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My CSA has officially started... and it has made me one happy woman. I picked up my friend's CSA share last summer and loved the experience. Yet after making my weekly trek to the farmer's market, I decided to bite the bullet and officially enroll for a share. After researching many local CSAs (Or Community Shared (or Supported) Agriculture), (find out more about why you should join a CSA after the jump!)

Happy Friday, and Happy World Oceans Day!  Hope ya'll are drinking like a locavore during Philly Beer Week. Our gifts to you in the weekly roundup are as follows:

Have you ever thought about what your shower curtain is made of? Did you ever take a whiff of a new vinyl shower curtain? (I admittedly used to like that smell - odd I know.) Well, I now know that "new" fragrance is a result of the off-gassing from polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC.) PVC can contain toxic chemical additives like DEHP. Health experts report that exposure to these chemicals should be limited. This study found that high levels of DEHP are contained in shower curtains, and have been linked to asthma and brain development issues for children.

When I first moved to Philly, I enjoyed a nice evening at the Plough & the Stars, Olde City Restaurants & some of the other top 25 douchiest bars of Philly. Luckily, the evolution of Philadelphia's food scene has evolved with my taste buds. Philly's finest restaurants & bars continues to focus on innovative vegan, local & sustainable options for diners!  Here are some of the hottest spots to satisfy your sustainable conscious:

Tires are an expensive necessity for your car, as well as a difficult item to dispose of.  Where can you drop off those rubber donuts when you’ve wore off their tread?

On Wednesday, June 13th the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce chapter will host an event focusing on energy efficiency for businesses. Today companies - big and small - are taxed with the challenge of finding ways to decrease their energy costs and operate more efficiently. If you're a local business this is a session that may benefit you and your sustainability initiatives. The event will feature a panel of industry experts including keynote speaker, Kyle Tanger, Director of Clear Carbon Service, and energy experts from the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub. Read on for details!

'Twas the night before Philly Beer Week... And all through the town... We woke up from our dream and got psyched to drink locally! Woohoo! OK, so Philly Beer Week  starts today, June 1st.  This glorious week (and a few days...) is a 10 day celebration of our amazing beer-drinking city... Rather than importing brews, let's stay on our love all things local tangent and enjoy just a few of the local & sustainable beverages of the week:

This week marks the 3rd annual Hemp History Week movement and activists are hoping to spread the message that it's time to bring back hemp to United States farms. In case your familiarity with hemp doesn't extend beyond those annoying necklaces they sell at the beach let's rewind a bit. What is hemp, really? Essentially it's the non-drug variety that's grown from Cannabis. Yes, cannabis is often known as marijuana, but hemp contains almost zero tetrahydrocannabinol (THC - the marijuana part of the plant.)

Reader Heidi asked on our Facebook Wall where she can recycle light bulbs. Good question! But first, we need to determine what type of light bulb you have. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) are better for the environment and you should be using them anyway. Since Heidi's an active GPB reader, we'll assume she uses them for now. According to the EPA, On average, CFLs