Philadelphia's+green+makeover

 //Date Accessed:// May 16 //Source:// Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies //In a major initiative, Philadelphia is building an extensive network of rain gardens, green roofs, wetlands, and other infrastructure to capture stormwater. The goal is to prevent runoff from overwhelming sewers and polluting waterways and to help green America’s fifth-largest city. // **Summary:** This article discusses how Philadelphia has taken an environmentally friendly and uniquely “green” initiative to solve their stormwater and sewage water overflow problem. Essentially, the initiative is based off conveying the stormwater runoff rather than detaining it; they hope to build a green stormwater project that will allow the water to soak back into the earth rather than contaminating and running into surrounding waterways. Rather than building larger sewers and even more “grey” infrastructure, they are looking to “optimize and engineer the landscape” by constructing rain gardens, tree trenches, green roofs, and urban wetlands. This green infrastructure also serves as a sort of beautification for the city as an aesthetic and environmental design (diagram below). Philadelphia follows in the footsteps of the successful green Milwaukee stormwater project and a multitude of other successful regional projects in Europe. This initiative has been proven to enhance air quality and climate resiliency hundreds of projects have been funded in the last decade. 
 * Article: With a Green Makeover, Philadelphia Is Tackling Its Stormwater Problem **

Another example is the “Green City, Clean Waters” program which has been around in the city for many decades: “a 1987 amendment to the 1972 Clean Water Act led the EPA to order Philadelphia to drastically reduce its combined sewer and stormwater overflows.” Bruce Stutz. "With a Green Makeover, Philadelphia Is Tackling Its Stormwater Problem." Yale E360. n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2018. < [] > N.a. "Laws, Regulations and Guidelines." Dep.pa.gov. n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2018. < [] >
 * Relevance to Course: **This issue strongly relates to the coursework we are studying; in “Solid and Hazardous Waste” of our textbook, preventing waste from reaching bodies of water and contaminating our supply is discussed. Implementation of “green” solutions such as those in Philadelphia is also discussed (Miller 595). Further, in “Sustaining Ecosystems: Land Use, Conservation, and Management”, the role of government in resource conservation is heavily discussed. In recent times, the role of government in protecting the environment has increased, as seen in Philadelphia. This is typically carried out through a variety of ordinances and regulations (Miller 610). I’m glad that the local government decided to take a “green” approach to the problem rather than simply expanding existing infrastructure—which is more of a short-term solution.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Opinion: **<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> According to the article, “the scores of streams that ran into the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, were already cesspools of household and industrial waste. As they became intolerable eyesores and miasmic health hazards, the city simply covered them with brick arches, turned the streams into sewers, and on top constructed new streets, an expanding impervious landscape that left the rains with even fewer places for ‘soaking into the Earth.’ This statement highlights the effects of wasteful human activity. This is not the first time that irresponsible human actions have adversely affected the environment. Rather than focusing on short-term solutions or choosing the “economic” solution, we need to put the environment first. Fortunately, Philadelphia is the first of many cities to recognize this and hopefully they will lead others by example.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Environmental Law: **<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">As Pennsylvania is focused on the cleanliness of its water, there are quite a few ordinances in place. For example, the Clean Streams Law was recently implemented: “To preserve and improve the purity of the waters of the Commonwealth for the protection of public health, animal and aquatic life, and for industrial consumption, and recreation [...].” This law more strictly regulates the discharge of sewage or industrial waste or any substance into the waters Philadelphia. Further, the city of Philadelphia is currently in the seventh year of a 25-year project designed to fulfill an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce by 85 percent Philadelphia’s combined sewer overflows. This ordinance enforced by the EPA will hopefully prevent water polluted with contaminants from running into natural, uncontaminated bodies of water.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Resources: **