Articles Written by Julie Hancher

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:

September is chock-full of green events! Greenfest Philly returns to our lovely city in Headhouse Square (2nd St btwn South & Pine) on Saturday, September 10th, 2011! Greenfest Philly educates the public on how to be more sustainable in their daily lives (just like us at GPB!) Urban Green Partnership passed the torch to the Clean Air Council to organized the festival. Highlights of the festival include:

Bike Philly 2011, aka YOUR chance to ride car-free on Philly Streets (ahem minus Carrie Denny's SUV...), is brought to you by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. You can bike car-free for 10 or 20 mile loops, or bike a 35-mile loop (which includes some shared roads.) Routes go through Philly landmarks including Chinatown, Olde City, by the Ben Franklin bridge, the Zoo and other awesome scenes. The 5th annual event supports (find out who, what & how to participate, after the jump!)

I'd like to give a special shout-out today to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society! Philly Mag did a nice write-up about President Drew Becher a few months ago, and they continue to make huge strides in the green community & beautifying Philly. One of the latest efforts reaches out to youths - The Green Machine, a special program run by PHS and funded by the William Penn Foundation, is to deliver expertise and assistance to those who use and love (find out more, after the jump!)

Hi Green Philly Blog Readers! Have we mentioned lately that you guys rock? 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 and no...

Free Yoga? At the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Pop Up Garden at 20th & Market? Awesome! Click through for details!

Rumor mill alert on a local green business: Greenable is moving from its No’ Libs home to 3 new locations:

Although I had my own experience last fall as a Zipster for Zipcar, I fully respected the PhillyCarShare non-profit option... Another alternative where Philadelphians could share cars, pay less, and support the 'little' guy. PhillyCarShare announced that it's being purchased by Enterprise Holdings (aka the world's largest car rental company). They had been in financial trouble - aka