Green Home Office Lunch & Learn Series

Learn how to make your home – and home office – more sustainable!

The Office of Sustainability’s newly launched Green Home Office Challenge is helping Pitt employees examine their workspaces and tweak them to create a more comfortable, healthy, and productive environment that supports Pitt’s culture of sustainability remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to assist participants in making their spaces more sustainable, Pitt Sustainability and its community partners have put together a series of informative lunch and learn events. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and get tips from experts.

More lunch and learn sessions coming soon! In the meantime, check out archived events below:

Planting for Pollinators (recorded session, May 2021)

  • Have you always wanted a pollinator garden, but weren’t sure where to start? This class will give you ideas for creating your own pollinator garden, including how to start a micro meadow and what pollinator plants to add to an existing perennial garden. Hear about the importance of native host plants and why they are necessary for supporting butterflies. Learn the plants that support growing butterflies, attract hummingbirds and feed bees all season long. Featuring guest speaker Juliette Olshock, the Sustainable Landcare Program Coordinator at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
  • Check out the slides from the presentation for great tips and resources for planting for pollinators!

Creative Gardening for Any Space (recorded session, May 2021)

  •  Join Heather Manzo, the Executive Director of the Allegheny County Conservation District, to learn how gardens can thrive in small urban spaces, patios, containers and larger suburban yards. Explore how to choose the plants you are most interested in growing and find the best spot for them that your space has to offer. This will allow you to create habitat and enjoy the pleasures of gardening.

ROCIS and Pittsburgh’s Air Quality (recorded session, March 2021)

  • Learn how you can enroll in Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS) air quality study to monitor your air quality and radon levels at home for free, and get personalized recommendations from experts on how to improve your indoor air quality.

Home Office Energy Efficiency  (recorded session, October 2020)

Pittsburgh Recycling & Waste Reduction

Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 12:00pm to 1:00pm

  • Do you live in Pittsburgh and have questions about curbside recycling?
    • Join us and PRC to learn about residential, curbside recycling. Get answers to common questions like; do lids need to be on or off plastic bottles, do I need to remove labels, what about hard-to-recycle items such as electronics and household hazardous waste where can they be taken?  You will also hear about the City’s Blue Bin Roll-out and the plan for Pittsburgh to be bag-free by 2023!

Recycling 101

Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 12:00pm to 12:30pm

  • Do you ever wonder what can and can’t be recycled?
    • Join experts from the Pennsylvania Resource Council (PRC) at the upcoming free virtual event hosted by Pitt Sustainability as part of their Green Home Office Lunch and Learn series. At this event, you will get the latest updates on recycling in Allegheny County and be able to get all of your recycling-related questions answered by experts!

Backyard Composting 

Thursday, November 12, 2020, at 12:00pm to 1:00pm

  • Interested in starting your own backyard compost, but don’t know where to start?
    • Learn the in and outs of composting with the Pennsylvania Resource Council (PRC). PRC will teach you the benefits of composting, along with how to set up composting at home, proper maintenance, and how to use finished compost.  Following the session, you’ll be able to ask questions and make your own collection system or purchase a discounted FreeGarden EARTH composting bin to get started.
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