Philadelphia, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) applauds the City of Philadelphia’s green building law (Bill 080025), signed today by Mayor Michael Nutter.
“Two years ago when PEC released the report Building Green: Overcoming Barriers in Philadelphia, our most important recommendations included establishing a cabinet-level position focused on sustainability, and requiring LEED certification for City owned buildings. Philadelphia saw an early success with the hiring of the Director of Sustainability, and now with this bill, Philadelphia is translating its commitment to sustainability into action,” said Patrick Starr, Senior Vice President.
Bill 080025 was first introduced into City Council by Blondell Reynolds Brown in January 2008 which fulfills the recommendation of PEC’s Building Green report. The report identified that “the lack of good examples of green buildings and green technologies in the city inhibits adoption by both the public and private sectors and that the private sector owners are often reluctant to take the risk of trying something new.”
The Building Green solution put forth, and now enacted, is for the City of Philadelphia to “lead by example, implementing green strategies and proven technologies on City projects before asking the private sector to step up to the plate.”
The bill was amended and passed by City Council on December 10, 2009 in a vote 17 for, and none against. This bill will require all new municipally owned properties and major renovations over 10,000 square feet to achieve a LEED Silver certification.
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The Pennsylvania Environmental Council promotes the protection and restoration of the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education and advocacy with the private sector, government, individuals and communities as partners to improve the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.
Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, PEC serves the entire state through offices in Meadville, Luzerne, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. For more information visit https://pecpa.org/.