The Next Great City coalition can check another agenda item off our list! Philadelphia Water Commissioner Bernard Brunwasser has approved a new rate structure and regulations for stormwater management that will provide incentives to businesses and institutions to reduce their water runoff.
“Managing stormwater is vital to our economy, our environment and the public health,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “And this decision moves us one giant step forward in meeting the federal clean water standards and implementing our Greenworks Philadelphia goal: to make our city the greenest in the nation.”
Previous stormwater charges were based on how much water a property used, which bears little relation to its contribution to stormwater runoff. The new charges will be based on the size of and amount of impervious surface. The decision will make it profitable for property owners to address stormwater runoff by planting more trees, installing a green roof or using porous pavement. PWD will also work with Next Great City on a pilot program to study expanding the credit program to residential customers.
Congratulations to everyone involved!
PWD UNVEILS AMBITIOUS PLAN TO ADDRESS COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS
PWD recently issued its Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan Update, entitled Green City, Clean Waters. Philadelphia is the first city to rely almost exclusively on green stormwater infrastructure to meet federal standards. Unlike traditional stormwater infrastructure like tunnels and tanks, green infrastructure like trees, green roofs, and open space, provide additional benefits like recreational enhancement, energy savings, and air quality improvements. Learn more about the plan at http://www.phillywatersheds.org/ltcpu/.
Several Next Great City members are part of a team that has consulted with experts to provide an independent review of the plan. If you are interested in being a part of this review, please contact Christine.
CITYWIDE GREENWAY CAMPAIGN LAUNCH TUESDAY
Philadelphia is on its way to becoming a great riverfront city full of cultural, economic and environmental potential. You can be part of this exciting growth by joining us for the launch of the Coalition for Philadelphia’s Riverfronts (CPR) on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. at the Schuylkill Bank Plaza at Martin Luther King Jr Drive on the Schuylkill River, adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
CPR will work to create a scenic walking, biking, skating and blading trail that is connected to the city and follows the edges of the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers.
And there’s more! Thanks to help from our partners at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, Hidden River Outfitters will offer discounted kayaking after the event so you can get out and enjoy the river.
We hope you can make it to this great event to celebrate our rivers!
BICYCLE COMMUTING DOUBLES IN THREE YEARS
The US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey recently reported that Philadelphia has the most bicycle commuters per capita out the nation’s 10 most populated cities. Bicycle commuters account for 1.6 percent of all commuters who travel to work in Philadelphia, nearly three times the national average.
The 2009 American Community Survey found that the number of commuters who rode a bicycle to work rose from 4778 to 9410 between 2005 and 2008: a 97% increase in 3 years. This finding confirms the Bicycle Coalition's 2008 report, Double Dutch, that the number of bicyclists using Schuylkill River Bridges doubled from an average of 60 bikes per hour to 120 bikes per hour between 2005 and 2008.
VOTE FOR TOOKANY/TACONY-FRANKFORD
The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership has been chosen as a finalist in the nationwide Tom's of Maine Community Sponsorship Competition. Please help support this project, "Eyesores to Assets: Reinventing a Vacant Lot," by voting for it online. The five winners, each of whom will receive $20,000, will be chosen entirely based on on-line voting. You can vote once per day, EVERY DAY from now until October 30, so get voting!
Presenters will explore, from both scientific and economic standpoints, the challenges in combating global warming and the environmental and economic opportunities for taking action. Speakers will also examine state and federal climate legislation, and what they offer from both religious and business perspectives.
Wednesday, October 14 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Good Sense Saves Energy Cents at the PECO Financial Education Center at the Partnership CDC at 4027 Market St.
Thursday, October 15 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. - DVGBC's Annual Green Building Celebration at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology at 3260 South St.
