Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Did you know our current recycling rate is 34% annually? Although it saves greenhouse gases of 35 million cars on the road (or growing 5 billion trees over 10 yrs), we can still increase this stat. Tomorrow (November 15th) is America Recycles Day, a day to promote, educate & motivate recycling in the USA. Here's a few ways Philly & you can celebrate this joyous holiday celebration:

When I walked outside my door this morning, I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful orange & yellow leaves on the sidewalk. Which reminded me… I can gather them for the Philly Bagged Leaf Drive! Rather than using a...

After last year's successful drive, Philly is kicking off their 2011 Bagged Leaf Drive this Monday, November 7th through Friday, December 16th. Collected leaves are used for composting, for beautiful benefits like fertilizing gardens & nourishing trees... and wayyy better alternative to face-planting in a wet leaf pile. (Not like I've done this…) Here's how to get your leaves collected:

Today is World Vegan Day - which makes the founding of the Vegan Society in the UK. Celebrations across the world from Sydney to the UK are taking place to recognize the meat-free lifestyle.  Locally, Vegan Tom Epler is walking between the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to New Hope to support injured and abused farm animals for a better life. You don't have to be vegan to take steps for a

“PA has to change its story. PA is in the process of being destroyed NOW.” –Filmmaker Josh Fox “Fracking” has been thrown around as a foreign term for natural gas mining. Definition: Short for hydraulic fracturing, “fracking” refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open. The larger fissures allow more oil and gas to flow out of the formation and into the wellbore, from where it can be extracted. I attended a Gasland Screening last week at Franklin Commons. Although I had read about fracking prior, I didn’t know too much about the process. Luckily, the event organizer arranged two special guests to address the issue: PA Senator Andy Dinniman & Filmmaker of Gasland Josh Fox. Senator Andy Dinniman started off the session, (find out more, after the jump!)

Hi Green Philly Blog Readers! Only a few hours left! Please get your votes in! We’re a finalist in CBS Philly Most Valuable Blogger award in the Lifestyle/Family category! Please vote for us: You can vote daily until September 9th...

Rachael Kennedy recently completed her Low Car Diet with Zipcar, just like I did last year! We had a chance to ask her a few questions about her experience. She’s a recent Temple University graduate who moved to Philly last August. Just as she was going on her second year as a city-dweller and sick of the parking scene, she heard about Zipcar. The Low Car Diet seemed like a perfect trial period to go car-less. Now, for the questions: Green Philly Blog: How does it feel to be car-free?

Ever since I read the eco-thriller "Eye of the Whale", I've wanted to see whales in the flesh. The fictional novel is fascinating, as it’s full of true whale facts and habits. And I knew I HAD to see a little blowhole sooner than later... When I saw a Philly Dealyo deal for Whale Watching in Cape May, I was almost suspicious that whales wouldn't cross the dirty jersey seas. However, I was quite pleased to find out they did! Five of my friends from an Avalon shorehouse and I decided to embark on the 2.5 hour tour from Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center at 9:30 on Saturday morning. (Find out more & see sweet sea pics, after the jump!)

The schoolbus is going round and round... which means for a lot of us, more traffic on the roads. But for that special breed of the population responsible for the development of our future leaders, it means time for to educate our youth. While we gave some tips for Teacher Appreciation Week, it's time to remind teachers to try to remember eco-friendly themes in the classroom. After all, you're the ones molding our children and can help them be environmentally-conscious individuals! Here's a few more ideas of what you can do: