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Happy New Years Eve! 2012 has been quite eventful for Philadelphia, especially with these 6 Philly green initiatives. Green Philly Blog's year was full of furthering sustainability, both online and off. We hosted a Philly Spring Cleanup Day Site in Northern Liberties, removing many pounds of trash and debris from a shared sports park. We were thrilled at the turnout and plan on increasing cleanups for 2013 due to the success. Our “Ban the Bag” day

Well helloooo 2013! As a new year is upon us and we're bombarded with ideas on how to be our best, thinnest, richest, smartest self ever we have some ideas to throw in the mix. Of course these resolutions are good for the planet, but the bonus is there also good for your wallet (and don't involve a gym membership or chalky protein shakes.) After all, who isn't looking to save a few bucks as those holiday credit card bills roll in? Click through for green resolutions!

Ever see those commercials for 'microbeads', created to massage and exfoliate your body or face? They're typically purple or a color in a clear cosmetic gel and advertised to be AMAZING? (Find out more, after the jump!)

Avoiding more of those climate change movies because you already recycle and bring your own coffee cup to Wawa? Sick of those eco propaganda "art forms" guilting you for how much "we" Americans waste each year? Good news: Chasing Ice is a different type of Climate Change movie. It never talks about what you're doing wrong, what's really in your food or what you're not recycling. Instead, Chasing Ice shows you the result. Last week, (Find out more, after the jump!)

How can you take those dying Christmas trees with all the pine needles and turn them into a greener 2nd life? We have good news for our Where Can I Wednesday column: there are a LOT of choices this holiday season! (Find out a full list of locations by neighborhood and guidelines to recycle those Christmas trees, after the jump!)

  Merry Christmas & Happy (Sustainable) Holidays from your friends at Green Philly Blog! Xo, Julie & Beth

Stores and marketers want to sell you crap. I know, because I'm a marketer. Don't buy into the gimmicks of "iPhone holders", solar-powered waving queens and a banana whip maker. (Um, we gave you a Banana Whip recipe. Just use your existing food processor or blender.) Single-use (or single purpose) products often times end up (Find out more, after the jump!)

It's 5 days before Christmas and I can practically smell the excitement in the air. For some of us that anticipation may be commingled with final frenetic shopping. No matter, if you're still on the hunt for that last-minute sustainable gift idea Zipcar zipcertificates may be your answer. Have a young adult on your list? Research shows 18-34 year olds (the Millenials) are increasingly forgoing car ownership and adopting alternative means of transportation such as car-sharing services like Zipcar. In a Zipcar study, 78% of Millennial respondents said car ownership is difficult due to high cost of gas, parking and maintenance. Philadelphia provides good sources of public transportation but sometimes a car is just necessary for those major shopping hauls. family visits, or impromptu road trips. A Zipcertificate starts at $50.

Haul out the holly... and the wrapping paper... and the bows, party supplies, and tons of holiday-themed crap. Where can you recycle Christmas tree & menorah wrapping paper? What can you put in the recycle bin from your holiday loot (and what should you trash?) Don't worry, our merry readers: We have the answers for you in our holiday recycling guide. And the good news? Most of your gift materials can go full circle to be reincarnated. The Philadelphia Streets Department spelled out what you can do this holiday season for recycling gift supplies & more (and it's a LOT). Here's a guide for you: