Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Oh, we've been a-waiting. Cedar Point Bar & Kitchen, the Fishtown follow-up to the No' Libs restaurant formally known as A Full Plate, finally opens this evening. We were able to take a sneak peek & sample some of the delicious treats of Cedar Point. As Chef Shannon Dougherty explained, the menu is 50/50 vegan and carnivore to satisfy all customers. And satisfied, we were. To make Jack Johnson proud, we took mental pretty pictures of the things we ate... (Find out more about the delicious fare, after the jump!)

This week Green Philly Blog is interviewing some of Philadelphia's women sustainability leaders in honor of closing out March as International Women's History Month. Some of the women are well-known in our city, and some have yet to break out from under the radar. We kick off our week's interviews with Katherine Gajewski!   As Director of Sustainability for Philadelphia, Katherine Gajewski has helped our city become greener since July of 2009. Prior to coming on board to head the sustainability front for Mayor Michael Mayor Nutter, she worked on the smoke-free legislation for Breathe Free Philadelphia Alliance and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Gajweski has lived everywhere from Montana, Vermont, Seattle and Chicago. We asked her a few questions to find out more about Mayor Nutter's sustainable lady-in-charge. (Jump on through to read the Q&A, & find out where in the world Katherine would magically transport herself if she could!)

Feel like you want to get out and meet new sustainably-minded people? You're not alone. During our recent plastic bag reduction happy hour, we met a few new Philadelphians who were interested in finding green events - but had no idea how. But the weather is getting warmer and Philadelphia is kicking up its sustainable activities. How can you get outside and active? Whether you’re brand spanking new to Philadelphia have accumulated many rosters of Phillies t-shirts, we have 8 ways to meet new Philadelphians:

Let’s face it: People in my life generally know about my sustainability addiction within a few days. It’s hard not to mention a project I’m working on, blogging about or the latest ‘eco’ event. I even laid out the extent of 5 of my dirty green habits for the world to see. Although people proudly inform me of their green habits and reusable bag usage, they also use me as their not-so-green confidant. I've heard “I used a plastic water bottle. Will you still be my friend?” more than a few times... It’s impossible to be completely green and you often have to pick the greenest solutions for you. For example, you may live in the suburbs where there isn't a train station in sight and choose a hybrid as a compromise. There's more un-green secrets we all keep locked up. Here's 5 of my guilty-green conscious secrets straight from the closet:

Happy Friday, Green Philly Friends! Hope you got a dose of spring with this warmer weather & the Philadelphia Flower Show last week! It's been a while since a good ol' sustainable link roundup, but there's so damn much going on in Philly & in green-land. Here's some of our favorite links & must-know tips.

St. Patrick’s Day is so close we can taste the green beer. After making your Irish holiday more sustainable, it's time to kick back and relax with a delicious treat. This vegan version of the shamrock smoothie will put those corn-syrup, ridiculously fat-packed shakes to shame. Shameless Shamrock Smoothie:

Attention local food & brew lovers: we hope you made it to the one-of-a-kind the Brewer's Plate this year! The Brewer's Plate had a perfect balance of local noms, brewskies, liquors and dessert. Each exhibitor was enthusiastic about their tasty creation, and the pours were generous. As Ann Karlen, Executive Director, Fair Food stated, "The event benefitting Fair Food was a huge success in bringing together brewers, restaurants and consumers as a way to celebrate local foods and artisans – a very big part of our mission. We tried something new this year, as we featured Aimee Olexy in our VIP area where she led a guided tasting of cheese paired with beer. Everyone really found it interesting and enjoyed it". Let's take our tastebuds and revisit the Brewer's Plate 2013:

Meow Meow! (That's "Hello" in Cat.) Hey readers! Last week, my Mom wrote about how to adopt a green cat like me. I wanted to tell my side of the story too, so I got my little paws onto her laptop. She's been asking what I do all day when she's working hard to keep food on the table and more importantly, in my bowl. (Insider tip: I've actually been working on a novel about life on the Street. When I want to goof off, I check out Caturday, 7 days a week. Why bother learning 7 names of days when you can just learn one?) Usually my days look like this: What can I say? It's a tough life, and I have this mini-catlike friend who doesn't even meow. Mommy told me that we have to be conscious of our Carbon Catprint, to make sure that future kitties and owners have a place to live and lounge. She always says she's trying to be 'green', but she looks awfully pale to me, just between us. However, I don't mind the sustainable things that we do to help out the Earth. Here are a few meowservations I've noticed:

Ever walk into a bathroom after someone had left it a little... smelly? I'm not talking about that kind of smell. After all, we are all mammals. I'm talking the un-natural, flowery (or fruit) chemical-laden smell of an air freshener spray. Air fresheners are a billion dollar business and are linked to numerous health problems including: (find out more, after the jump!)