Sustainability : In The News

Barnes becomes first major art institution to go LEED-Platinum

The New York Times Monday, October 01, 2012

The New York Times writes about the Barnes Foundation's recent LEED-Platinum rating, making it the first institution of its kind to earn such a designation.

“From diverting 95 percent of construction waste from landfills as it redeveloped this brownfield site to a building with anticipated energy savings of 44 percent over a traditionally designed equivalent, it’s a marquee project not only for Philadelphia but the country,” the council’s president and chief executive, Rick Fedrizzi, said.

Original source: The New York Times

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Katherine Gajewski on greening our gritty city

Grist Monday, September 24, 2012

Grist interviews Philadelphia's sustainability director, Katherine Gajewski, who has injected youthful energy into the city's green directives.

We have experienced tremendous support, considering our [Greenworks Philadelphia] plan came out right before the recession hit. I expected more departments to say “We’re focused on our core functions and can’t take anything new on. This does not fit with our priorities.” I haven’t had anyone say, “No. I’m unwilling to do that.” Our mayor has been a leader on this and he’s made it clear that it’s important. But I think it’s also just been an exciting and logical extension of the work a lot of folks are already doing.

Original source: Grist

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SEPTA's regenerative braking technology saving estimated 10 percent

Wired Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Early estimates place SEPTA's power savings at about 10 percent thanks to the regenerative braking system it activated in June, reports Wired.

Currently, trains running along the Market-Frankford line use the same kind of braking technology found in most hybrid cars, converting kinetic energy from braking into electricity and sending it along the third rail to a massive array of more than 4,000 30 Ah nickel cobalt aluminum batteries. Otherwise, that energy would’ve been wasted as heat. By recapturing and reusing that energy, SEPTA estimates it could save up to $190,000 a year in energy costs, not to mention decreasing wear and tear on its trains’ braking systems.

Original source: Wired

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Historic jab: Joe Frazier's gym, legacy to be honored in Philly

The New York Times Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Late heavyweight great Joe Frazier is getting some posthumous love in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia, reports The New York Times.

Mr. Frazier’s relationship with the city was complicated. People flocked to him for autographs, especially in North Philadelphia, a neighborhood of boarded-up row houses, drug markets and littered streets. But even there, he labored in the shadow of his rival Muhammad Ali, who ridiculed him as an “Uncle Tom” and the “Great White Hope.”

Original source: The New York Times

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On the farm with Garces

Seedstock blog Monday, August 20, 2012

Seedstock, the sustainable agriculture innovation conference, blogs about Jose Garces' organic farm in Ottsville, northern Bucks County.

Garces has teamed up with a successful and well-known Bucks County organic farmer, Alex McCracken, who, along with his wife Jenn, owns The Turnip Truck -- an organic kitchen gardening company, also based in Ottsville. A year ago, when McCracken caught wind that Garces had purchased the Luna Farm property, he did something that he had never been bold enough to do in the past: he e-mailed Garces directly to see if he could play a key role at Luna Farm.

Original source: Seedstock blog

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NJ's Sourlands: The last green space between NY and Philly, just outside Bucks County

Smithsonian Magazine Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Smithsonian Magazine glances at Sourlands, an area untouched by development and rife with sustainable touches like organic farming and green tech entrepreneurs and the subject of a recent documentary.

Flesher hones in on the Sourlands’ microcosm of local sustainability, from small organic farmers to hunters to conservationists to green tech entrepreneurs. Though they face daunting obstacles such as climate change, local extinctions and an uncertain ecological future, Flesher says they do not sink into despair:

The environmentalists I meet and interview are rarely naïve. They seem to understand the big scope of the environmental problems we face. What is heartening is that these folks do what they can anyway, usually with a gritty sense of optimism. I believe this is a lot better than doing nothing.

Original source: Smithsonian Magazine

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Philly future: Government as 'an enabler and a platform for innovation'

GreenBiz Tuesday, July 24, 2012

GreenBiz reports on Philadelphia's Chief Innovation Officer Adel Ebeid and his talk to attendees at the GreenBiz Cities 2.0 webcast last week.

The city of brotherly love has published more than 100 datasets since April, when Mayor Michael Nutter issued an executive order requiring city branches to release their once-buried information through an online portal accessible to anyone. The site includes data from nonprofits, universities and businesses, as well as municipal data from maps of enterprise zones to a searchable database of childcare providers.

Original source: GreenBiz

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Philadelphia leaders take to Toronto to share and 'steal'

Yonge Street Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Greater Philadelphia Economy League Executive Director Steve Wray talkes to Flying Kite sister publication Yonge Street about his organization's Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange, which visits Toronto this week.

One the focuses of the Economy League is what it means to be a world-class region and what it would take for Greater Philadelphia to attain status as a world-class region. As we select places to go, we look for regions that are world class or striving to be world class. Clearly Toronto has attained the status in the global community as a city and region on the rise, as a global financial capital and as an international city. We thought there were a lot of lessons we could bring back to Philadelphia from Toronto that would serve us well.

Original source: Yonge Street

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Philly VC funds investing heavily in water technologies

Environmental Leader Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Philadelphia-based Meidlinger Partners and Conshohocken's Enertech Capital are among those who have invested heavily in water management products, which have raised more than $400 million in equity and debt over the past five years, reports Environmental Leader.

Altela, a US company that uses a highly efficient thermal distillation technology to desalinate and decontaminate wastewater, has raised $10 million to date. Enertech has invested in the company, and it is backed by Yates Petroleum and Merrion Oil and Gas. Altela is focused on fracking operations and has projects underway in the Marcellus Shale. Its technology meets new regulations for clean water discharge and has been validated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the US Department of Energy.

Original source: Environmental Leader

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WSJ gushes over Philly's food, culture and design

Wall Street Journal Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Wall Street Journal's insider's guide to Philadelphia touts "miles of green space," among other assets.

All this art wouldn't do much good if it couldn't be accompanied by an excellent meal. Fortunately, Philadelphia is awash with tasty picks, from Mark Vetri's fine-Italian Vetri to the quirky Talula's Garden, which opened just last year and has already earned national acclaim. But don't worry -- the cheesesteaks will always be dripping with juice. Some things never quite get old.

Original source: Wall Street Journal

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Why Philly's water plan is a breakthrough

National League of Cities Monday, May 21, 2012

The National League of Cities gives Philadelphia major kudos for its groundbreaking water conservation plan.

To stem its discharges, Philadelphia is intent on filtering out, block by block, the fast, storm-induced runoff of pollutants -- litter, oil, antifreeze, pesticides, bacteria from pet waste -- that accumulate on concrete and asphalt surfaces, then wash into and pollute streams and rivers.

All this matters in dollars. Federal Clean Water Act rules could have obligated Philadelphia to spend as much as $10 billion for a system of massive tanks and tunnels to hold overflows -- the "big engineering" solution many cities are following. By contrast, the cost of Philadelphia's new water-conserving, storm-mitigating green infrastructure may be as little as $2 billion.

Original source: National League of Cities

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A chat with Interface Studio Architects principal Brian Phillips

Jetson Green Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Jetson Green talks shop with Brian Phillips, principal of Philadelphia-based Interface Studio Architects, which gained notoriety for its work on the 100K house.

The 100k house sits in the middle of the timeline for our firm, but serves as the clearest thesis statement. We received a 2011 Pew Fellowship in the Arts allowing us to focus more on experimentation, research, and design competitions. We are beginning to expand geographically while also scaling up the ‘100k thesis’ on bigger projects in Philly. Recent assignments include Net Zero housing in Boston (through the Mayor’s E+ Housing initiative) and a theoretical project for what a 100k house might be for Detroit.

Original source: Jetson Green

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WaPo writer's carless vacation to Philly should have been planned better

Washington Post Thursday, May 03, 2012

A Washington Post writer ventured to Philadelphia to assess the virtues of a carless vacation, although as our own Development News editor Andy Sharpe points out, she couldn't have picked two more out-of-the-way spots to visit.

I looked at the schedule on my phone. The bus that would have taken me to Woodford Mansion, a historic home in the city’s vast Fairmount Park, had come and gone. The next one wasn’t far behind, but it would drop me off just 15 minutes before the house closed at 4 p.m. Provided I could find the stop.

Original source: Washington Post

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Inside Viridity Energy's microgrid moves

GreenTech Tuesday, May 01, 2012

GreenTech revisits Philadelphia-based Viridity Energy's cutting-edge projects that aim to put a value on energy saved from SEPTA's regenerative braking system.

Viridity is already bidding battery-backed power into frequency regulation markets with partner and battery supplier Axion Power, which has installed Viridity’s system at its New Castle, Pa. manufacturing plant.

Original source: GreenTech

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