Title
Authorizing City Council's Committee on The Environment to hold public hearings regarding the state of Philadelphia's environment.
Body
WHEREAS, One of the Mayor's top goals has been to make Philadelphia the greenest and most sustainable city in America. In 2009, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability launched Greenworks, a six year initiative to help achieve that goal by setting a number of initiatives in Energy, Environment, Equity, Economy and Engagement to be completed by 2015; and
WHEREAS, Greenworks has reported that 95 percent of the 166 initiatives were underway or complete as of their 2013 annual report and that municipal government has lowered energy use by seven percent since 2008; and
WHEREAS, Improving the environment in Philadelphia also lowers energy costs for residents and businesses, improves transit for Philadelphians and creates new jobs; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA ridership is at its highest point in over two decades and is working hard to reduce emissions while also meeting increased demand. In 2013, SEPTA purchased 160 new hybrid diesel buses and by 2015 over 50 percent of SEPTA's bus fleet will be fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles; and
WHEREAS, The number of Unhealthy Air Quality Index days has increased from 20 in 2008 to 21 in 2012, far above the 2015 target of 10; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia was ranked the fourth most bikeable city in the United States in 2013; and
WHEREAS, Over the past six years, Philadelphia has experienced a period of consistent growth, resulting in increased construction, renovation and energy use. Compared to the 2006 Greenworks baseline, Philadelphia used four percent more energy in 2012, totaling over 129 trillion BTUs. This is far above the 2015 target of 109.85 BTUs; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation has formed a number of tree-planting partnerships, on both public and private land, that have resulted in planting more than 89,000 new trees, or approximately 30 percent of the Green...
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