Philly

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

Happy Arbor Day! This annual day (typically the last Friday in April) celebrates planting, caring for and loving trees. Although we love trees every day, we still honor our plants on this holiday.  Plus, there ain't a better place to celebrate everything trees than in Philadelphia, where any day is an excuse to drink locally and hang out with friends. Here's 7 Ways to Celebrate Arbor Day in Philly:

Late night pizza calls, Chinese food runs, and endless burger or fries at the cafeteria are the epitome of college; eating healthy during these four years is extremely difficult. Desolate in North Philly, Temple students are especially further away from the convince of a fresh produces and healthy options. With the closest Whole Foods being two miles off campus, my fellow owls and I are stuck shopping at the pricey Fresh Grocer. Since Junk food is simply a phone calls away, what about options for different on-the go meals? For Temple students, there’s a place where you can have salads, sandwiches, fresh juices, trail mix and other sustainable snacks. Plus, it only serves food that is sourced locally within 150 miles of Philadelphia, AND functions as a zero-waste supply chain model. Sounds too good to be true, right? Find out more about Temple's newest (and hottest) co-op, after the jump.

Let’s face it: our city has a notorious reputation for being dirty. Don’t believe me? Walk the streets of London for a few hours or ride the metro in DC. Return to Philly and compare. But when people talk about Philly being dirty, they’re often referring to our litter problem. Yet litter is such a large, debated topic. How do we combat litter? Do we concentrate efforts on educating people or cleanup efforts after the fact? Neighborhoods with litter tend to have higher crime rates, lower property values and less pride in the neighborhood. In order to get a more insight on Philly’s litter, I asked the City of Philadelphia, a few friends and associates about their experiences with trash in the city. Find out more about our city's litter epidemic, after the jump.