Pittsburgh Earth Day Festivities Include Food Trucks, Pub Crawl

PITTSBURGH, PA -- You might not think of food trucks and pub crawls as ways to rally support for global environmental protections, but they will be part of the citywide celebration of sustainability planned for Earth Day.

The dizzying, daylong schedule of activities scheduled around Pittsburgh on Saturday combines offbeat and more traditional methods of marking the annual event, which began in 1970. A rundown:

• Solar Powered Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., Fourth Avenue adjacent to Market Square and PPG Place, Downtown.

Electricity for the trucks will run on the renewable, sustainable source of solar power. Participating vendors include BRGR, Bull Dawgs, Evil Swine BBQ, Franktuary, Hott Dawgs, Kona Ice Pittsburgh, Mac and Gold, Mobile Chef, Nakama, North Park Lounge, Oh My Grill, PGH Crepes, PGH Halal Food, Pgh Po’boy, The Sandwich Truck, South Side BBQ Company, Sticklers Pop Stop Ice Pop Company, Sugar and Spice, Wings & Things, Wood Fired Flatbreads LLC, and The Wok of Life.

• Paint the Square Green, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. , Market Square, Downtown

The square will be transformed into a world market with a mix of local vendors peddling Earth-friendly products along with organic and educational vendors and live music. Performs will include Chase & The Barons, Melinda Colaizzi, NOX BOYS, Beauty Slap, Cello Fury and Grandad Childs.

• Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Earth Day 2017, 12-7 p.m. at Frick Environmental Center, Squirrel Hill

Join Parks Conservancy naturalists and partners from across the city for a variety of hikes and activities throughout Frick Park. Hikes last approximately one hour. See times and descriptions for walks and hikes here.
There also will be performances by Level Up Pittsburgh and free tai chi with The Tao applied. A family solar concert will occur from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring performances by Matthew Tembo, Colter Harper, Jeff Berman, and The Red Western.
Throughout the day, there also will tree climbing demonstrations; live animal exhibitions with chickens, goats and bees, composting displays, solar powered activities and food vendors such as Randita’s Vegan Cafe, Driftwood Oven and Stickler’s Ice Pop Company.

• Great Lakes Sustainable Sips Pub Crawl, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Market Square

Pick up your pub crawl passport and the Great Lakes Brewing Company tent in Market Square. Then have a beer at seven nearby taverns: Diamond Market, Winghart’s, The Yard, Primanti Bros. Revel + Roost, Nola on the Square and Cityworks. Have your passport stamped by the staff at each place and then return it completed to the tent. Why? Because for every five completed passports, Great Lakes will plant a tree.

• La Vie en Vert (The Green Life) 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at Coterie Company in the Frick Building Penthouse, Downtown.

This earth-to-table dinner celebration will include offerings from caterers such as Market Street Grocery, which will serve navarin of lamb, ratatouille, duck fat fingerling potatoes and clafoutis; Kate Romane from Black Radish Kitchen serving roasted cauliflower in romesco with arugula and pignoli; and Amanda Wright of A519 serving decadent truffles. Diners also will enjoy Earth Day cocktails and the musical stylings of DJ Jess. Tickets, which cost $42 for general admission or $75 for VIP (which includes an open bar) are available here. A portion of the proceeds will go to Sustainable Pittsburgh and 412 Food Rescue.

Illustration by Peecheey.Com via Creative Commons.