Articles Written by Guest Writer

Have you ever gotten the sinking feeling that being green is just no fun? Sure, we environmentalists do cool planet-saving stuff and hang out in nature when we can, but the super-scariness of the big environmental problems facing us these days is hard to laugh about. To help us take a light-hearted view of what ails us, today we’d like to welcome guest blogger Dave Greene to the Green Philly Blog. This is the first sponsored post in the series that comes to us from Clean Currents, your friendly neighborhood green energy company. Welcome Dave! For starters, tell us a little bit about who you are and where you came from. First of all, let’s get one thing straight:

The "I Will Act on Climate" Bus tour is making a stop in Philly on Friday. We have two contributors today from PennFuture & Clean Air Council to discuss the tour and why it's important to stop in Philly. by Andrew Sharp of PennFuture The "I Will Act on Climate" bus is coming to the City of Brotherly Love on Friday as part of its tour to nearly 30 states to rally support for action to address climate change. The tour comes after President Obama announced the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution, as well as infrastructure improvements to deal with the effects of climate change and new investments in clean energy. (Find out more from the Clean Air Council & about the tour, after the jump!)

I haven't been able to post much this week due to unforeseen circumstances on the homefront, but Paige Wolf graciously allowed me to guest post for her. Here's how placing a fee on plastic bags will help (and check out the rest of Paige's blog too!): From Philthadelphia to America's Greenest City.

Have you "Done the Math" recently on the carbon counts on our atmosphere? It's passed a milestone - and not a good one at 400 parts per million. This guest post comes from Clean Air Council's Federal Advocacy Coordinator, Russell Zerbo.   30 people came out to LOVE Park and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 headquarters on Thursday to listen to speakers and meet with the Public Affairs Director. Why? To demand that EPA finalize standards on carbon pollution to protect public health and curb climate change. Shipley High School students, Clean Air Council and Sierra Club members and other concerned Philadelphians, set up umbrellas and beach chairs on a swatch of grass in LOVE park to draw attention to the damage done to the Jersey Shore from Superstorm Sandy. The damage has been exacerbated by rising global temperatures, sea levels and carbon dioxide emissions. Last year, the U.S. experienced 11 extreme weather events that cost more than $1 billion each in losses and resulted in 349 deaths. The largest global disasters of 2012 were Hurricane Sandy (costing $65 billion) and the year-long Midwest drought ($35 billion). These events accounted for nearly half of the world's economic losses. Find out about what is the Federal Carbon Dioxide Pollution Standard - and the current status - after the jump.

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: