Don't Call it a Comeback, Bringing EWRl's Sustainability Conference Series Back to Pittsburgh
Noel Rangel and Justin Kerns, P.E., M.ASCE
On October 22, 2025, EWRI Pittsburgh hosted our 12th Sustainability Conference. The symposium on day one of the conference, held at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania facility in Pittsburgh, covered a broad range of topics centered on the theme of "Reducing Waste for a Greener Future". The breadth and depth of the panelists and topics created an environment for a broad approach to sustainable problem solving, headlined by Dr. Costa Samaras, Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Ms. Karen Kabbes, ASCE Sustainability Committee, and Ms. Gisele Barreto Fettermen, founder of The Freestore15104 and co-founder of 412 Food Rescue.
Dr. Costa Samaras discussed ASCE's role in establishing industry sustainability guidelines and insights from his position in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2021 to 2024, where he led policy initiatives on renewable energy, life cycle assessment, clean energy transitions & decarbonization, and climate resilience. He emphasized that all of our projects are being impacted by climate change, and that we, as engineers, are on the front lines of creating solutions to address the climate change mitigation and adaptation challenge.
Ms. Karen Kabbes talked about the Envision sustainability framework and rating system for infrastructure projects and the ASCE Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure (ASCE/COS 73-23). The Envision system, managed by the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure, is a design scoring system that includes various sustainability and resilience indicators. Karen also spoke about her role on the current update of ASCE 73-23 as a steering committee member, and the goals of the update. She helped prepare the initial ASCE 73-23 Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure, the first-of-its-kind, non-mandatory standard in October 2023.
Ms. Gisele Barreto Fetterman emphasized how simple, everyday actions can create a lasting impact and promote the values of sustainability. Gisele is an access and equity advocate, the former Second Lady of Pennsylvania, and founder of Freestore15104.
Freestore15104 takes surplus and donated goods from both big-box stores and local retailers and rehomes them in their decommissioned shipping container turned store front in Braddock, PA- where every item costs $0 and there is a free lunch. Freestore15104 aims to eradicate food and clothing insecurity, while also diverting perfectly fine goods from landfills, and has inspired 14 spin-off locations and the birth of 412 Food Rescue.
Gisele is the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, a community wide effort to end hunger and reduce food waste by organizing volunteers to rescue fresh surplus food throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania and deliver it to where it's needed most. 412 Food Rescue has rescued over 38 million pounds of food.
Along with our three keynotes, there were four stellar panels covering a range of sustainability topics including multi-modal transportation, local university initiatives, recycling & reuse, water resources, and sustainable construction practices.
Sara Khalil of Pittsburgh's Bikeshare Program, POGOH John Jones of Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Aurora Sharrard of the University of Pittsburgh, and Steven Guenther of Carnegie Mellon University, discussed the work of their organizations in advancing sustainable transportation in Pittsburgh. They also discussed how their organizations collaborate, for example in developing bike lanes and providing access to public bus transportation. One example in the new University Line will create a more efficient way for students to travel from the universities to downtown Pittsburgh.
Sharon Svitek of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Sarah Shea of the PA Resources Council, and Aftyn Giles of the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, discussed ongoing and new activities in their organizations related to collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials along with recycling.
Lisa Brown of Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, Jon Burgess of the University of Pittsburgh's Water Collaborative, Tim Prevost of ALCOSAN, Damon Weiss of Ethos Collaborative, and Caily Grube of Allegheny Clean Ways discussed innovative wars that their organizations are advancing protection of Pittsburgh's waterways and natural resources.
Ed Grieser of Hydroblox, Ebiji Akah of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Brandon Simpson of Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), Boyd Jones of Michael Brothers, and Mike Gable of Construction Junction discussed their work to salvage and reuse building materials such as flooring tile, doors, and I-beams. The panel also discussed how recycled plastic is used in manufacturing pipes and other infrastructure products.
Day two of the symposium included an exclusive tour of ADS' state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in Clarion, PA. This event offered a unique opportunity to explore how recycled materials are transformed into high-performance stormwater drainage pipes used in infrastructure projects. Attendees were able to see ADS' sustainability initiatives and environmental stewardship firsthand.
As one of North America's largest plastic recyclers, ADS removes over half a billion pounds of plastic from the waste stream annually, repurposing it into high-performance products designed to last for decades.
As EWRI Pittsburgh, we are proud to have hosted this impactful Sustainability Conference. The first day of the conference included a student poster competition that celebrated innovation and awarded two outstanding university students with scholarships. We remain committed to fostering conversations that engage, educate, and motivate our community to pursue sustainable pathways at work and in life-and look forward to building a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.
The conference was supported in part by the ASCE Pittsburgh Section, EWRI Pittsburgh Section, Larson Design Group, MS Consultants Inc., Alcosan, ADS, and KLH Engineers, Inc. The EWRI Pittsburgh organizing committee thanks our sponsors and all who attended.
