Pittsburgh, PA

At a glance

Population: 100,000 - 750,000

City Leader: Mayor Luke Ravenstahl

Sustainability Officer:
Lindsay Baxter

Office Contact Information:
637 City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Three Greatest Accomplishments to Date:
1. Instituting a pilot installation of energy efficient streetlights to assess the various technologies.
2. Instituting single-stream recycling which increased recycling 31% by tonnage in the first year.
3. Creating an Office of Sustainability in fall 2008.

City Sustainability Board: YES
The Sustainability Board is an internal city department and it is appointed by the Mayor. The Boards term is indefinite.

City Sustainability Plan: NO
The City has no plans to create one.

Climate Action Plan: YES
Pittsburgh Climate Initiative

Green Building Ordinance: YES
Included for city funded buildings and commercial space. The Green Buildings Ordinance is triggered by square footage.

City Tracking & Results

A work plan was developed for each calendar year and a report is given to the Mayor's Chief of Staff. Sustainability Officer meets with the other representatives of the Pittsburgh Climate Initiative monthly to discuss the progress on implementing the recommended actions from the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan.

Division of Sustainability Facts

The Office of Sustainability reports to the Mayor and resides in the Mayor's office. There are two positions that report into the Office of Sustainability: (1) Sustainability Coordinator; (2) Energy and Utilities Manager.

Program Funding

A green trust fund of $100,000 was established in fall 2008 from the savings resulting from purchasing our electricity through a reverse auction.

Sustainability Officer Duties

Draft procedural and training manuals, process flow charts, and implementation plans
Maintain updated Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Plan
Support city executive and senior management team in the design of overall strategy and process for the project
Coordinate and lead City's Green Team
Develop criteria, policies and procedures for sustainable programs
Track and report about sustainability programs underway on a regular basis through the City's performance management program
Track, monitor, and report utility usage and greenhouse gas emissions of city operations
Foster, develop, and launch projects in partnership with city departments and external stakeholders
Identify and secure funding resources from outside sources (ex. Federal grants) for projects
Represent the City at key meetings