Are D-I-Y Car Shares Possible? I’m Out to Prove It

I just finished a loose car share arrangement with my friend Jacques, the founder of this blog. We both live in West Mt Airy, and while he telecommuted by day, I used the car as needed, and then he had the car most nights and weekends. It was his car, so it was not a pure car share, and he recently passed it on to his son down in DC. So goodbye car sharing bliss, hello Septa and my sore two feet!

Leed is Just the Tip of the Melting Iceberg and Philadelphia Takes the Lead

Can you measure the good that a corporation does and certify it as a “B” company, one that buys its supplies locally, hires underprivileged workers from the community, or helps to improve local schools? This article in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer explains this new concept that attempts to develop a Leed-type certification that extends beyond sustainability to systemic corporate altruism:

Sustainabilty and Risk Management: Are we doomed to manage yesterday’s risks?

As a former risk management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, I really enjoyed this piece from Huffington Post. The author explains our tendency to normalize outlier events such as 9/11, swine flu, etc and ignore real risks like port security, long term health care and sustainability.

What can I do about all those idling cars and trucks??

Are you one of those people who go ballistic when you notice two Philadelphia police cruisers idling and parked just so that the two cops can chat from the convenience of their driver seat??

How about the multiple delivery trucks idling while their driver makes his/her delivery??

How about the two Fairmount Park Trucks nicely parked at the curve and idling while their drivers are catching up on the latest…

Yanks Plan Green Parade but Phils’ Win would have been Greener

According to a piece in NY1 news, the Yankees are going green with their victory parade:

Atlas Materials in Red Hook, Brooklyn is donating recycled confetti strips for the Yankees parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” in NY’s financial district.  They say parades these days are much more environmentally friendly than ticker-tapes of the past.

“What we’re doing here today is taking 1,200 pounds of shredded, recycled paper to be delivered to the buildings of Lower Manhattan to start the process of what kind of paper should be thrown from the windows tomorrow. It will all be cleaned up by the sanitation department and recycled yet again. So this is going to be a green parade,” said John Cioffi of Atlas Materials.

From the looks of this pic, lots of New Yorkers will be emptying their waste baskets as well.  Wonder if that stuff will be recycled too.  All in all, good news, but small consolation for Phils fans.   Next year, if the Phillies win, there would be no ticker tape parade in NY at all, just a good ol’ fashioned Philadelphia parade.  Now that would be the most environmentally friendly thing of all.  So, wait ’till next year!

Terracycle opens Retail store downtown Princeton.

PhillyEcoCity has covered the activities of West Trenton based Terracycle Inc.  several times, most recently in this post: Terracycle or How to Turn your Trash into Gold

Until now, Terracycle has been selling its products from kites made of Oreo cookie wrapping material to school bags made out of drink pouches and wall clocks made out of vinyl records  through major national retail chains such as Target and Wall Mart and more recently through its website.

350, Independence Mall and my 6-y.o. daughter

As we previewed earlier this week, today was International Climate Day of Action, including a synchronized global rally featuring photogenic human chains forming the number 350.   I was there. My daughter was there.  I brought my roommate too.  And it was rainy and miserable and inconvenient.

Introducing North Philadelphia urban kids to being in Nature

One of the most important thing we can do as a society is to support children in developing a wonderous, reverent, informed relationship with Nature.
Here is what a few dedicated educators are doing to introduce second graders from North Philadelphia to Nature.

San Francisco has implemented a compulsory Composting Law – What about Philadelphia??

Philadelphia has 2 composting firms – PhillyCompost and Bennett Compost and city wide composting efforts are still distant plans.

It’s now illegal to throw your food waste into the trash in San Francisco…what about Philadelphia??

October 24 2009, is the International day for Climate Action

Climate change is the biggest challenge facing our world. On Oct. 24 stand up with thousand of people around the world and speak out to limit carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million. If you’re in Philly, meet me at Independence Hall: http://www.350philly.org.

Curious about why 350 parts of carbon dioxide per million?
See http://www.350.org/about/science