GREENPITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh’s future is a green future. Although previously known for manufacturing and the steel industry, Pittsburgh can easily forge a reputation for being one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the United States, if not the world. In fact, the infrastructure that was previously used to move both raw materials and finished products around can easily be modified to move people around, meaning fewer cards on the roads and less pollution.

There is already a huge interest in recycling, with many programs available making it easy for citizens to recycle even those items that are hard to recycle. Increasing awareness of these programs and therefore participation is simply a matter of getting the word out. These programs can be expanded to include composting programs for both yard waste and kitchen waste. If the schools take a hand in these programs, Pittsburgh’s children will grow up already knowing about recycling and composting, therefore ensuring that our future leaders will take the lead in making Pittsburgh environmentally friendly.

Vacant areas in the city can easily be converted to green spaces for people to plant community gardens. Other cities promote community gardens, which often become gathering spots for everyone in the community.