| SUSTAINABILITY AND THE CITY BUDGET | | | VOLUME 1,
ISSUE III | | | 
| | Members of the Green Economy Task Force on Capital Hill | | | | | | | | | |
| Is sustainability only for good times? Is going green in Philadelphia too costly to consider during a financial crisis? What are the implications for an urban sustainability agenda in the current economy? What trade-offs confront the city? Get answers to these questions and hear how sustainability programs can aid the city during the current budget crisis at a special Urban Sustainability Forum on February 19, 2009 at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Sustainability director Dr. Mark Alan Hughes, and finance director, Rob Dubow, will share their thoughts on how the city will meet that challenge despite the city's other pressing needs. They will be joined by a panel of experts to engage in a dialogue on the pressing budget crisis and its implication for sustainability programs. RSVP today! The University of Pennsylvania Project for Civic Engagement is also hosting a series of community forums across the city designed to allow Philadelphians to work through some of the actual budget choices facing the city. Your presence is needed at these meetings to speak out about the importance of reducing energy consumption, investing in parks, efficient waste and recycling collection and the creation of green collar jobs. You can even bring along talking points from the Philadelphia Parks Alliance. See you there!
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| OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY WEBSITE | |
| The Mayor's Office of Sustainability now has its own website where you can learn more about the various projects being led by staff - such as the Solar American City partnership and ways to save the energy. The office is currently creating a plan for how Philadelphia can become more sustainable and you can share your suggestions on what should be included through a form right on the home page. The plan is due to be released in April, so get your comments in soon! | |
| GREEN ECONOMY GROUP GOES TO WASHINGTON | |
| On February 4, 2009, a delegation of Philadelphia's public interest organizations, businesses, union leaders and activists spent the day on Capital Hill meeting with Senators Specter and Casey and with Representatives Brady, Schwartz, Murphy and Sestak. The message was simple: Philadelphia is poised to be a leader in creating good, green jobs that lift people out of poverty while making our city more sustainable and Congress must fund the Green Jobs Act, which was passed in 2007 but has been stuck in Appropriations ever since. Read more about the trip and see the group in action at Plan Philly. | |
| COMPLETING THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER TRAIL | |
| The Schuylkill River Trail is an extremely popular and heavily used recreational asset and commuter route. It also has the potential to be much more: a connector between a variety of Philadelphia neighborhoods and suburban neighbors, the region's first green transportation corridor for multiple communities, a strong catalyst for economic development, and a critical access point to open space and commuting paths for underserved neighborhoods. To be complete, the trail has critical gaps that need to be filled, and it needs to be extended southward, northward and into more neighborhoods. Come to a special forum on February 26, 2009 at the Academy of Natural Sciences to learn more about the nine trail projects that would help unite the trail and the benefits it would have for the Philadelphia region.
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| SUSTAINABLE 19125 | |
| The Partnership for a Green Community is a collaborative, creative exchange forum for greening the 19125 area of Philadelphia. Local businesses and individuals in the area have already taken the lead. Greensgrow Farm has been a national model for urban farming, providing fresh, local food in the neighborhood. PostGreen is building the $100K house, slated to be the first LEED Platinum, single-family home in Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania. And the 19125 community has ready access to public transportation and has been reinvesting in its local business corridors. These are amazing, necessary steps. Let's start discussing what's next: The Partnership wants your input on ways to make 19125 the greenest zip code in Philadelphia. Find out more at http://www.sustainable19125.wordpress.com/.
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