Next Great City: Philadelphia - Volume III, Issue XV

RECYCLING RATE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH 

Next Great City applauds the City of Philadelphia and you for making big strides in recycling.  According to the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, residential recycling in Philadelphia has reached an all time record with a 46 percent increase in household recycling over the last year. For fiscal year 2009 (July 2008 June 2009) the Streets Department collected 75,060 tons of waste from Philadelphia households, a 23,734 ton increase from last year. The average household with City collection recycled 278 pounds of their waste last year, 88 pounds more than in the previous year. The diversion rate, the amount of residential waste that ends up in recycling compared to trash, is now nearly 12-1/2 percent, an increase of over 5 percent since Mayor Nutter took office in January 2008. This amounts to saving of nearly $5,000,000 in avoided landfill costs.

PARK(ING) DAY RETURNS - SEPTEMBER 18

Park(ing) Day, a national event to raise awareness of the need for green spaces in urban areas, is returning to Philadelphia on September 18.  Park(ing) Day originated in San Francisco in 2005 by the art collective Rebar. The Trust for Public Land became involved with the project in 2006, and helped to make it a national celebration. Last year Park(ing) day was introduced to Philadelphia with over thirty groups of activists, artists, architects, and other citizens transforming parking spaces into temporary public parks throughout the city.  The event was a huge success, with parks located everywhere from Old City to University City, and from Roxborough to Temple University.  Here's to another successful event in 2009.

Contact Pamela H. Zimmerman at parkingdayphila@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. 

CELEBRATE BICYCLING ON CAR-FREE STREETS

Would you like to bike through the heart of Philadelphia surrounded by bicyclists instead of cars? Join the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for TD Bank Bike Philly 2009, a family-friendly bike tour celebrating the freedom of car-free Philadelphia streets. Ride through historic neighborhoods and explore hidden corners of Fairmount Park. Bicyclists of all skill levels are welcome. Ride 10 or 20 miles, or extend your ride to 35 or 50 miles on shared roads.

TD Bank Bike Philly rolls on September 13, rain or shine.  Register online to participate. 

NORTH DELAWARE GREENWAY IN CONSTRUCTION

The North Delaware riverfront, with the support of the Delaware River City Corporation, is making a lot of progress in the Next Great City action to create public riverfronts.  With public support and money in hand, construction is set to begin on a proposed 11 mile riverfront greenway, linking existing and planned trails.  The greenway will be a wonderful public amenity for communities in the Northeast and visitors, beautifying the area, linking neighborhoods, and providing abundant recreational opportunities.  We can't wait for it to be up and operational.
 

NEWS

• Fluffy toilet paper or trees?  You decide.
• A greener Delaware riverfront is in the works.  Greenway construction begins on the North Delaware and Pier 11 near the Ben Franklin Bridge gets ready to become a park.
• LEDs light the sky
• Rail on the river
• College students green their dorms and high schoolers learn to grow their own lunch
• An improved Franklin Square gets kudos from those who go.  With a PATCO stop on the way, the number of visitors is sure to increase. 
• Green jobs helping to bridge the employment gap
• Let's hope the city doesn't have to resort to Plan C
• Community Supported Agriculture does well locally, and makes it into the national press
• A look at how disposable-bag fees are working in cities that have them
• Swap Parties, grassroots recycling

EVENTS

• Tuesday August 11 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. - Park(ing) Day Organizational Meeting at the Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch St.
• Wednesday, August 12 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. - Social Media Marketing Workshop at Girard Hospital at 8th and Thomson Sts.
• Thursday, August 13 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. - Looking at Neighborhoods through an Intergenerational Lens at the Catholic Archdiocese at 222 North Seventeenth St.
• Thursday, August 13 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Into the Open, Sustainability Tour at the National Constitution Center at 525 Arch St.
• Saturday, August 15 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Cob Oven Construction at Mill Creek Farm at 4901 Brown St.
• Tuesday, August 18 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. - Project Review Meeting at the Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch St.
• Tuesday, August 18 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - Green Cities, Clean Waters Public Meeting at the Waterview Recreation Center at 5826 McMahon St.
• Wednesday, August 19 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - Green Cities, Clean Waters Public Meeting at the Northern Liberties Community Center at 700 N. 3rd St.
• Thursday, August 20 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - Green Cities, Clean Waters Public Meeting at the Columbus Square Recreation Center at 12th and Wharton Sts.
• Friday, August 21 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. - Into the Open, Architecture in Conversation with Deborah Gans at the Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch St.
• Saturday, August 22 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Nurses Championing the Health of Minority Communities through a Greener Environment at Thomas Jefferson University, Bluemle Life Sciences Building, Room 101 at 10th and Locust Sts.
• Saturday, August 22 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Into the Open, Repurpose! at 611 N. 40th St.