Phipps Takes Firm Stand against Childhood Obesity and Boldly Eliminates Soda from its Cafe
Pittsburgh’s premier public garden “walks the walk” when it comes to healthy foods.

   Pittsburgh, Pa. – In a bold move, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens announced that as of Sept. 30, 2011, it will no longer sell soda in its café. This decision, made in the wake of the public garden’s involvement in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to curb childhood obesity, aligns perfectly with its mission, which encompasses concern for both people and the planet.
While soda turns a good profit, it does so at the expense of our children who, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, can take in about 150 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar from just 12 ounces of cola. With childhood obesity rates on the rise—and one third of all children born in or after the year 2000 facing diabetes, while others will struggle with heart disease, high blood pressure,  cancer, and asthma according to Let’s Move!—Phipps saw an opportunity to make a difference by eliminating these unhealthy beverages from its café.
“Our mission at Phipps is to connect people to the important role that plants play in our lives and to promote environmentally-responsible lifestyles and practices,” says Phipps Executive Director Richard Piacentini. “The most important ways that people and plants interact is through the food we eat and the biggest impact on our health and the environment is made through the way that interaction is currently taking place. Our industrialized, factory farm food system and highly-processed products are destructive to the environment and our bodies, and disconnect us from nature. In this respect, promoting healthy and responsibly-produced foods is right up our alley and ties in seamlessly with all of our other greening efforts up to, and including, our construction of a living building.”
In addition to eliminating soda, and replacing it with refreshing drinks made with filtered seltzer water and freshly-squeezed fruit juice, and containing less than 40 calories, Café Phipps operates with visitor health in mind in other ways, too. Dedicated to offering meals for adults and children alike that are centered on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and other minimally processed foods, Café Phipps does not offer the typical fried fare found at many attractions, but rather ingredients that were grown with care for the environment and contribute to the health of the community. Café Phipps’ commitment to sustainable practices has also led to its certification by the Green Restaurant Association in 2009.
Another expression of the organization’s commitment to healthy choices, Phipps will host two upcoming symposia: Let’s Move Pittsburgh: Leading the Way to Healthy Lifestyles for Children on Oct. 12, and Feeding the Spirit: Museums, Food and Community on Oct.13, 2011. Let’s Move Pittsburgh, a regional event made possible by Phipps, UPMC Health Plan and the Heinz Endowments, will bring change-makers together to discuss best practices for and barriers to making Southwestern Pa. one of the healthiest places in the nation for children to live. Similarly, Feeding the Spirit—a national symposium of the American Public Gardens Association; Association of African American Museums; Association of Children’s Museums; and the Center for the Future of Museums, an initiative of the American Association of Museums—will bring together food and policy experts with U.S. museum and public garden leaders to strategize and identify ways to tackle community food issues.
To learn more about Café Phipps and its mission, please visit www.phipps.conservatory.org. More information about Let’s Move Pittsburgh and Feeding the Spirit can also be found at www.letsmovepittsburgh.org and www.aam-us.org respectively.

ABOUT PHIPPS

Built by Henry W. Phipps in 1893 at the height of Pittsburgh’s industrial prowess, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has evolved from the nation’s first teaching conservatory to a distinguished eco-champion among America’s 500 public gardens.

Phipps’ mission is to inspire and educate visitors with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and worldwide biodiversity through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse.

Phipps is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fridays until 10 p.m. Adults, $12; Seniors 62 and older and students with valid ID, $11; children 2-18, $9; children under 2, free.

For more information, call 412/622-6914 or visit phipps.conservatory.org.

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Watch “The Evolving Green Story of Phipps” on YouTube

 

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Image by mek22 via Flickr

but without the butter scuplture.

If you are thinking of running for President – then a stop at the Iowa state fair is a must.  Romney is planning to stop by on Thursday, Ron Paul will be visiting the fair on Friday and CSPAN will be providing live coverage of the fair all weekend long. And yes – there are butter sculptures at the state fair.

Well if you want to see who is testing the waters for a run in a future Pittsburgh or Western PA election – the SEAD picnic is the local version of the Iowa State Fair.

SEAD = South End Active Democrats

SEAD is a county wide grass roots Democratic organisation dedicated to getting every day people involved in the Democratic Politics. We have over 250 members from 39 communities in Allegheny County. Members include elected officials, candidates, campaign workers, union members, community activists and tireless volunteers.

The SEAD picnic is particularly interesting in Pittsburgh races where georgraphy plays a big deal.  The southern votes can make or break a campaign.  In the past both Luke Ravenstahl and Tom Murphy have been from the North Side.  The East End tends to stick with a candidate – and the southern neighborhoods could be the deciding factor.

Image via Wikipedia

It will be interesting to see which candidates make an appearance.  Will Michael Lamb be there building his base of support in the South? With Peduto or Dowd cross a bridge to make some friends on the other side of the river? Rumor has it that Jack Wagner is interested in running for mayor – maybe he will make an appearance.

We doubt that there will be much happening at the SEAD picnic with the county exec race – probably not a friendly place for team Raja – but Fitzgerald is from the east so maybe he will be there making some friends too.

While we doubt there will CSPAN or even PCTV coverage of the SEAD picnic.  Maybe Bram or Lady Elaine will be there live tweeting the action.  And there probably won’t be a butter scupture but there will be door prizes…

door prizes, a pig roast, pony and horse rides, Hawaiian Moonwalk Bouncer, Kids games provided by the Young Democrats of Allegheny County, DJ and the Wild World of Animals Show featured on the Regis and Kathy Show. Plenty of Democratic Candidates, but no speeches.

22nd Annual SEAD Picnic & Luau (complete with Pig Roast)
Sunday, August 14, 2011 Noon-7pm
Clock Building South Park Fairgrounds
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148166181932959

Related articles

• Butter sculptures churn 100-year state fair legacy (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sneak Peek: What’s New At Iowa State Fair 2011? – Des Moines News Story – KCCI Des Moines (faircarnivals.com)
• 25 OK Butter Sculptures That Are Probably Not Worth Having A Heart Attack Over But Here They Are, Have Fun (buzzfeed.com)

State representative Eugene DePasquale will be in Pittsburgh for a Meet & Greet (looks like a fundraiser with a suggested donation of $25/person) on Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Details and host committee are below – it is a pretty interesting host committee too – state reps, former state reps and campaign staffers. You can check out the Facebook event here – thus far 54 people are attending so there should be a great turnout.

Please join us for a meet and greet with State Rep. Eugene DePasquale

Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

AVA Restaurant, 126 S. Highland Avenue & Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Suggested Contribution: $25

RSVP: To this posting or via email to liz@eugene4pa.com

Checks may be made out to “DePasquale for PA” and brought to the event or mailed to: DePasquale for PA, PO Box 1822 | York, PA 17405

Donations may also be made online via ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com?/entity/fundraisers/24166

This event is generously hosted by:

• Kevin Acklin
• Damon Andrews
• Matthew Arena
• Fmr. Rep. Lisa Bennington
• Andrea Boykowycz
• Rep. Dom Costa
• David Dix
• Jennifer England
• George Fitch
• Rep. Marc Gergely
• Dan Gilman
• Sue Kerr
• Rep. Bill Kortz
• Rep. Nick Kotik
• Lynette Lederman
• Stan Lederman
• Rep. Bob Matzie
• Matt Merriman-Preston
• Khari Mosley
• Chuck Pascal
• City Councilman Bill Peduto
• Linda Piso
• Karen Rollins-Fitch
• Amy Jude Smotzer
• Martin Michael Smotzer
• Connie Sukernek
• Pat Sweeney
• Rep. Chelsa Wagner

This time the mayor is removing himself from the commission and making it smaller 15 people instead of 35.

While I would love to be excited about the Propel Pittsburgh commission actually meeting – this does look like some sort of PR attempt from the Mayor’s office.

The PG interviewed Anthony Smulski Jr. – former Vice Chair of the commission.

• “However, he said organizers repeatedly struggled to get all 35 members to a meeting, even though they applied for the slots, went through interviews and promised to serve.”
  • According to the City’s website – only 21 of the 35 spots were ever filled – the city lists 14 of those (10 of which were to be appointed by the mayor) as vacant.
• “In theory, it was a great idea,” Mr. Smulski said of the commission structure. “In practice, it was hard to execute.”Mr. Ravenstahl missed some meetings, too, he said.
• “Membership is limited to city residents, so Mr. Smulski, who moved from the North Side to the south suburbs, no longer is eligible.”

Also fascinating that the city still hasn’t updated the Propel Pittsburgh page on their website.

If we blog about it the mayor will talk about it… if only it were that easy.  But it is interesting to note that this announcement comes just a few weeks after a blog post about the Propel Pittsburgh commission was posted on a Pitt Students blog – The Publius Foundation - here (Progress Pittsburgh linked to it here and the PG’s Early Returns linked to it here).

Also fun to note – Matt Hogue (the blogger formerly know as the Pittsburgh Hoagie) left the following comment on the post on The Publius Foundation:

Screenshots of Propel Pittsburgh Websites:

With large storm predicted for Pittsburgh – the mayor’s office sent out this press release on Monday afternoon.

MAYOR URGES RESIDENTS TO PREPARE FOR SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today urged residents to prepare for snow, sleet and freezing rain tonight and tomorrow. According to the National Weather Service, precipitation will begin as light snow this evening, with sleet and freezing rain mixing in by Tuesday morning. Prolonged freezing rain on Tuesday could lead to the largest ice accumulations of the season, posing serious public safety concerns. The City is under a winter warning from 7 p.m. this evening until 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“We know that this is a very wide-spread storm that will affect our area and many other areas. We also know that the wide-spread nature of this storm brings about a high level of unpredictability, so we must prepare ourselves for the worst and of course hope for the best,” Ravenstahl said. “I encourage residents and commuters to stay in tomorrow morning. If you must drive, commuters need to prepare for slick roads, and possible downed trees and power lines.”

“I urge residents to exercise extreme caution,” Public Safety Director Michael Huss said. “When we have ice accumulation, the number of 911 calls for slip-and-falls spikes significantly. In addition, residents should expect wide-spread power outages.”

The City encourages residents to prepare for the weather conditions now:

• Minimize travel as much as possible Monday night and Tuesday morning.
• Salt/treat your walkways now. Be cautious of black ice and walk slowly.
• Check on elderly or special needs neighbors and make sure they are adequately prepared.
• Have 72-hour emergency kit fully stocked and ready to go.
• Stay away from downed trees near power lines and be prepared for loss of electricity.
• Stay informed and monitor media outlets – maintain a battery powered/hand-crank radio, fully charged laptop or cell phone in order to stay informed of further weather developments.
• The City of Pittsburgh Public Works has issues a Phase 1 Snow Emergency Alert, with 1”-3” of forecasted snow/ice. Crews will be working 12-hour shifts and all DPW equipment will be put into salt mode. The Forestry Division and Fire Department is on standby for possible downed trees. Additional tree contractors are also on alert if needed.

In addition, the City’s pre-identified warming centers are on alert for possible opening. Residents have received a mailer with information on warming centers and emergency preparation.

Residents are reminded to report power outages and downed trees on or near power lines to Duquesne Light, at 412-393-7000 or 888-393-7000.Down trees on public right of way should be reported to 911.

via Mayor Luke Ravenstahl · Press Release.

Just got an email from Joanna Doven – the press secretary for the mayor of Pittsburgh.

Is the Mayor’s Office ready for this kind of technology

Here is an email about this new technology but no link to the new Facebook page?  This email also came in just the text format – not the usual fancy HTML email that press releases are usually sent in.

Subject: City of Pittsburgh’s Facebook Page is Officially Published

The City of Pittsburgh’s Facebook Page is officially published. Become a fan now and help to promote the page!

Search City of Pittsburgh – we are identified as a government organization. We have a picture of the City with a banner which includes a City seal.

The City will be posting information on City related events, programs and general good news. We would be happy to consider posting positive information related to your group or organization. Just send me an email!

Building off of our plan to further utilize social media, a new City website which promotes more two-way interaction between government and citizens will be launched this summer. A sneak peak on the new format isavailable on the Facebook page. Stay tuned!

Thank you,

Joanna

Is Facebook a good tool for the City?

Is Facebook a good way to communicate with city residents? Don’t know – seems like this could have great potential for sharing important info and educating residents about what is happening in their city.

The bigger question, is the city ready for this kind of open online conversation?  Most of the time the city makes it pretty difficult to find out what is happening when – and has not been quick to share feedback from citizens.  For example, the city of Pittsburgh doesn’t publish 311 reports – it would be very interesting to know how many people have called in about what issues from what neighborhoods.  Is the mayor’s office ready to see the type of feedback that will be coming to them from Facebook.

The Link

We think this is official city of Pittsburgh Facebook Page.

Here’s the ad:

It has taken a while for this race to really start getting wide attention.  With plenty of undecided voters still out there, the compressed timeline may serve to level the playing field.  If the other candidates are able to afford TV in these final weeks up until the election, then Onorato has essentially lost his fundraising advantage.  With all 4 candidates expected to be on TV this week, the volatile race may be settled by the campaign that is better able to put together a strong field campaign and who can run the best Election Day program.

The Sunlight Foundation is an organization and a campaign to use technology to bring more transparency to government. Last week the Sunlight Foundation kicked off their Public Equals Online campaign with a panel discussion at the Google Headquarters in Washington DC.

Panelists included:

• Jake Brewer, engagement director of the Sunlight Foundation
• Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of the Washington Examiner
• Jose Antonio Vargas, Technology & Innovations Editor at the Huffington Post
• Ginny Hunt, Head of Google’s Public Sector Lab
• Ryan Hopkins, Public Square Project
• And a representative from the federal government

The Public Square Project is based in Pittsburgh.  From the website:

The Public Square Project seeks to empower citizens to make positive change in local government by building an online hub for information about government and public policy in the Pittsburgh region.

Be a Fan of the Public Square Project on Facebook here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Let the Sunshine in (googleblog.blogspot.com)
• Jake Brewer: Bringing Local Government into the 21st Century (huffingtonpost.com)
• Sunlight Foundation wants more government docs online (computerworld.com)

Just before the close of business on the final day that petitions could be challenged, the Onorato campaign filed objections trying to block Joe Hoeffel from being on the ballot.

The Hoeffel campaign fired back in a statement from co-manager Lauren Townsend:

“We filed petitions with 7,632 signatures from 33 counties…”

[State law requires gubernatorial candidates to have at least 2,000 signatures in total and have at least 100 signatures from 10 counties.]

“Dan Onorato has good reason to be scared, and now he has turned desperate.  This is a cowardly act.”

Press was rough for team Onorato all across the state.  For example, NEPArtisan  said, “Dan Onorato has gone the low road.”

Throughout the campaign, Onorato has been attempting to paint the race as a fait accompli. If this is the case, why challenge someone who clearly had exceeded the signature requirements?

Maybe it has something to do with these polling results, touted by team Hoeffel a few days ago. They show that, in a general election matchup, in vote-rich Southeast PA (a region that a Democratic nominee MUST win big to have any hope of winning statewide), Hoeffel leads Corbett, while Onorato trails.

Things got even stranger later in the day when Onorato withdrew his challenge. Their explanation raises more questions than it answers. In a statement to Politics PA, team Onorato said–and try to stay with me here–that they filed the suit, because they thought that Hoeffel might challenge Williams’ petitions. In what universe is this how a serious candidate for governor makes decisions!?  For his part, Hoeffel called it a “lame-ass” excuse; a “cynical effort to play around with the Democratic process”, and it’s hard to disagree.

So what is really going on? Your guess is as good as mine, but I think these poll results (and what we can infer about Onorato’s internal polling) must have a lot to do with it. It’s not unusal that when campaigns of so-called front-runners start to spudder or slide, they begin to show signs of disorganization, bad political decision-making, and irrational behavior.