Philadelphia Whirlwind

As I hoped for, our 24-hour whirlwind tour of Philadelphia gave the riders a decent overview of urban water issues from rain drop to wastewater plant, coupled with an uplifting message about molding a successful business to embody much more than its description in the yellow pages.

Upon arriving in Philly, we checked into our five star dormitory accommodations (1300) at Temple University, just north of center city. As we headed over to the White Dog Café for dinner, our Temple contact, Ruth Ost (Temple's Udall Faculty Rep.), gave us a great guided tour and overview of Philly’s amazing mural program, and reminded us to grab breakfast at the Bagel Hut or one of the other great food trucks on campus.

At White Dog, we were impressed with the variety of local and organic choices on the menu, and enjoyed a delicious meal (several of us tried seitan for the first time) . . . which tasted even better when complemented by a pint from a local brewery. After dinner, the owner, Judy Wicks, sat down and chatted with us about how she transformed White Dog from a standard café to an inspirational organization that will not accept the status quo (ex. factory farmed livestock and unsustainably grown produce) and brings customers together to tackle whatever social or environmental injustice that Judy finds interesting.

Wednesday morning we met with four friendly folks from Fairmount Park (Drew, David, Chelsea and Debbie) and embarked on a 2.5 mile stroll through Wissahickon Valley’s Forbidden Drive ...





During the hike, we learned about the history of the area (originally occupied by the Lenape tribe, and then clearcut and bustling with industrial mills until just over a hundred years ago). We saw evidence of these mills and some of FDR’s WPA projects throughout the hike, while also learning about the ecology of the park and its role in protecting the source water for Philadelphia residents (which largely comes from upstream treated wastewater effluent).



After the hike, we were pleasantly surprised to encounter a true Philadelphia traffic jam (leading up to the Phillies game), as we hustled over to Love Park for lunch. We then met with Ellen at the Fairmount Water Works, where we learned about the history and leadership of Philadelphia’s municipal water treatment and wastewater management practices. As a water/wastewater engineer, I was excited to see that most of my new friends were interested in the information and exhibits provided to us at the Water Works.

After leaving the Water Works, we toured the new Philly Fryodiesel pilot facility, where they are making biodiesel from a waste product. Most restaurants have grease traps (between the sink and the sewer), which need to be pumped out every few months. Typically this stinky greasy water is dropped off at the wastewater plant for a fee, but Fryodiesel is accepting it from local restaurants for free, and is serving as a leader for producing local/decentralized and sustainable fuel (albeit a very small percentage).

While our short stay in Philadelphia was very busy, I left the city proud of what I was able to show the other riders, as most everybody left a bit more inspired, encouraged, and educated about the various avenues we can use to improve our world.

By: Bret Strogen