PPG Industries donated 12,400 square feet ofStarphireultra-clear glass to replace panes in the Phipps Conservatory’s Tropical Forest in preparation for the G-20 summit.

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2009 – PPG Industries has donated 23 gallons of Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance and Manor Hall exterior paints and 12,400 square feet of Starphire ultra-clear glass to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to help the site prepare for the upcoming G-20 Summit.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will welcome the G-20 leaders and their spouses to Pittsburgh at Phipps on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Afterward, President Obama and the G-20 leaders will remain at the conservatory for a working dinner.

The Starphire ultra-clear glass was used to replace several panes in the Phipps’ Tropical Forest, while the donated paint was used for "touch-ups" throughout the facility.

“Phipps Conservatory leads North America’s 500 public gardens in eco-smart practices, sustainable advancements and building ‘green.’ This distinction is due, in large part, to some of the paint and glass from PPG that comprise our structure,”
said Richard V. Piacentini, the conservatory’s executive director.
“We’re very pleased to have such a strong relationship with PPG, and we’re grateful for the help as we prepare to host the G-20 leaders.”

Victoria Holt, Senior Vice President Glass and Fiber Glass

“We want to make sure that Phipps – and Pittsburgh – shine during the G-20 Summit, and we’re pleased to be able to provide all of the paint, glass and other support that Phipps needs to ‘redd up,’” said Victoria M. Holt, PPG senior vice president, glass and fiber glass, and member of the board of trustees of Phipps Conservatory.

Phipps Conservatory’s Special Events Center also includes glass manufactured by PPG.

The complex, which adjoins the award-winning Tropical Forest, is enclosed with Solarban 70XL solar control, low-emissivity glass.
This glass transmits 64 percent of the sun’s natural light while blocking 73 percent of its solar energy making it 29 percent more energy-efficient than competitors’ products.
As a result, the glass saves energy, cuts costs and reduces the cooling capacity and equipment requirements for buildings.

Gary Danowski, Vice President Performance Glazings, PPG Industries

Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance paint is an environmentally-conscious paint line with zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The paints feature minimal odor during application and drying as well as mildew resistance on the paint film.

Pure Performance paint is the first paint to receive Green Seal Class A Certification.



About Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens


For Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the past is prologue to a future as ingenious as the region it serves.

Built as a repository of horticultural excellence by Henry W. Phipps in 1893 at the height of Pittsburgh’s industrial prowess, Phipps has evolved from the nation’s first teaching conservatory to a distinguished eco-champion among America’s 500 public gardens and an exhibit space ranked among the nation’s top conservatory experiences.

The transformation of Phipps’ Victorian glasshouse jewel into a pace-setting model for advanced green building practices, sustainable development and environmental awareness has resulted in 12 prestigious awards.

Al Vollberg, painter and glazier at Phipps Conservatory, spruces up the place in preparation for the G-20 Summit with paint donated by PPG Industries.

Esteemed as the Green Heart of Pittsburgh and one of the world’s greenest public gardens, Phipps is empowered by its mission to inspire and educate visitors with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and worldwide biodiversity through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse.

For more information, visit

www.phipps.conservatory.org  




About PPG



Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass.

Charles Bunch, CEO and Chairman, PPG Industries

The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries.

Sales in 2008 were $15.8 billion.

PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG).

For more information, visit

www.ppg.com  



Contact:

Jeremy Neuhart
PPG Corporate Communications
412-434-3046
neuhart@ppg.com


http://corporateportal.ppg.com/PPG/Newsroom/News/20090916.htm  



PPG wins two SSPC Structure Awards for protective and marine coatings


Coatings projects recognized for aesthetic, industrial merit

PPG Industries’ protective and marine coatings (PMC) business won two of the four annual Structure Awards for excellence in coatings projects from The Society of Protective Coatings (SSPC).

Winning structures will be featured in an upcoming photo essay in the Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings (JPCL).

• The E. Crone Knoy Award recognized PPG’s project, the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, for outstanding achievement in coatings work that demonstrates innovation, durability or utility on a commercial-use structure.

• The William Johnson Award – recognizing outstanding achievement demonstrating aesthetic merit in industrial coatings work – was presented to PPG for work on the Six Flags Scream Thrill Ride at Six Flags Over Fiesta, San Antonio, Texas.

The E. Crone Knoy Award recognized PPG’s project, the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

The E. Crone Knoy Award recognized PPG’s project, the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, for outstanding achievement in coatings work that demonstrates innovation, durability or utility on a commercial-use structure.
The project was selected based on excellence in craftsmanship and execution of work, and use of state-of-the-art techniques such as patented polysiloxane technology to solve problems and provide long-term service.
PMC worked with Spensieri Painting to coat the giant observatory, which is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

The William Johnson Award – recognizing outstanding achievement demonstrating aesthetic merit in industrial coatings work – was presented to PPG for work on the Six Flags Scream Thrill Ride at Six Flags Over Fiesta, San Antonio, Texas.
Qualities considered include color, gloss or texture, and that coatings on the structure complement the environment while enhancing the structure.
PPG worked with Baynum Painting on this amusement-park project.

Tom Mauck, Vice President, PPG Protective and Marine Coatings

Bill Shoup, executive director, SSPC, said that the PPG projects were chosen over many worthy candidates and that the company has “outstanding people working for them who have a positive effect on the coatings industry every day.”
Shoup added, “We are also proud to have [PPG] as a loyal SSPC supporter, and since we are both located in Pittsburgh, we know the positive impact they have on the city as a responsible corporate citizen.”

“PPG is honored to be recognized along with our outstanding customers by SSPC,” said Tom Mauck, vice president, PPG Protective and Marine Coatings.
“These awards reinforce our position as a leading supplier of protective coatings worldwide.”



http://corporateportal.ppg.com/ppg/