Lifestyle

Ah, Valentine’s Day is almost upon us – arguably the most divided holiday of the year. Whether you think it’s a contrived “hallmark holiday” or you love an excuse to give and get candy hearts and chocolate, there’s a few cool sales and events in the area :

If you're anything like me, one of your biggest fears is wearing the same outfit twice in a week... or month (unless you can strategically dodge who you saw in the questionable attire.) Could you go for the same outfit for 365 days? Sheena Matheiken vowed to wear the same dress for 1 year (yep) with only recycled accessories. Talk about making an environmental statement! Watch the video for more info: The Uniform Project Trailer from The Uniform Project on Vimeo. Makes you think maybe we don't need a closet (or two) full of options to be stylish...

We hear you: readers, friends and acquaintances have said one of their goals for 2010 is to do (more?) volunteer work… UC Green - non profit organization that plants and maintains trees- is an excellent organization to get involved in! At the end of November UC Green held their annual community tree-planting event - they planted one hundred and fifty bare root trees in several blocks throughout West Philadelphia. Close to three hundred volunteers chipped in. Another event, the New Year Limb-Up,

The other evening, I saw the Eclectic Society at the Walnut Street Theatre. Overall, this play is about a Fraternity who battles preserving traditions with the social changes of the era - civil rights, women's movement, political activism, & all other turbulence of the 1960's. Director Ed Herendeen pointed out the play's relevance to today, “I think the audience, like me, is going to be struck by how relevant this period play, set in 1963, speaks to us today in 2010". Over 50 years later, we're still seeing issues of racism, politics and class. But what else? I started contemplating the similarities of

On a recent family visit to Denver, I had a DELICIOUS sustainable restaurant experience I wanted to share! Snooze on 2262 Larimer St was quite the brunch treat. Being the greenie I am, I noticed the recycle & composting signs throughout the restaurant (the trashcan in the bathroom requested only paper towels & compostable products). I suspected other green practices to follow suite and found their eco-friendly actions on their Snooze-licious website:

I snubbed sweet potatoes (or yams as they’re often called) for far too many years of my life. Luckily, over the past few years I’ve become acquainted in a big way. Organic sweet potatoes are a delicious winter vegetable that can be easily transformed into a dinner side, snack or even dessert. Plus, an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber - they're super nutritious. Here are three of my favorite ways to enjoy sweet potatoes:

Don't throw out your ipod or MP3 player when it stops working - You can recycle it! Apple's Recycling Program offers a 10% discount on your next purchase when you bring your old iPod in for recycling. You can also recycle old cell phones, old computer systems and Macs! If you're in the market to buy new electronics, Apple also sells refurbished iPods & MACs. Try buying a 'reincarnated' one over a new to save some green.

Our guest blogger & reader Chris Brown is an urban planner in The Garden State. His fascination with urban structure inspired this post. Plant, meet Lamp. A small pedestrian street in Eindoven received this illuminous makeover thanks to design firm, BYTR. How great would this look on a side street in Philly? Who wouldn't mind an extra three feet of walkable concrete without having to sacrifice the aesthetics of green plant life or a well lit curb.Talk about a win-win. See the original at

I had a recent bout of ‘green guilt' that got me thinking … I just got back from a trip to beautiful Los Cabos (don’t hate me!) - The trip, scenery, company and Mexican hospitality were off-the-charts awesome. The downer…the hotel was not eco-friendly. As in, NO recycling. (I am a strong advocate of checking into hotel policy prior to vacationing. But this time was out of my control. ) Why do I bring this up? The more conversations I have with sustainable minded people, the more I realize most of us experience a little ‘green guilt’ from time to time. It’s tough to act 100% eco-minded. Unfortunately, we’re bound to be in situations now and then where we feel uncomfortable. I felt really guilty knowing my bottles of dos equis weren’t headed for the recycling bin... The truth is harping on this mindset and feeling unworthy because I couldn’t exercise control is counter productive. What’s the best way to overcome these feelings?