COMMUNITY CHAMPION:
RICHARD PIACENTINI By Jim Rogal
PITTSBURGH HAS A HISTORY OF BEING HOME TO RENOWNED PEOPLE WHO HELPED CHANGE THE WORLD. In the late 1800s there were industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie and George Westinghouse. In the last several decades there have been Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine; Rachel Carson, author of The Silent Spring, which opened the world’s eyes to the life-threatening dangers of pollution; Thomas Starzl, who revolutionized organ transplant surgery; and Fred Rogers, a pioneer in the use of television as a tool for early childhood development. Today, there is Richard Piacentini. Wait, who? Richard Piacentini, the President and CEO of Phipps Conservatory. And yes, he’s on that prestigious list. Over the last three decades, Piacentini has transformed Phipps from a tired, old, rundown, neglected afterthought owned by the city into a privately operated complex that is the leading institution in the world for environmental practice, standards, and health for the 21st century. Need proof? Piacentini has led the efforts that opened the world’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development) certified visitors center in a public garden; the world’s first LEED greenhouse; the Tropical Forest Conservatory, among the most energy-efficient conservatories on the
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planet; the Nature Lab, a certified energy-efficient modular classroom for schools; the WELL Platinum certified Exhibit Staging Center; and the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, a net-zero energy and water facility that meets the Living Building Challenge and many other environmental standards. That’s a lot to digest, and it’s perhaps indecipherable for many, but, simply put, Piacentini has been at the forefront of the global effort to, in his words, “try to restore a healthy and sustainable living environment for the world—before it’s too late.” And Piacentini practices what he preaches in his personal life as well. He has converted his residence in Squirrel Hill into a net-zero energy home, which means it generates more energy that it uses. Piacentini grew up in New York and earned a BS in Pharmacy and an MBA. In fact, he is still a registered pharmacist. But while he was working as a pharmacist at the Washington, D.C., Children’s Hospital, he developed an interest in Japanese bonsai trees. Before long, he was off to greener pastures—literally. He went back to school, earned an MS in Botany, and then was hired to run the Seattle Rhododendron Garden. In 1993, the City of Pittsburgh spun off management of the glass house to “Phipps Conservatory, Inc.”
