Healthy, Sustainable Communities Group - April 29

A City That Works - April 29, 2008
Healthy and Sustainable Communities Discussion Group at St. Gabriel's

The group was composed of 12 people (2 men and 10 women). The participants were all very excited to contribute their thoughts and opinions regarding the importance of healthy and sustainable communities, including what that would look like and initiatives that should be in place in order to make that happen. The top concern was unequivocally trash. All of the participants voiced their concerns regarding the lack of litter control from businesses and other neighborhood citizens and the lack of greener living options in Philadelphia.

-- Erika Evans

What does this goal mean to you?

• Would like to see a cleaner city.

• Rebuilding the concept of community because ultimately this carries with it progress within other areas of concern.

• Litter! Trash is overwhelming and not being taken care of.

• Making businesses more accountable for litter control in the neighborhood and the importance in making changes.

• Overall better quality of life, which includes all of the reasons listed above as well as a greener, more organic Philadelphia.

• Litter enforcement by the Streets Department and more accountability within the neighborhood.

• Better and Improved Recycling Initiatives to help create a greener Philadelphia.

• Creation of more community gardens.

• Creation of a plan toward a quiet and peaceful 2008 summer, which would include enforcement of noise pollution, curfews and a reduction in violence. (Keep kids off the street, managed play areas.)

• Enforced curfews.

• Integrated communities of interests, which means neighbors would participate in a mission (i.e. litter, gardening, recycling, etc) they believed in. That would aid in the overall mission of becoming more climate responsible within the neighborhood.

Performance measures

• More visible recycling cans/bins (with lids) on trash collection day within the neighborhood. This includes providing citizens with recycling bins, educating citizens on the policies of sanitation pickups and importance of recycling, as well as warnings/tickets for noncompliance of recycling initiatives.

• Street cleanings on a monthly basis including draining/gutter system cleanup, which is frequently ignored and unaddressed.

• Civic groups enforcing litter cleanliness among businesses via a monthly review of the reduction or lack of reduction of litter from their business. If citizens collaborated with businesses on these efforts, the businesses could provide incentives to participants in helping to clean up, such as doughnuts, coffee, etc. The group reported that the success measure for this included that the more doughnuts and coffee consumed would indicate an increase in participation and a continued distribution/cooperation by businesses of incentives.

• Higher investment and participation in recreation centers would be a result of city investment into community involvement, equaling a better quality of life for the community.

• Reduction in noise pollution would be evident based on the enforcement of volume control for music, decrease in gun shots, ticketing of individuals riding scooters/dirt bikes in inappropriate areas and without safety gear, and an enforcement of curfews.

• A reduction in garbage trucks. (This would indicate an increase in recycling and composts, which means as a community there has been less consumption and an increase in investment to greener living.) This could be measured via garbage truck weights on a weekly basis.

• Creation of an entity that looks out for the overall well being of the communities to understand the climate impacts the sustainability of the community overall.
 

Customer-service standards

• The group requested that the city provide weekly recycling. If recycling was not provided, then tax credits should be given back to the neighborhoods.

• The sanitation/streets department should implement a “If we spill it, then we’ll clean it up” policy. The participants reported that this a major problem after trash has been picked up and that sanitation workers aren’t receptive when confronted.

• Neighborhoods will also be rewarded with tax credits should there be an increase in appropriate recycling within the neighborhood.

• If a citizen lodges a complaint, then the city or the respective department has 24 hours to respond or address the incident and 48 to 72 hours to respond to the person who made the initial complaint.

• Continued frequency of citywide clean ups because customer service = cleaner city.

• Reevaluation of current recycling program to identify why the city pays the recycling company instead of vice versa. The customer-service belief is with a reversal of payment the city would have more money.

• Creation of an entity that looks out for the overall well being of the communities to understand the climate impacts the sustainability of the community overall.