Articles Written by Guest Writer

We like to give you a variety of sustainable happenings around Philadelphia, occasionally from other voices. When we think about environmental leaders, religion may not be the first group to come to mind. However, Guest Blogger Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark shares an upcoming Eco Film Festival at Chestnut Hill College this Thursday. On Thursday, March 14, Chestnut Hill College is hosting a FREE (and open to the public) Eco Film Festival from 8:30 - 5:30 PM in the East Parlor, St. Joseph Hall. This all-day film festival includes showings of five eco-related films, each followed by a brief discussion with an expert presenter including Gretchen Alfonso from Moms Clean Air Force, and Logan Welde, Clean Air Council of Philadelphia. (Find out more, after the jump!)

We love being green, whether it's home or at the office. But what if your office in IN your home? (Or your home is your office?) Our guest blogger, Joel Arnold of inkpal.com, gives us some tips for making your home work space more sustainable. Working from home means you have to carry most of your own costs but also means that you have a great deal of control over your own decisions. If you want to make your workplace more environmentally friendly, it doesn't involve red tape and fighting with your boss over every purchase. Having a green office can be as simple as implementing a few basic decisions. If you're ready to make your home office more environmentally friendly, where should you start?

Guest Blogger Justin Knabb is the Director of Donor Relations for Water for Waslala, a Philadelphia-based 501(c)3 non-profit.  Justin was part of student-led team that started Water for Waslala in 2004 while attending Villanova University.   We should never forget how fortunate we are to enjoy nearly unlimited access to clean drinking water here in Philadelphia.  Millions around the world - 884 million people - do not have the same luxury.  Each year 3.6 million people die from water related disease, which is more than twice the size of Philadelphia. Some local folks decided to focus on this problem, and there’s a good chance you’ll find (Find out more about Water for Waslala, clean water & how you can get involved RIGHT HERE in Philadelphia, after the jump!)

Whether from global warming or an act of god, the odd weather in our region can have difficult effects.  Our guest post today from our sponsor gives a possible solution for monitoring your home. The super early spring & temperature fluctuations in Philadelphia may be enjoyable.  However, they cannot only wreak havoc on our lawns & gardens, but can also affect our homes in an adverse way. Extreme heat and cold can cause roofs, basements to leak, and cracks in walls and foundations. Intense rains and snow frequently lead to power outages. If you leave your home empty for a week or a weekend and extreme weather hits, you could come back to flooding, water damage, spoiled food, and overheated pets.  Not only is this costly, but it can also waste energy (and grow your carbon footprint). Environmental sensors can help you (find out more, after the jump!)

Guest blogger Angelita Williams is a seasoned writer at online courses. Today she shares her research on green eats in Philly. With fast food chains, burger joints, and pizza parlors all at your convenience, eating healthy is hard and finding a green friendly way to eat may be even harder. But if you live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, you actually have a few restaurants just around the corner that can help your body and the environment:

Our guest post comes today from Alexis Bonari who writes about New Low-Emission Shuttle Buses at the Philly International Airport: In an effort to reduce air pollution and improve air quality, the Philadelphia International Airport is replacing its diesel-powered buses with eight new, low-emission shuttle buses. The EPA provided a grant of $475,669 to help finance the project, but US Airways is still spending over $3.5 million to replace the diesel buses. The ribbon cutting ceremony for one of the new buses was August 18, putting the bus on display for tours. The Airport’s CEO stated that sustainability was a major priority and that the new buses were well adapted to that environmental initiative. Diesel emissions are an especially important priority because

Guest Blogger J. Lundee ("Everything Left") follower of all things green and progressive, gives his perspective of land conservation and green space: Hot topics of 2010 include green infrastructure and clean water - But in particular, the addition and/or substitution of green spaces has been quite controversial. Senior resident of Urban Land Institute Ed T. McMahon states "Green space adds value to property." Not only would these areas of conservation drive economic trends upward, but also improve the overall health of the community surrounding. For example, substituting things like golf courses for conservation areas would essentially increase surrounding property value while diminishing overpriced maintenance fees - Same as airports and other large acre-eating developments. Some of these areas are already

Guest Blogger Richard Moyle is from Horizon Window Treatments, the largest window treatment company in neighboring New York City. Horizon specializes in electrical window treatments, drapery and home automation. Richard shares what you need to know when purchasing window treatments for a more energy-efficient home. In the average home, most heat is lost and gained through windows. Home energy consumption can be considerably reduced by choosing the right kind of window treatments. There are a few things you can do to ensure you are maximizing the energy efficiency of your window treatments:

Our guest blogger & reader Chris Brown is an urban planner in The Garden State. His fascination with urban structure inspired this post. Plant, meet Lamp. A small pedestrian street in Eindoven received this illuminous makeover thanks to design firm, BYTR. How great would this look on a side street in Philly? Who wouldn't mind an extra three feet of walkable concrete without having to sacrifice the aesthetics of green plant life or a well lit curb.Talk about a win-win. See the original at