Corn on the Cab

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

To use the resources of the art community and bio-diesel technology to address a transportation and public safety crisis

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Lindsay Patross, La'Tasha Mazes, Tanya Bennett

What is the idea?

To use the resources of the art community and bio-diesel technology to address a transportation and public safety crisis

How would idea work?

• Bio-diesel powered cars designed/decorated by local artists/cab tracker mapping technology
• To transport anyone, but short destination trips to reduce incidence of drunk driving
• Catering to the local arts and business communities (i.e. music, small business advertisements)

Pluses:

• Need for cabs
• Provides an alternative to drunk driving
• Eco-friendly and public art project
• Potential advertising space (small local business)

Concerns:

• Funding and community buy-in

Community opportunities:

• All / restaurants / hotels
• Commuters, drinkers
• Steel City Biofuels?
• Curt Greitman?

Discards for $$ and Development

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

[Overview needed]

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

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Green Space

This Idea has been incorporated into the Consumer Recycling Network. 

Idea Overview

Sculpture located at supermarket serving as recycling/information center

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Erin Foley, Keny Boyno

What is the idea?

Recycling center

How would idea work?

• Sculpture located at supermarket serving as recycling/information center
• Designed using an automobile as receptacle located in parking space in shady area

Pluses:

• Easy access to recycling
• High visibility
• convenience

Concerns:

• Space
• Maintenance and cleanliness
• Sorting

Community opportunities:

Pilot location in non-recycling community

Manchester Climbing Wall

This Idea has been promoted to the Top 20. 

Idea Overview

Convert old bridge piers into public access climbing walls

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Sid Weisner, Brad Spencer, Dror Yaron

What is the idea?

Convert old bridge piers into public access climbing walls

How would idea work?

• Old bridge pier in North Shore Riverfront Park
• Bolt into rock holds 20,000 pounds. Stock item
• Public access climbing wall

Pluses:

• Unique recreational site for climbers
• Great publicity for Pgh
• Grassroots sport

Concerns:

• Liability or insurance
• "Image conflict" for stadiums?
• Safe placement of bolts

Community opportunities:

• Outdoors people
• Anyone who uses the rivers for recreation
• Tourist attraction - adaptive use of historical bridge
  

Waste Not, Want Not

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

[Overview needed]

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

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Entreperennial

This Idea has been incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

Turn vacant land around schools into working community farms/provide entrepreneurial opportunities for youth to grow businesses

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Carole, Rosey, Tanya, Lauren

What is the idea?

• Vacant land around schools into working community farms
• Vacant land for entrepreneurial opportunities for youth to grow businesses

How would idea work?

• Acquire land near schools
• Hands on educational program
• Students run community farm as a business
• Sell food to a local farmers market to restaurants to local food stores
• Engage Youth Places, etc. in summer activity

Pluses:

• Community building
• Sustainability with regard to our food system
• Entrepreneurial skills developed
• Health benefits

Concerns:

• Acquisition of LAND!!!
• Close to schools or Youth Places
• Years of dedication and commitment

Community opportunities:

Schools, parents, kids, teachers, politicians

Grow Your Own

This Idea has been incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

Establish significant community gardens where neighbors can come together to learn, teach, and share resources to ultimately increase their personal growing capacity and opportunity for community building and engagement

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Mindy Schwartz, Crystal Daughtry, Noir L Davis, Danielle Crumrine

What is the idea?

To establish significant community gardens where neighbors can come together to learn, teach, and share resources to ultimately increase their personal growing capacity and opportunity for community building and engagement

How would idea work?

• Use a large tract of vacant land to build garden
• Engage and empower (employ) local neighborhood coordinators to conduct asset based analysis of neighborhoods, including land assessment, knowledge banking, structure/resource ID, start and manage gardens
• Gardens are portals for sharing

Pluses:

• Addresses vacant land issues
• Builds and revitalizes community
• Resource and food sharing
• Teaches environmental stewardship, self-reliance, entrepreneurship
• Contributes to health
• Minimizes energy use (no Chilean fruit)
• Addresses waste water issues

Concerns:

• Land tenure (policy issues)
• Community engagement
• Soil contamination
• Utilities
• Storage, buildings on site
• Vandalism

Community opportunities:

• Engage colleges/universities
• Green builders
• Farm markets
• Community fund raisers (pumpkin patch, scarecrow contest, neighborhood harvest fest)
• Community revitalization
  

Hop-Skip Farm Kids

This Idea shares some of the themes incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

Half hour children's TV show about urban farms based and taped in Pgh shown nationally. Coordinated with local organizations, schools and the Organization of Farming Urbanites, to start farming and educational facilities

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Tricia and Brian

What is the idea?

Half hour children's TV show about urban farms based and taped in Pgh shown nationally. Coordinated with local organizations, schools and the Organization of Farming Urbanites, to start farming and educational facilities

How would idea work?

• Locate or gather inner-city youth working on farms to spotlight their methods and show to the world
• Marketed to schools and organizations
• Use a website, magazine, workshops and volunteers for produce as outreach
• Farms built on abandoned and donated lots, which are sustained by local sponsors

Pluses:

• Cultural integration
• Environmental appreciation
• Educational media
• Affordable produce
• Teaches life skills and sustainability
• Supports local economy

Concerns:

• Funding
• Participation

Community opportunities:

• Youth
• Schools
• Local organizations and corporations
• Farmers and gardeners
• Concerned parents

Lots of Food

This Idea has been incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

Collect abandoned lots and turn them into sustainable urban gardens that provide an alternative to store-bought produce and act as a community connection point

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Lauren Urbschat, Hilary Meurer, Jessica King, Shad Henderson, Matt O'Brien

What is the idea?

Collect abandoned lots and turn them into sustainable urban gardens that provide an alternative to store-bought produce and act as a community connection point

How would idea work?

• Vegetable and flower garden, compost pile, benches
• Produce food, educate, improve nutrition
• Beautify blighted neighborhoods
• Community ownership
• Sustainable system
• Environmental cleanup
• Utilize the Side Lot program that offers homeowners opportunity to purchase abandoned lots adjacent to their property

Pluses:

• Youth and elderly work together
• Skills taught
• Homeowners benefit

Concerns:

• Contaminated soil
• Shared responsibility
• Obtaining properties
• Maintaining project

Community opportunities:

Community areas with vacant lots that lack good grocery stores

Terroir du Pittsburgh

This Idea has been incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

The Pgh Terroir Project is aimed at exploring the environmental qualities of Pgh that make it unique.

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Sallyann Kluz, Caitlan Lenahan, Tim Aldinger

What is the idea?

Terroir is a French word that means the earth, but more clearly it means the specific earth on which something grows. For example, an apple that grows on plot in Southeastern PA is different than one that grows in another part of the state or country. Each piece of land has a unique terroir. The Pgh Terroir Project is aimed at exploring the environmental qualities of Pgh that make it unique.

How would idea work?

Youth gain an environmental, social, historical context of their neighborhood by using a piece of land as a laboratory. Thru that land, they will explore:

• Identifying the flora and fauna, both native and non-native by operating a biodiversity experiment
• The geology of the site and understand the impact of the geology on what grows, can be built, etc.
• Doing a mental map of the neighborhood
• Develop the social and historical context thru interviewing community members and neighbors and visiting significant sites in the community
• The goal is to identify and develop a project for the community, be it physical, social or economic. Once several such sites are underway, groups could be brought together to share their experiences and visit each others' sites.

Pluses:

• Meeting neighbors
• Heightened awareness of local issues "Your place in space"
• Understand what makes Pgh and your neighborhood unique
• Opportunities to learn about other areas of the city
• Empower youth with sense of ownership and ability to make changes

Concerns:

• Limited time and resources - How big is this?
• Logistical concerns - good to run multiple sites, but How?
• Needs more refinement - very Big right now - need special curriculum

Community opportunities:

• Youth as audience/participants (Boy Scout/Girl Scout troops, schools, after school)
• Elderly as participants in history/social
• Anyone who is interested in their community/neighborhood
  

Ahtdoors N'at

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

[Overview needed]

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

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Carrie Furnace Green

This Idea has been promoted to the Top 20. 

Idea Overview

Design an area to promote youth interactivity and artistic involvement in Pgh community: a venue for concerts, art exhibits, green space, playgrounds, for kids. This is an industrial themed park with a beautiful green environment and a backdrop to Pgh steel heritage.

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Chuck, Lisa, Josh, Patrick, Laney, Stevo

What is the idea?

Design an area to promote youth interactivity and artistic involvement in Pgh community: a venue for concerts, art exhibits, green space, playgrounds, for kids. This is an industrial themed park with a beautiful green environment and a backdrop to Pgh steel heritage.

How would idea work?

• Shows Pgh steel heritage
• Adds nice park to Pgh like Gasworks Park in Seattle
• Inspirational activity for artists
• Safe activity for youth
• Industrial themed park with playground and trails

Pluses:

• Attracts diverse crowd
• Small business development
• Adds park and green space to Pgh

Concerns:

• Safety of furnace and surroundings
• Waterfront safety

Community opportunities:

Artists, kids, history buffs, and all ages of population

Groundworks

This Idea has been incorporated into the Sustainable Urban Farming Initiative. 

Idea Overview

A network of community-based productive green spaces organized and assisted by a new organization

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Christine Brill, Jessica Jade Jacob, Mark Raterkus, Steve Salas, Jonathan Kline, Lee Coig, Jaylyn Thomas

What is the idea?

A network of community-based productive green spaces organized and assisted by a new organization

How would idea work?

• Organization created to develop and organize functional community gardens in different neighborhoods by partnering with neighborhood organizations
• Each space or "Sprout Site" would function as a garden, training center, community public space and production site for trees, produce, flowers, which can be kept, donated or sold

Pluses:

• Sustainable green spaces
• Education and training
• Community network building
• Economic potential - plants/produce/lumber for sale
• Clean the environment removing blight

Concerns:

• Requires a new organization to manage it
• Ownership and liability of land
• Maintenance and sustaining participation
• Finding and securing land

Community opportunities:

• Community would be engaged in designing, building, planting, maintaining the sites
• The sites would be place to learn about sustainable gardening and agriculture
• Maintenance and planting would be part of classwork
  

Adopt-A-Protocol: Green Pittsburgh

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

The city of Pittsburgh will adopt the Kyoto protocols and apply them to the re-development processes. Pittsburgh will represent the leading edge of "Greening" a city.

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Tim, James, Shervin, Sally, Nate

What is the idea?

The city of Pittsburgh will adopt the Kyoto protocols and apply them to the re-development processes. Pittsburgh will represent the leading edge of "Greening" a city.

How would idea work?

• Establish standards for Green buildings
• Enforce reductions of emissions in various sections of the businesses
• Provide incentives for businesses and home owners who meet environmental standards

Pluses:

• Healthier living
• Lower cost of energy
• Positive image of Pittsburgh as role model

Concerns:

• New buildings cost more
• Lots of old buildings are noncompliant

Community opportunities:

Business owners

Office of Sustainable Development ("Green Dream Machine")

This Idea did not make it to the Top 20.  If you are still interested in it, consider applying for a Sprout Fund Seed Award. 

Idea Overview

Create an agency with a mission to implement and encourage environmentally friendly community projects and lifestyles in individual households

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

Anne, Hilary, Marc, Celeste

What is the idea?

Office of Sustainable Development - to create an agency with a mission to implement and encourage environmentally friendly community projects and lifestyles in individual households

How would idea work?

• Pull together existing and ongoing community projects (i.e. Nine Mile Run Rain Barrel Project) as well as facilitate new initiatives
• Examples:
• Community-wide: Bike lanes, citywide clean up days, facilitate corporate recycling
• Individual: education and awareness about energy star appliances, solar energy, green roofs

Pluses:

• Public health benefits (nutrition, pollution abatement, urban recreation)
• Connecting agency - brings people and resources together
• Public awareness/education

Concerns:

• Lack of interest
• Power players with conflicting agendas

Community opportunities:

• In general bring together many disjointed projects and interests
• People with kids and pets
• Outdoor appreciators
• People with health problems like asthma
• Energy and money saving conscious
• Farmers market alliance
• People interested in green building
• Interest in city's appearance

Raise the (Green) Roof

This Idea has been promoted to the Top 20. 

Idea Overview

Promote green rooftops in Pittsburgh

Idea Round Up Concept Sheet

Who worked on idea?

All of room 519

What is the idea?

Promote green rooftops in Pgh

How would idea work?

• Advocacy:
• Tax and cash incentives for new developments
• Changes in zoning to make green rooftops easier to "add" to existing buildings
• Push city and county governments to lead in issue with budget allocations
• Partnerships:
• Pgh green building alliance
• Art gardeners/environmental artists
• Architectural and engineering schools and firms
• Cultural trust
• Education:
• Awareness
• Public school programs
• Public park space:
• On public and/or private buildings

Pluses:

• More green space
• Educational opportunities for school students
• Reduces run-off water
• Reduces energy consumption
• Reduces heat on roofs
• Money saving incentives for developers

Concerns:

• Current zoning
• Safety/insurance for school programs
• Access to knowledgeable professionals
• Tax issues
• money

Community opportunities:

Educators, school kids, people who use parks and public spaces, green proponents and organizations, architects, developers, landscapers, convention and visitors bureau