Articles Written by Julie Hancher

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!)

Are you a commuter who trudges into Philly everyday? Or worse, an urbanite who must leave the city every day to make a living? Philadelphia commutes are longer than the national average (31.5 minutes compared the to average of 25.5), and we have 253,000 workers commuting TO the city and an additional 147,000 city residents on the reverse commute daily. Philly has 25.6% of all commuters taking public transit, compared to 5% nationwide. This is half as much as New York's commuters (55.66%) in the number 1 spot, putting Philly at #7 after Jersey City, Washington DC, San Fran & other cities. Good, but not great. It's frustrating to see Philadelphia pat ourselves on the back for minor accomplishments when we could be SO much better. But in order to relieve our commutes, we need to improve SEPTA and public transit first. Here's what we have going for and against us:

Is your recycle bin overflowing compared to your trashcan? (Hint: If you're shopping wisely, reusing & composting, you should barely have trash in the can!) Do you want to help green Philadelphia schools? We're letting you know how to get FREE 32-Gallon recycle bins for Where Can I Wednesday? The Streets Department is running a special promotion to get a Super Recycling Bin in your hands. (Find out how, after the jump!)

I've changed this past month. I'm more cautious, I've had to reconsider every plant in my apartment, and I look tired. A new bundle of joy came into my life, and although challenging, I'm super-happy. Welcome to my crazy green lifestyle, Pounce DeLeon!  Pounce came into my life after I moved into a studio apartment. Growing up with dogs my entire life, I made sure to research and contact a few local shelters. Since I volunteer with PAWS Monster Miler program, the Old City Adoption Center was my preference. Luckily an orange and white tabby remembered me from my first visit, and his consistent snuggles stole my heart within a half hour. After watching him interact with a few other cats (and tested well in the plays well with dogs category), I knew it was meant to be! Want to green your cat? I will give my best (new) advice to you!

Cheerio! Do you feel like you're craving tea, sophisticated accents and bad teeth? (Just kidding about that last one..!) You don't need to get on a plane to get your London fix. If you enjoyed our Philadelphia Flower Show 2013 Preview, we have great news for you! We're giving away a pair of tickets to a lucky reader. (Find out how to win, after the jump!)

Brilliant! The Philadelphia Flower Show returns this weekend with lots of tea, crumpets, royalty and a guaranteed fun. From March 2-10, the Philadelphia Flower Show 2013 will transport you to Great Britain from the convenience of the PA Convention Center. A benefit produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, all proceeds feed back into local efforts to "garden, green & educate". Since 1829, the world's largest indoor flower show brings beauty to our lovely (yet often dirty...) city. This year's new features include opening a day early (Saturday vs the typical Sunday), an enhanced Flower Show Smartphone App, and a "Make & Take" room complete with opportunities to create your own British 'fascinator' or floral wristlet. We checked out the Media "Sneak Peek" of the Flower Show eve last minute preparations. As a former EXPAT in London, I was psyched to check out this year's theme. And for you our readers, we have a few of the fabulous 2013 Flower Show scenes for you:

Craving a winter food fest destined for locavores? The Brewer's Plate 2013 hosted by Fair Food Philly promises to be a tasty celebration of local breweries, restaurants, farmers & artisan producers all from within 150 miles of the city. Find out more, after the jump!