Blog

Rachael Kennedy recently completed her Low Car Diet with Zipcar, just like I did last year! We had a chance to ask her a few questions about her experience. She’s a recent Temple University graduate who moved to Philly last August. Just as she was going on her second year as a city-dweller and sick of the parking scene, she heard about Zipcar. The Low Car Diet seemed like a perfect trial period to go car-less. Now, for the questions: Green Philly Blog: How does it feel to be car-free?

Ever since I read the eco-thriller "Eye of the Whale", I've wanted to see whales in the flesh. The fictional novel is fascinating, as it’s full of true whale facts and habits. And I knew I HAD to see a little blowhole sooner than later... When I saw a Philly Dealyo deal for Whale Watching in Cape May, I was almost suspicious that whales wouldn't cross the dirty jersey seas. However, I was quite pleased to find out they did! Five of my friends from an Avalon shorehouse and I decided to embark on the 2.5 hour tour from Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center at 9:30 on Saturday morning. (Find out more & see sweet sea pics, after the jump!)

Fossil fuels are used to fertilize, harvest and process much of the food we eat.  Ample gas is spent transporting food from processor to manufacturer. Considering the valuable resources spent on food processing, it’s disturbing that over 40% of food produced in America is...

Whether you’re hosting a barbecue, enjoying a picnic in the park, or hitting up the beach one last time during this Labor Day weekend keep in mind these simple tips : Reduce your carbon footprint and use public transportation or carpool with friends and family to your destination. Use the final celebration weekend of summer to enjoy locally grown produce like (get more info, after the jump!)

The schoolbus is going round and round... which means for a lot of us, more traffic on the roads. But for that special breed of the population responsible for the development of our future leaders, it means time for to educate our youth. While we gave some tips for Teacher Appreciation Week, it's time to remind teachers to try to remember eco-friendly themes in the classroom. After all, you're the ones molding our children and can help them be environmentally-conscious individuals! Here's a few more ideas of what you can do:

September is chock-full of green events! Greenfest Philly returns to our lovely city in Headhouse Square (2nd St btwn South & Pine) on Saturday, September 10th, 2011! Greenfest Philly educates the public on how to be more sustainable in their daily lives (just like us at GPB!) Urban Green Partnership passed the torch to the Clean Air Council to organized the festival. Highlights of the festival include:

Bike Philly 2011, aka YOUR chance to ride car-free on Philly Streets (ahem minus Carrie Denny's SUV...), is brought to you by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. You can bike car-free for 10 or 20 mile loops, or bike a 35-mile loop (which includes some shared roads.) Routes go through Philly landmarks including Chinatown, Olde City, by the Ben Franklin bridge, the Zoo and other awesome scenes. The 5th annual event supports (find out who, what & how to participate, after the jump!)

Filmmaker Josh Fox of the critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated documentary, "Gasland", comes to Franklin Commons Wednesday September 7that 6:00 pm. The public is invited to join Fox and legislators for an important discussion regarding the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking.") Fracking is a means of natural gas extraction that involves millions of gallons of water, sand, and undisclosed chemicals being injected under high pressure into the ground. 205,000-935,000 pounds of chemicals are used per frack per well and scientists have identified many carcinogens, including benzene, in gas drilling waste. The event at Franklin Commons in Phoenixville, PA will begin at 6:00 p.m. and include (read on after the jump!)

I'd like to give a special shout-out today to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society! Philly Mag did a nice write-up about President Drew Becher a few months ago, and they continue to make huge strides in the green community & beautifying Philly. One of the latest efforts reaches out to youths - The Green Machine, a special program run by PHS and funded by the William Penn Foundation, is to deliver expertise and assistance to those who use and love (find out more, after the jump!)