Philadelphia to Play it Cool with new Bill

In an effort to become one of the greenest cities in America, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed the “Cool Roof” bill into  law last month. The bill moves buildings away from the traditional black roof-tops which absorb heat and requires cooler colors, such as white or highly reflective materials which help reflect the suns heat. It is hoped that in doing so, air conditioning demands can be reduced by up to 30%. 

The law will be enforced on roofs with flat tops (mostly commercial uses) and will not be enforced on buildings with vegetative (or Green) roofs or buildings using roof-top solar panels.

Philadelphia hopes to recue city-wide energy consumption by 10% and to retrofit 15% of its housing stock by 2015.

PECO recently unveiled their headquarters green roof, which can be seen below:

Paoli Station Receives $1 Million for Solar Project

The Paoli Train Station is not only getting a much needed face lift, but is going green in the process. The project was recently awarded $1 million from the State Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to construct a series of solar panels on a portion of the Paoli Rail Yard.

The panels will cover almost 3 acres on the western portion of the rail yard and will be used to power the Paoli-Thorndale line, as well as Amtrak. It is expected the new panels will provide up to 2% of the energy used by Amtrak and SEPTA.

The Paoli Station is one of the more heavily used stations along the SEPTA R5 line and also services Amtrak train lines. Plans to redevelop the station into a transportation center will provide pedestrian access across the tracks, a landscaped plaza/public square and the addition of a 1,000 space garage for SEPTA commuters. This will transform the mostly vacant site into a town center development with mixed use development.

Click Here for an article on the project

Four Local Municipalities Receive PECO Green Region Program Funds

The PECO Green Region Program is an open space grant program funded by PECO, which helps protect and improve open land in the PECO service area. Any Township, Borough or City is Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware and Chester Counties are eligible for the program. The following local projects have been selected as recipients of the next wave of Green Region Grants.

West Pottsgrove Township ($10,000) - The township will use the grant to complete a master site plan for this recently expanded 23-acre park, an important natural, passive recreational, and open space asset.

Norristown Borough ($5,000) — The grant will be used for improvements to Strawberry Alley, a small passageway that serves as a critical pedestrian connection between the Norristown Transportation Center and the Main Street Business District. Improvements include a reduction of hardscape to increase the planting areas and the replacement of compromised concrete.

Conshohocken Borough ($10,000) — The grant will be used for improvements to the borough's 4-acre Mary Wood Park. The improvements include rain gardens with signage, replacement of walkways with pervious pavers, light fixtures, benches, restoration of a stone wall, and landscaping.

Worcester Township ($5,000) — The grant will be used to enhance the newly-acquired Heyser Field adjacent to the township's Community Hall. The site has been home to horse show events of the Farmers Union Horse Co. for decades.

For an article on more information on the local recipients, CLICK HERE

Yosemite National Park to Receive Funding for Solar Power Project

It was recently announced that over $4 Million in Federal Stimulus  Grants would be going towards the creation of a solar power system in Yosemite National Park. The solar system  is expected to generate 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. It will have the potential to save around $100K per year and reduce consumption from the grid by 12%.

The system itself will be installed at a site in El Portal, California. The solar panels will be constructed on rooftops of existing buildings, which will not only shade the buildings, but absorb the Suns rays, with El Portal being selected because of the high exposure of sun light received throughout the year.

Similar projects receiving Federal Stimulus money include Death Valley, Golden Gate National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore.

Personal Car Sharing: A Crazy Idea or a Money Making Transportation Alternative.

A company out of London is making it possible for anybody to rent out there personal car to the general public. The London based Whipcar, allows interested users to search by car type, price and location to book the perfect car in their area enrolled in the program. The program claims to take care of all of the hassle, performing driving background checks on all users and by covering each participating cars insurance in full, even providing breakdown coverage for the renter.Scroll down for a short video on how the program works.

Similar programs are currently being planned here in the United States in the cities of Boston (RelayRides) and in the state of California (Spride Share). California recently passed Bill AB 1871 which would allow for the sharing of personal vehicles 63-0. RelayRides and Spride Share are very similar in their registration process. Full vehicle and driving record background checks are done to make sure you comply with the rules and regulations of the program. You then register your vehicle if you wish to share yours, or schedule what car you want, where you need it and when through their online interface or by smartphone. Access to the car is granted with a Key Card waved at the windshield, which unlocks the vehicle, where the actual keys for driving are kept. The program covers the cost of gas and all programs pay individuals who register their car for car sharing when used, covering participating vehicles under an insurance policy for damage or theft.

Now the idea sounds great, especially for solo drivers, whose cars sit idle 90% of the day. Is this a program you could see yourself participating in? Its already working in London and seems to be slowly making its way across the pond. Please leave your thoughts and comments below and make sure to take the poll on the side bar!

What happens in Vegas…Is Going Green!

Ok, so Las Vegas may not be the most sustainable city in the world. Sure their glittery lights are always on, the city itself is in a desert miles from water and you pretty much have to take a long road trip or flight to get to it. But be that as it may, Las Vegas is trying to green up its image (and doing a pretty good job too).

The Sands Las Vegas Resort Corporation just released their Sands Eco360 plan which is a formalization of all of Las Vegas Sands Corp’s best practices, technologies and methodologies in the area of sustainability across all properties rolled into one, integrated program, with a shared vision, mission and goals. Two of the Sands Las Vegas resorts, The Venetian and Sands Expo and Convention Center have received LEED Gold Certification as existing buildings, while their Sands Palazzo Hotel-Resort-Casino received a Silver Certification for new construction. The Palazzo Resort used more than 95% recycled steel content and 26% recycled concrete.

Some of the green elements being used include:

• A roof-mounted solar thermal system that provides hot water for swimming pools, spas and a portion of domestic hot water.
• Solar photovoltaic panels atop a parking garage that generate 116 kW of electricity.
• A building automation system that monitors and optimizes heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting levels.
• Lighting that's controllable by a master switch in each of the guest suites. High-efficiency lighting throughout the facilities.
• The recycling of 55 percent of solid waste including glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and paper.
• A partnership with a local pig farm that uses 75 percent of food waste for composting or animal feed.
• Green purchasing, green office, green cleaning and green laundry practices. In addition to an eco-linen program for guests, the company works with a laundry service provider that uses equipment and processes that cut water use by 72 percent, compared to standard operations.
• Reuse or recycling of more than 75 percent of construction waste from renovation projects.

The newest large development on the strip, the CityCenter Complex contains 6 LEED Certified Gold Buildings, including the ARIA Resort, which has the honors of being the worlds largest LEED Certified Building. There are about 100 registered LEED projects in Las Vegas so far, not including those projects added in 2009.

While the city has a long way to go, every little bit helps and these are large steps in the right direction.

Phoenixville Unveils New Fish Ladder at Black Rock Sanctuary

The fish ladder, installed by Exelon, allows fish to freely traverse the Schuylkill River, allowing American Shad to return to native spawning grounds. It is believed the new ladder will allow the movement of over 25,000 Shad a day. Cameras have been installed within the ladders to count the Shad as they continue on the journey up the river.

The Black Rock Sanctuary, which was originally used as a basin for settling coal and silt, has now became an important refuge for water foul and migratory birds. Today it is a beautiful riverfront park where the public can enjoy the open space and wild animals which call the park home.

For more an article containing information on the ribbon cutting ceremony, Click Here

New Computer Models Show Possible Future Extent of Oil Spill

While these models are not official and are only computer generated forecasts of the spills interaction with the ocean currents. It does paint a grim picture of what we may experience over the next few months, if BP is unable to contain the spill. Of course these models do not take into consideration possible Tropical Storms or Hurricanes, which could greatly exacerbate the problem.