Philly

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

From a Trashion Show to Mural Arts on Trash Trucks, Philly had quite an array of celebrations yesterday for the 40th celebration of Earth Day! Here's some photos, links & a video for your re-cap pleasure: Philadelphia Streets Department debuted 10 Mural recycling trucks like this one, with lots of abstract Philly scenery: This truck definitely looks like Spring & will hopefully motivate citizens to get Philly clean: This truck reminds me of Fall:

Philly's 3rd Annual Spring Cleanup had its biggest cleanup ever thanks to greenies like you with its UnLitter Us Campaign! Over 11,000 volunteers worked at 231 official project sites to collect over 1.3 million lbs of trash, 140K lbs of recycling, 50 parks & recreation centers cleaned and 763 neighborhood blocks cleaned! Incredible numbers, Philly! But how can you keep it up for this Earth week (and always...) Here's some suggestions:

Recently, Chevrolet visited West Philadelphia High School's Academy of Automotive & Mechanical Engineering to show students their new electronic vehicle, the Chevy Volt. We were able to catch up with Mel Fox, an Engineer for General Motors and Carolyn Markey from GM Communications to hear about the visit and Chevy's cleaner auto-alternatives (for those of us who HAVE to drive). Enjoy! Green Philly Blog: How did you get involved with this project? (I see you're a fellow Penn State Grad - any inspiration or experienced gained from our alma mater?) Mel Fox, Engineer for General Motors: I was a part of Penn State’s “ChallengeX” team in grad school. ChallengeX was a hybrid vehicle 4-year competition funded by General Motors & the US DOE. I was recruited to work on the Volt when I was at the GM Proving Grounds During the Year 3 competition in June 2007. I obviously gained a ton of experience while on the ChallengeX team, not to mention that it was invaluable and much more “real world” than I could have comprehended. Half of my graduate research focused on alternative fuel combustion in spark-ignited engines, so that certainly helped me to learn about the fuel/engine/emissions side of the world. Now that I am working on diesel combustion development at GM, I am learning how to apply my fundamental research-type knowledge here to future products. I have a Penn State flag in my cube, proudly displayed for all to see! (Julie/Editors note: Me too!) As it turns out, several of the combustion gurus here at GM are also from Penn State. GPB: Would the Volt be more ideal for city-dwellers or suburbanites?

Happy Earth month! Philly's packed with eco-friendly events for Earth Week! (For a complete listing, feel free to check out our new Philly Events Calendar page! Here are some highlights of upcoming events to visit:

Calculate your neighborhood's "Walk Score" here and see how walk-able your area is. This website will pull up a nifty list of

Moore College of Art & Design continues to set a green example in the college community. Furthering their commitment to be more eco-friendly, they've replaced the majority of paper products in student dining halls with plates made from tempered glass, reusable plastic cups and silverware. (The glassware is more environmentally friendly than chinaware because it is more durable and can be recycled if damaged or flawed in the production process.) This recyclable dishware movement came about in part from an Environmental Task Force at the College comprised of students, staff and faculty, promoting responsible eco-friendly practices at the College through educational programs and sustainable building initiatives. Since 2007, Moore has implemented other eco-friendly measures, including: