Recognizing and Congratulating the Energy Coordinating Agency and the John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center on the successful graduation of their 1000th trainee.

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia wishes to become the greenest City in America by 2015 and a leader in clean energy development and technology; and

WHEREAS, The mission of the Energy Coordinating Agency is to help people conserve energy and to promote a sustainable and socially equitable energy future for all in the Philadelphia region; and

WHEREAS, The Energy Coordinating Agency has contributed to an environmentally friendly and energy efficient Philadelphia by weatherizing over 3,000 homes, offering energy education workshops to almost 8,000 citizens, repairing or replacing over 4,000 heaters for low income residents, and preventing 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering Philadelphia's atmosphere in the last year alone; and

WHEREAS, The state-of-the-art John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center was opened by the Energy Coordinating Agency in North Philadelphia after the green renovation of an abandoned factory that once made Civil War uniforms; and

WHEREAS, The Knight Green Jobs Training Center partners with the Community College of Philadelphia to prepare its students to enter and lead in the green economy by offering substantive courses on green technology and assisting graduates with job placement services; and

WHEREAS, The Knight Green Jobs Training Center, with support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Pathways out of Poverty, educates its students in subjects as diverse as weatherization tactics, lead abatement, resource heating systems, occupational safety and health, combustion analysis, retrofitting, home energy auditing, customer service and more; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama recognized during a speech at Pennsylvania State University that America will only be able to “out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world” with the leadership of organizations like the Energy Coordinating Agency; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,

That we hereby recognize and congratulate the Energy Coordinating Agency and the John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center on the successful graduation of their 1000th trainee.

FURTHER RESOLVED,

That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Energy Coordinating Agency and the John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End