Articles Written by Julie Hancher

As you know from my locavore kick, you can reduce your carbon footprint and get fresher, tastier foods when sourcing locally. This Mother's Day, try planning an all-locally sourced meal!  Whether free-range omelets or seasonal fruit pancakes, you're sure to put a smile on Mom's face. Find delicious meat-free options like these Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins or veggie brunch ideas. Check out other ways to green your mother's day!

Since we have a debate going on in our "Broad Street Run More Sustainable..." comments AND on our Facebook page, I decided to investigate what people can do with their old race medals. Many runners & triathletes (etc) accumulate medals and don’t know what to do with them. Here’s some alternatives to throwing them in the trash (always a big no-no):

Dear Mayor Nutter, Yesterday was a great day. I woke up at 6 AM to run with 39,999 of my closest friends down Broad Street. It made up for missing the Supermoon thanks to a bunch of clouds on Saturday evening. Given that this was my fourth time for the Broad Street Run, I was pretty calm awaiting the start gun. But I heard your proclamation that you wanted to make Broad Street the biggest 10 miler in the WORLD. Kudos, Mayor.  I appreciate trying to get Philly on the map. I even high-fived you after I crossed the start line in support of your ambition, Greenworks and more. Yet running yesterday reminded me of how much waste is created from one (average) 1:40 minute run. Especially when 40K people run.  Since you've already proclaimed we want to make Philadelphia America's Greenest City by 2015, why can't we combine the two ideas and make Broad Street Run the Biggest Environmentally-friendly Philly Race?!? Here are a few observations of the Broad Street Run and suggestions on how we can green-i-fy both the expo & race:

Feliz Cinco De Mayo! As Dictator of a Mexican Eating Club (or "Mexadelphia" as a few close amigos call it), I'm taking tomorrow's fiesta with pride.  How can you celebrate my 2nd favorite holiday the eco-friendly way? Here's a few sustainable celebration & vegetarian comida options:

We’ve gone over where to recycle laptop batteries and battery chargers, but where can one recycle plain old (& rechargeable) batteries in Philadelphia? Where to Recycle Single-Use Batteries in Philadelphia For recycling the conventional (single-use) battery variety. Eforce Compliance (3114 Grays Ferry...

Stop hating on SEPTA... Philadelphia's public transit has just been given props! Walk Score, a website that rates the walkability score (to rank where you can drive less & live more), ranked Philadelphia 5th for residents' access to public transit with a transit score of (Find out why we ranked & what this means, after the jump!)

Hope everyone had a Happy Earth Day Week and was able to get their green on! Here's what you missed in sustainability news this week:

The average US household uses 130,000 gallons of water per year. Therefore, anytime you can conserve H2O helps the cause. When making a delicious dinner (or snack), try to boil food in as little water as possible.  Use just enough water to cover what your cooking, and put a lid on to heat things up faster. After you're finished and the water's cooled down, use the excess water to water houseplants instead of dumping down the drain.

Looks like the city is continuing to "Unlitter Us!" - this time with damaged bikes clogging up the racks. The Philadelphia Streets Department announced that they're removing "abandoned' bicycles throughout Center City & surrounding areas starting in early summer.  "Abandoned bikes" are classified as: (find out more, after the jump!)