We’re trying to be the greenest city in the USA, but we still have a long way to go (although Philadelphia’s starting to get a little bit of street cred. However, each year we see more and more progress in our city of sustainable love.

Here’s the top 6 green initiatives outta Philly that we’re proud of from 2012:

1. Philly is always looking for ways to spread the green! Mayor Nutter’s TreePhilly Program gave FREE trees to residents. Not only were neighbors encouraged to get their own tree, but this program also encouraged the planting & instructions for care. What a great way to spread nature right in our concrete jungle!  
2. The Clean Air Council put on a picture-perfect day for Greenfest 2012! This environmental event isn’t intimidating for non-greenies but it does educate the public and promotes awesome green initiatives. From a local beer garden to free recycling bins, games and music, there was something for everyone. Great work, guys!
3. For the 5th year in a row, the Philly Spring Cleanup Day brought neighbors together all across the city to clean up and beautify our streets! We hosted a cleanup at sports fields in Northern Liberties and were excited to see how we turned the park around in a few hours and many hands. This is definitely one tradition I look forward to every year!
4. Park(ing) Day Philly encouraged businesses & organizations to convert car parking spots into mini nature ‘parkettes’ for the day! Philly once again joined cities around the world who participated. Philadelphia is definitely creative, as you can see from the recap pics.
5. A surprise end-of-year announcement from China was met with cheers from across the city: More Philadelphians will be getting on 2-wheels! The announcement of a bike share program coming to Philly will encourage residents and visitors to check out our city in a carbon-free manner. Many cities abroad have programs (along with US cities), so it’s great to see Philly on board.
6. Last but not least, it’s an honor for Philly to get recognized from some top (government) environmentalists for our efforts, too! EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson & Mayor Nutter signed an official agreement that the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City Clean Waters plan makes Philly the sustainable leader (aka #1) of storm water management. This is huge since we’ll be diverting storm water with natural green infrastructure versus tearing pipes and rebuilding underground. Goooo Philly!

Readers, what was your favorite sustainable initiative in Philadelphia during 2012? Would you swap something out from our list?

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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