Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Mayor Michael Nutter & the Philadelphia Streets Department announced a new program, "Clean Kitchen, Green Community" campaign today. The goal is to "assess how food waste disposers can help the city work towards its goal of becoming the greenest city of America." Residents in Point Breeze and West Oak Lane are going to participate in a test campaign to measure the amount of waste diverted from landfills by using a garbage disposal. InSinkErator, the world's "leading manufacturer of food waste disposals" is partnering with the city to provide 100 homeowners in each neighborhood with a free disposal & installation by a local plumber. I call Bullshit. Find out why this program isn't as green as advertised after the jump!

With so many cell phone upgrade options available every 2 years or so, it's easy to go through cell phones like wildfire. According to eRecyclingCorps’ co-founder & CEO, David Edmondson, 1.2 billion devices will be sold around the world in 2012, but only 1 percent will be recycled. It's important to recycle Cell & smart phones since they're made from precious metals, copper, and plastics which are energy-heavy to mine & manufacture. Trying to clean out your old cell-phone closet? Here's some of the places you can recycle those old Nokia's & iPhone 3's in the 215:

Is your city garden a complete urban oasis? The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is now accepting applications for the 2012 City Gardens Contest. You can enter in either

Spring has Sprung, and Philly's exploding with activity both indoors & out. I can't wait to play in the warm weather this weekend! Here's a roundup of some events & recent green news:

The average American generates 4.6 pounds of trash per day. 2 1/2 lbs goes to landfill and the remainder is recycled or incinerated. Before putting something in your trash can or taking it the curb, think about possible sustainable you can implement.  Try purchasing reusable dish rags over sponges, or towels instead of the paper version. You can even challenge your household: Set one small trash bin out for each member of your household, and see who has the most in it each week.  The loser takes out everyone's trash for one month. Readers, what can you change in your household?  Please share in the comments.

Brushing my teeth is one of my favorite activities. I beam when my dental hygienist comments on my teeth condition. Yet I use a lot of toothpaste, and those empty toothpaste tubes are a gray area on the green front. Can you recycle them? Can you not? Don't fear my readers... I did some investigating to figure out what we can do with our toothpaste-less tubes:

May is officially Bike month, and we're ready to for some two-wheeled action!  Philadelphia's the #1 bike-commuting city and the bicycling rates keep rising, so we're in the PERFECT city to celebrate! The Philadelphia Bike Coalition has tons up its sleeve... How can you celebrate this joyous occasion?

Who's getting hungry to help some kitties & pit bulls? Next Tuesday, May 22nd, come to a vegetarian dinner benefiting PAWS at (and hosted by) Cuba Libre. For $45, you can nom on (details & full menu, after the jump!)

Happy Friday! Here's what green news you missed this week: