Philly’s #1 in Clean Water & Hot in Green Progress: Roundup

I know Mayor Nutter wants Philly to be America’s greenest city by 2015, but we’re surely making some progress as of late! Here’s a roundup of the latest green movers & shakers:

• Once again, Philly is making positive headlines for being #1 in something…Water! The National Resources Defense Council assessed 6 actions for employing green infrastructure solutions to clean water supplies. (This is basically finding water collection & filtration systems to absorb rainfall before its polluted, protecting the supply before its tainted.)  Philly was found to be exemplary in all 6 categories.  This is partially due to the Green City, Clean Waters plan that Mayor Nutter has been pushing. Thanks Michael!
• SEPTA is finally axing with those god-awful tokens & tickets and instead replacing them with “Smart Cards at electronic turnstiles.  Passengers will be able to pay with debit, credit cards & smartphones, expected to be fully implemented within 3 years. Let’s hope one of the Philadelphia sports teams can win a championship in that time-frame, so everyone flocking to a parade down Broad can experience this upgrade.
• Our Philadelphia International Airport may still have a ton of delays, but was awarded the Green Vision Award for its initiatives to use renewable energy and reduce emissions.
• New to me, SEPTA’s Silverliner cars step up public transit in Philly. (When I ventured out to the suburbs on Friday night, I questioned if I had hopped on the wrong train.)  120 of these commuter trains, complete with nice seats & video monitors announcing stops, should be replacing much of SEPTA’s old fleet… A crucial step to encourage public transit & a greener city.  Keep trucking with these upgrades, SEPTA!

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher