City green plan aims to renew job growth

The city is embarking on a new plan called “Greenworks Philadelphia” in order to become an environmental leader.

The city is embarking on a new plan called “Greenworks Philadelphia” in order to become an environmental leader.

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[audio: 090429tmgreen.mp3]

The plan has 169 goals to create 15 thousand additional green jobs. It would save the city money and make it the greenest city in the country. Mark Alan Hughes is the city’s sustainability director. He says Philadelphia has an opportunity to capitalize on the increasing cost of fossil fuels.

Hughes: We couldn’t compete with Phoenix and Atlanta in dollar a gallon gasoline, but in a world of six and seven dollar gasoline, we can win that competition.

Achieving the goals won’t be easy. They include increasing the recycling rate from the current 12 percent to 70 percent by the year 2015 by planting 300 thousand new trees and adding 500 new acres of public space. Money to fund these projects will initially come from the stimulus plan with the expectation that savings from changes in these projects will create enough money to keep them going.