Lifestyle

It's wedding season. Planning your own (or your best friend, sibling or child's) wedding is undoubtedly exciting... and sometimes just a teeny bit overwhelming. There's a ton of decisions to make and for those who are eco-minded there's the question of how to pull it all off with sustainability in mind. Today let's talk about the ceremony. Ceremony traditions & rituals can depend on religion and heritage but typically they're a pretty important part of the day. It's when the "deal" is sealed after all. Read on for tips on greening the all-important ceremony...

Feliz Cinco De Mayo! As Dictator of a Mexican Eating Club (or "Mexadelphia" as a few close amigos call it), I'm taking tomorrow's fiesta with pride.  How can you celebrate my 2nd favorite holiday the eco-friendly way? Here's a few sustainable celebration & vegetarian comida options:

Guest Blogger Justin Knabb is the Director of Donor Relations for Water for Waslala, a Philadelphia-based 501(c)3 non-profit.  Justin was part of student-led team that started Water for Waslala in 2004 while attending Villanova University.   We should never forget how fortunate we are to enjoy nearly unlimited access to clean drinking water here in Philadelphia.  Millions around the world - 884 million people - do not have the same luxury.  Each year 3.6 million people die from water related disease, which is more than twice the size of Philadelphia. Some local folks decided to focus on this problem, and there’s a good chance you’ll find (Find out more about Water for Waslala, clean water & how you can get involved RIGHT HERE in Philadelphia, after the jump!)

The Skinny Bitch franchise is no joke. Over the past few years Kim Barnouin, Rory Freedman (who co-authored the original Skinny Bitch) and their team have built a recognizable brand with a no-nonsense; tell it like it is approach to the vegan lifestyle. This time around Kim is back with a book of vegan swaps for almost any craving - be it sweet or salty, bottled or packaged.

The average US household uses 130,000 gallons of water per year. Therefore, anytime you can conserve H2O helps the cause. When making a delicious dinner (or snack), try to boil food in as little water as possible.  Use just enough water to cover what your cooking, and put a lid on to heat things up faster. After you're finished and the water's cooled down, use the excess water to water houseplants instead of dumping down the drain.

Whether from global warming or an act of god, the odd weather in our region can have difficult effects.  Our guest post today from our sponsor gives a possible solution for monitoring your home. The super early spring & temperature fluctuations in Philadelphia may be enjoyable.  However, they cannot only wreak havoc on our lawns & gardens, but can also affect our homes in an adverse way. Extreme heat and cold can cause roofs, basements to leak, and cracks in walls and foundations. Intense rains and snow frequently lead to power outages. If you leave your home empty for a week or a weekend and extreme weather hits, you could come back to flooding, water damage, spoiled food, and overheated pets.  Not only is this costly, but it can also waste energy (and grow your carbon footprint). Environmental sensors can help you (find out more, after the jump!)

I pledged to go local for 40 days. When I came up with the idea, I didn't prepare nor think of how to execute the strategy. Confession: (Find out how I fared as a locavore after the jump!)

Today Sunday, April 22nd marks a very important day (besides my lovely sister-in-law & mother of my nephew Colleen's birthday): Earth Day! Earth Day started on April 22, 1970, was credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and passed the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act & Endangered Species Act. Take some time today to (find out more, after the jump!)

Earth Day is this Sunday (obviously.). Philadelphia had a city-wide cleanup effort this past weekend, but that doesn't mean you should wait for a city-wide initiative to volunteer. Instead of hosting a birthday or holiday party at home, organize a volunteer outing to a local park or community garden. Philadelphia has a lot of green space (and litter), so start with a community park or number of blocks. Read on!