Philly

Nope it's not a trendy new club or restaurant opening,  this is better friends... The Dirt Factory means good news for Philadelphia composting. The Dirt Factory is University City's new composting center. If you're new to the green game, (find out about the Dirt Factory & composting, after the jump!)

I recently received an invite to attend an evening sold as a "conversation" about the local food movement. (Disclaimer #1: Specifics withheld:My intention is not to embarrass any individuals, but to discuss my frustration from this experience.) Since I've been screaming 'GO LOCAL" on GPB for the past few months, I felt like I wanted to rejuvenate my feelings on the topic and get some new insight. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The format of the discussion was pretty straight forward: Young woman "expert" wrote a thesis, presented a PowerPoint with a few short clips (including Food Inc. & Freakanomics), followed by discussion. The most frustrating part of the evening was the presenter's arguments against the local food movement. (Disclaimer #2: I've read a book pro-locavore and anti-locavore.) Although I love a good debate, I felt that many of her anti-locavore arguments weren't well explained. Therefore, I've analyzed a few of the "Going local isn't all it's cracked up to be" arguments:

I've had a few friends move and therefore ask this question lately: Where can I get a recycling bin?

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has returned for another round of their Pop Up Garden again... They transformed a vacant lot in Rittenhouse Square into a temporary garden. 1905-1915 Walnut St will turn

Not ready to bite the bullet and purchase a bike yet? You can now give it a spin by renting one in Fairmount Park! Today, Mayor Nutter, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy welcomed Wheel Fun Rentals to Fairmount Park at 3 locations: Lloyd Hall (Boathouse Row), Love Park & Bathey House/Trolley Car Cafe in East Falls. These bike rentals won't be strictly benefiting (Find out more about these new wheels after the jump!)

'Twas the night before Philly Beer Week... And all through the town... We woke up from our dream and got psyched to drink locally! Woohoo! OK, so Philly Beer Week  starts today, June 1st.  This glorious week (and a few days...) is a 10 day celebration of our amazing beer-drinking city... Rather than importing brews, let's stay on our love all things local tangent and enjoy just a few of the local & sustainable beverages of the week:

Mayor Michael Nutter & the Philadelphia Streets Department announced a new program, "Clean Kitchen, Green Community" campaign today. The goal is to "assess how food waste disposers can help the city work towards its goal of becoming the greenest city of America." Residents in Point Breeze and West Oak Lane are going to participate in a test campaign to measure the amount of waste diverted from landfills by using a garbage disposal. InSinkErator, the world's "leading manufacturer of food waste disposals" is partnering with the city to provide 100 homeowners in each neighborhood with a free disposal & installation by a local plumber. I call Bullshit. Find out why this program isn't as green as advertised after the jump!

With so many cell phone upgrade options available every 2 years or so, it's easy to go through cell phones like wildfire. According to eRecyclingCorps’ co-founder & CEO, David Edmondson, 1.2 billion devices will be sold around the world in 2012, but only 1 percent will be recycled. It's important to recycle Cell & smart phones since they're made from precious metals, copper, and plastics which are energy-heavy to mine & manufacture. Trying to clean out your old cell-phone closet? Here's some of the places you can recycle those old Nokia's & iPhone 3's in the 215:

Is your city garden a complete urban oasis? The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is now accepting applications for the 2012 City Gardens Contest. You can enter in either