On Nov 4: Make Philly's Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Permanent

This Election Day – Tuesday, November 4 – the fate of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is in the hands of Philadelphia voters. Earlier this year, the Philadelphia City Council passed charter change legislation to bring to the question of the department’s permanent status to a general election ballot vote.  A “yes” vote on ballot question 1 this Tuesday will make the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability a permanent fixture in city government. 

Need a little help making your decision? Consider this – since its inception in 2008, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability has achieved the following under the umbrella of its ambitious Greenworks agenda:

• Brought in $41 million in outside grants 
• Increased the amount of alternative energy as a percentage of our electricity use from 2.5 percent to 14.8 percent
• Diverted 73 percent of waste from landfills, up from 53 percent
• Greened 323 acres of land to help manage stormwater
• Added 142 new acres of park and open space and more than 16 new miles of trails 
• Increased the number of markets, gardens, and farms from 230 to 340
• Planted 100,000 new trees

The continuation of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is just the first step in bringing the many, many great initiatives that are under way across the finish line. 

The Next Great City coalition is proud of the tremendous progress we've made toward creating cleaner, safer, and healthier Philadelphia neighborhoods over the past seven years. The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability has played a critical role in implementing and shaping our vision for what Philadelphia can and will be. The importance of a strong ally in city government cannot be underestimated.

It’s up to all of us to decide what Philadelphia's future will look like. Voting “yes” on ballot question 1 is a critical step in the right direction.   

Katie Bartolotta is PennFuture’s Philadelphia outreach coordinator and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.