JJ Biel-Goebel requests financial assistance from the Environmental Leadership program to assist the Urban Green Partnership (UGP), the organization he co-founded, with the preliminary design of their Urban Sustainability Research Center. The Urban Green Partnership's Mission:

Create, Communicate and Support the information and tools residents and companies, thriving in an urban setting, will need to save money and the planet.

The city is one of the more sustainable places to live due to its density and minimal need for individual transportation. Cities are also home to 60% of the world's population and pose some of the greatest challenges to sustainability known today. UGP proposes to build the Urban Sustainability Research Center in Philadelphia, the fifth largest US city, to start working on solutions tailored to city residents and businesses. The Urban Sustainability Research Center will demonstrate affordable green technology and products and become a focal point for local green businesses, services, organizations and development. It will also be the first research center wholly dedicated to sustainable product research as well as an educational tool for local schools and universities. The data collected at such a facility would not only impact the local Philadelphia region but also the regions surrounding Washington DC, New York, Boston, and Baltimore. If UGP can help half of the 1.5 million residents in Philadelphia reduce their energy usage by 3% we would save the local economy almost $12 million dollars.

JJ and UGP are asking ELP and its network, to partner with us on a project we believe will have an important impact on Philadelphia, and serve as a model for other cities. This project has the support of Temple University, Philadelphia University, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and many others.

WHY THE PROJECT IS NEEDED:

"Spiraling fuel prices and global warming fears have once again made environmental issues fashionable, especially in advertising. But branding experts warn that as more companies adopt slick image campaigns, consumers are growing increasingly confused over what it means to be "green," making it harder to create effective environmental marketing efforts." (ADWEEK 06/06) top

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