Photo: Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

On Saturday, the Philadelphia Water Department and a panel of judges awarded the Philly Water's Best Friend title in Queen Village to ... Joey Bag-o-Donuts! The 32-pound Shiba Inu, described by owner Ellie Gibbard as a "world-class snuggler," took top honors among the contestants at Mario Lanza Park. Joey Bag-o-Donuts and his owner will assume the responsibility of teaching Philadelphians and their dogs how they can reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in our waterways by picking up pet waste.

Stay tuned for more photos from the contest.

No matter how many times we explain to the bakery that we want a cake shaped like a stormwater bumpout that reads "Happy First Anniversary of the Consent Agreement, Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan Update," they just seem confused.

Even our graphics guy is phoning it in. (Another baby animal photo? Really?).

Anyway, it was a year ago today that the Philadelphia Water Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection officially kicked off Green City, Clean Waters, the 25-year plan to manage Philadelphia's stormwater largely through green infrastructure.

The progress we've made in the first year is splashed all over this blog and website, and green stormwater management projects are starting to become visible all over the city.

Stay tuned for approximately 24 more years of Green City, Clean Waters working toward making Philadelphia the greenest city in America.

Last week, Mayor Nutter and city officials gathered with students and neighbors at William Dick Elementary School in North Philadelphia to kick off the Green 2015 Action Plan, an ambitious initiative to add 500 new acres of parkland. The news outlets tell the story:

Philadelphia Inquirer:

The partnership, which includes the Philadelphia Water Department, the city Department of Parks and Recreation, the Trust for Public Land, and the Mural Arts Program, hopes to locate at least a patch of parkland — grass, trees, perhaps a few park benches  — within a 10-minute walk of anywhere in the city.

Philadelphia Daily News:

The announcement kicks off the next phase of the “Green 2015” plan that “de-paves” many of these acres of concrete and green them. The benefits are numerous and long-term: a healthier population, and a more environmentally sound and beautiful city. The plan relies heavily on community input, and de-paving, greening and overseeing these new green spaces can actually help build community.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources:

"Today, a wide-reaching vision to link Philadelphia's young people to an outdoors environment is unveiled," [DCNR Deputy Secretary John] Giordano said at the school event. "And this vision hits the triple bottom line: improving environmental quality, neighborhood economic value, and the community's social fabric."

ABC 6:

Love Your Park Week—a citywide celebration of Philadelphia's parks featuring service projects, events, activities and tours—kicks off on Saturday, May 12. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer on Saturday's service day at a park near you. A clean-up at Tacony Creek Park is just one of the sites where volunteers will be cleaning and greening; Mayor Nutter and Parks & Rec Commisssioner Michael DiBerardinis will be speaking after the cleanup.