Office of Sustainability Releases 2014 Greenworks Progress Report

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability recently released it’s 2014 Greenworks Progress Report, the Office’s fifth annual report on the city’s comprehensive sustainability plan. Goals set by the Greenworks plan were designed to be met in 2015.

The report outlines some of the successes the City of Philadelphia and its non-profit and private partners have made in the five Greenworks goal areas: energy, environment, equity, economy, and engagement, as well as some of the challenges they still face.

The Office of Sustainability is beginning to understand some of the long-term trends in sustainability that will help to inform the support and advocacy of their stakeholders throughout Philadelphia, according to the Greenworks blog. These trends include a discovery that weather patterns greatly influence energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. 

The report lists that work on 160 of our 164 initiatives is underway or complete. In addition, while air quality continues to fluctuate with changing weather, this is the first year that Philadelphia has exceeded Greenworks goal for air quality.

The Office of Sustainability also came to understand that the city’s commercial buildings use the most energy, but have the greatest opportunity for reducing both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions citywide.

City Council voted in April to make the Office of Sustainability a permanent office. This requires a change to the City Charter, which must be approved by voters on the November 2014 ballot.

View the full report here.