Outdoor Inclusion Coalition

In 2019 the Outdoor Inclusion Coalition was founded to progress the pressing questions of diversity in the outdoor industry. Through collaborative approaches, the Coalition is at the forefront of making quality recreation experiences more accessible while reshaping urban recreation to be a pathway for greater exploration both professionally and recreationally.
From our backstory stems our mission: to support Pennsylvanians through programs dedicated to attracting, engaging, and retaining underrepresented populations in the outdoor industry.

Core Values
Collaboration: facilitating and encouraging multi-sector engagement to elevate the industry
Connection: elevating connections to people, place, and empowerment
Accessible Experiences: mitigating barriers to quality outdoor experiences while nurturing a sense of care for the outdoors
Activation: engaging the communities love for the outdoors while supporting the interest in sustainable outdoor developments
Equity & Inclusivity: continual progress and accountability towards a more just industry and outdoor community

The Outdoor Inclusion Coalition welcomes further engagement from residents, organizations, and governmental agencies. If you would like to receive additional information on the Coalition email marcus@theoic.org.

Outdoor Inclusion Coalition aims to make parks more accessible for all

Donate Here

The Mon Water Project

Our Watershed: The hidden creek beneath us…

Water is constantly involved in any single stage of the Water Cycle. Be it rain, condensation, snow, or a flowing river, water is on the move. When it is moving, water always flows downhill.

In the beginning it may only be the trickle of a spring, coming up from the Groundwater. As you follow the flow of that crick over hollows and hills, that basin ridge outline is called a Watershed. Watersheds are the collection points for all the water as it flows off the land in a river system.

In an urban and developed city like Pittsburgh, those watersheds are still here, however they now are hidden below our feet, in pipes. We call them sewersheds, and they connect us, from the highest hill to the point of our three rivers. Sewersheds follow all the same rules as watersheds.

The Mon Water Project will focus on the watershed basin, flowing through a sewershed, along the Monongahela River.

Our Basin: The geography of our watershed…

The Mon Water Project is home to 4 Mile Run (4MR), a watershed/sewershed located four miles from the point in Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river. Both sewers and cricks in the Oakland, Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, Schenley Park, and Hazelwood neighborhoods flow through this pipe system. This pipe system is hidden beneath our feet, under roads, houses and sidewalks.

On dry days, the water in these pipes flows down under Greenfield Avenue, making its way through larger and larger pipes ,deep underground, to the Allegheny County Sewer Authority (ALCOSAN). That is our regional WasteWater Treatment facility. There it is treated and released in the Ohio River.

On Wet days, the entire system’s contents flow out into the Monongahela River through the M-29 outfall, a big discharge pipe, under Hazelwood Green. Similar, smaller unnamed streams and pipes are under and throughout Hazelwood. They discharge on wet days to individual outfalls counting up to M-40, near Glen Hazel. Combined, these systems make up the Monongahela peninsula of Pittsburgh and the Basin for the Mon Water Project.

Our Spring Water: The trickle of an Idea…

The MWP creates connections across governments, agencies, non-profits, businesses, and residents to direct resources to develop and implement integrated water resource plans based on One Water principles in 4MR and neighboring watersheds.

Our Groundwater: The foundation to build from…

MWP will use principles based on a philosophy known as One Water. One Water is the focus on all aspects of water, with equal value and importance, seeing the water cycle as continuous, and water systems as overlapping. This approach removes traditional water permitting “silos” and allows a community to address many issues at once.

Our Tributaries: Working together as a community…

Our work centers environmental justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as we build community power for the management of our watersheds.

Our Floodwater: The challenges of urban restoration are substantial…

Over five years ago, Pittsburgh Water Sewer Authority was looking to address flooding, manage stormwater, rehabilitate old infrastructure, and decrease water pollution to the Monongahela river. They began the design, modeling, and implementation of the 4 Mile Stormwater Project. The project is hoping to improve the quality of life, protect property, and change the hydrology of a watershed affecting the lower half of the neighborhood in Greenfield, known as the micro-neighborhood “In the Run.” The Run historically floods with only a half inch of rainfall. It isn’t just any flooding, its manhole popping raw sewage that flows directly into homeowner basements, central streets, and neighborhood cornerstone businesses. Residents in The Run neighborhood have had to silently endure the issues for years. When the PWSA 4MR Stormwater Project was being developed, the residents of The Run worked hard to advocate for their community needs. With a unified voice they asked for real and last solutions.

Our Water. Our Work.

The Mon Water Project will build on the current ‘swell’ of resident and organizational movements that grew from the 4MR Stormwater Project. MWP will work to develop a unified strategy for ALL our water resources, partner to implement projects that protect the residents of our most vulnerable communities, and build an educated coalition of neighbors that advocate for science based solutions in our cricks and hollows.

The path forward is clear (unlike the muddy waters of the Monongahela) and with the support of New Sun Rising as a fiscal sponsor, starting in October 2022, The Mon Water Project is ready to officially launch. Follow us, join us, and support us as we flow towards a future that is truly sustainably alongside the Monongahela River.

Will you join us?

Donate Here

Boom & Bust

Watch as seven residents of western PA travel to the Gulf Coast region to explore what it looks like to live alongside a petrochemical plant. Take a journey along with them as they ask the hard questions and wrestle with the complex history of our past and issues facing Beaver County’s future.

Boom & Bust is produced by RiverWise, in association with New Sun Rising and the Genesis Collective, and created by filmmaker Christopher Padgett of Human City Creative. The project is completely self-organized and self-funded.

Many local community and environmental organizations play an important role in helping residents become more informed and inspired about the public health impacts of industry. While these efforts are very important, the Boom & Bust film was not conceived primarily as a public health, environmental science, or activist project. The goal of the film was to travel to Louisiana, witness what people were experiencing, and to share reflections on what we learned. During the screening events we will capture audience feedback in order to strengthen community connections and mobilize citizen action.

Watch the Trailer

Read the FAQs

Share Community Feedback

Screening Schedule

~~Thursday, July 28th, 2022 at 7 pm~~

~~Iron Horse Theater, 348 Maplewood Ave, Ambridge, PA 15003~~

Monday, August 8th, 2022 at 7 pm

Virtual Screening via Zoom, Register for the August 8th event

A conversation will be held after this screening for those who wish to participate.

Wednesday, August 10th, 2022 at 7 pm

The Tull Family Theater, 418 Walnut St., Sewickley, PA 15143, Register for the August 10th event

Concessions will be available for purchase from the Tull Theater during the screening.

Drinks and conversation are scheduled at the conclusion of this screening for those who wish to participate.

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022 at 7 pm

Phipps Conservatory – Botany Hall, 1 Schenley Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, Register for the August 23rd event

Drinks and a conversation are scheduled at the conclusion of this screening for those who wish to participate.

This project is inspired by

strengthening community movement by challenging prevailing narratives

Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative

The Millvale Ecodistrict represents the work and effort carried out by the Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative, the Millvale Community, and evolveEA.

The Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative consists of representatives from the Millvale Community Library, the Borough of Millvale, the Millvale Community Development Corporation (MCDC), and New Sun Rising. This coordinated team of people and organizations is committed to support and fulfill the Millvale Ecodistrict Plan.

The Millvale Ecodistict is led by In 2012, with the development of the Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 1.0 Plan, the community came together to tackle three key issue areas: Food because of their status as a food desert, Water due to a frequent history of damaging floods, and Energy due the health and economic benefits.

Three years later, the community had been hard at work collaborating both internally as well as with regional partners and making significant progress on the community’s goals: With over 70% of the goals from the first iteration of their plan complete, the community turned its attention to the future by kicking off Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 2.0 planning activities. Expanding its focus to Air because of the poor air quality in Allegheny County, Mobility due to lack of infrastructure for multimodal transportation, and Equity which ties the other quality of life priorities together to ensure fairness in access to these quality of life resources.

On October 26th, 2015, over 80 residents and community stakeholders came together to Imagine Millvale. Through the Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 2 Plan, the community created the following vision statements which guide development activities:

WIN-Spirations

Our purpose is to reduce poverty and build gender equity by providing networking, professional mentoring, and education to women experiencing economic hardship.

PARTICIPANTS: WIN will connect participants with an individual in the desired field to offer advice and assistance as it relates to personal and professional growth. Participants will receive a minimum of 1-year support and connection to professional experts in the areas of business and career mentoring, resume review and writing services, personal finance education and support, education about homeownership, and assistance in locating relevant resources such as insurance, professional attire, along with services such as career advancement opportunities.

All projects are charitable in nature and fall in line with section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for our sponsors, donors, and grantors.

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Flourish Ed

Flourish Ed is a fiscally sponsored educational outreach program in collaboration with the founders of Strong Ambitious Women, Kind-R-Garden and The Pittsburgh Village Project.

The mission of this program is to develop and implement a framework for conscious teaching and learning in a post pandemic world. We reimagine the present by nourishing a positive self and community image in support of a flourishing future. Through focusing on soft skills and creative resilience, students grow as meaningful contributors and impactful leaders whose radiance promotes the growth of their communities.

Our goal is to reimagine education to be authentic. We aim to empower learners to be creative contributors through a focus on social and emotional wellness and project-based learning, while nourishing a positive self and community image. By cultivating leadership, learners will be active participants in engaging and empowering their social circles to be positive catalysts for change.

Kate’s Kid Book Bash

The vision of Kate’s Kid Book Bash is to inspire a love of books and reading in all of Pittsburgh’s children by providing access to authors, illustrators, and stories that reflect their diverse world. Our annual free-to-the-public children’s book festival features a book sale and signing with some of today’s most influential children’s authors and illustrators. It also includes story times, crafts, and maybe a few surprises! Kateskidbookbash.com

In addition, we organize programs throughout the year that support our mission: to create literary experiences for kids that strengthen their sense of belonging in the world.

Kate’s Kid Book Bash is named after beloved Pittsburgh children’s author Kate Dopirak who lost her life to a neurodegenerative disorder at the age of 43.

Kate’s Kid Book Bash is a free children’s book festival featuring book sales and author signings by more than 25 children’s authors and illustrators! Come for crafts and story times throughout the day plus not one but two dogs! Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 11am to 4pm at the Kingsley Center, 6435 Frankstown Road, East Liberty. kateskidbookbash.com

Facebook is @kateskidbookbash

Twitter is @kateskidbooks

Instagram is @kateskidbookbash

Donate Here

Unshakeable Motherhood

The “Unshakeable Motherhood” Project is a movement for new mothers, veteran mothers and soon to be mothers with similar desires and interest. Over the past two years, we have raised funding to support the training of seven aspiring African American birth doulas while offering community educational workshops that educated the community of doula support that lead up to a one-night event. Which offered the opportunity for each expecting mother to explore new options and find resources on the aspects of pregnancy, birth, babies, or parenthood that are most important to her. We provided attendees with the opportunity to consistently be refreshed, build relationships with a community of moms to be restored by education and proper guidance.

The mission is to establish a community of diverse women who support, exhort and encourage one another along the journey of motherhood. The goal is to ensure Pennsylvania adopts and maintains an adequate system for inspiring and educating women and mothers through proper parenting skills, financial foundations and navigation support.

The “Unshakeable Motherhood” project will extend to connect and build with the original selected birth workers that we have fund raised to support birth doula’s with training funds. As these birth workers will contribute maternity, birth, postpartum and beyond lessons. This would include parenting workshops, breastfeeding guidance, birth prep class, vegan eating guidance, virtual parent empowerment support group and inspirational talks with professionals. We will offer yearly membership options where mothers can have access to exclusive content that can help them in other areas after birth such as parenting and homeschooling methodology.

As the app and membership hub of video lessons and tutorials will offer support, educate and exhort women in their motherhood journey. Unshakeable Motherhood teaching videos, free informational downloadables and blog series spotlighting mothers, physicians and therapists. Mothers will have the opportunity to select a mommy concierge based off her profile to be able to support her prenatal and postpartum lifestyle needs.

Donate Here

STEM Leadership Center

The STEM Leadership Center offers a space and support for youth in grades 6-16 to pursue real-world projects in science and technology. The Center works with our Odyssey Fellows to partner with leaders around the world seeking to solve the real problems, to make meaningful projects possible, and to stoke the fires of what makes them passionate imagineers of a more beautiful world. Fellows tell the stories of today’s scientific and technological breakthroughs through published books, web resources, electronics prototypes, YouTube videos, games, virtual and augmented realities, and mobile apps. Odyssey Fellows, with the help of our project managers, take their creations to regional and national STEM competitions, science fairs and maker faires.

We accept donations to support those fellows whose families cannot afford the monthly lab access fees. Donors may choose which fellowships to direct their monies to:

Current fellowships include:

Heroes of Math: Promoting a new Heroes of Math Medal for school to 3D print and award annually to a student of their choice. heroesofmath.weebly.com/
Charging into the Future: Investigating advances in battery technology of Electric Vehicles. chargingintothefuture.weebly.com/
4 Step Robotics: Prototyping a robotic kitten for use in Alzheimer’s research and treatment. 4steprobotics.weebly.com/
River Robots: Programming solutions to Ohio River water pollution riverrobots.weebly.com/
Bridge Builders of Tomorrow: Looking at new tech in bridge building and repair. bridgebuildersoftomorrow.weebly.com/
Into Words: Online Workshops and meetings centered around teaching effective communication skills. intowordsclub.weebly.com/
Catching RFID Waves: Celebrating RFID Tech and the IoT catchingrfidwaves.weebly.com/
Taking Root: Building a text based choose your own adventure Python game centered around the life of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Awardee Wangari Mathai.

Fellowships continue throughout the year. Any royalties or profits are donated to charities chosen by each fellowship.

Contact Information
stemleadershipcenter.com

Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid

Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid provides resources and community support to low-wage restaurant and hospitality workers who have lost financial, housing, food, and healthcare security. Built as a coalition of service industry workers in response to the economic distress caused by COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, our goal is to create a mutual aid network that can address immediate needs, through this crisis and beyond, by distributing food, baby necessities, pet care items, cleaning and hygiene products, and small emergency cash grants.

In response to the closure of dine-in facilities in Allegheny County on March 15th, we partnered with the Irma Freeman Center in Garfield to set up the Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid Food Distribution Center. Since then, we have delivered close to 400 care packages to the front doors of low-wage restaurant workers in the region, from our next door neighbors to folks in neighboring counties. Our Food Distribution Center acts as a hub to collect donations from community members and partner organizations, assemble care packages, serve meals, allow neighbors to pick up groceries, and send out volunteer drivers with deliveries. These resources will aid low-wage neighbors to maintain food security for themselves and their families during times of need.

Through reaching out to our greater community for support, the folks who eat at our tables and celebrate at our bars, the communities around us that benefit from the vibrant culture created in our dining rooms and on our stages, we will be able to better recover from these hard times and welcome our guests back with open arms.

Donate Here

Solar Workforce + Education Program

The Solar Workforce + Education Program is located at the Millvale Food + Energy Hub, and includes a variety of learning and training programs. The Hub’s state-of-the art 26 kwH microgrid, coupled with an advanced power control system, building automation, and Energy Discovery Zone, serves as a learning tool for a wide range of abilities, age ranges, and interests: from the casual to highly technical.

The facility offers opportunities for students, adults, and industry professionals to examine the emerging role of clean, renewable energy in promoting sustainability, career pathways, and reducing the damage caused to our environment and health by carbon-based energy generation.

The Solar Energy Workforce + Education Program consists of:

Solar Energy Workforce offers training, certification, and hands on experience with a professional solar installer to prepare small, local electrical contractors and others for entry into the growing clean energy industry
Interested in Becoming a Solar Installer? Submit an Interest Form
Teen Solar Fellowship introduces students to the technical skills, career experiences, and valuable connections that can help them to succeed in the installation industry or as a stepping stone to higher education.
Energy Discovery Zone provides educational opportunities through microgrid system demonstration, solar and electrical STEM learning tools, and an interactive microgrid dashboard for teens, adults, and industry professionals

The project is spearheaded by New Sun Rising and Moose MODE Inc, in partnership with the Triboro Ecodistrict and Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative. Funding provided by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. System contractors include: EIS Solar, Steel City Energy Conservation, Sigma Luminous, GRID Institute at University of Pittsburgh, and AYA Instruments.

Solar Workforce Training Flier-1
Status of PA's Solar Workforce(5)

RiverWise

RiverWise is a newly launched initiative in Beaver County focused on using our rivers and their surrounding communities as wisely as possible. At the heart of this work is a concerted effort to organize stakeholders to dream, learn, and collaborate about the future of our rivers. We are encouraging this process in two ways. First, we are forming ecodistricts in three communities (Aliquippa, Monaca, and Beaver Falls). Second, we are conducting community assessments in a handful of river facing communities (to be determined) aimed at growing the infrastructure on the rivers, creating access to the rivers, and generating meaningful connections between the rivers and the communities through which they flow.

It’s been an exciting first year for RiverWise and its growing list of partners. We’ve learned, dreamed, and collaborated together about the future of our region. We’ve set in place some very exciting projects. And we’ve bolstered relationships born out of shared vision and purpose. Take a look at this year-end retrospective of the work of our partners.

Watch the RiverWise Year One Video

The Future of Petrochemicals in Western Pennsylvania – A Community Perspective

Three weeks ago, on October 30, 2019, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto publicly announced his opposition to additional petrochemical development in Western Pennsylvania. Responses to the Mayor’s comments were substantial and swift, quickly generating the kind of polarization that has become all too familiar in public discourse about important and contentious topics.

To date, the vast majority of voices speaking into this matter have come from outside of Beaver County, home to the most substantial petrochemical buildout in Western Pennsylvania. When Beaver County voices have been present in this conversation, little attention has been paid to the complex issues faced by community members who are most affected by regional decision making. This document seeks to widen the terms of the ongoing conversation, bringing to bear insight gained from working alongside more than fifty community organizations and several hundred residents who are seeking wisely to navigate the quickly changing landscape that is Beaver County.

Make no mistake: Beaver County is forging a new path for our future. We are embracing competence and vision, moving toward wisdom, and enacting principled change. Continue reading…