Ten Winners and one People’s Choice Winner were awarded in the first-ever Philadelphia Sustainability Awards this week to honor those who are making the Philadelphia region a better place to live – now and for future generations.

The 10 Winners include:

The Engineering and Design Institute at the Philadelphia University – Provides support and education for the green building movement in the region by training more than 1,000 professionals and bringing more than $4 million to the region in sustainable projects.

Jackie O’Neil’s Zero Energy Home – A prototype affordable home produces all its own electricity through solar panels, not relying on any outside sources of energy. By using energy efficient windows, heating/cooling and appliances, the house now produces more energy than it uses.

Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Café and Foundation – Purchases local food and renewable energy, and assists other businesses with their sustainable efforts. She is internationally known for her sustainable business practices.

Liberty Property Trust – A Philadelphia-based developed known nationally as the leader in green building development. Developed One Crescent Drive at the Navy Yard and the Comcast Center, which will be the nation’s tallest green building.

PhillyCarShare – Provides low-emission vehicles to thousands of Philadelphia drivers, reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The results so far have been 1.2 million miles driven in hybrids, and 440,000 gallons of gas saved. Additionally, more than 2,100 votes were cast online for the People’s Choice Award. The clear winner with about 30 percent of the votes was PhillyCarShare.

Police Forensic Science Center – Installed efficient systems such as heating, cooling and electricity, and manages stormwater on site. The building has seen a 67 percent reduction in its annual utility bill.

Re:Vision Architecture – Provides guidance and professional services for the region’s most ambitious and often controversial green building projects.

RecycleBank – Motivates recycling in participating neighborhoods by crediting household recyclables with “RecycleBank dollars,” redeemable at local retailers. Recycling rates jumped to 90 percent in participating neighborhoods, compared to average Philadelphia rates of just 6 percent.

The Food Trust – Connects regional farmers to farm markets and assists supermarkets in underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods, and educates kids on making healthier food choices.

Upper Dublin Township – Implements sustainable practices such as renewable energy purchases, open space preservation and recycling.

Winners were announced at a green carpet ceremony that featured Charleston, SC Mayor Joseph Riley as the keynote speaker, and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis as an honorary guest. Philadelphia Mayor John Street was also honored for the City’s commitment to climate change policies, riverfront redevelopment and the City’s GreenPlan for sustainable use of open space.

“The Philadelphia region is already a leader in sustainability nationwide,” said Spencer Finch, Director of Sustainable Communities for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the lead organization coordinating the program. “We just don’t do enough talking about it. That’s why the Core Partners behind the Awards came together – to bring these amazing stories out to the public and hopefully fuel new ideas on how we can do even better in the future.”

Coordinating organizations include PEC, City of Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Green Building Council, PennFuture, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, The Reinvestment Fund, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, American Institute of Architects, and the Academy of Natural Sciences. The William Penn Foundation and The Reinvestment Fund have generously funded this project. The HUB Cira Centre sponsored the Juror session.

A panel of five distinguished jurors convened to deliberate and decide on 19 finalists and 10 winners. Meeting at Philadelphia’s only “green” event space, the Hub Cira Centre, jurors combed through 53 nominations before electing the 19 finalists.

Jurors included: Sam Assefa, Director of Policy for Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development; Carlton Brown, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Full Spectrum LLC in New York, NY; Jack Cherry, Director of Corporate Global Environmental Health and Safety & Sustainable Development Process Systems for the Rohm and Haas Company; Rebecca Flora, Executive Director of the Green Building Alliance in Pittsburgh, PA; Sandy Wiggins, Founder and Principal, Consilience LLC and Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council.

More information on the winners and all nominees can be found online at the Philadelphia Sustainability Awards website. The site also features information about sustainability, the jurors and the awards event.

For contact information on any of the winners, please contact Jessica Anderson at 215-592-7020 x 101.

5/4/2007