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…

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.

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

“More Ass, Less Gas” – Live from the Philly Naked Bike Ride

Riding your bicycle is a totally Freeing Experience:

You can feel the wind blowing in your ears,
You can actually smell flowering trees,
You can feel insects flying into your forehead,
You can park anywhere,
You can go where most cars would never dare going
No gas to pay, no parking tickets,
You are out there, living life more fully.

The Philly Naked Bike Ride added another dimension
to the freedom of riding your bike: NAKED BICYCLING

Cherry Hill Has a Vision for a Sustainable 2020: Can they do it?

Sustainable Cherry Hill  (SCH) has a vision for the year 2020.  In a remarkable 3 day visioning retreat,  100 community members — there by invitation only — hammered out a vision for what actions need to be taken to develop a sustainable community by the year 2020.

Narberth Greens Develops Turnkey Energy Challenge: Is your community ready to turn the key?

Avi Loren Fox of Narberth Greens

PhillyEcoCity recently spoke with Temple environmental studies major Avi Loren Fox, who is amassing quite a resume as an environmental change agent in Narberth and beyond.  Avi  founded Narberth Greens (NG) which recently won the nonprofit award from the Lower Merion Environmental Advisory Council for its efforts in encouraging sustainable practices, including recycling, town cleanups, and home-grown vegetable trading.

The Earth Day of Service: Wednesday April 22nd

Earth Day returns on Wednesday, April 22.  For its 39^th anniversary, a coalition of environmental nonprofits and service organizations representing thousands of members throughout the region is joining together to promote Earth Days of Service.   Ask your organization to join!

The events will be jointly promoted on the website of the Greater Philadelphia Environmental Network, www.gpen.org and on PhillyEcoCity.com.  Each event on the GPEN calendar will be linked to its sponsor organization’s web site, and participating organizations will be given a hot button to link to the group calendar.

Anytime during the month of April, participating nonprofits offer the community opportunities for environmental service: trash clean-ups, invasive vine removals, bird counts, stream monitorings, tree plantings, etc.  The possibilities are as endless as our organizations’ respective mission statements.

But there’s a twist!

How do you move your business when you are committed to a zero carbon footprint??

See how a West Philadelphia Baker who is committed to a zero carbon footprint, moved his business  from the basement of his house to a new location.

This video links two stories previously published on PhillyEcoCity on:
- Four World Bakery: the sustainable bakery

- The Pedal Coop

What if… What if Obama was not an enlightened progressive after all??

Despite massive public outcry, including over 20,000 emails from the
Organic Consumers Association, President-Elect Obama has chosen former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.

Green Bucks

Let’s see we are in the worse recession in … decades. Philadelphia City schools are chronically under-funded, the Philadelphia Free Library is planning to close 11 of its branches. Now is the time to think outside the box and launch alternative community funding mechanisms.