G20 in Pittsburgh—Local ‘Green’ Sector Leads in Research and Application and Now Must Cultivate Green Business, Pitt Expert Says
Eric Beckman, codirector of Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and EPA Green Chemistry award winner, says universities, LEED buildings, and public initiatives put Pittsburgh near the top in research and implementation
EDITORS: Contact Eric Beckman at
412-624-4828, beckman@pitt.edu, or through Pitt
news representative Morgan Kelly.
June 29, 2009
Contact: Morgan Kelly
[412-624-4356
(office); 412-897-1400 (cell); mekelly@pitt.edu]
MEDIA ADVISORY
PITTSBURGH—Cited as a reason for Pittsburgh’s selection as
host of the G20 conference in September, the local green sector excels in
research and implementation, but there is still opportunity for further green
growth in the area of businesses and manufacturing jobs, says a University of
Pittsburgh expert on sustainable engineering and the local green economy.
Eric Beckman, codirector of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable
Innovation in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, which specializes in
sustainable-design research and development, is available to comment on the
development and infrastructure that have earned Pittsburgh recognition and how
the region could complement those areas through business and production.
Pittsburgh has established environmental research programs in its major
universities, and there is a public commitment to bikes, pollution control, and
green buildings.
But, Beckman says, more paying jobs in the green sector should be created to
sustain Pittsburgh’s progress in sustainability. In particular, Pittsburgh
could take the lead in genuinely green products and services that present a
verifiably more sustainable solution than current goods, said Beckman, who
studies and documents “greenwashing,” or labeling as “green” products and
industries that are not distinctly sustainable.
“Pittsburgh is a national sustainability leader in many respects, and now the
next logical step is to have an organized effort to incubate local green
businesses and industries,” Beckman said. “There’s a disconnect in Pittsburgh.
We have significant research and technology development at Pitt, Carnegie
Mellon, and Duquesne University that matches the work of nonprofit organizations
such as the Rachel Carson Homestead, the Green Building Alliance, and
Sustainable Pittsburgh. Now we need to connect the three dots of research,
business, and implementation to bring the ideas this city generates to
fruition.”
As the George M. Bevier professor of chemical and petroleum engineering in
Pitt’s Swanson School, Beckman focuses on developing environmentally safe
chemical products. He also is Chief Science Officer for Cohera Medical Inc., a
company he founded in 2004 to commercialize a biocompatible surgical “glue”
that can be used internally. In 2002, Beckman received the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Green Chemistry Challenge Award for his exploration of
using carbon dioxide as an environmentally benign solvent, a medium for creating
microcellular materials, and as a catalyst. Beckman was the fifth
Pittsburgh-based recipient of the EPA award in four years.
The Mascaro Center, located in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, is the
University’s center for sustainable-design research and development. The center
also supports community projects and education, from helping to design and
construct bamboo buildings in the Indian Himalayas to funding an advanced
environmental science class at Mt. Lebanon High School. More information on the
Mascaro Center is available on its Web site at www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu.
There is always newsworthy research and events happening in the Swanson School of Engineering.
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