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Over 100 Attend Growing Greener Forum To Urge Action To Renew Program
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Over 100 supporters of the state’s endangered Growing Greener program came together last week at Yards Brewing Company for an educational forum that underscored the importance of protecting the state’s water quality.

            “Growing Greener has helped support thousands of projects to protect and conserve natural resources across the state and right here in Philadelphia,” said Andrew Heath, executive director of the Renew Growing Greener Coalition. “In addition to helping preserve parks and green open spaces, Growing Greener has invested significant resources in keeping our drinking water clean – which is why beer brewed here in Pennsylvania tastes so good.”
            As a local business that relies on clean drinking water for its beer production and its bottom line, Yards has joined in the effort to raise awareness about the critical role Growing Greener plays in protecting the environment and preserving the economy.  Established in 1999, the award-winning state program is currently facing an 82 percent reduction in funding.
            “As the first 100 percent wind-powered brewery in the state, Yards has long been committed to protecting our natural resources,” said Tom Kehoe, president and founder of the 17-year-old brewery, located on Delaware Avenue.  “The success of Growing Greener in keeping our water clean is critical to our business of making high-quality craft beer that is in increasing demand locally and regionally.”
            Yards uses fresh water from the Delaware River to produce 280,000 cases or 620,000 gallons of beer annually. One of at least 50 microbreweries throughout the state, the company directly employs 30 workers and produces more than 10 different ales, including Philadelphia Pale ale, one of the top-rated in the country.
            From a broader perspective, Pennsylvania’s beer industry – from brewers to distributors and retailers – contributes $6.9 billion directly and indirectly to the state economy and generates nearly 60,000 jobs.
            “Our state and local brewing industry has a long and proud history of supporting our communities and our economy,” said Kehoe. “But companies like ours rely on clean water to stay in business.”
            In addition to protecting and improving the health and stability of hundreds of miles of waterways in Pennsylvania, the Growing Greener program has preserved more than 33,700 acres of Pennsylvania’s family farmland, conserved more than 42,300 acres of threatened open space, added 26,000 acres to state parks and forests, and restored over 16,000 acres of abandoned mine lands in the past four years alone. 
            In Philadelphia alone, Growing Greener has invested more than $25 million in more than 100 large-scale and community-oriented environmental initiatives including:
-- Trail improvements at Wissahickon and Fairmount Parks;
-- Brownfield redevelopment at the Philadelphia Navy Yard;
-- Green improvements along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway;
-- Restoration of dozens of streambanks and waterways to reducing and improve water quality in the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, Wissahickon and Pennypack Creeks;
--Projects to bring alternative and renewable energy into schools, homes and businesses; and
-- Expansion of the Schuylkill River Bike Trail.
            “Growing Greener has a legacy of improving the quality of life and boosting the competitiveness of cities throughout out the state, and we must continue that legacy,” said Michael DiBerardinis, deputy mayor for Environmental and Community Resources. “As a former Secretary of DCNR, I saw firsthand the Growing Greener program’s positive impact and its extraordinary social, economic and environmental benefits.”
            To be sure, a recent study by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the GreenSpace Alliance showed that investments in preserved open space generate significant economic benefits.
            “Our preserved open spaces are economic powerhouses, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and benefits annually for Southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Patricia Elkis, associate director of comprehensive planning at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.  “Growing Greener provides supporting resources to conserve these open spaces, but after a decade of success, the funding sources for Growing Greener are nearly gone.”
            Growing Greener is a bipartisan program established in 1999 under Gov. Tom Ridge and later expanded by Governors Schweiker and Rendell. In 2002, a dedicated source of revenue for Growing Greener was identified in an increase in the state’s “tipping fee,” the fee charged for dumping trash in Pennsylvania’s landfills. 
            Those funds were supplemented by a $625 million bond approved by voters in 2005, called Growing Greener II. Unless action is taken, those funds will be largely exhausted as of June 30th, with most of the Growing Greener I tipping fees going to the debt service on the Growing Greener II bonds.
            To date, more than 200 organizations and groups have announced their support for renewing Growing Greener.  In addition, at least 80 Pennsylvania municipalities and counties have passed resolutions urging the Governor and legislature to renew Growing Greener funding.        
            This educational forum was co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Parks Alliance.
            The Renew Growing Greener Coalition is the Commonwealth’s largest coalition of conservation, recreation and environmental organizations representing more than 300 organizations and government entities.

6/27/2011

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