ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY EVENTS
Earth Day in Mt. Lebanon has grown in popularity exponentially for each of its five years and this year promises to be even bigger. The Mt. Lebanon Environmental Team will host this year’s Earth Day, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 27, at Mt. Lebanon Park. The family-friendly event includes food, shopping, music, educational experiences and outdoor activities for all ages.
Volunteers from the high school’s environmental club will be on hand all day, Girl Scouts will provide children’s activities and demonstrations, and the PTA will collect old sneakers for Nike’s recycling program. Boy Scout Troop 28 will have a climbing wall and ZeroFossil will power the live music with green energy generators. Produce your own sustainable energy on a stationary bike and shop the crafts from I Made It! Market and tie-dyed T-shirts made from iron reclaimed by Hedin Environmental. Learn about the water we drink and what happens to storm runoff at the presentations by Stormwater Central. And learn from other non-profit groups such as Conservation Consultants Inc., Farm-To-Table and Construction Junction. Betsy’s Ice Cream and Orbis Caffe will be on hand with treats. www.earthdaymtlebanon.org.

Join Lincoln Elementary School students and their teachers at 2:30, Friday, April 26, for a tree planting and other activities behind the school on Ralston Place. The event is part of Mt. Lebanon’s annual Arbor Day Celebration and a requirement for retaining our Tree City USA status. A red leaf maple has been selected. “It’s a real benefit to the Lincoln playground area,” says Principal Marybeth Irvin, who was an event coordinator. Students will read poetry, perform music and display  artwork, including posters on the theme “Trees Where I Live,” some of which will be displayed in businesses along Beverly Road in the weeks leading up to the event.

Mt. Lebanon is among the first municipalities to become certified through the Southwestern Pennsylvania Sustainable Community Essentials Certification program. The municipality was the only community in Allegheny County to earn a Silver certification for meeting the program’s rigorous performance criteria, which tracks 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community.
In order to receive the certification, Mt. Lebanon was evaluated in 22 categories, covering topics such as community engagement, municipal financial operations (including making sure there is an adequate funding source for maintining public infrastructure), conducting an energy audit, recycling in all municipal buildings, and adopting tree, wetland protection and management policies. The Sustainable Community Essentials Certification, developed by the non-profit group Sustainable Pittsburgh, is designed for municipalities that are working to save money, conserve resources and serve vibrant communities. It applauds municipalities for demonstrated commitment and sustainability performance. To see how we got our rating, check out www.tiny.cc/8gywsw.

On Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., bring your unwanted electronic items to the Mt. Lebanon Public Works Facility at 1250 Lindendale Drive, to be properly recycled and help minimize the amount of toxic heavy metals and recoverable materials currently destined for our landfills and natural areas. Monitors, keyboards, printers and any other device that connects to a computer or television will be accepted, along with cell phones. There is no cost and remember, under state law you can no longer leave these items at curbside.

Help prevent identity theft by bringing your confidential papers and documents to the public works yard between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Your items will be shredded before your eyes by the Paper Exchange. Cost is $5 per box with the first box free. You may pay with cash or checks. Staples, paper clips and plastic binders do not need to be removed.