Philly

Did you know that 50,000+ of Philadelphia's businesses are required to recycle? The Philadelphia Streets Department debuted its Commercial Recycling Toolkit earlier this week

We've been a huge fan of Arcadia Boutique for years. Full of sustainably-made, local and recycled clothing, it has been a green girl's dream. My winter boots still look amazing after wearing them for years. Once upon a time when I resided in Northern Liberties, there was a period I frequented enough to consider moving in. Their Rittenhouse location closed last year. Yet we received an email that was the worst breakup thus far the other day: Find out more about Arcadia's closing, after the jump.

We sat down with MilkCrate Philly Founder Morgan Berman to find out the same answer while discussing the upcoming release of the "sustainable yelp" app, hipsters and bridging the gaps between sustainability, technology and community. Accessibility to information: The problem 83% of Americans consider sustainability when buying food, and 81% want more options available to protect the environment, but they don't always know where to find them. Find out more about MilkCrate Philly's functionality, proposed features and more about founder Morgan Berman, after the jump.

Ever wonder what happens in Revolution Recovery? Our guest writer Kelly Altrichter recently toured the facility and shared her experience so we could experience it firsthand. What is Revolution Recovery? Revolution Recovery was born when Avi Golen and Jon Wybar had the idea to divert construction material straight out of the landfill in 2004.  Although they dug through construction waste to determine an outlet for all the various materials, Revolution Recovery has grown to two locations and 80 employees. Find out more about Revolution Recovery and the recent DVGBC tour, after the jump!

"Where can I take organic gardening classes in Philadelphia?" (Question via email from reader Carla) Whether you're a seasoned gardening pro or brand-spanking new to planting your own foliage, you can pick up a new trick or two by talking with other gardeners. Lucky for Carla, Philadelphia has a range of gardening classes and workshops from planting your seedlings to harvesting the fruits of your labor. Our list for today's Where Can I Wednesday post does not distinguish organic classes, but many of the methods local farmers are using are naturally organic. Please contact the program provider to ask additional questions. Here's where to take gardening classes in Philly:

May is finally here! The sun is shining, birds are singing and more skin is showing.  With Memorial Day is right around the corner, are you ready to bare it in your itty bitty bikini and board shorts? If you’re bummed about pigging out on that last pint of Ben and Jerry’s, don't fear: there’s still time to get in shape fast and FREE in Philadelphia. Whether you’re looking for a mind and body workout or a high-impact calorie burner, there’s plenty of low cost options for you. Click through for 9 options!

Sustainability's on its way to become a little more permanent in City government, but they need your help! As we mentioned back in November, Resolution No 130884 is to make the Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Sustainability Permanent within Philadelphia city government. Director of Sustainability Katherine Gajewski sent an email with an update on the progress.  Councilwoman Reynolds Brown and Councilman Kenney co-sponsored the bill and it was positively voted out of the Committee on Law and Government last week.

Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order yesterday to ban smoking in Philly's parks. According to the City of Philadelphia's official wordpress account (speaking of which, can't City of Phila afford a URL that doesn't include .wordpress?),

Litter is causing an uproar on the Philly internets. We addressed the causes, frustrations and potential solutions for Philadelphia's litter in our blog post last week, Why is Philly so Dirty? The Litter Epidemic. Insightful reader comments sparked conversation about citizen attitude, neighborhoods with paid personnel  and plastic pollution. On April 24th, Jared Shelly, Digital Producer of Philadelphia Business Journal shared a Twitter explosion after he asked Mayor Nutter about the city's plan for litter on the streets. Mayor Michael Nutter originially responded