Green Philadelphia City Government

Already, Philadelphia boasts a top-ten ranking as one of the nation's greenest cities according to a benchmark study conducted by SustainLane.com, the premier online sustainability best practices resource for state and local governments. SustainLane.com weighed traditional environmental factors such as air and water quality and regional public transportation infrastructure alongside up-to-the-minute standards like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and local sources of food and found Philadelphia to be a "sustainability leader" in many key areas.

Never a city to rest on its laurels, Philadelphia is now taking even bolder steps to claim its position as America's greenest city, with Mayor Michael Nutter leading the way. His plan consisted of five crucial undertakings that were achieved by the end of his first year in office and paved the way for future visionary initiatives designed to significantly reduce the city’s carbon footprint, provide alternative energy sources for businesses and residents, and ensure a high quality of life for future generations. Already Mayor Nutter has appointed Dr. Mark Alan Hughes to oversee all of the city’s sustainability efforts as Director of the newly created Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.

The Mayor has also created a Sustainability Cabinet made up of government leaders responsible for protecting the city’s air, water, and land resources and guiding future city policy on energy, transportation, and green jobs. Mayor Nutter’s plan for his first year also called for the city government to reduce its energy consumption by an impressive ten percent through building retrofit efforts and the creation of reduction inducements for city agencies and departments.

Furthermore, the Mayor has committed to reforming the governance and increasing the funding for one of Philadelphia's most valuable assets, Fairmount Park. Occupying a staggering 9,200 acres, Fairmount Park is the largest landscaped urban park in the U.S., and Mayor Nutter's initiatives in partnership with the Fairmount Park Commission will help emphasize the city's great strides in environmental conservation through the lens of its finest and greenest outdoor space.

Finally, the Mayor created a Sustainability Advisory Board made up of corporate and community leaders from the Greater Philadelphia region. This board helps guide the city’s sustainability strategy and provide leadership for action within the private sector. As a result, more and more Philadelphia companies are taking note and rethinking how they do business.

Quick Facts

• The City of Philadelphia is a member of:
• Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP) Campaign (ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability) since 1999
• U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement (U.S. Conference of Mayors) since 2005
• Large Cities Climate Leadership Group/Clinton Climate Initiative since 2006
• GreenPlan Philadelphia is a planning project to help provide a long-term, sustainable roadmap for using, acquiring, developing, funding, and managing open space in our city’s neighborhoods.