Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Get excited all you plant fanatics & flower enthusiasts... The 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show is here March 6-13th! From the moment I walked into Philly's Convention Center during the writer's preview, the glorious smell of Springtime overwhelmed my senses... (which was quite a delight after my rendezvous in beautiful Clearwater weather last weekend). As I immediately saw the base of the Eiffel Tower and nearby Carousel, I was practically unaware we were still in Philly! Philadelphia's theme "Springtime in Paris" captures the essence of the city of lights, allowing visitors to enter a whole new, huge world of gorgeous flower displays & incredible settings. Did you know Philadelphia's is the largest indoor Flower Show in the world? It's consistently ranked as America's Top 100 events and is in the guide 1000 Places to Visit Before You Die. Think I'm exaggerating? Just take a sneak peak at the show (and find out way more news, after the jump!):

Mayor Nutter Announced the 4th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup at Kickoff Event in North Philly yesterday! There's about 1 month until residents can “Keep Up the Sweep Up.” The Spring Cleanup will be on Saturday, April 2 (rain date: Sat, April 9). and has has been designated as a Great American Cleanup National Kickoff Event by Keep America Beautiful. Want to get involved? Visit www.PhillySpringCleanup.com to volunteer or submit a project. Deadline is 3/18 for project submissions. Last year's cleanup in 2010 accomplished:

Although Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, we still have a few days of cold left. How can you minimize that terrible energy bill in one of the coldest winters Philly has seen? Drafts easily waste 5-30% of your energy use. How can you block these drafts?

Excited for Sunday's Academy Awards & green Documentaries yet? I always love checking out the celebs that aren't shy with their ambitions. Here's a few noteworthy starlettes that will be making an appearance on Sunday:

With Hollywood's biggest night fast-approaching Sunday, it's time to sneak a peek at which films have an eco-impact. During last year's Academy Awards, the Cove's dolphin secret was exposed during their Best Documentary win. (During the speech, the filmmakers caused a stir by their activist message.) Here are the green-themed movies (and clips!) up for nods on Sunday:

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is ambitious with its Greenworks plan to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America. One important part of the plan is the Philadelphia chapter of Solar America Cities, (one of 25 cities). Thank you Mayor Nutter & the Sustainability office for making easy to understand video tutorials for Philly homeowners. Here's the Intro to Solar video that explains how to use Solar Energy in Philly: Solar Tutorial 1: Introduction to Solar from One Way Street Productions on Vimeo. Still on the fence?

Need some incentive to convince your employer to go green? Morale. According to Inc.com's article, employees were happier when

GlaxoSmithKline announced last week that it's moving to a LEED-certified building in the Navy Yard from its current Center City location. According to the Philly.com story, "GSK says it will sign 15 1/2-year lease for a four-story, 205,000-square-foot facility being developed by Liberty Property Trust and Synterra Partners". Glaxo would move all its employees either at One & Three Franklin Plaza Center city locations to south Philly in late 2012/early 2013. I definitely commend any company who wants to become green and up its efficiency. The eco-friendly design should (find out more, after the jump!)

Good news! Green Philly Blog gave advice in Philly's Metro yesterday to 'green your snow cleanup.'' Here's a quick recap of how to deal with ice and snow when mother nature pounds again and again, as it has this winter: