The City of Reading envisions a community that is clean, healthy and prosperous, a place where all people can live, learn, work and play. The city’s Sustainability plan is built on six pillars: clean energy, mobility, reducing waste, clean reliable water, supporting public health and fostering community development. This effort has fostered a more walkable city and enhanced greenways and public spaces. It supported the installation of a number of electric vehicle stations. Most recently, the Sustainability division is working on an $18M project to install energy saving LED lighting at operational and public facilities around the city, eliminating heating oil and natural gas for heating at five facilities by switching to high-efficiency heat pumps, and installing several solar canopies on city buildings to provide solar energy.
Reading is also working with Green Building Alliance (GBA), an organization based in Pittsburgh, that assists property owners and developers to assess their buildings as they plan to develop or rehabilitate their facilities, making them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The City of Reading and GBA have partnered to kick off the Resilient Reading project, with support from the Met-Ed Sustainable Energy Fund of Berks County Community Foundation and Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund of Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Resilient Reading will offer toolkits, educational roundtables, and technical assistance from GBA to area professionals in commercial and community property development, as well as members of neighborhood development groups. Join us to learn about this work.
