Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Glasses are great for seeing better and looking like a hipster. But what can you do with old frames? If you've broken a pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses, try repairing them before moving on to a new pair. Definitely need to move on to new frames? The good news is you can donate them to the greater good and help people in need. We tackle how to recycle old eyeglasses & sunglasses in this week's Where Can I Wednesday.

Philadelphia's green scene wins another accolade, as ranked in the top 10 US Cities for Green Meetings. What perfect timing after the USGBC's Greenbuild International Conference was hosted here in November. Our city was ranked 8th, as Denver, Las Vegas & Chicago respectively took the top 3 spots. Find out more about this recognition, after the jump!

Frozen or not, Philly's own Schuylkill River was named the 2014 Pennsylvania River of the Year by the PA Organization for Watersheds & Rivers. Our hometown river won 43% of the popular vote during a 5-week voting period. The recognition even got a mention from last night's Philadelphia2035 update. Find out more, after the jump:

Let's face it - Weather like this arctic blast is almost unbearable - but also reminds us of how lucky we are to have warm homes & warm coats. But do you have old, unused coats in your closets? Click through to find out where you can donate old winter coats in Philadelphia.

Happy Monday, readers! There's been a ton going on in green news lately, so here are some updates & links for you to get a recap. Recent Green P hilly News for January 6 2014:

Philadelphia Sustainability Blog Seeking Student Interns (Part-Time/Flexible Schedule) Want to gain an online portfolio full of content that future employers can see? Or are you looking for digital marketing tactics like SEO, Social Media & increasing traffic? The blogging interns at Green Philly Blog are instrumental at increasing the content on our website, as well as participate in Social Media, SEO and other potential opportunities. We have a 2 open positions and can provide experience in a variety of areas. Commitment each week is 10 hours minimum. BLOGGER/EDITOR The Blogger/Editor will be responsible for contributing to blog content, and growing web traffic by tactics like Social Media, SEO, responding to comments, researching content ideas, managing public relations inquiries, proofreading and more. To apply: Please email your resume and cover to contact@greenphillyblog.com with the subject line INTERN CANDIDATE for consideration. (Find out more details after the jump.)

All of this snow outside means people rush to treat their sidewalks and driveways. But don't run and buy the nearest rock salt available on your corner store. Common ice melt products and rock salt can become trapped in pets' paws, causing severe irritation and burns. Or, the animals will lick their paws in relief and ingest them, which is even worse and can lead to serious side effects. Even if you have an indoor animal, you'll track some salt in with your shoes in the cold weather. Find out more about choosing safe & pet-friendly ice melt, after the jump!

Get dressed up. Ball drops. Make a list of how to be more awesome in 2014. Did this sound like your December 31st evening? I've (almost) officially given up on New Years resolutions. To be totally honest, I don't know if I keep track of New Years resolutions after January 2nd. Instead, I've moved to throughout-the-year changes. I can even show a few examples to prove it:

Happy holidays, readers! Now that you're finished unwrapping those gifts, it's time to start thinking about what to do with your Christmas tree. Whatever you do, don't leave them on your curb - the city dumps them straight in the landfill, where the beautiful trees remain tree corpses forever. Or as the NLNA (Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association) brilliantly put it in their newsletter, "For the fifth year in a row, the City of Philadelphia will not be curbside collecting holiday trees for recycling. As a result, any trees left at the curb will go into landfills or incinerators, causing air and water pollution and contributing to global warming." Kudos for the clarification. :-) Regardless of the location, make sure to remove all decorations and lights before you recycle the trees. Here are the 2013-2014 Christmas Tree recycling options in Philadelphia: