Pittsburgh Earth Day Brings the City's Sustainability Home

April 17, 2015

Greg DiMedio, Pittsburgh Earth Day's green consultant, says this year's event is slated to be the biggest Earth Day celebration in the city's history. DiMedio earned his chops by working with Greener Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to make a green events calendar for Earth Days past. He says the calendar looked a lot like the city itself, broken down into individual community and neighborhood events.

“What’s been lacking has been a coherent large-scale initiative,” says DiMedio.

He says that’s what makes this year different, and why it’s set to be the biggest Earth Day celebration in Pittsburgh’s history. DiMedio also says that Mayor Bill Peduto is the one to thank for that, and that the mayor wants Earth Day to be an important part of the city year in and year out.

DiMedio says there’s a lot to be proud of in Pittsburgh, and that people outside of the area are often impressed by the city’s environmental initiatives.

“I think interestingly enough, what we have to do is help the people inside Pittsburgh understand a little bit more about all the good news and that positive energy,” he says.

After the collapse of the steel industry, Pittsburgh has been undergoing a transformation that DiMedio calls a “renaissance.” He says now is the time to highlight and showcase the city’s sustainable and greener-than-average economy.

That’s why they’re calling Earth Day a celebration, to honor Pittsburgh’s existing accomplishments, according to DiMedio.

“It’s not to say there aren’t real environmental and health issues that this region still faces,” says DiMedio. “Our air quality is still a big thorn in our side, and there’s a lot that we still need to do.”

He’s hoping, however, that attracting thousands of people to the Earth Day celebration will fuel those causes and inspire people to respond to the issues in ways they haven’t before.

Even for those who aren’t gaga for green efforts, the celebration has something for everyone. DiMedio says there will be food trucks and pop-up markets for perusers who may be stopping by on their lunch breaks.

He says the celebration is also a great opportunity to educate people, since the entire event—including the activities and the food trucks--will run on renewable energy.

“There will be a wind turbine and some solar panels,” says DiMedio. “I think it’s going to be a very teachable moment for people because if we are able to power the entire event here through wind and solar in a very local, micro-way, we’ll be one of the few cities that’s able to pull that off for an event on this scale.”

He says it shows people that the city is not only ready and able to preach green, but also show green.

This type of celebratory event will certainly look different from the first Earth Day, which took place on April 22, 1970. During that time, the main emphasis of the day was raising public awareness about environmental issues, like air and water pollution.

Although the state of those issues has changed in the past 45 years, DiMedio says Earth Day is still very relevant today, specifically citing climate change and the ongoing water crisis in California.

“People recognize that we have to change the way we do things, whether it’s at work or at home,” he says. “I think Earth Day remains relevant because it serves as a reminder for people to improve their consciousness, improve their awareness and set goals for themselves.”

As for what Earth Day means to him, DiMedio says it’s almost like a joke in his family.

“My kids tease me relentlessly,” he says. “They’ll call me ‘Greener Greg.’”

DiMedio says that being environmentally active is his passion. He says it comes from his childhood, always being excited about the outdoors and community involvement.

“I believe that what’s so exciting about being here in Pittsburgh,” he says. “We’re really out in front on a lot of things and I’m really proud to be a part of that.”