Litter

Litter is causing an uproar on the Philly internets. We addressed the causes, frustrations and potential solutions for Philadelphia's litter in our blog post last week, Why is Philly so Dirty? The Litter Epidemic. Insightful reader comments sparked conversation about citizen attitude, neighborhoods with paid personnel  and plastic pollution. On April 24th, Jared Shelly, Digital Producer of Philadelphia Business Journal shared a Twitter explosion after he asked Mayor Nutter about the city's plan for litter on the streets. Mayor Michael Nutter originially responded

Let’s face it: our city has a notorious reputation for being dirty. Don’t believe me? Walk the streets of London for a few hours or ride the metro in DC. Return to Philly and compare. But when people talk about Philly being dirty, they’re often referring to our litter problem. Yet litter is such a large, debated topic. How do we combat litter? Do we concentrate efforts on educating people or cleanup efforts after the fact? Neighborhoods with litter tend to have higher crime rates, lower property values and less pride in the neighborhood. In order to get a more insight on Philly’s litter, I asked the City of Philadelphia, a few friends and associates about their experiences with trash in the city. Find out more about our city's litter epidemic, after the jump.

The 7th annual Philly Spring Cleanup Day was on Saturday, April 5th. Over 14,000 volunteers helped pick up 970,900 lbs of trash and 29,940 lbs of recycled materials. Pretty awesome, right Philly? GPB has been hosting a park cleanup at the 8th & Poplar fields for the past 3 years, when anywhere from 7-25 volunteers arrive to pick up trash, dispose of empty 40's, and ultimately better our community. While the volunteers that show up are great, I've noticed the majority of faces helping out are community groups, sustainability professionals and personal friends. Read on for my observations, after the jump!

America Recycles Day is today. Woo, recycling. Recycling is something that was emphasized to me since I was a wee little lady. Let me state for the record: I recycle every product I can and keep waste out of the landfills. But is recognizing America Recycles Day really a celebration and motivator to Americans? Does it further the green 'exhaust' problem? Or is there a dark, greenwashing secret lurking behind that recycle symbol?

Yesterday's World Water Day helped bring awareness of how much water we use daily.  Here's what else went on in the green world this week:

Crazy Brits - How England Entices to Recycle: Could it work for Philly?

Yesterday the Philadelphia Streets Department announced the launch of UnLitter Us- a sustained initiative and movement to rid Philadelphia of litter and create clean, beautiful and safe blocks. “With UnLitter Us, we are addressing the problem of litter head-on,” said Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson. “Through the use of spoken word artists and comprehensive community programs, we aim to inspire pride and action in all Philadelphians to join the movement for a litter free city.” The spoken word artists perform original poems that express their frustration with litter and their dream of seeing it stopped. Their words are featured in UnLitter Us messages on TV, radio, web and public transit that debuted across the city March 29th. The Philadelphia Streets Department will work closely with community leaders to bring UnLitter Us to the ground level, showing Philadelphia residents how they can help tackle the city’s litter problem Planned programs include:

It was a gorgeous day for Philly's 3rd annual Greenfest '08. There was fun live music, great food and an impressive showing from local vendors & organizations. For those who couldn't make it out this year, here's a rundown on some highlights & things I learned: