Economy & Business

  It's hard to deny that it feels good to live an eco-friendly lifestyle by shopping green. But how sustainable is sustainable consumerism when it comes to your bottom line? Can green products actually improve your economic situation and the world, or does it take action? Michael Maniates Professor of Environmental Science and Political Science at Allegheny College and advisory board member for The Story of Stuff Project, talks about how to go beyond green consumerism.

See how Maniates thinks citizens (not shoppers) hold the keys for change:

Last week, workers from Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino marched to the facility, calling on management to recognize their right to organize. They then gathered in an employee cafeteria where workers claim they  were targets of intimidation by management.

The National Rifle Association will operate a major sports and outdoors show in Harrisburg next year.

The NRA was selected from among 17 applicants to take over running the event that was known as the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show and help raise its national profile.

President David Keene called the cancelation a “tragedy” which his organization plans to rectify with the new Great American Outdoor Show.

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Tuesday that he found errors on more than 1,250 corporate tax returns, totaling a net gain of $35.4 million for the state.

Some corporations overpaid by a total of $5.5 million, but many more underpaid by a total of $40.8 million.

DePasquale said the Department of Revenue must now "aggressively go after that money" to reclaim as much as possible before the state budget deadline of June 30.

Before she became the Essential Pittsburgh's business contributor and Director of Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University, Rebecca Harris ran a bakery. Today, we'll look at the business of bakeries and what it takes to turn a hobby into a business.

Read more about the business of baking:

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD) will analyze industry needs to create education programs in growing job sectors with the help of $390,000 from the Alcoa Foundation.

Laura Fisher, ACCD Senior Vice President of Special Projects, said they plan to first attract talent to the region in order to fill positions in advanced fields. From there they plan to work with colleges and companies to build a curriculum that meets the energy industry’s needs.

  Money, everybody wants it, everybody needs it, yet we struggle to understand it and to talk about it. Especially those of us who have never had much money to speak of. At this point in financial literacy month we want to take a look at money management from the perspective of generational poverty. What circumstances and financial habits perpetuate poverty and how can families prevail? Tammy Thompson is a Community Liaison and Certified Housing Counselor for NeighborWorks Western PA, she works with adults, kids and families on financial planning at all socioeconomic levels.

The number of venture capital dollars and deals across the U.S. has been generally declining over the last several years, but Pittsburgh is bucking that trend.

“Since 2009 we’ve had the credit crisis, and probably the most severe national recession we’ve ever had, and during that period Pittsburgh has seen an increase in early stage capital and the number of financings," said Lynette Horrell, managing partner with Ernst & Young Pittsburgh. "The number of financings has grown over 50 percent.”

The new owners of Heinz are tapping Burger King CEO Bernardo Hees as the company's next top executive, a move that installs one of their own at the helm of the ketchup maker.

It also signals other big changes could be in store for the 144-year-old company, which had been run by CEO William Johnson for the past 15 years.

On Monday night, the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four wrapped up in Atlanta with fans leaving behind an estimated $70 million dollar economic impact.

This week, Pittsburgh is hosting the NCAA men’s ice hockey final four, and while it won’t bring in $70 million, it is being seen as a boon for the local economy.

Six years ago Robert Morris University Senior Associate Athletic Director Marty Galosi decided he wanted to host the tournament, known as the Frozen Four, so he put in a bid and started to lobby.

When it comes to getting a business off the ground people go in search of angels or venture capitalists to help make their dreams a reality. But what's the difference? And how do you attract their attention to your project? Business contributor Rebecca Harris reports this week on the Three Rivers Venture Fair where prospective business owners could find possible financial backing. 

Find out more about Angel Investing and Venture Capitalism: