Initiatives for Pennsylvania

LocalityInitiative TypeMitigation StrategyLink Exit EPATitle & DescriptionDate
PhiladelphiaOutreach and Education ProgramNone ListedExtreme Heat – the City of Philadelphia Heat Health Watch-Warning System (HHWWS) - Philadelphia was the first U.S. City to implement the Heat/Health Warning System and has become a worldwide model for heat forecasting. City staff work with the National Weather Service to determine when a heat wave is imminently approaching. When a heat alert is issued, news organizations provide educational information about heat waves and health. Philadelphia has appointed thousands of "block captains" to check on elderly neighbors, and the Public Health Department provides home visits by field teams. This program has been a model for the creation of similar programs in other cities throughout the United States.Active
PhiladelphiaWeatherizationCool RoofsThe "Cool Homes" ProgramPhiladelphia Cool Homes Program - The Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) of Philadelphia, which administers the city's weatherization services, has applied cool roof coatings as part of its package of energy efficiency treatments. Through its Cool Homes Program, more than 550 residences in the Philadelphia area have had their roofs coated. ECA commissioned a study that found the cool coatings and increased insulation eliminated 90% of the heat gain through the ceiling, reducing top-floor ceiling temperatures by an average of 4.7°F (2.6°C) and chest-height temperatures by 2.4°F (1.3°C). These reduced temperatures lowered air conditioning loads by about one-third in a typical rowhouse.Active
StatewideIncentiveGreen RoofsEnergy Harvest ProgramPennsylvania Office of Energy and Technology - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Energy Harvest Program has been providing grants for specific energy saving projects since 2003. In 2007, it dispensed more than $500,000 to green roof projects across the state. The Energy Harvest Program overall aims to deploy innovative technologies and encourages "proposals that are market-driven, create jobs, and produce economic development within the Commonwealth."Active
StatewideUrban Forestry ProgramTrees and VegetationTreeVitalizeTreeVitalize - The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources oversees a project called TreeVitalize, which brings together county and local governments, foundations, trade associations, and private industry to restore tree cover in the southeastern part of the state. TreeVitalize aims to plant more than 20,000 trees in approximately 40 neighborhoods in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. The program targets neighborhoods in older cities, boroughs, and townships where tree cover is below 25%.Active

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