Philly

So you’re all psyched to be caught up in the green movement… you’re shopping at Whole Foods with your reusable bags… But what about your best friend?!? Don’t leave Fido, Max or Fluffy out of your green changes!  Good news...

Last night, I enjoyed a lovely evening out for the Philadelphia Orchestra's Planet Earth Live show at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Images of wildlife, seasons, Mt Everest, and the tundra were beautifully accompanied by the Orchestra's music. Some of the most beautiful scenes were of caves (who knew you could skydive into some of them?!?) and the polar bears playing were definitely drawing 'oohs & ahhs from the crowd. Composer George Fenton set up each piece by previewing why each location was significant and what we'd be seeing next. What was more fitting was that this show took place in the open air Mann Center on a beautiful summer night... and the Mann recently launched a new green initiative to celebrate 75 years of music in the park! Green changes the Mann has implemented include:

Philadelphia Streets Department has installed 20 BigBelly solar-powered eco stations on Ogontz Avenue in West Oak Lane, funded by the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant Program (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.) Philly's well on their way to its goal of nearly 1,000 (949 in total; 394 have recycling capabilities) BigBellies that will be installed by the end of 2010. Last year's 474 BigBellies (210 with recyclers) have saved $850K with an estimate of ten years at $13 million. Other benefits of Big Belly include:

Can't get enough of Planet Earth? The Mann Center is featuring Planet Earth Live on Thursday, July 29th at 8:30 PM with a background of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Beautiful, hi-def images from the hit BBC documentary series, Planet Earth, along with the sweeping majestic original Emmy award winning score will be the finale to The Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual summer season. You'll see & explore everything from the

Let's break it down by the numbers...The average American: Generates an average of 4.6 pounds of trash per day 2.5 lbs of that trash goes to landfills Only 2.1 lbs of trash is recycled or incinerated How much are you recycling, Philly? What can you recycle that you aren't currently? What are you having problems recycling? After the jump, let us know in the comments.

Vote for a local chef AND benefit local Camphill Village Kimberton Hills! Stephanie McKeon Krzywanski, Phoenixville resident, personal chef and owner of The Comfort Gourmet is 1 of 24 chefs nationwide to participate in the Sears Chef Challenge. Readers, vote once a day until July 10th via www.searschefchallenge.com and enter to win an entire suite of Kenmore appliances. We caught up with Chef Stephanie to see how her green passion translates to the kitchen: Green Philly Blog: What sustainable practices do you use while cooking?

Alright, so being green must run in the family. Look who's speaking in Orlando at the Environmental Partnership Summit this week: (Click through to learn more!)

School's out for summer... which means a new batch of students are coming in the fall! Besides factors such as location, campus size and party school ranking, students often take a university's sustainability into account for deciding on a college. The Princeton Review & Green Building Council published a “Guide to 286 Green Colleges” to help students find the top green schools - It's the 1st college guidebook to list schools with the most environmentally-responsible campuses and school-wide commitment to sustainability. The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 286 Green Colleges” looks at an institution’s

When Samantha Johnston Twining launched her line Elyse Essentials this spring one of her goals was to “become a first-class retailer specializing in natural products promoting a relaxed and tranquil lifestyle for everyone.” Relaxed and tranquil? Easier said than done you might think as you scramble to complete your to-do list and get a decent nights sleep most days . Well, don’t be so cynical. Elyse Essential are not only organic and made with sustainability in mind – they’re luxurious enough to offer a few moments of “me time” in your busy life. Samantha was inspired by