Philadelphia Business Academy: Green Infrastructure, 2/25/2011

Architecture, engineering, and construction firms will make or break the Philadelphia region’s plans to transform their stormwater infrastructure from gray to green.

This free Business Academy introduced a variety of topics to support Philadelphia’s green infrastructure industry, including financing, training, the local supply chain, and return on investment. This event was hosted by the University of Phoenix, Green for All, and Business United for Conservation.

Green stormwater management and infrastructure present regions with an opportunity to create more environmentally sound solutions to combined sewer overflow (the mixture of sanitary and storm sewers) that will save money and create jobs. Philadelphia has proposed to invest $1.6B over the next 20 years to address green stormwater infrastructure solutions. There are nearly 2,500 firms in the green stormwater infrastructure supply chain in the Philadelphia region, representing more then $7.4 billion in sales. While market size is certain, the path to market remains vague.

Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Business United for Conservation (BUC) is an Industry Partnership of companies that provide conservation and pollution mitigation services in the Philadelphia region.