Articles Written by Julie Hancher

It's that time of year again... the time I'm envious of college students everywhere trekking back to campus, ready to engage in the best time of their lives. Thinking about going to school (whether graduate or undergrad) with an eco-friendly mindset? Want to know if your alma mater is a green-friendly campus? The top 15 Greenest Colleges came out from the Princeton Review as follows:

Looking for a capturing read that you can't put down? No, I'm not talking about the Twilight series. I've been recommending Eye of the Whale by Douglas Carlton Abrams to many friends and family members. The story follows Elizabeth McKay, a marine biologist who is finishing her PHD program with a thesis of cracking humpback whale communication. When a humpback swims up the Sacramento River with an unprecedented song, the clock starts ticking as Elizabeth must save the whale from danger. But as her journey to free this whale progresses, she starts catching the media and world's attention... including opponents who are trying to cover up many dangerous secrets from Elizabeth and the world. Quickly, Elizabeth finds herself in danger, jeopardizing her marriage, her career - and even her life. An ecological thriller, Abrams does an excellent job bringing in

Are you a local retailer, wholesaler or interior decorator who wants to offer more green products? Starting Saturday, August 1 - Monday August 3, more than 50 Green Artists who use recycled materials or sustainable methods will be showcased at the Buyers Market of American Craft in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Eco Arts Market will make its debut with a display of handmade products by U.S. and Canadian artists. Want to pick out the eco-friendly artists? Bright green booth tags will identify the Green Exhibitors participating in this biannual, wholesale tradeshow. They represent a fast-growing segment of the nearly 600 established handcraft studios and emerging artists, who will attend the tradeshow to sell their products to museum gift shops, craft galleries, home furnishings boutiques, and corporate clients such as hotels and restaurants. “Our theme is ‘Green Living, Artfully Done,’” said Rebecca Mercado, coordinator of the Eco Arts Market. “Our goal is

We are... Going Green! Last week, my alma mater Penn State announced an Energy Conservation Policy to go green and save money this fall by limiting energy use. Penn State's energy consumption is 83% of greenhouse gas emissions at the university - which isn't cheap. PSU's cumulative electric bill has doubled to apprx. $2 million per month since rate caps were lifted earlier this year. To combat a $25 increase per semester for students, Penn State is campaigning to cut energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Guidelines for this plan include staff and students actions including:

I'm quite excited to hear some of my favorite bands this weekend during 88.5 WXPN's XPoNential Music Festival. Also, I can rest easy knowing XPN's taking many eco-friendly steps for a low impact festival (especially after all the controversy regarding U2's outlandish Carbon Footprint...) Village Green is coming back to the Festival for its second year, where Delaware Valley environmental leaders can teach concertgoers about sustainable and eco-friendly products and services. Topics such as renewable energy, solar power, green building materials, organic soil, bamboo clothing and socially responsible investing will be discussed. Bringing tykes to the Kids Corner? Interactive demonstrations for kids to learn 'how to keep the earth happy' are an extra incentive to bring your eco-activists to the three-day festival. Village Green Participants '09 include:

Looking for a green wedding cake in Philadelphia? The Night Kitchen Bakery has been a Philadelphia landmark for over 25 years with infamous cakes, "Best of Philly" brownies, sticky buns. To top it off, they recently became a Certified Green Restaurant (like Pita Pit) from the Green Restaurant Association. The GRA is a non-profit organization that helps restaurants become environmentally sustainable. Night Kitchen Bakery has implemented these green steps in the process:

Huge confession ... I'm getting trashy.

While I'm a huge fan of long distance running, I was more than willing to take a mini-vacay from the sport since my Philadelphia Marathon debut in November. Anyone who's run a marathon can vouch the time commitment and excruciating pain hours after completion. That's why I was fascinated by this video of two Canadians who ran 11,000 miles (aka 1 marathon per DAY) for a year to inspire eco-action: (Video courtesy from their Run for One Planet site) Matt Hill & Stephanie Tait ran across North America (Forrest Gump style) and completed their journey in May, crossing through 25 states and 10 provinces. Congrats Matt & Stephanie!

Come check out the Popped! Music Festival on Saturday, June 20th from 11 AM-8PM on the 600-1100 block of 2nd Street in Northern Liberties! Tons of free live music and over 60 vendors are participating. Of course, Popped! has an emphasis on sustainability with all recycled paper products, recycling bins for plastic bottles (and encouragement to limit use, encouraging public transit and interactive exhibits to educate attendees to get green.