I heart PGH

Category: Green PGH

  • e house

    one of the many hip shops on carson street in pittsburgh’s bustling south side is the e house. not only is it hip, but it’s also green. e house is one of the few places in this city where you can buy organic household products, all natural clothing and accessories. e house also takes recycling, particularly some tricky items like battreries. to go back to the hip comment, some of the stuff they carry is just really creative. they carry products from pittsburgh-based littlearth- you know, the company that makes belts out of recycled tires and bottle caps. they’ve also got bags made from old billboards and serving dishes from traffic lights. it’s a great place for the stuff you need and for finding the right gift. check them out: 1511 east carson street.

    ps- according to a 2003 article in the pittsburgh business times, littlearth, “contracts with two plants in China that manufacture a majority of its products.” i thought that those of you interested in supporting local businesses and living a life with minimum environmental impact would want to know.

    pps- you can calculate your eco footprint here.

  • artemis

    artemis


    and you thought home depot was your only option. tisk, tisk. for environmentally responsible building materials, visit artemis. right on butler street in lawrenceville, linda and janice will make your green renovation dreams come true. they have options for every part of your house, and the stuff looks really cool too. go check them out and learn something about how you can decrease your impact.

    artemis’ website is: http://artemisenvironmental.com/

  • Beechview – Seldom Seen Greenway

    The Seldom Seen Greenway is home to over 90 acres of undeveloped land in the city of Pittsburgh. It’s located off Route 51, near Saw Mill Run Boulevard. It is directly across the street from Brashear High School – right below Beechview and Mt. Washington.

    Seldom Seen was actually a small village annexed by the city of Pittsburgh in 1924, and until the 1960s, the area was populated by a few families and farmhouses; families raised their own chickens and canned their own fruit. As people slowly moved out, the area escaped development. The forest has been virtually left untouched and allowed to grow and flourish, but the active Friends of the Greenway organize a biannual clean-up to keep it pristine.

    According to a Tribune Review article:

    “If you’re agile enough to go under or over the makeshift gate, (it’s there to keep out those who would use the area as a garbage dump) you can leave the noisy highway through the tunnel and stroll in a peaceful valley, with only the gentle lull of Saw Mill Run creek, bird calls and rustling leaves to enhance the silence. Trees hang over the creek from the shadowy cliffs, sheer enough for the Pittsburgh City rescue paramedics to practice rappelling.

    “Around the bend is a thicket of trees, better reached from a steep path from behind Brashear High School. Here, Kathy and John Murphy, whose Beechview back yard edges on Seldom Seen, did a bird migration count for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania last December, identifying 81 birds.

    To learn more about the fascinating history of this area, read the rest of Tribune Review article.

    There has also been discussion about providing an “Emerald Link” – connecting trails – between Mt. Washington, Duquesne Heights, Allentown, South Side and Beechview. The plan was spearheaded by the Mt. Washington Development Corporation, and you can check out the status of the project or get involved here.

    Until then, the trails and wildlife of Seldom Seen, only minutes away from downtown Pittsburgh, remain to be explored.

  • Highland Park

    my favorite spot in pgh to take it all in — the H-pizzle, aka Highland Park! i suppose i thought of it today b/c it’s cold outside and summer seems so long gone. i spent many an evening there running & watching spectacular sunsets. it is not as glamourous as schenley or frick, but you get ducks, you get the reservoir, you get some nice views of waterworks, you get a killer playground, and you get anthony coccia’s italian ice. for a buck-fifty you can get 2 scoops (my suggestion is one scoop of cherry & one of lemon) & advice about life, love, and doing “the right thing, kiddo.”

  • Wild Turkeys

    breathtaking majesty.

    Some days on my way to school, I am lucky enough to see a bunch of turkeys bopping around on the side of the road. They are very cute and make me smile. Take that, Manhattan!

    I was curious as to what a “flock” of turkeys is called, and so I found this handy dandy website:

    “Benjamin Franklin wanted wild turkeys to be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. He felt that the stately, majestic qualities of the wild turkey would make it a fine symbol for the new country.

    “Most people are familiar with the term “flock of pigeons” and even “gaggle of geese,” but did you know that a group of turkeys is called a “rafter”? And baby turkeys are called poults.”

    You can see a happy, safe rafter of turkeys at the South Park Nature Center in South Park, PA (about a 20 minute drive outside the city). The Nature Preserve also has pheasants, ruffled grouses (our state bird!), peacocks (which make the weirdest noises ever) deer, and … buffalo! That’s right, buffalo. You can attempt to feed the animals grass and seed without getting your hands pecked or bitten off. It’s pretty fun. The Center also has nature programs incorporating the trails, streams, and other resources of the park.

    Check out other nature programs at Parks in Allegheny County here:
    http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/2005/ncenter.asp

    Hmm. I still haven’t found out why I only see turkeys in the fall. What are they doing during the rest of the year? Hiding? Mating? Sleeping? Any turkey experts in the audience?

    Directions to the Center:
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