Friday, July 10, 2009

Symposium Recognizes Environmental Stewards

Volunteers have made a real difference in cleaning up Pittsburgh, says Jeff Bergman with the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association. That's one of several groups hosting Pittsburgh's first Environmental Stewardship Symposium tomorrow. Bergman says the symposium is aimed at recognizing the work volunteers have done, and energizing them to stay with it.

Bergman says over the last two years, more than 2,500 people have volunteered in environmental initiatives like tree plantings, river cleanups and the removal of invasive plants. The volunteers have also logged more than 20,000 hours of time.

Speaking at the symposium will be Rutgers University professor Steven Handel, who specializes in restoring urban landscapes. He's known for his work on the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. Formerly the largest landfill in the world, it was closed in 2001 and is being redeveloped into a park.

Saturday's symposium is taking place at the Frick Environmental Charter School in Regent Square.

No comments: