The Pennsylvania Resources Council and other partners will present a series of programs in the Pittsburgh area on household hazardous waste and installing rain barrels.

Household Hazardous Waste: On February 7, the Energy and Environment Program Series at Mt. Lebanon Library in Allegheny County will feature a presentation by Ginette Walker Vinski of the Pennsylvania Resources Council on non-toxic alternatives to and proper disposal of household hazardous wastes.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m.

During the presentation, Ms. Vinski will demonstrate the use of homemade, non-toxic cleaners compared with potentially toxic cleaners found at local stores. Participants will receive a free 28-page color booklet called Hazardous Waste in the Home: How to Safeguard Your Health & the Environment and a customized spray bottle imprinted with non-toxic cleaning recipes.

To register for this event, contact Caroline Tibbetts from the Mt. Lebanon Library at 412-531-1912 or by email at tibbettsc@einetwork.net .

Rain Barrel Program: This workshop will help homeowners take advantage of this free source of water while at the same time contributing to improved water quality in our rivers and streams and reducing your contribution to combined sewer overflow and polluted urban runoff.

The programs will be held February 6 in Greentree Borough at 7:00 and on April 21 at the Urban Gardener at 10:30.

PRC’s Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop will demonstrate how to assemble and install a retrofitted 55-gallon drum/rain barrel, and offer other rainwater harvesting options. Participants will receive the necessary hardware to assemble and install a rain barrel for rainwater harvesting and on-site usage.

The cost is $30 for nonmembers, $25 for members of PRC.

For more information call 412-431-4449 x247 or send email to: Nancy Martin-Silber at nancym@ccicenter.org

1/26/2007