Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Confession: When I chose to "go local" for 40 days, I didn't really prepare. My first email from a friend addressed the biggest hurdle:  "Sounds quite intense my friend... What if you wanna go out and get a drink? you're going to 40 days of local brews. "   (But to calm your beer belly fears, there's typically at least 1 or 2 varieties of local wine in Philly liquor stores.) Since I've started my challenge, I'm determined to find products produced within a 75- mile radius. Some may fear there's not a lot of brand choices locally produced,(find out if the fear is a legit one, after the jump!)

Free Movie Tickets because we love you! We have 5 pairs of tickets to giveaway to the Thursday, March 22nd 7:30 PM screening of feature film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (starring Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt, by screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire) at the AMC Waterfront.   Based on a novel, Salmon Fishing is about a sheik who wants to bring fly-fishing to a desert environment.  Want to win tickets?  Simply leave a comment on this post about why you want to see the film. As for what you missed this week:

If you're a slacker like me, you haven't filed your taxes yet. Make the process a little greener: Try using a program like TurboTax or H&R Block to file your taxes online.  Spare a tree by saving a copy to an external hard drive or flash USB drive.  Or, store the document on a secure place online. If you really need to print out a copy, utilize recycled paper. Also, if you're a homeowner: BONUS! You may qualify for some Energystar energy efficiency-related deductions. It can literally pay to be green!

Psyched to "Keep Up the Sweep Up?" Philly Spring Cleanup Day is April 14, 2012 from 9 AM - 2 PM! Last year alone, over 12,000 volunteers helped with over 250 projects and collected an incredible 1.3 million pounds of trash. Let's make it bigger this year. Mayor Nutter kicked off the campaign at

We had a reader question VIA the Twitter: Where Can I Recycle Old Sneakers in Philly? Runners World's peanut gallery recommends you replace your kicks an average of every 500 miles, which leads to a lot of unloved sneaks. Good news for you Broad Street & running enthusiasts: Philly has a few drop off locations for your used sneakers:

As the Philadelphia International Flower Show kicked off their Hawaii: Islands of Aloha to the public on Sunday, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's President Drew Becher is pretty much Philadelphia's man of the week.  Last year's Flower Show brought in $61 million to the Philly region and enhanced local programs like Plant One Million.  Luckily, we were able to sit down with Drew for a few minutes to chat about the Drew's favorite exhibit at the Flower Show, PHS's wins & challenges to greenify Philadelphia, and Drew's secret 'green' habit he's been practicing since age 10. (Read the full interview after the jump!)

Last night, I visited the Philadelphia International Flower Show Media preview to check out Hawaii: Islands of Aloha, our theme for 2012. Once again, I was blown away by the displays that all perfectly embodied Hawaii... Although I haven't been to the islands for 20 years (true story), I was transported as soon as the orchid lei was placed around my neck.  The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society implemented a setup with incredible scenes, design & an authenticity which will impress all attendees, both old & new. One of the most impressive changes is spreading out the main displays across the Convention Center Floor (versus in previous years, the displays are typically all on the east side of the room bunched together.)  Also, the marketplace is rearranged from east-west (vs North-South Lanes), which will definitely give Flower Show attendees more space to move around and not bump into the usual crowds. The moment you walk into the showroom, digital waves with turtles, surfers, schools of fish & other marine life lead you into the various displays... (See tons of pictures & more of the sneak peek, after the jump!)

This Friday, we're asking you to go for the Bar! (of soap.) Over the past year, I’ve swapped liquid body wash for the bar variety.  It’s less expensive and saves packaging waste. Plus, all of that water IN the liquid wash uses… you guessed it, more water.  (More water = more weight & energy = increased fuel costs for transportation) Supposedly the average bar of soap lasts for 20 showers (vs. a 16 ounce of body wash is 80) – Although body wash costs more than 4 x’s the bar. (However, my bars of soap seem to last literally for 30-40 showers.)

Philadelphians often get confused with food containers. Did you know the majority of food-container plastics can be recycled? Yogurt containers, plastic containers & juice bottles can ALL go in your single-stream recycle bin.  Just make sure to rinse & remove the food remnants (I use leftover dishwater or stick in happily with a pan trying to soak..) Keep on recycling!