Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Our friend at the Clean Air Council Logan Welde talked plastic bags (and the pros/cons of fees versus bans) this morning on Wisconsin Public Radio's Joy Cardin Show. Welde knows

One of my FAVORITE things that I used to buy (but now realize) but is a waste of money is salad dressing. They pull you in with fancy labels and delicious-sounding names, but with organic dressings in the upwards of $3-5, the price can add up too fast.

We love getting to know local, green women that are making a difference like Julie Slavet, Katherine Gajewski & Sandy Bauers. Today we get to know another woman, defending our waters for the future generations. Maya K. van Rossum is Delaware Riverkeeper of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an organization with over 14,000 members and active volunteers. Maya has worked for the DRN for almost 20 years and testifies before state and national governing bodies to protect the river from threats including fracking, degradation, dumping, pollution and detrimental construction. Some of her accomplishments include: Find out more about Maya, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and more, after the jump!

You probably know our love of hating single use bags. PennFuture was nice enough to let me guest post about why they're bad for Philly and what we can do. After all, "Since 2009, many U.S. cities – including L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C., Austin, Portland, Aspen AND the Hawaiian islands have all either passed plastic bag fees or bans. Entire countries including South Africa, Ireland, Oman, Ethiopia, China and France have either implemented fees or bans. So what’s the holdup for Philly – and the U.S.?" Read the article on our friend PennFuture's blog in its entirety:

Attention Yogis: Your FREE day has come! The Wanderlust Yoga Block Party is happening on Saturday, September 7th, kicking off at 12:00-8:00 pm at The Piazza at Schmidt's. Wanderlust is the largest multi-day yoga and music festival in the world, bringing yoga to outdoor urban settings. Find out more, after the jump!

First a disclaimer: I won't stray too far from the 'green' theme on today's blog post. Just let me take a minute to get there. Yesterday, my Facebook news feed was filled with Miley Cyrus updates. At lunch, I dropped off a huge bag of donations at Goodwill and then went inside to peruse. (Did I mention I scored a $3 unused french press?!?) As I was enjoying the thrift shop like Macklemore, I overheard one shopper’s tirade about how Cyrus’ ‘career is RUINED” and she is an absolute terrible human being. This morning on the Today Show, Matt Lauer & others once again discussed if “just being Miley” crossed the line yet again. OK, I understand that Miley was performing the “song of the summer”, which is essentially about getting laid. (In the ‘equal rights’ category, does anyone blame Thicke for his lyrics? Did everyone block their memories of Britney Spears wearing a snake or the Janet Jackson/JT superbowl moments?) I won’t get into my full opinion on this issue, although I can’t quite understand why anyone over the age of 15 watches the MTV music/VMA/movie awards. But there is something more disturbing here. The Onion summed it up pretty well: as the day journalism was overtaken by Miley Cyrus. CNN’s top headline was twerking. I now would like to bring in the important question: Why? (Find out how I related Miley's latest scandal to the environment, after the jump.)

Guess what's back. Back again... Greenfest Philly 2013 Greenfest Philly is the biggest and best environmental festival in the Philadelphia area. On Sunday, September 8th from 10 AM to 5 PM, Headhouse Square (2nd & South Streets) will draw locavores of all ages.  This FREE fest includes over 100 exhibitors and vendors will help you live more sustainably AND make it fun. The Clean Air Council (who hosts Greenfest Philly) recently checked out the Boston Greenfest and took over our Instagram account so we could get pumped. Need some delicious food? There will be local & fresh food. Thirsty? Grab a local brew in the beer garden. Need to dance? Listen to the live music. Greenfest Philly also includes:

Dear Non-Recycler, This morning I was in a fabulous mood. Nothing extraordinary happened, minus the fact I was able to do some cleaning and throw the ball around with my cat for a few minutes before work. Then, I saw it. A plastic bag. In. The. Trashcan.

I must admit - When it comes to drinks, I save any calories for booze. Therefore, I typically only drink water, coffee (with organic soy or almond milk), and homemade smoothies. When I received a batch of Organic India Tea to try, I was so psyched - but I didn't want to try all of this hot tea when it was 8000* outside. Therefore, I experimented with iced tea. Here's one of my fav combos thus far: The Arnold Palmer Makeover: Healthier, less cals & delicious.