Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Want to grab a drink this Wednesday evening after work and meet local green friends? Green Drinks has 4 locations in the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia area for people who have green interests or work in the environmental field to meet up for informal sessions and drinks. Expect a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Catch up with green friends or network with new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network. Green Drinks occurs the 1st Wednesday of each month from 6-8 PM ET at the following locations:

Fretting over what to give this holiday season? Try giving gift cards instead of presents. Gift cards are more useful and green then conventional presents - there's less packaging involved, and the recipient can choose what they really want. Worried about retail stores going under?

Are you sick of going to parties or bars seeing a girl or guy in the same outfit as you? Fear not eco-conscientious fashionistas, there's a clothing line in town to prevent that problem. Nicole Rae Styer designs a line of clothes for people who like to be unique or stand out. Her inspiration comes from vintage styles. She creates one-of-a-kind dresses, tank tops, shirts, purses, intimate apparel and home decor for women, as well as kids clothing and men's shirts. She takes pride in ensuring each piece of her line is unique and pays careful attention to detail, just two of the reasons she had her work shown at the prestigous Fashion Week run-way show last year.

Getting ready for Turkey day preparations? The biggest travel day of the year surely makes an enviromental impact ... so here's 6 ways to help you green your Thanksgiving meal:

One easy way to live greener is to reduce waste you'd typically kick to the curb. To my friends I'm commonly refered to as "JuleBay." My nickname (derived from being an E-Bay connoisseur) actually symbolizes my aspiration to live green. When I visited my eldest brother in Denver, I thought he was crazy for selling his CDs & movies. But between my iPod, Netflix & local library, why should I keep a storage facility in my humble abode when mostly everything's on-demand? Therefore, I jumped on the e-Bay bandwagon to rid myself of excess "stuff".

Will you be hearing Wedding Bells in the near-future? The traditional wedding expo has come undone! Save the date for Unbridaled, an alternative wedding expo focusing on local, handmade, and environmentally-friendly options for planning a wedding.

Exciting News! You can join us this Sunday, November 16th from 3-6 PM during the Women for Entrepreneurship, the Environment, and Social Equity discussion and networking session. The event's being held at Greenable at 126 Market Street. For only $15 (for adults), $5 (College Students with University ID) and $5 (Children under 12), join some of Philly's green female leaders, eco-group founders and entrepreneurs to learn about health, economic, and environmental benefits by designing, building, and living greener. Eco-Panelists Include:

This past Sunday, Nov. 9, Weavers Way Co-op hosted a discussion at North by Northwest (7165 Germantown Ave.) on sustainability issues in our city. The discussion's special guest was Dr. Mark Alan Hughes, Director of Sustainability for the City of Philadelphia. Dr. Hughes has a vital role in Philadelphia. Since this past spring's appointment by Mayor Nutter, Hughes has served as the Mayor's Senior Advisor and has worked closely with the Managing Director, Deputy Mayors and other heads of Departments to coordinate sustainability policies across Philly government.

As you know, Barack Obama was elected as our 44th president yesterday. This is a dramatic change from the past 8 years, as you're well aware. Many environmental groups regarded George W. Bush as one of the worst presidents for the environment, and there have even been allegations that the EPA lowered fines to companies who weren't being eco-friendly. ( When we're thinking of all the enviro-dangers currently, lowering fines should be the last thing on the government's agenda. )