strong and innovative research, translating the fundamental science of sustainability into real products processes. Mascaro research includes projects on greening the built environment, more sustainable use of water, and the design of distributed power systems.