Have an opinion? The city is really trying to listen to its constituents.

After releasing Powering Our Future in November, the Office of Sustainability (OOS) briefed the plan with 50 attendees yesterday at the Municipal Services Building. OOS released the Municipal Energy Plan (to reduce energy usage for over 600 city-owned buildings) on a superhot September day and followed up with Powering Our Future to create a roadmap for the rest of the city: residents, businesses, and communities.

Powering Our Future has three overarching goals:

1. Reduce carbon emissions
2. Education about climate change: how it happens, how PHL gets energy, etc.
3. Show how we actually achieve an 80% reduction of 2006 levels of carbon emissions by 2050

Although the city is leading by example and can begin to move the needle on climate change, much of the lengthy fight depends on individual residents. The report encourages residents to take steps like considering solar in programs like Solarize Philly, choosing clean energy suppliers and essential tips to reduce energy like washing clothes in cold water.

Figure 5 in Powering Our Future 

The city is taking the feedback from residents seriously. After their presentation, OOS Director Christine Knapp and City Energy Project Manager Richard Freeh answered questions from the crowd. The crowd’s concerns ranged from questions about how to actually educate Philadelphia residents about which energy suppliers are clean (and who is greenwashing), PECO’s involvement in switching to renewable energy and diversity in the climate change.

Whether 2017 inspired you to become more civically engaged, you can provide feedback on our energy plan through the end of January. If you want to catch yesterday’ session in full, you can also watch the recap on Facebook Live.

Tell the Office of Sustainability What You Think!

Did you know you can provide feedback on Powering Our Future? The public comment period is open through January 31, 2018. Visit http://bit.ly/cleanenergysurvey.

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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