Stories

Although there's many passionate workers out there, companies aren't always in line with environmental goals. Mark Tercek, President & CEO of the Nature Conservancy is coming to the Free Library tomorrow to discuss his book Nature's Fortune: How Business & Society Thrive by Investing in Nature. One of the chapters highlights Philadelphia as the poster child of "Green Infrastructure", and how the city's Green Cities Clean Waters storm water management is using natural systems instead of engineered 'grey' solutions. Catch Mark at the Free Library of Philadelphia tomorrow (May 22) at noon it's a free event that doesn't require tickets. Want to enter to win a FREE copy of Nature's Fortune? Leave a comment below (and make sure to like us on Facebook) and you'll be entered to win! Contest ends EOD Friday 5/24. We chatted with author Mark Tercek about Nature's Fortune, "grey-green" companies and when the environment struck a chord with him. (Read the Q&A and enter to win a FREE copy of his book, after the jump!)

Composting.  We all hear about how great it is and that we should do it. But what is compost exactly and what are the benefits that make it worthwhile? Composting 101 Composting is organic matter that has been decomposed and can be used as fertilizer. Many gardeners are beginning to use it, but why? Here are five benefits of composting:

Have you made the switch to clean energy yet? It’s an easy solution to buy local and renewable energy: with Choose PA Wind. In Pennsylvania, we basically have two options of powering our homes. The first is natural gas, which is extracted through hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Supposed job growth or not, the side effects of fracking  in PA are plentiful enough to steer away.  Plus, those ‘secret’ fracking chemicals are toxic and scary enough to steer us away. The other option is a sustainable option: renewable energy, typically wind and/or solar. Pennsylvania has 24 (Find out more about this renewable energy option, after the jump!)

Don't leave your helmets at home! Tomorrow is the annual National Bike to Work Day - which is also a favorite in Philly. The League of American Bicyclists started Bike to Work Day in 1956 in hopes of showing the power of the bicycle. Riding bicycles is a healthy alternative mode of transportation and can save some gas money - and you know prices at the pump aren't getting any cheaper. Join Mayor Nutter in his 6th year and other public officials as a participant of this widely celebrated day of exercise. Here's a preview of the morning schedule for Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17:

Looking for something to do tonight? Night Market Philadelphia hits Fairmount Avenue between 19th and 22nd Street from 6 to 10 p.m. for a night of food, music, and art to kick off The Food Trust’s 2013 festival season. The Food Trust is dedicated to (Find out more, after the jump)

Ya’ll will be seeing some new faces around here…. We have exciting news! Green Philly Blog has a couple of temporary interns diving deep in our Wordpress and bringing you more great content. Here’s a little info about the folks you’ll see popping up on your feed:

Looking to get some volunteer hours in this summer? Want to meet locavore lovers and those who love to eat?  Farm to City has a volunteer opportunity we are sharing below: Farm to City is looking for energetic and passionate volunteers to staff an information table at our biggest market, the Saturday Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market. Volunteers will provide information and resources on vendors, community activities, and Farm to City programs including:

Who loovveeesss your Philly parks? We're in the midst of the 2nd annual Love Your Park Week, designed by the Fairmount Park Conservancy & Philadelphia Parks & Rec to celebrate our city's diverse parks. From May 11 - 18, Philadelphia hosts service projects, events, education programs, family activities & more. Festivities kicked off on Saturday with the Love Your Park Service Day, where hundreds of residents volunteered in their neighborhoods. With over 70 events, there's something for music lovers, art lovers, nature lovers, yogis and more. (I personally love a good ol' glass of wine & several plates of cheese in front of me in Philly parks, which I plan on doing again sooon enough...) How can you Clean, Green & Celebrate Philly Parks? Find out, after the jump!

Where Does Our Food Come From, Really? Do you ever grab a (reusable) cup of Starbucks  and wonder about the lives of the farmers who harvested the coffee beans that make your caffeine fix possible? Have you ever taken a bite of a banana and pondered a typical Costa Rican banana farmers day to day work that allows Americans to enjoy this oh so versatile fruit? It's okay if the answer is no. In Kelsey Timmerman's latest book  Where Am I Eating: An Adventure Through the Global Food Economy he addresses these issues and more. We talk a lot about organic food, the local food movement, avoiding GMOs and farm to table dining these days. I often feel optimistic that our country is making strides towards an environment in which we can identify where what's on our plates came from. But the reality is America imports twice as much food now then it did ten years ago. Kelsey Timmerman calls himself a curious person who began to wonder about where the food he ate to fuel his life came from.