A factory in West Kensington that once produced Union army uniforms has been transformed into a state-of-the-art green jobs training center by the Energy Coordinating Agency.

The Collaborative staff recently had a personal tour of The John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center with Walter Yakabosky, director of the training center, and Frances Cichetti of ECA.  We got to see the innovative training facilities and green features of the building first-hand and explore some of our favorite topics—how to reuse industrial buildings and practice sustainability in urban neighborhoods.

ECA worked with Re: Vision Architects to turn the 19th century building into a training center with classrooms, work and demonstration spaces, and offices.  The building is being considered for LEED Gold certification and has green features like a white roof, gray water recycling and excellent insulation.

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Philadelphia has thousands of flat roofs that lay empty soaking up the sun and collecting rain. But imagine if those roofs were transformed into vibrant farms that provided locally grown food to neighborhood residents.

That is the vision a group of neighbors, gardeners, architects, and builders had when they formed Philadelphia Rooftop Farm (PRooF) to explore the possibilities for building organic farms on residential roofs in Philadelphia.

“Rooftop farming is a natural idea once you stand on a roof looking out at all the available space.  The volume of produce you could grow is exciting,” said Jay Sand, one of the founders of PRooF.

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Al Spivey, Jr. and WNCA volunteer and park advocate Craig Ablin, flanked by some of Wisshickon Neighbors Park's oldest and youngest fans.

It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. In Wissahickon’s case, it takes a neighborhood to raise a park.

Over the past six months, a team of Collaborative volunteers worked with the Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association on a master plan to revitalize Wissahickon Neighbors Park. Now, the Collaborative’s early design assistance has become a catalyst for a big boost in funding for park improvements.  During this weekend’s Love Your Park Day, park advocates learned that the park will receive $200,000 in city funding.

Wissahickon Neighbors Park was already earmarked for $30,000 in City capital funds when Craig Ablin, leader of  a WNCA committee to improve the park, shared the Collaborative’s plans and renderings with Councilman Curtis Jones.  WNCA’s compelling vision– and visuals– convinced Jones to make the case for more funding.  Read Full Story

Thanks to everyone who helped out and stopped by our  “sustainable backyard” on PARK(ing) Day.  We had a great time talking with curious people, meeting PARK(ing) Day participants and fans, looking up at the clouds from the hammock, hanging out laundry, and taking our lunch break in this improvised plant-filled backyard in front of the Center for Architecture on 1218 Arch Street.

The Collaborative’s  Park(ing)Day  installation used repurposed materials (salvaged wood, Interface carpet samples,  and used  construction buckets) along with native plants, a hammock and a clothesline and sparked discussions about how to make the most of  an urban open space.  We also gave away recycling containers to Philly residents and a handed out flyers with strategies and resources for promoting sustainability in your own backyard.

A special thanks goes to volunteers Karena Thurston and Nissa Grant, who worked with Emily Stromberg to plan and design the project.  Karena also helped assemble the yard and loaned us over twenty plants from her own backyard for the day. Read Full Story

The Collaborative's "Park-a-Lounger" from Park(ing) Day 2008.

Hang out in the Collaborative’s “backyard” on PARK(ing) Day and get some ideas on how you can embrace sustainability- even in your tiny city backyard!  If you can’t wait, here’s the list of resources we’ll be sharing at PARK(ing) day on Friday, September 18 at 1216 Arch Street.

We encourage everyone to come by and check it out, along with the many other exhibitions around the city. Find all the locations here on google maps. Our installation will be an example of a sustainable backyard with native plants, recycling stations, and salvaged materials, not to mention the hammock.

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Last Friday was the culmination of a home-building project that has taken five years. Three families from West Philadelphia receive the keys to their new LEED-certified houses, built by Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. The Wright, Wanamaker and Seawright families each dedicated 350 hours of sweat equity to building their homes.

These homes are part of a seven-unit affordable housing development designed to have low energy costs. In 2005 The firm of WRT and the Energy Coordinating Agency donated pro bono design services worth over $21,000 to perform a feasibility study for the project and develop a sustainable design that would be consistent with the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood. The Collaborative is proud to have contributed to the design of this groundbreaking project.

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On September 17th, the Urban Sustainability Forum will turn its focus to issues of vacant land in Philadelphia.  The forum, entitled No Vacancy: Re-imagining Vacant Land in Philadelphia, will look at vacant land as an environmental and economic issue and explore ways to rejuvenate abandoned spaces.  Panelists will address potential reuses for empty space, tensions between temporary and permanent use, and best practices.

Beth Miller, the Collaborative’s executive director, will be moderating a panel of experts  that includes Terry Gillen, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and Dan Kildee, Treasurer of Genesee County, Michigan. Kildee was instrumental in creating the Genesee County Land Bank in Flint, Michigan, which has encouraged the reuse of abandoned properties and played an important role in the revitalization of the city.

Mark your calendars for September 17 at 6 p.m. at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 19^th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.