Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Glancing down a grocery aisle, bottled water looks so tempting. The beautiful graphics of green trees, exotic water from Fiji or France... it looks so healthy. It's easy to be duped by this misleading advertising. Growing up the Philly suburbs, I never bought water. Luckily, our tap was clean and my Dad didn't get the point in buying a typically free product. (Who knew Dad's crazy protest was actually helping the environment? ) The bottled water industry is an environmental termite. When you're drinking a bottle of water, you're consuming approximately 1/2 of that bottle in oil - talk about hurting your Carbon Footprint! Why is bottled water so bad?

Carpools are catching on quite rapidly due to inflated gas prices. Make sure to reach out to others when driving to work, school, and vacations. You'll save gas, reduce your carbon footprint, and have a buddy to ease any road rage or traffic pains.

As I'm taking 10 glorious days to rejuvenate from my normally hectic schedule, I can't escape my green observations & habits. Being green is a part of my lifestyle, and I have "green guilt" if I knowingly do something un-green... Whether I'm on the beach, in our beachhouse, or going for a run. In the past few days, I've learned some lessons from my new-found friends in Avalon, NJ, I'd like to share:

With labor day coming up soon, many of you will be vacationing on the beach for one last hurrah. Make sure to pick up any trash or recyclables that you may have with you (or from nearby beachgoers) in the proper bin.

When filling up your car with that black gold, don’t keep filling once the pump stops.  The gasoline can go right back into the station’s pump , and the more harmful vapors settle at the top of your tank – leaking more pollutants into...

Turn off the water when you lather those tresses or shave in the shower.   You may test your roommate’s patience, but you can save 2 gallons per minute. Posted by Julie

Rather than use your company’s disposable coffee cups, plates and utensils, bring in a reusable glass or plastic dishware set from home.  You’ll save plastic from being thrown away, use nicer platewares and avoid being the person stuck without a knife! You could even use...

Last night I saw my fav musician, Jack Johnson in concert on his Philly stop. (aka Camden - but how many attendees are Camden residents?) I was impressed. On top of being a very talented musician, he's super-green. Here's my green JJ concert journey: When I bought the tickets in March, I opted for the .50 cent carbon offset (per ticket) option. (Great way to reduce your carbon footprint!) Following my purchase, Jack's crew sent an email with suggested positive changes you can make during your concert experience like carpooling or taking mass transit to the show, what eco-options they offer at the show etc.a very talented musician, he's super-green. Here's my green JJ concert journey:

According to the EPA, 75% of American's trash can be recycled - and only 25% actually is. In Philadelphia, you're able to recycle most household materials curbside, without having to sort into separate containers. Here's the breakdown: