An ambitious environmental initiative has been launched by the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, who joined leaders from business and industry to start a project that will reduce 80% of carbon pollution throughout the city of Brotherly Love and the installation of a carbon-free electricity grid by 2050.
This project comes after the city leader´s participation in the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability conference and C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen.
It also includes powering all City buildings on 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
A goal with friends
According to a statement issued by the Mayor’s Office, Jim Kenney joined business and industry leaders, including the global law firm Holland & Knight, in order to launch the Climate Collaborative of Greater Philadelphia. During the public signing ceremony, leaders established and reaffirmed their commitments to address climate change as a united group.
During the event, the City’s first civilian authority said Philadelphia “is making strides toward achieving our own climate goals, but quite frankly, we cannot do this alone. That’s why I am launching the Climate Collaborative of Greater Philadelphia so that we can bring together other institutions to address climate change.”
Antha Williams, Head of Environmental Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said that Philadelphia’s Climate Collaborative proves that ambitious climate work is achievable through dedicated public and private sector collaboration
“Bloomberg Philanthropies is grateful to support this important effort as part of the American Cities Climate Challenge mission to spur local progress on climate solutions.”
More engaged
In the same environmentalist vein, John Martini, Holland & Knight’s Philadelphia Office Executive Partner, said that climate change is a problem that will affect every individual and businesses.
“As lawyers, we are in a unique position to use our skills to help clients and the community leverage innovation, capital, and other resources to develop real solutions to mitigate carbon emissions. We’re pleased to join the Climate Collaborative in this endeavor. Anything we can do to positively impact climate change is among the most important work any of us can do with our legal careers.”
An inclusive platform
According to press material released by the Mayor’s Office, the collaboration will serve as an inclusive platform for leaders, businesses and institutions to get involved in the effort to protect current and future generations.
So in an effort to step forward, Collaborative member Holland & Knight’s Philadelphia office, announced its pro bono/community service climate commitment designed to address issues associated with growth and investments, emerging companies in the clean food/clean technology industries, and reducing the carbon footprint of the firm’s local office.
To date, 40 Philadelphia-area organizations have signed on to join the Collaborative. For more information, visit https://phillyclimatecollab.com/
Ways to participate
To join the Climate Partnership, institutional partners must agree to two requirements:
- Publicly reaffirm (or broaden) their currently adopted climate-related goals or
- Adopt or commit to adopting public-facing, climate-related goals.
To support these ambitious goals, the Collaborative will provide members with access to workshops and technical assistance that will facilitate the implementation of a range of climate-related action items. The Collaborative hopes that this type of technical assistance from its members will complement ongoing efforts, like Philadelphia 2030 District, which continues to advance in furthering local climate commitments.
Translated by: José Espinoza
Noticias Newswire
