The Good Economist 5
equipped to confront the inertia to change that often plagues large bureaucracies. “Many of my skills I gained at PennFuture were translatable. I, now, find myself an advocate on a different side of the coin,” she said. As the mayor has elevated issues such as education and neighborhood revitalization, “There is a continued need to connect our communication with people’s priorities.”
An effective advocacy on the inside, however, has not absolved the broader community from responsibility. Knapp stressed the importance of continued activism: “We look to advocacy groups to push us.” The next Greenworks will be significantly shaped by input gathered outside of government. In the spring, the Office of Sustainability held a series of neighborhood discussions throughout the city, and will be holding an open house on August 9 to present early findings and solicit feedback.
Shared responsibility and collaboration was a consistent theme. As Greenworks prepares to dramatically expand its scope, establishing strong partnerships has become more critical than ever. The latest iteration will be decidedly different, becoming more community focused after many years of being primarily government oriented. “Government will not address this issue alone,” Knapp said. Greenworks 2.0 will ask a diversity of stakeholders - government, institutions, and citizens - to engage in the advancement of the city’s sustainability goals.
At the forefront of those seeking to support the city in reaching its sustainability goals is business. Recent efforts, such as Green City, Clean Waters, have led to a mutually-beneficial synergistic partnership between the public and private sectors. Philadelphia Water’s $2.4 billion commitment over 25 years to augment the city’s water system with stormwater innovations has led to the city becoming a national leader for the green stormwater infrastructure industry. Local businesses are regarded as the best in their industry class and, as a result, have seen significant increases in revenue. A recent economic impact study commissioned by SBN found the local GSI industry is experiencing double-digit annual growth and conservatively represents an annual economic impact of almost $60 million within the City of Philadelphia, currently supporting 430 local jobs and generating nearly $1 million in local tax revenues.
Is this success replicable? Yes. If so, which industry? That question will require slightly more time. While waste and energy have emerged as early contenders, the answer will largely depend on which industry is able to develop a robust ecosystem of support services and infrastructure. “We have to caution against jumping forward too fast where policy demands outpace resources,” Knapp cautioned.
The Councilman appeared enamored by the potential of a business owner’s bill of rights
The Entrepreneurs' Roundtable reconvenes on Wednesday, August 17th with State Representative Leanne Krueger-Braneky, for a discussion on
A Commonwealth View on Clean Energy Policy.