The 100k House project was conceived as an effort to build a LEED Platinum home in Philadelphia for $100 per square foot in hard construction costs. Focused on process and design, this house introduces an infill development model that can provide sustainable and architecturally significant homes at an accessible price. This AIA award winning home represents a potential shift in the standards to which homes are built in Philadelphia and throughout the country.

The Civic Vision for the Central Delaware was developed through a 13-month planning process involving the participation of a 46 members Advisory Group composed of city, state and federal officials, using the input of over 4,000 Philadelphians. The Civic Vision and follow-up Action Plan, using the civic principle to ‘Honor the River’, developed a sustainable approach to storm water management, movement systems and development. The tenets of the vision and action plan have since been embraced by the Nutter Administration to guide re-development of the Central Delaware riverfront.

Narberth Greens has embraced our small town, by creating itself and engaging over 150 members in a town of 4300 to actively push an agenda of environmental and sustainability stewardship. The organization has brought together community members of all ages and backgrounds towards the common goal of a greener Narberth. Its success is in the projects it has accomplished and the passion and awareness it has developed throughout the town.

In 2008, Rushforth Solar designed and installed 4 large solar hot water systems on apartment, condo, and hotel buildings in Philadelphia and vicinity. These systems cut fuel use by about 50% . Noteworthy are the large solar array sizes (up to 100' long), the large tank volumes (up to 3,500 gallons), the large fuel use reductions, (up to $7,000 per year savings per system), and the large CO2 emission reductions (equivalent to removing CO2 emissions from 8 cars for the life of the systems), and the cost effectiveness of the installations.

This 4,400 sf new bank facility is one of the first 5 banking centers in the country to be part of the LEED Construction Verification Program. This project received Silver LEED certification and was amongst 2 LEED certified locations nationwide, including Chicago, to first open as the new Bank of America prototype.

Bike Pottstown is the first free community bike share program for the Greater Philadelphia region. It was started as a partnership with many local groups in Pottstown, and has created a renewed interest in biking in the Borough of Pottstown. Since June of 2008, the bikes have been shared over 400 times. The program has been used for recreation and transportation. The program appeals to all ages, the oldest user being 80 years old.

BLUER is working to confront climate change and greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) issues on a local, municipal level. An all-volunteer committee of seven meets once a month, following a five-step milestone process which includes a GGE inventory and Climate Action Plan. Since their inception in 2007, BLUER has successfully leveraged public and private resources to build partnerships for locally-based sustainability initiatives, including drafting an Energy Star Ordinance, creating a Business Awards Program, advocating for a Borough-wide Car and Bike Share program, facilitating no-cost industrial and Borough building energy audits, hosting residential energy efficiency workshops, and leading low-income weatherization programs. BLUER’s success stories will be quantitatively measured and incorporated into the emissions software in order to properly account for the reduction effects.

Bob Pierson through his dedication to this program has made this a successful program in Philadelphia and was the major factor in Philadelphia making the top 10 green cities list for integration local food resources available to city residents.

Schuylkill River Park Alliance ran a citizens web-based campaign from 2003-2007 to prevent the closure of two street level crossings into Schuylkill River Park. Using web and other traditional organizing tools, Schuylkill River Park Alliance (formerly called Free Schuylkill River Park) successfully mobilized park users and civic organizations to work with elected officials and the Street Administration to convince CSX Transportation to settle a lawsuit so that the existing street level crossings could remain open and made safe for both park users and the Railroad. A 15 minute documentary movie of the campaign was released in July 2008

RecycleBank was founded with the belief that environmental solutions create economic opportunities. RecycleBank motivates people to become greener citizens by rewarding them for curbside recycling. RecycleBank does this by measuring the amount of material each home recycles and then converts that activity into RecycleBank Points, accepted at over 950 local and national retail partners. Currently, RecycleBank is in hundreds of communities covering fifteen states, and dramatically increasing household recycling rates all along the way.

Cherry Hill is creating a sustainable future for itself and setting an example for the region through implementing a progressive Green Action Plan and launching community outreach group Sustainable Cherry Hill. Together, the initiatives are uniting the community around becoming green and achieving sustainability. From doubling the recycling rate to a comprehensive solar project to passing a no-idling resolution, the township is connecting resources to transform itself into a paradigm of sustainability.

Close the Loop works with US manufacturers who produce high quality & unique recycled products from waste tires, plastic milk jugs & glass bottles. We are working to increase consumer confidence, awareness and demand for recycled content products and help grow markets. The US generates about 300 million waste tires annually, and about 30 million tons of plastic waste (only 7% recycled) and about 13 million tons of glass annually. Visit us online at www.closetheloop.com

Not just another LEED Gold suburban office building that dominates its site, Colorcon Global Headquarters and Technology Center is a fine example of integrative sustainable design that inspires, enriches and leads the community. While cost-effectively attaining LEED Gold within the highly sophisticated and technically demanding needs of a lab and global data center, the signature global headquarters gracefully acknowledges its neighbors. Molding the landscape with responsible land use, it serves the broader community, rebuilds wildlife habitats and connects the users with the earth.

Launched as a student initiative in March 2008, and supported by the President’s commitment to make Drexel University a sustainability leader, “Drexel Green” has energized students, faculty, administrators and trustees to examine all aspects of university operations. Committed to accessibility and transparency, it has placed on its website www.drexel.edu/sustainability virtually all of its presentations and reports, thereby offering a roadmap to the 84 other colleges and universities in the region.

In the spring term of 2008 a new multi-disciplinary program of study was created by Sherman Aronson, Gena Ellis, and David Kratzer, Drexel Faculty, assisted by the students Jameson Detweiler and Akshita Sivakumar. The course ran for 10 weeks with 26 students from architecture, interiors, engineering, and graphic design. Each week the faculty and guest experts presented design and technical information and case studies focused on many aspects of green design and smart technology.

The Partnership Community Development Corporation brings conservation education and energy assistance directly to the communities of West and Southwest Philadelphia. In the past year, over 150 residents attended home energy conservation trainings through The Partnership CDC, and over 1,000 residents received emergency utility assistance. The Partnership CDC plans to build on these successes as we incorporate sustainable practices into all of our initiatives.

The Energy Coordinating Agency, a provider of home energy heating/weatherization assistance, has significantly expanded in recent years to provide energy conservation services. ECA now provides Energy Star certification of homes and is a provider for the region for the USGBC's LEED for Homes Program. Two new energy training programs that ECA is currently developing feature a one-day Energy Star workshop for architects/ building contractors; and a week-long training workshop for Certified Home Energy Field Inspectors.

In January 2007, the Delaware County Transportation Management Association (DCTMA) set out to promote the use of public transportation and improve the mobility of non-English speaking residents in Upper Darby Township, the largest township in the state. We would do this by providing language-specific transportation information and assistance. The final product increased public transportation ridership and improved the quality of life for these non-English speaking riders.

In Greater Camden, New Jersey, Faison Mews has stabilized the formerly blighted Parkside neighborhood and renewed initiatives for growth and redevelopment. This 51 unit affordable senior project has halted the abandonment of properties as well as stabilized the housing values in the neighborhood. In addition, neighborhood seniors now have an energy efficient, environmentally friendly building to retire to, allowing them to remain close to their families as they age. The project was met with immediate success upon opening in May 2006, with over 50 names on its waiting list.