The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a wonderful pedestrian trail and greenway system in the Pittsburgh region running for 21 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is an almost complete public route for cyclists, walkers, runners, and in some places rollerbladers. The Friends of the Riverfront is dedicated to the continued expansion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

-

They recently had a "Town Hall" style meeting at the Boyd Community Center on Saturday March 6th with about 65 local residents in attendence.  The presentation outlined the proposed trail from Millvale, through Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, O'Hara, Blawnox and then continuing up the Allegheny River.  (click here for the map) (click here for the video presentation)

-

This will not be easy because the trail is expensive and lots of individual property owners are in the path.  In fact, I would say it's impossible, however when you look at the current trail it's amazing what has been accomplished so far.  Can you imaging a trail along the Allegheny River from Sharpsburgh to Harmar?  This would transform the region, it would be a huge asset and would get tons of use.  If you can get excited about the potential, support Friends of the Riverfront.   - thanks

There is an interesting article in the March 1ST issue of Business Week magazine about the reasons to "buy local".  With our economy the way it is, the risk of retail stores closing has been increasing...and we certainly don't want that to happen in Aspinwall.  According to this article, "for every $100 spent at a locally owned store, $45 remains in the local economy, compared with about $13 per $100 spent at the national chains".  This is according to research done by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance and the consulting firm Civic Economics.  "That's because independents tend to do their purchasing locally, while chains usually centralize it from a head office".  This research may be a bit biased, however even if they are close you can see that buying local makes a big impact in our region.

-

2010.  New Year.  New year’s resolutions and holiday bills arriving in the mail. How would you like a few ideas to help ease the strain on your family budget? We think we can help.

The price of gas may not be as high as the prices last summer but it continues to be a large part of our families’ budgets. Now may be a great time to “Go Green” and consider some of our region’s more energy friendly ways of getting from here to there – while saving you some money.

Instead of driving solo, consider the benefits of sharing a ride. Transit, carpools and vanpools provide a way for people to get to and from common destinations while allowing sharing the costs of gas and parking expenses.

It’s free to register, and benefits include informational updates and for those who join a “pool”, participation in the Emergency Ride Home service. CommuteInfo reminds commuters to consider their schedules and evaluate what their own personal transport needs are, and to consider sharing their ride, even 2 or 3 days a week.

The CommuteInfo website includes a cost calculator where commuters can calculate the cost of their commute. Commuters just plug in a few numbers, and can then take a look at their actual commuting costs. The result may be surprising.

Go green and save yourself some green.

Contact CommuteInfo at 1-888-819-6110 or

register on-line at www.commuteinfo.org

The "average" Aspinwall resident creates 4.5 pounds of trash every day.  With about 3,000 residents, Aspinwall creates 1,642 pounds of trash every day!  Here are a few simple steps you can try that will help reduce your environmental impact.

-

Reduce

A convenient place to start thinking about reducing waste and energy consumption is right in the home. When there is an attempt to reduce the consumption of a product, a noticeable impact can be seen on the grocery bill and/or electric bill. Waste in the home becomes cut in half by taking small steps to prepare smaller meals, turning off unneeded lights, fixing that leaking water pipe, or even turning down the thermostat.

-

Reuse

Recycle

Participating in the Aspinwall Town Wide yard sale or donating is a terrific way to recycle.  If you are not sure when or where you can recycle in Aspinwall, click on this link for more info.

-

Thanks