{"id":5624,"date":"2013-12-24T18:10:44","date_gmt":"2013-12-24T18:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=5624"},"modified":"2014-04-15T09:27:09","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T14:27:09","slug":"old-cities-new-tricks-sustainability-for-economic-revitalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2013\/12\/24\/old-cities-new-tricks-sustainability-for-economic-revitalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Cities, New Tricks: Sustainability for Economic Revitalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/em>This commentary originally appeared on our EDF Voices blog<\/a>\u00a0by Ben Schneider, EDF Communications Manager<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Love<\/a>
Love Park in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park is nicknamed Love Park for Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture which overlooks the plaza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Curbing pollution to protect the world now and for future generations is an obvious argument in favor of sustainability. But as organizations and companies throughout the country are demonstrating, sustainability is also big business. So much so, in fact, that some of America\u2019s oldest cities are embracing it as a way to revitalize their economies.<\/p>\n

Want proof it can work? Look no further than Philadelphia. It\u2019s a quintessentially historic city \u2013 the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and established the U.S. Constitution there, after all. And if you\u2019ve ever spent any time there, you\u2019ve probably noticed its history is still a central part of its identity. The William Penn statue atop City Hall, Independence Hall, the cobblestone streets \u2013 Philadelphia has gone to great lengths to preserve the past as an intrinsic part of its modern character.<\/p>\n

Digging a little deeper, it\u2019s clear the city has its eye on the future much more than the past. Greenbuild held their annual conference in Philadelphia last month<\/a>, and it was abundantly clear public and private entities alike are investing time and resources to aggressively reinvent Philadelphia as a model of 21st century efficiency and sustainability, and they\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of companies and organizations<\/a>, and 30,000 attendees, set up shop throughout the city\u2019s Convention Hall to show off their latest work in sustainable building practices. The expo has grown so large it attracted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the key note address, who spoke of the potential for green building to bolster the nation\u2019s economy and help America achieve energy independence.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia organizations embraced their time in the green building spotlight and emphasized the city\u2019s progress and intent:<\/p>\n