Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Woohoo! As we mentioned,the North-South Bike lanes are going in on 10th & 13th Streets in Philly from South to Market. Then, a bill was floating around City Council that they'd had to approve bike lanes - which would likely delay more lanes being put in. Good news! The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition reported the Bike Lanes have been painted on 13th!! Check out the

Mayor Nutter wants Philly to be #1 at something besides cheesesteaks... his Greenworks plan goal is for Philly to be the Greenest in the USA. The Grist just put out a 10 most climate-ready cities ranking and called Philly #8... tied with #7's New York. (sidenote... how is it 8th if it's tied?) How do you feel about that, Philly? Think our green actions deserve #7/8? Or are you hesitant? Sound off the comments.

Call me a terrarium expert in training. OK, maybe expert is pushing it. But in addition to planting my own backyard garden, I recently attended a Terrarium workshop with the folks at Arts in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in Olde City. I had no idea how to create a terrarium, or the skill it requires. But Dave and the other guides successfully have been planting terrariums and gave me (and 40 of my new friends during the 2 hour workshop) tricks of the trade as we enjoyed Root mixed drinks to wish my terrarium the best of luck in its new growth. Things you’ll need: an empty Root (or any) bottle, small stones, Spanish moss, charcoal pellets, soil, moss, paper (for a funnel), chopstick, towel (paper or cloth) Here’s how I (and you!) can make a Root terrarium (courtesy of Art in the Age):

How are you celebrating Philly Beer Week? I started my celebration of hops last evening at the Extreme Homebrew Challenge - where none other than my awesome brother's Factotum, (aged over American Oak chips infused with Maker's Mark) won the People's Choice award! Whether you drink beer, wine or liquor, you can green your imbibing impact. Lucky for us Philadelphians, there's tons of opportunities to drink green, local, delicious beer in Philly this week. Here's a few sustainable beer movers & shakers:

It's Philly Beer Week Ya'll! Although I enjoy a good local brew, I'm also a huge fan of wine. Wine bottles are recyclable and you can find local and/or organic wines easily. But what should you do with those damn un-recyclable wine corks? Good news - there's a few options for you! Choose one of the following to do with your wine corks:

Always a bridesmaid...never a bride. (sidenote: no idea what that saying actually means... or where it's from, actually but it's funny...) I always have a blast at my friends' & family's weddings. (In fact, I currently have a residence in weddingville.) Yet, I've been accumulating bridesmaid dresses that may not always fit me all that well. Recently I was contemplating what to do with some a few of the non-reusable dresses... to avoid Katherine Heigl's fate a la 27 Dresses. Thank goodness Newlymaid landed in my in-box. Find out what I found out after the jump!

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society recently decorated the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with Carousel animals that starred in the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show. 9 creatures – including a peacock, camel, rabbit, snail, butterfly, dragonfly, and unicorn; were created with brought to life with a variety of plant materials - primarily with moss and coconut bark – for their re-animation that would (find out more, after the jump!)

I can be a procrastinator... and due to the weather/vacations/etc, I've delayed on planting my back porch city garden. Starting a garden isn't an easy task - some plants can be easier to grow and benefit from than others. Luckily, I got some advice from MNN's Mother Nature Network to help my planting:

Looking to get some relaxing time at the (golf) greens this summer and learn about the planet too? Fore! The Planet is