In April, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced the city’s first-ever sustainability plan, Greenworks Philadelphia. This podcast features PennFuture’s Rachel Vassar interviewing two of the people responsible for implement that plan, William Toffey, City Energy Manager at the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and  Scott McGrath- Interim Recycling Coordinator for the city.

Rachel caught them as they were preparing to address the June, 2009 Urban Sustainability Forum, Philadelphia's Sustainability Framework: Filling in the Picture. The Forum provided an in-depth look at the framework, made up of five goals, 15 targets and over 100 initiatives to achieve the goal of making Philadelphia the greenest city in the country.

Are you a PennFuture member? There’s no time like the present to join. You’ll get first notice on cool programs like the Urban Sustainability Forum, movies, panels, workshops and parties. Donate today at our secure website.

Last week, you learned of that special place in Sullivan and Lycoming Counties, the Loyalsock Creek. You met the women and men who have worked so hard to clean up the stream from damage from mining and other pollution, and how successful they've been.

In part two, the documentary features the risks that the area faces from poorly planned development. A shopping mall, proposed within the flood plain of the Loyalsock, could endanger the health of the stream, and the safety of everyone who lives, works, or plays downstream from the mall. And of course, anything that damages the Loyalsock will damage all the waters below it, including the Chesapeake Bay.

If you aren't a member of PennFuture, there’s no time like right now to join us. Your support will help us provide the assistance local communities, like the Loyalsock area, need to help protect their beautiful and vital waters, land and air. Each year, we provide at least $2 million in free legal help to local communities - your donation can help us do more.

And don’t forget that you can beat the crowd and listen to PennFuturePodcasts first. Just download the free software iTunes and follow the directions to subscribe to PennFuture's podcasts. They’ll be delivered to you automatically.

Pennsylvania has many outstanding and beautiful rivers, streams and creeks, and few are as well-loved and supported as Loyalsock Creek. The Loyalsock runs through Sullivan and Lycoming Counties into the West Branch of the Susquehanna, eventually down to the Chesapeake Bay itself.

Loyalsock Creek is used for trout fishing and white water kayaking. The Loyalsock Trail is a wilderness trail that runs along it, providing opportunities for hiking. Worlds End State Park is located on the Loyalsock in Sullivan County.

This documentary features the people of the area who have worked ceaselessly to clean up the Loyalsock and are fiercely protecting it now. You’ll hear the pride in their voices as they talk about the recovery of the Loyalsock from damage from the coal industry and bad development, and exactly how important this waterway is to the quality of their lives.
And, of course, you’ll learn about the importance of cleaning all the streams and rivers upstream if we are ever to have a healthy Chesapeake Bay.

In Part two, which will be available on July 17, you’ll learn about the new threats to the Loyalsock, and what local citizens, working together, are doing to protect it.