NEWS
Phila.’s
Green Task Force holding series of forums
Philadelphia Business Journal
July 3, 2009
Philadelphia Business Journal
Philadelphia’s Green Economy Task Force has formed
some unusual alliances as it furthers its goal of
creating thousands of green-collar jobs.
Almost 150 groups, ranging from technology companies
to constructions firms to nonprofits, have worked
with the task force so far.
“It’s a collaboration of unlikely bedfellows,” said
Green Jobs Coordinator Kate Houstoun. “It’s kind of
a tribute to the unique opportunity of the green economy.
You need that spectrum because the green economy is
broad. It requires a vast array of interests and talents.”
The task force is spending the summer learning how
to use those talents. It is hosting a series of forums
as part of its Emerging Industries Project that are
aimed at developing working relationships with the
various industries.
The first forum, held in early June, invited manufacturers
to discuss how the city can help to facilitate green
opportunities in their fields. In upcoming months,
the task force will host representatives from the
fields of construction, demolition and waste recycling.
Houstoun said that the Emerging Industries Project
gives her agency a chance to listen to local groups
and determine what it will take to make Philadelphia’s
green economy successful.
“We can’t get anything done if we’re not listening
to each other,” she said. “We have to work quickly
to assess our needs.”
The task force was established in early 2008 following
an inspirational speech by green jobs advocate and
presidential adviser Van Jones.
“A lot of people were moved by his message,” Houstoun
said. “They realized that committing to creating green
jobs was a triple win: help the environment, create
jobs and reduce the cost of living.”
A year-and-a-half later, the task force is reorganizing
to accommodate its growth, forming a number of new
committees.
For example, Diane Cornman-Levy, the executive director
of the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Neighborhood
Centers, will help foster youth involvement and education,
a component the agency only recently began to address.
She will also develop a job training program that
uses the city’s coalition of community centers.
“Community centers are points of engagement for workers
and employers,” she said.
Houstoun said the task force’s busy summer should
position it to begin helping unemployed workers by
autumn. She is intent on meeting Philadelphia’s goal
of doubling its number of green jobs by 2015.
“It’s been an incredible alignment of resources and
political will,” Houstoun said. “We’re very focused.”
Clean on the roof
The Bridge Business Center in Bristol recently installed
rooftop clean-energy system as part of its ongoing
renovations.
Seven gas-fired micro-turbines will help to power
the 50,000-square-foot building, which will house
offices, classrooms and research facilities.
The project was one of the first in the area to receive
funding from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act. The additions were paid for with a $1 million
grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development
Authority.
Additional energy-saving installations planned for
the building include an electric chiller, absorption
chiller and a cooling tower.
Keystone
Redevelopment Group, the center’s developer,
predicts that the turbines will create more than $2
million in energy savings over a 10-year period.
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