Great Expectations

[Full Disclosure - I am a City employee but speaking for myself.] There are many significant issues we actually can influence, can we please move on from endlessly
"relocating" the casinos. No opponent of the sites, including this newspaper, has ever identified REALISTIC alternative sites. It's always "not here" but never anywhere else. Thank you.

People all over the city thirst to live with beauty, to be part of William Penn’s green vision.

This is absolutely true. In the past year I have worked with many of the city's children and youth in classrooms, focus groups, advisory committees, art projects, political activities and, of course, at home. Over and over the children and youth themselves have expressed the desire to have a cleaner environment - in their neighborhoods, their streets and their schools.

A number of year's ago, our family participated in the "President's Summit for America" which was held here in Philly. Our family was part of a small group that cleaned up a neighborhood lot and turned it into a mini-garden. It is a source of beauty for the neighborhood and pride for the children and volunteers who created it.

In Vermont, where I lived until moving to Philly in 1992, we had an annual spring day called "Green Up Day" when schools were out, businesses gave employees volunteer time off and the entire community came out to, literally, "Green up" the community - picking up trash, planing seeds, washing walls, etc. In addition to the proposals included here, I would add, let's create an annual "Green up Day" in Philadelphia.

From the Green Up Vermont website: Green Up Day is about people of all ages from all walks of life joining together in community spirit to take care of Vermont. It teaches our children pride and respect.

http://www.greenupvermont.org/ for more info

People all over the city thirst to live with beauty, to be part of William Penn’s green vision.

This is absolutely true. In the past year I have worked with many of the city's children and youth in classrooms, focus groups, advisory committees, art projects, political activities and, of course, at home. Over and over the children and youth themselves have expressed the desire to have a cleaner environment - in their neighborhoods, their streets and their schools.

A number of year's ago, our family participated in the "President's Summit for America" which was held here in Philly. Our family was part of a small group that cleaned up a neighborhood lot and turned it into a mini-garden. It is a source of beauty for the neighborhood and pride for the children and volunteers who created it.

In Vermont, where I lived until moving to Philly in 1992, we had an annual spring day called "Green Up Day" when schools were out, businesses gave employees volunteer time off and the entire community came out to, literally, "Green up" the community - picking up trash, planing seeds, washing walls, etc. In addition to the proposals included here, I would add, let's create an annual "Green up Day" in Philadelphia. Its a great way to include children in the "Citizens Agenda"!

From the Green Up Vermont website: Green Up Day is about people of all ages from all walks of life joining together in community spirit to take care of Vermont. It teaches our children pride and respect.

http://www.greenupvermont.org/ for more info

NB: this was also posted at the main G.E. page; hope that's OK.

I was surprised at the depth of critcal thinking today (Sunday Dec. 2) at the Summit. Here is an example of what I mean: in one of the Environment breakouts the entire group came to call for changing the "No. 1 Priority" from "Fairmount Park" to education in "environmental principles of interdependency". The feeling was that once people perceive that:

• the water in their kitchen sink is (in essence) Philly's rivers and the creeks that flow into them - the Schuylkill River & the Delaware River;
  
• the leaking motor oil on the street is their morning shower;
  
• the apple just washed is yesterday's rainstorm overflow,

That is an example of the depth of change that any of us citizens of the city can bring forth - and can implement with open dialogue at the table of open, rational talk. And we are insisting on that, now.
Not bad, eh, for a few hours with a few old friends and partners in change?

Thanks, everyone! We'll gather again, soon!

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The dialog started by this forum gives us all hope for Philadelphia. The Penn Praxis presentation for the central Delaware was exciting because of the commitment of people to the vision. But please remember also - there is extensive work that is ongoing on the Schuylkill River, in Center City, East Falls and Manayunk. There are now trails and recreation on the water all the way through the city's edge. In Manayunk we have spent years working on our canal and bikeway and currently completing a Master Plan for our waterfront to take it to the next level. What is incredible is that folks now talk about greening as an accepted solution as opposed to a taking. Thank you for the dialog....

The dialog started by this forum gives us all hope for Philadelphia. The Penn Praxis presentation for the central Delaware was exciting because of the commitment of people to the vision. But please remember also - there is extensive work that is ongoing on the Schuylkill River, in Center City, East Falls and Manayunk. There are now trails and recreation on the water all the way through the city's edge. In Manayunk we have spent years working on our canal and bikeway and currently completing a Master Plan for our waterfront to take it to the next level. What is incredible is that folks now talk about greening as an accepted solution as opposed to a taking. Thank you for the dialog....