Stories

A few weeks ago, I went to Bonnaroo for the first time. Between the music, people, and positive energy, there was a lot to love. But one of the things I loved most about Bonnaroo wasn’t any of that – it was the efforts they made to lessen their environmental impact. Bonnaroo sets the standard for green music festivals across the world. This year, they won the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the governor of Tennessee, which recognizes previous Environmental Stewardship award winners who continue to demonstrate environmentally friendly practices. There are many ways Bonnaroo maintains its environmentally friendly reputation. Here’s what they do:

If you follow our Twitter page, you may have seen me praise the newest, bad-ass cafe around. Breezy's Cafe is a local treat located right in Point Breeze. Whether you're in the mood for a vegan, veggie or carnivorous treat, Breezy's Cafe offers a daily variety of sandwiches, salads & sides. Find out more about this Point Breeze's gem, from the background to delicious offerings!

GPB reader Aaron C. asks "Why is farm raised fish bad? I see so much of it at the market. " Good Q,  Aaron. Here's the deal... When most people think of fish they think "healthy." And, yeah fish is an excellent source of lean protein and packed with nutritious omega 3 fatty acids.But depending on where and how your fish is sourced you might be getting a dose of some not-so healthy stuff as well. It's not always easy to break down the labels. The term farm raised actually sounds appealing - perhaps it evokes images of Americana agriculture - until you find out what it really means. What does farm raised mean? Farm raised fish is commercially brought up in tanks, net pens, or other enclosures.

Today is the day: Get out that extra change (if you didn't hoard tokens last week...) SEPTA fares increase. SEPTA has routine fare increases to raise revenue - their 2014 operating budget is $38 million short of the $1.3 billion. Hey, when you're the #1 large transit system in the country, you have to keep up your eco-friendly programs, large fleet & awesomeness somehow. Find out the new SEPTA fares & other changes, after the jump:

Whether you have a kick-ass CSA this year or are frequenting the Philly Farmers Markets, it's the time right now where leafy greens are a predominate portion of your foods. And if you're receiving CSA shares with loads of lettuce, you'll learn REAL quickly if you can preserve them or not. Considering this is my second go at a CSA and I still hadn't mastered the skills, it was important for me to figure it out. Here's 2 methods that will help preserve your leafy greens like lettuce, swiss chard, kale and more:

Sometimes it's the times when your plans fall through that lead to the ultimate serendipitous moments. Like when I ended up on a farm stay with cows, horses, goats and cats at Flint Hill Farms overnight. I’ll back it up… We wanted to be creative and find something to do outside of Philly that was besides the ‘norm’ of the shore, DC or NYC. Googling a variety of options for a B&B, there it was: Farm Stay. “Wait, wait. Like we can stay on a farm? Like overnight?” You can clearly guess who was immediately sold on the idea. I have no idea how I never thought to consider this possibility myself... How does a Farm Stay Work? And more info (and GOAT PICTURES), after the jump!

But in the late 1950s, the National Weather Service began measuring the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, with the worry that rising levels might someday disrupt the fragile balance that makes our planet so hospitable.  And what they’ve found, year after year, is that the levels of carbon pollution in our atmosphere have increased dramatically. That science, accumulated and reviewed over decades, tells us that our planet is changing in ways that will have profound impacts on all of humankind. - President Barack Obama, 6/25/13 President Obama gave a speech on Climate Change yesterday at Georgetown University. Here's the full transcript on the Wall Street Journal. Guest blogger Russell Zerbo of the Clean Air Council shares his remarks on the speech and the impact on our nation.

Greenworks Philadelphia 2013 progress report, which marks our progress against the ambitious Greenworks plan, has been officially released to the public. The 4th annual Greenworks progress report boasts that work on 95% of the original 166 initiatives is underway or complete. Greenwork's goal is to complete the initiatives by 2015, in order to infamously become America's Greenest City. 43 initiatives were completed as of 2013. Find out more about the Greenworks 2013 progress report, after the jump:

This week New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new mission to require food composting made headlines. The plan to begin collecting food scraps across the city has been called ambitious by some, though other cities like Seattle and San Francisco have had success with food compost programs. The intention of the proposed program is to decrease residential food waste.  Initially the program will be voluntary but Bloomberg's administration is hopeful that within a few years it'll become mandatory. Sanitation officials said more than 5 percent of households in the city would be on board voluntarily by next year, and more than 600 schools will take part as well.