350Pittsburgh
Thomas Merton Center
5129 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
April, 2022
Dear 350 Pittsburgh Supporters,
We are zooming through spring and it is time to share with you, our important supporters, what’s been going on at 350 Pittsburgh over the past year—the work you make possible for us to do. A big thanks for support.
In spite of Covid we are still pursuing our strategic planning goals started almost two years ago:
- The “Carbon Newts” team continues to push local universities to commit to carbon neutrality targets for their operations and to divest from fossil fuels. We have seen that students can be very influential in this. Accordingly, we have two close affiliations with the revitalized student Green Team at Chatham University and with CMU’s Sustainable Earth Team. The results have been excellent so we are going to expand our presence to other universities.
- The Energy Justice team inspired a local school district to consider adding solar power to their campus (decision pending); we have partnered with Solar United Neighbors in their new Allegheny County Solar Co-op that is fundraising so that low income owners can also join the Co-op; and check out our new “Greening Your House of Worship” resources page!
- The Climate Emergency team is applying friendly pressure to the Allegheny County Council. There is some progress in that we successfully urged them to form a Sustainability Commission and develop a climate action plan. The county has basically been missing in action when it comes to climate action, but that’s changing partially as a result of our working in the background.
In addition, 350 Pittsburgh continues with its Student Awards program. Every semester, we offer modest financial support for one or two student-led climate-related projects.
We reformatted the Digest into its new form of a Newsletter with Good News and Bad News (courtesy of Rod Elder) plus 350 Pittsburgh news. We hope you are enjoying the change.
And there’s the Fund-Raising team (that’s us!) otherwise known as the Gophers, because we “go for” money, volunteers, and alliances. Right now, we particularly need volunteer help with our social media efforts; do you know anyone who might fit the bill?
Thank you again for your donations and support, which are the ground underneath our scurrying animal feet. Email us at [email protected] with any questions, encouragements, or inquiries about volunteering!
The 350 Pittsburgh Gophers,
Jackie, Warwick and Elise