Citizen action tackles environment
By Ben Waxman
Philadelphia Daily News, 9/5/07

I graduated from college in May of 2007 and moved to Philadelphia about a month ago. I partially decided to live in a city so I could take advantage of environmentally friendly amenities like public transit and recycling. Instead, I was frustrated to find that the Philadelphia is lagging far behind other cities in organizing and funding programs that benefit the environment.

However, I was delighted to find that many of Philadelphia's citizens are taking action together, without the politicians, to make our city a greener place to live.

Like many people in my generation, I care about the environment and want to do my part to help. Young people aren't alone though—especially in Philadelphia. In the past month of living here, I've discovered all kinds of citizen efforts to make up for where government is failing.

Everyone knows that public transit in Philadelphia is in bad shape. Bad transit means more cars. However, an organization called PhillyCarShare has taken 7,000 cars off the streets and provided an affordable alternative to car ownership. It's a very cool combination of the economically sensible and environmentally friendly.

Another problem area is recycling. Philadelphia currently does not have citywide curbside recycling. However, my local neighborhood association sponsors a monthly recycle day that allows residents to bring their cans, bottles, and newspapers to a central location to be recycled. People are organizing to make things happen.

Of course, I'm not only concerned about the environment. I'm concerned about affording my rent, my car payment, and food. That's why I particularly like an organization called Philly Freecycle. It's basically a giant e-mail lists that allows people to give stuff away that would have otherwise been thrown out. It really is as awesome as it sounds.

Both PhillyCarShare and Freecycle are special because they give people financial incentive to behave environmentally responsibility. I am delighted to see that so many people in my new city are creating organizations that make going green affordable. Here is another reason why Philadelphia is better than New York City. People on the Upper West Side probably buy trees for the melting ice caps or something.

These kinds of programs are inspiring. It's extremely motivating to see so many people working together to solve a common problem. The kind of energy has got to be positive for Philadelphia. However, it's not the long-term solution to the problem.

The only way to stop global warming and the disastrous consequences is for government to taken action—neighbors working together can only accomplish so much. They need support from their elected officials. The City of Philadelphia needs to revamp its entire approach to the environment. Ultimately, I think it would be great to have an entire department, with serious resources and clout, to focus on making Philadelphia more environmentally sustainable.

Of course, there is always more we could all do. I own a car (for the first time in 22 years!) and probably use the air conditioner more than I should. However, I would like to try to do the right thing and local government should be making it easier for me. It speaks well of the city that so many people are taking matters into their own hands.

Ben Waxman is a regular contributor and can be reached at benwaxman@gmail.com. You can find links to the organizations talked about in this column by visiting: http://benwaxman.com.