Green Cities, Clean Water

Now that the weather finally feels like summer – nice and hot with that wonderful humidity – there’s no better treat to beat the heat like water ice. The origin of the water ice begins in China. During his trip to Asia, Macro Polo brings the treat back to Italy and Europe. Long story short – it winds up in South Philly and the whole town loves it.

Good water ice is not hard to find in the city as many people eat it daily during the summer months. It’s also a great treat for special occasions. And for the past few days, water ice from Rita’s has been used for the latter, thanking attendees at a series of important public meetings.

One of Simon PR’s clients, the Philadelphia Water Department, is submitting a 20-year plan to the Environmental Protection Agency that outlines how to improve our waters and green our city. With a commitment of $1.6 billion, it’s one of the largest public works initiatives the city will undertake in the near future.

The Green Cities, Clean Waters program has been developed to capture 80 percent of the sewage and storm water that flows into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers and the Tacony and Cobbs creeks. A major part of the solution focuses on greening Philly’s streets, schools and public facilities. The Philadelphia Water Department wants to “test the waters” with the public and has encouraged citizens to attend public meetings throughout the city to provide important feedback before they present the plan to the EPA on September 1st.

There have already been public meetings in Germantown and Northern Liberties. Another meeting is scheduled tonight in South Philly. The final meeting is at Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia on the 25th.

And while the water ice is tasty, it’s the plan designed to keep our city greener and cleaner that’s truly “sweet.” You can find out more about it by clicking here.

- Frank Sinatra