County to host 'green' festival at Hartwood

When the first-ever Allegheny Green & Innovation Festival ends Saturday evening, little should be left for trash collectors.

Recycling of all cans, bottles and plastic containers will be part of an effort by Allegheny County and the more than 70 groups and organizations involved in the free festival at Hartwood to make it a "zero-waste" event.

If you go: Allegheny Green & Innovation Festival Hours for programs and demonstrations at the Allegheny Green & Innovation Festival are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday in Hartwood park. Displays and earth-friendly food booths will be set up near the Hartwood Amphitheater, east of Middle Road, in the Hampton portion of the county park. Entertainment on the amphitheater stage will begin at 12:15 p.m. with music for children by Kelsey Friday and continue until 8:15 p.m. with Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers as the closing act. Other performers are folk rocker Greg Joseph at 2 p.m., acoustic-blues band The Turpentiners at 3:45 p.m. and rock-lyrical musicians The Long Time Darlings at 5:30 p.m. The Houserockers set will begin at 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free. More information: www.alleghenycounty.us/greenfestival/ or 412-350-2528.





"Residents will have the opportunity to learn how to live a 'greener' lifestyle and see demonstrations of innovative technology developed right here in southwestern Pennsylvania," County Executive Dan Onorato said in a statement.

The resource-saving technology and activities will include "Reuse-a-palooza" children's activities, displays of electric-powered and self-steering vehicles, energy-saving robots and a book swap sponsored by the Allegheny County Library Association.

Many exhibits have been designed to interest both young people and their parents, according to Darla Cravotta, the county's special projects coordinator.

The "Bugmobile," for example, has been crafted from -- what else? -- a Volkswagen Beetle. Adults and children will be able to interact with the car, asking questions and getting answers about what Ms. Cravotta described as "integrated pest management."

"Kids will learn about what insects are good for the environment and why we don't want to kill them," she said. "Grown-ups will learn techniques for handling lawn and garden insect problems that are safe and friendly to the environment."

The festival is part of the county's Green Initiative, a multiyear effort to reduce the size of the carbon footprint produced by the county's 139 buildings and its vehicle fleet. Other elements have included an energy audit, the planting of a roof garden on the County Office Building and the hiring of Jeaneen Zappa as sustainability manager.

The emphasis will be on green-living demonstrations, Ms. Cravotta said. "Green living," or a "sustainable lifestyle," refers to efforts to maximize the use of recyclable materials and minimize the amounts of energy and other natural resources used for daily life.

"Reuse-a-palooza," for example, is a hands-on program for children that encourages them to make use of recycled objects in their playtime activities, Ms. Cravotta said. Designed by Creative Reuse Pittsburgh, the program makes use of materials such as leather, paper, tubing, fabric, carpet samples, wooden rods, plastic foam shapes and bubble wrap donated by local companies.

Teenagers from Pittsburgh-area 4-H clubs will set up displays on unusual aspects of agriculture. They plan to bring llamas and information on the use of robots in agriculture. Apiarists from Burgh Bees will bring a beehive, and members of the Pittsburgh Poultry Association will answer questions about raising fowl in suburban and urban areas.

At least two aspects of the festival will require visitors to do more than be passive observers, county spokeswoman Megan Dardenell said. Visitors are asked to bring a nonperishable donation for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and used books to trade or give away.

The slogan for the Allegheny County Library Association's book swap is "Bring a book, leave a book; need a book, take a book," Ms. Dardenell said.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University will display two examples of innovative and potentially "green" transportation technology: the BowGo pogo stick and a self-directing SUV called Boss.

The BowGo, developed by Ben Brown, a project scientist in CMU's Robotics Institute, holds an unofficial world record for a pogo stick high jump: 8 feet, 7 inches.

The high-tech device fits in with the festival theme for several reasons. "It's an example of local innovation, it's human-powered locomotion and it's efficient," Mr. Brown said.

Similarly, Boss, named for General Motors researcher Charles Kettering, "highlights the innovation that has been going on locally on the automobile front," CMU professor Raj Rajkumar said.

The SUV Boss uses electricity to run the computer, lasers, radar and cameras that allow it to determine its position, identify obstacles and chart its path. That makes it a good candidate for development as a hybrid or electric car, he said.

First published on August 13, 2010 at 12:06 am