Green Building Innovation Expo Set for Sept. 2 In Pittsburgh; Free Exhibit Hall

The public is invited to learn about Western Pennsylvania's most innovative building and design projects and engage with the people and project teams who have brought those buildings to life at the Green Building Innovation Expo September 2 at The Highline in Pittsburgh.

Hosted by Green Building Alliance, the Expo will comprise a ticketed morning session featuring presentations by noted industry leaders--

-- Brenna Martin-Shaffer, Design Manager, Project Architect, Gensler, one of the world’s largest architecture firms; 

-- Christine Mondor, Strategic Principal, evolveEA, and co-chair of the Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan Strategic Committee; and 

-- Alyssa Lyon, Black Girl Green World,  Principal Consultant, Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan.

Free Exhibit Hall

Following the morning session, exhibits and activities by more than 20 of the region’s top architecture and design firms, as well as sustainable products companies, kick off and open to the public at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free.  

Exhibitors/Projects-- 

-- AE Works: Center of Life Hazelwood Community Hub 

-- Allegheny County: Allegheny County Climate Action Plan  

-- BranchPattern:  CMU Highmark Center for Health, Wellness & Athletics

-- City of Pittsburgh:  LEED for Cities Cohort 

-- Clara & Adam Phillips:  Bioconstruction Rain Garden Wall (hands on activity)

-- Desmone Architects:  2 Doughboy Square

-- DIRTT & Workscape:  DIRTT / Workscape Offices & Showroom            

-- Energy Efficiency Empowerment:  Residential Electrification & Energy Efficiency

-- EPIC Metals:  EPIC Manufacturing Building    

-- Etna Community Organization:  Etna Center for Community

-- Gensler, Advantus Engineers:  FNB Financial Center

-- GET Solar & Other Solar Resources:  PA Solar Center

-- Perkins Eastman:  Downtown Studio

-- Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation:  Construction Workforce Development  

-- R3A Architecture:  Mill 19    

-- Stefani Danes:  Rachel Carson EcoVillage  

-- Shiftworks Community + Public Art:        Artists in Public Infrastructure     

-- University of Pittsburgh:  Pitt Campus Master Plan 

-- Urban Redevelopment Authority:   Swisshelm Park Brownfield Redevelopment & Pittsburgh Technology Center Garage

Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan

Attendees also can share their vision for Pittsburgh’s future by participating in activities that will help to shape the Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan. 

To learn more about the Expo, or to purchase tickets to the morning Keynote session, visit the Green Building Innovation Expo webpage. 

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 9 to 15 - Illegal Disposal Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Wastewater; 4 Impoundments Not Restored; 3 Conventional Wells Mined Through  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Issued Violations To Iron Cumberland, LLC For Illegally Disposing Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Well Plugging Wastes At Coal Refuse Disposal Area In Greene County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Conventional Well Plugging Operation Contaminates Spring In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

     -- The Derrick: PUC Judge Suspends Rhodes Estate Water Companies Litigation Schedule On Future Ownership  [Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill In Venango County]  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 16  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Sets Sept. 17 Public Meeting/Hearing On Air Quality Permit For The Proposed 4.5 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plant At The Homer City A.I. Data Center Complex In Indiana County  [PaEN]  

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Permit For 204 Aboveground Storage Tanks Totaling 1.3 Million Gallons At Proposed Amazon A.I. Data Center In Salem Twp., Luzerne County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Posted 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 16  PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week  [PaEN]

-- Senate Hearing: To Communities Facing Rapid A.I. Data Center Development: Review Your Zoning Ordinance NOW, Before It's Too Late To Have Meaningful Siting, Mitigation Conversations  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Hearing: DEP Primer: Recurring Challenges Of A.I. Data Centers: Frequent Site Plan Changes, Inconsistent Zoning, Outdated Sewage Facilities, Limited Community Outreach  [PaEN]  

-- Senate Hearing: Susquehanna River Basin Commission - A.I. Data Centers Have A Dramatic Demand For Water, And The Potential To Be Among The Largest Water Consumers In The Basin  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Announces Fast-Track Stakeholder Process To Seek Solutions For Connecting Large-Load A.I. Data Centers To The Electric Grid; Aug. 18 Workshop  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For Aug. 17 In Entire Service Area; 22 Hot Weather Alert Days So Far This Summer  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: $258 Million Federally-Funded Program To Provide Rebates On Appliances, Building Retrofits To Reduce Home Energy Bills On Hold Since March  [PaEN] 

-- Green Building Alliance To Provide Green Professional Operations & Maintenance Training To Pre-K To 12 School Facility Teams  [PaEN] 

-- Green Building Innovation Expo Set for Sept. 2 In Pittsburgh; Free Exhibit Hall  [PaEN]

-- Explosion At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Kills 2, 10 Injured; Search For Answers Beings At 109-Year-Old Plant With A History Of Fatal Fires, Air Pollution Violations  [PaEN]  [Compilation Of Articles]

-- Rep. Vitali: PA House Environmental Committee Examines Costs And Environmental Impacts Of Burning Waste Coal In PA

NewsClips:

-- Courier Times: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Making More Pipeline Repairs In Upper Makefield Twp. Where A Previous Leak Contaminated Water Wells; Township Says It Didn’t Know   [PDF of Article] 

-- Pipeline Safety Trust: Federal Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Quietly Weakens Safety Rules 

-- Environmental Health Project Blog: The Health And Safety Risks Of Natural Gas, Natural Gas Liquids Pipelines

-- ABC27: Project To Upgrade Several Natural Gas Pipelines Underway

-- PUC Highlights National 8-1-1 Day To Promote Safe Excavation, Worker Safety

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: PA Has A Chance To Reduce Pollution, Save Lives By Reducing Oil & Gas Facility Air Pollution - By Talor Musil, Environmental Health Project   [PDF of Article]  

-- Spotlight PA: More PA Government Agencies Turning To A.I. - Critics Say That’s Risky  [Possible DEP Pilot For Permit Reviews]

-- WHYY: Electricity Bills Are Going Up In The Philly Region; Who’s In Charge Of The Grid, Anyway? 

-- York Dispatch: Sen. Keefer (R) Wants Data Center Applicants To Show Their Energy, Water Needs: ‘Electric Bills Will Go Up Due To Supply. Why Would We Subsidize That To Lure Them In?’ [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: The Pros And Con Artists Of A.I. Data Centers; 3-Hour Senate Hearing Like A 'Sales Seminar For Oceanfront Condos In Oklahoma'   [PDF of Article] 

-- Republican Herald - Chris Kelly: If Ya Can’t Buy ‘Em, Threaten ‘Em [A.I. Data Centers]  [PDF of Article]

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Americans Just Got Scammed On Their Electricity Bills; President Promised To Cut Electricity Prices By Half Within 12 Months On Campaign Trail - By Elea Castiglione, Research Assistant 

-- NYT: Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills For Everyone

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: Electricity Prices Are Surging, Opening Up New Line Of Attacks Against Republicans 

-- PUC Hearings On Proposed Rate Increase For Wellsboro Electric (22%), Valley Energy Gas (19%), Citizen Electric (11%) 

-- TribLive Letter: PJM Electricity Capacity Auction Proves Markets Work - By Glen Thomas, Fmr Chair, PUC

-- US EIA: Natural Gas Prices To Increase 34% From $3.20 to $4.30 Next Year Due To Increase In LNG Gas Exports 

-- Bloomberg: BKV Corp. CEO: Increase In LNG Gas Exports Will Drive Natural Gas Prices Up 

-- Utility Dive - Commentary: Why Utilities Must Rethink Natural Gas Procurement For A High-Demand Future

[Posted: August 11, 2025]  PA Environment Digest