Stories

Happy First Day of Summer!! What’s a better excuse to fire up the ol grill than the official start of summer? You don’t have to only cook burgers & dogs… Create healthy meals with seafood, veggie kebobs, homemade veggie patties...

I haven't been able to post much this week due to unforeseen circumstances on the homefront, but Paige Wolf graciously allowed me to guest post for her. Here's how placing a fee on plastic bags will help (and check out the rest of Paige's blog too!): From Philthadelphia to America's Greenest City.

The Streets Department once again held the Philly Spring Cleanup Day this past April. I must admit, I wasn't as enthused as I was last year. The sixth annual city-wide collaboration returned to our previous hosting site at 8th & Poplar, and we had a few hiccups along the way: a few less participants as last year, a technical glitch that missed our site at the pickup center, and a forgotten printed form. Our cleanup team worked from 9 to 2, picking up everything from used water bottles to sweeping cigarette butts in the masses. One of our volunteers, the lovely Jessica, even joked that the Hurricanes 40s must have been pretty good since there were so many bottles laying around the field... Find out the benefits of cleaning Up Philly (year-round), after the jump...

In honor of the US Open in Merion this week, here's a few quick tips to green your golf game:

Okay, okay so the "best ever" probably falls into the hyperbole category. But I'm telling you guys even if you loathe vegetables and would rather spend June enjoying warm weather favorites like tacos, italian ice and margaritas (I'm getting my fair share of those too!) this asparagus really is tasty enough to almost forget you're eating healthy. Need a few more reasons to try it? 1. It's asparagus season in Pennsylvania and the tri-state region. 2. This recipe is so simple! It's almost embarrassing that I'm calling it a recipe. 3. It contains cheese (sort of ). Read on for the recipe!

As the owner of Chewy’s, one of our top seven green food trucks, Charlie Sokowski's love for food fuels his ambitions. This past weekend, Chewy’s competed with other finalists at the 2013 Vendy Awards in Penn Treaty Park for a chance to be crowned the best food truck in Philly. Sokowski and his staff handed out samples of delicious Carolina pulled-pork sandwiches and maple syrup-covered fried chicken to lucky patrons. Find out more about Chewy's sustainable efforts after the jump!

OK, so we can't come in first every time. The Trust for Public Land came out with the ParkScore list, ranking Philadelphia #14 out of the major US cities (top 50). Find out how does ParkScore works and how Philly measures up, after the jump!

Staying up to date on sustainability can be a job within itself. But understanding the logic behind the ‘green’ arguments? It can be overwhelming. Summertime means lots of time on planes, trains and carpooling automobiles... or lazy hours in the cabin or beach chair... which is the perfect time to nestle up with some green reads. Here are 6 of my favorite green books:

Have you "Done the Math" recently on the carbon counts on our atmosphere? It's passed a milestone - and not a good one at 400 parts per million. This guest post comes from Clean Air Council's Federal Advocacy Coordinator, Russell Zerbo.   30 people came out to LOVE Park and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 headquarters on Thursday to listen to speakers and meet with the Public Affairs Director. Why? To demand that EPA finalize standards on carbon pollution to protect public health and curb climate change. Shipley High School students, Clean Air Council and Sierra Club members and other concerned Philadelphians, set up umbrellas and beach chairs on a swatch of grass in LOVE park to draw attention to the damage done to the Jersey Shore from Superstorm Sandy. The damage has been exacerbated by rising global temperatures, sea levels and carbon dioxide emissions. Last year, the U.S. experienced 11 extreme weather events that cost more than $1 billion each in losses and resulted in 349 deaths. The largest global disasters of 2012 were Hurricane Sandy (costing $65 billion) and the year-long Midwest drought ($35 billion). These events accounted for nearly half of the world's economic losses. Find out about what is the Federal Carbon Dioxide Pollution Standard - and the current status - after the jump.