Lifestyle

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?

Guest Blogger Bill Hawthorne is representing maacenter.org, a leading web resource for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cancer information, dedicated to raising awareness of terrible health consequences of asbestos exposure. How buildings are created - using sustainable green products - are crucial in avoiding asbestos and mesothelioma as well as improving existing structures. Enjoy! Going green used to be considered expensive and a luxury for those who could afford the trend. Now it appears that we are learning that not only is adopting more environmentally-conscious attitudes good for our wallets, but is also important to our health? If we dig a bit deeper, we can see that dirty industries and backwards policy is actually harming the health of the earth, our children and the health of her inhabitants today. There are two levels of health consequences associated with dirty industry,

Looking for new eco-friendly ways to trek across Philly? Philadelphia Electric Wheels opened this past fall in West Mt. Airy, apprx. 12 mins from Center City. Philly Electric Wheels is the first store in the tri-state region to sell and service electric bike exclusively. Electric bikes are one of the new hot trends in personal transit – including electric tricycles, models that fold and generate their own energy as you pedal. Easy on the wallet (they cost just one penny per mile to operate!), electric bikes travel up to

Brrr it’s cold outside! Stay toasty and reduce emissions this winter… Keep energy costs at a minimum. It’s easier than you may guess. Simply insulate your windows with plastic window film (for example) to keep the cold out – even hanging...

2010 is here... Need ideas for New Years Resolutions? Why not take some time to enjoy sustainability? Here are some ideas:

A friend forwarded me this link of Whole Tree Architecture creations and I wanted to share! How cool is this? Roald Gunderson creates buildings from whole trees! From the site: "According to the Forest Products Laboratory, a whole, unmilled tree can support 50 percent more weight than the largest piece of lumber milled from the same tree." Enjoy!

It’s all about self improvement as we approach the new year. Check out this list of 52 (! )simple ways to lower your carbon footprint.   It’s ideal for our readers who are college students. But, there’s plenty of tips that...

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