Living Green in Western PA

Local Resources:

Energy: vidcaps.jpg
Conservation Consultants, Inc (CCI) offers residential energy audit for a fee of $125. The audit is basically like a Doctors visit for your home. A trained professional from CCI will asses the energy consumption of your home and lay out a prioritized list of needed weatherization measures. Click here to see some video commercials about their Esmart3 services.

Recycling: Pennsylvania Resources Council's (PRC) mission is to promote conservation of our natural resources and protection of scenic beauty through public education. PRC can help in identifying where you can recycle various products like batteries, cardboard, computers, etc. In addition, PRC also offers Composting Classes. Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting helps you reduce your waste stream, it improves the health of your gardens, and most of all its easy to do and enjoyable.



Water: 3 Rivers Wet Weather (3RWW) works with 83 communities in the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority service area. Services include homeowner's guide to stormwater management and other programs to conserve water. 3RWW also promotes and sells rain barrel which collect stormwater during each rainfall. During dry weather, a hose connected to the barrel allows the water to seep out to water your garden.


Materials: Construction Junction supports and promotes conservation through the reuse of building materials. Construction Junction specializes in used and surplus building materials, salvaging unique building components and selling them at an affordable price to the general public.

Materials: ARTEMIS Environmental Building Materials displays and sells high-quality, environmentally responsible, "green" building products. Opened in Pittsburgh in the spring of 2005, ARTEMIS is designed to expand the availability and use of green building products in the tri-state region.

Materials: Green Building Products Directory is the first of its kind developed to connect Pennsylvania green building products manufacturers with the public. The goal of the Directory is to use Pennsylvania produced green building products in green buildings throughout Pennsylvania, the United States, and abroad.


Indoor Air Quality: Healthy Home Resources was created to address the rise in illnesses caused or complicated by the presence of indoor environmental hazards. Founded in 1997 as PbX, a lead poisoning prevention organization, Healthy Home Resources has expanded its mission to address other critical in-home threats to human health including asthma, indoor air quality, household chemicals, radon, asbestos, and take-home-from-work hazards.

Native Landscaping: Phipps Botanical Gardens offers a wide variety of classes for professional development and continuing education. One such program focuses on the importance of using and cultivating native plants. Students will learn about native plant habitats and how to use the plants in their gardens.

Online Resources:

  • The Green Home Guide: As new technologies, products and scientific breakthroughs emerge, staying educated on the hows – as well as the whys – of maintaining a green home. The Green Home Guide contains information about green home benefits and to access other resources.


  • REGREEN Residential Remodeling Program: This program will increase understanding of sustainable renovation project practices and benefits among homeowners, residents, design professionals, product suppliers and service providers to build both demand and industry capacity.


  • LEED for Homes: LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants.


  • 16 Ways to Green Your Home
    Fact Sheet


  • Catalog Choice: National Wildlife Federation and NRDC have collaborated on a new on-line consumer service called Catalog Choice -- it gives people who shop via catalogs the choice of WHICH catalogs they will receive in the mail (and which ones they wish to stop).


  • 45 Ways to Green the Not-So-New House: Green homes don't have to be built from scratch as this article in "This Old House" magazine explains.


  • Nontoxic Pest Control: Whether it's ants, termites, rats or something else, there are many safe, healthy, environmentally responsible ways to keep unwanted house guests outside, where they belong.