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Events

Please join local, regional and national partners for events celebrating the movement toward a true clean energy future!

Event Details

Jump to a day:

Tuesday, September 20
Steel Tour of the Mon Valley – (3 Hours) 
1 p.m.
Join resident Edith Abetya and Clean Water Action’s Da’von Curtis for a tour of the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, home of the largest coke plant operation in the U.S., and the Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock. This tour will begin in Hazelwood in Pittsburgh, the site of the largest solar array in Pennsylvania, before traveling to two environmental justice communities.
Wednesday, September 21
Gas Tour of Washington County  (3 Hours)
9 a.m. 
Join Washington residents Cat Lodge, Lois Bower-Bjornson, and Pediatrician Ned Ketyer for a tour to see how mid-stream gas processing and pigging facilities are being added to the fracking operations in communities throughout the region
Petrochemical Tour   (3 Hours)
9 a.m. 

Join local residents Dr. Clifford Lau, Bob Schmetzer, Terrie Baumgardner, Karen Gdula, Rachel Meyer and Gail Murray for a tour of the petrochemical buildout in Beaver County. The Tour will feature Shell’s recently-constructed ethane cracker and its associated infrastructure, as well as neighboring sites along a heavily-industrialized stretch of the Ohio River.

Student Strike for Climate Justice at CMU!
2 p.m.
Join a student-led coalition of high school and college Climate Justice organizations for a rally at “The Cut” on campus at Carnegie Mellon University. “The Cut” is a stretch of lawn from Forbes Avenue to Hunt Library, at Carnegie Mellon University.
Art Installation: Public Projections by Future Studio
8 p.m.
Join artist Aaron Henderson for evening projections that highlight the connection between energy and our fragile climate.
Thursday, September 22

Kayak for Clean Energy
8:30 a.m.
The Kayak for Clean Energy has been cancelled due to the wind forecast. Participants are welcome to gather on land on the public riverfront trail outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at 8:30 a.m with signs and flags calling for a clean energy future.

Lummi Nation Welcome at Schenley Plaza
10 a.m.
A Totem Pole Journey for Earth, Sky and Water Protectors: The Chief’s Pole.
 

The September 2022 Totem Pole Journey to the Clean Energy Justice Convergence in Pittsburgh, PA, is the latest of more than a dozen journeys made by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation over the past 20 years to educate and advocate. This journey builds upon, strengthens and reaffirms the growing Indigenous-led climate justice movements that began with a successful campaign to oppose proposed fossil fuel projects in the Pacific Northwest. 

This event will bring inspiration, media attention, and a call to action during the September 2022 Global Clean Energy Ministerial. This journey is dedicated to communities in Appalachia and around the world who are on the front lines of fossil fuel-based energy extraction and environmental devastation, and to the growing movement of Earth, Sky and Water Protectors working to advance truly clean energy solutions and hasten a just transition away from fossil fuels and false solutions. 
Press Conference and Rally at Schenley Plaza
12 Noon
Join Native leaders and local activists for a press conference outlining a call for Clean Energy Justice.
Clean Energy Justice Roundtable at Phipps Conservatory
5:30 p.m.

Please join an amazing panel of local and national leaders for a conversation on environmental, racial and climate justice issues! Panelists – including Indigenous elders from the Pacific Northwest and environmental justice advocates from rural Appalachia and the Gulf South – will share their perspectives on the rapid expansion of “clean energy” solutions. We will discuss what true clean energy looks like for frontline communities facing continued fossil fuel and industrial expansion and explore what a true clean energy economy can look like for future generations.

Clean Energy Justice Roundtable participants include:

  • Sun Dance Chief Rueben George, Indigenous community organizer and spiritual leader, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
  • Yvette Arellano, Fenceline Watch, Texas/Gulf Coast
  • Beka Economopoulos, The Natural History Museum, Pacific Northwest
  • Germaine Patterson, Women for a Healthy Environment, Pittsburgh/Mon Valley, PA
  • Heaven Sensky, Center for Coalfield Justice, Washington County, PA
  • Gillian Graber, Protect PT, Westmoreland/Allegheny County, PA
End Fossil Fuel Tyranny! Public Projections by Future Studio

Evening, 8 p.m. Downtown
Large-scale projections around Pittsburgh highlight the connection between energy and our fragile climate.

Friday, September 23
Steel Tour of the Mon Valley – (3 Hours) 
1 p.m.
Join resident Edith Abetya and Clean Water Action’s Da’von Curtis for a tour of the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, home of the largest coke plant operation in the U.S., and the Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock. This tour will begin in Hazelwood in Pittsburgh, the site of the largest solar array in Pennsylvania, before traveling to two environmental justice communities.
Gas Tour of Washington County  (6 Hours)
1 p.m. 
Join Washington resident Lois Bower-Bjornson and pediatrician Dr. Ned Ketyer for a tour of the fracking fields of Western Pennsylvania including well sites, compressor stations and pipelines. Visitors will receive a first-hand account from local residents of what it is like to live and grow up in these communities.
Petrochemical Tour   (3 Hours)
1 p.m. 
For a tour of the petrochemical buildout in Beaver County, join Dr. Clifford Lau and Bob Schmetzer, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC); Clean Air Council’s Beaver County Outreach Coordinator Terrie Baumgardner; Mom’s Clean Air Force Ohio River Valley Field Consultant Rachel Meyer; Ivy Lane/Pine Street Pipeline Safety Coalition Chair Karen Gdula; and Communities First Sewickley Valley Communications Director Gail Murray. The Petrochemical Tour will feature Shell’s recently-constructed ethane cracker and its feedstock infrastructure as well as neighboring sites along a heavily-industrialized stretch of the Ohio River.

Take Action

Clean Energy Justice Toolkit

In addition to joining one of the Clean Energy Justice Convergence events above, there are several great ways to take action:

Science and Environmental Health Network Carbon Capture and Storage Facts

Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Aren’t Worth the Hype

How Policymakers’ Belief in Natural Gas is Driving Rural Pennsylvania Into an Economic Dead End (ORVI)