Philadelphia Orchard Project Goes Permaculture

Have you ever considered how can we use ecological design to create more resilient communities and regenerative landscapes? Luckily for you, The Philadelphia Orchard Projects is offering an Intro to Permaculture Workshop. Led by POP Director Phil Forsyth, this introductory class will cover the ethics and principles of permaculture design and examine their applications for home, yard, and city.

WHERE: Bartram's Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd, Philadelphia 19143

WHEN: Saturday, March 23rd, 10:00am- 1pm

COST: $20 general public, $15 for POP partners

RSVP: Registration required at www.bartramsgarden.org/event/introduction-to-permaculture

The Return of GRID ALIVE!

Come out to this amazing local green variety show sponsored by Clean Currents. Meet the amazing folks behind Equal Dollars Community Currency Program (Bob Fishman and Deneene Brockington), talk preservation and sustainability with Hidden City Daily editors Nathaniel Popkin and Peter Woodall, pick up some free heirloom seeds from Philadelphia Seed Exchange (and bring your own, if you can!), and enjoy a very special performance by Sean Hoots (of Hoots and Hellmouth).

Thursday, March 7th | Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m.
Trinity Memorial Church,  22nd & Spruce Streets, Philadelphia PA
Local food and drink provided by Rolling Barrel Events  | Tickets $5

Think Outside The Bottle Needs YOU!

Plastic water bottles; they're sold everywhere you go in Philly, and they're marketed as an essential element of a healthy lifestyle. But think again. A 1-liter bottle uses over 6.74 gallons of water in its production / transportation (and that's just shipping it to the U.S.!), consumes 1 liter of fossil fuel and emits 1.2 lb. of greenhouse gases. Plus, they're a recycling nightmare; only about 13% of the 29 BILLION bottles we consume are recycled. Approximately 2 million tons of water bottles a year end up in U.S. landfills. They take centuries to biodegrade, and if they are incinerated, toxic byproducts, such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals, are released into the atmosphere.

Enter Think Outside The Bottle. Their campaign to get Independence National Historical Park to go bottled water free has really taken off and is growing every day. In the past 2 months, they've signed on almost 1000 people in support of the campaign, received the endorsement of more than 20 business, civic, and academic leaders, and met with staff at the Philadelphia Inquirer to discuss this growing movement.

Want to learn more? Want to get involved? Join them at their weekly core meeting from 5-6 pm at the Green Line Café , 4239 Baltimore Ave. This will be the perfect place to learn more about the campaign and how to get plugged into our wonderful community. RSVP at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Vip6hv5npvuleeEFVPSCd7VhySoQ28ugKRDWSAbC9AA/viewform?sid=3dcec5200e41a32f&token=2Qg5IT0BAAA.ZMoIrX76ekOSGsNZ2CpOyg.CFITOMJoU4tAqddoA-HbjQ

If you can't join them at their meetings but want to get involved, contact Caroline Wooten, Philadelphia Field Organizer, at caroline@greencorps.org or call 781.835.8185

Say Yes to Beer, No To Plastic Bags!

Sick of collecting plastic bags wherever  you go? Like FREE drinks after work? Who knew how much the two concepts had in common!

Julie Hancher of Green Philly Blog will be hosting the Plastic Bag Reduction Happy Hour next Tuesday, February 19th from 6:00-9:00 PM at The Field House  at 1150 Filbert Street in Center City, Philadelphia. Plastic bags are absolutely devastating for the environment; they don't biodegrade in oceans or in landfills, they're tied to species loss and animal starvation, they consume oil for production and are fiendishly difficult and non-profitable to recycle. Yet up to 1 trillion plastic bags are used globally every year. Help us make plastic bags a thing of the past!

Don't let Philly lag behind San Francisco and Portland; help show your support for this pending legislation. Here do the free drinks come in? Simple! Come out and sign the petition and/or form letter to your favorite City Council Member, and you get a FREE drink. Julie has reserved the refurbished section of The Field House for you, and food bar games are available!

RSVP on Facebook, or just show up! (RSVP not necessary but preferred.) Please email Julie or Beth at greenphillyblog@gmail.com  for questions.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOTTLE

Campaign to Make Independence National Historic Park Bottled-Water-Free

KICK-OFF MEETING

Date: Thursday, January 24
Location: Penn Environment Offices,1420 Walnut Street, Suite 650
Time: 8 pm-9 pm

Drinks afterwards at Good Dog Bar and Restaurant
Questions? Contact caroline@greencorps.org, 781 835 8185

Coke, Nestle, and Pepsi are using one national treasure (our parks) to profit from another (our water) by selling and promoting bottled water in our nation’s most beloved places. It’s time for our national parks to go bottled water free—eliminating the sale of bottled water and making public water available to all visitors. National parks can protect the environment and send a clear message: Water, like our parks, is not for sale, and deserves our long-term investment.

December 2012 - January 2013 Updates

UPDATE 1: GreenDrinks Mount Airy closed!

Peg from Earth + Bread Brewery has announced that the Mount Airy chapter has closed indefinitely due to low turnout. Past and current member are welcome to join the remaining chapters at their regularly scheduled locations. If anyone in the general Mount Airy / Germantown / Chestnut is interested in reviving this chapter, please contact greendrinks.delawarevalley@gmail.com and we'd be happy to assist you in the process.

UPDATE 2: GreenDrinks Center City Moved!
Judah Press of SaveSomeGreen and GD-Center City has moved his chapter location to Fado Irish Pub, 1500 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. His event is still scheduled on the 3rd Thursday each month. For more information, contact him at savesomegreen@clear.net and visit http://www.facebook.com/savesomegreen

State of Young Philly Goes Green!

Christina Arlt of DVRPC is coordinating a Sustainability Showcase for Young Involved Philadelphia, a non-profit that helps engage, connect, and represent young professionals in Philly. The event, State of Young Philly, will be focusing on a Do-It-Yourself Night that advocates for less consumption and wiser use (and reuse) of resources.
Christina is currently looking for local DIYers who would be interested in conducting demonstrations of their services that increase sustainability on the individual level . In the past, ideas and classes have included creating shampoo from household materials, planting an herb garden, small appliance maintenance, repurposing old clothing and more. The demonstrations are targeted to groups of 15-20 attendees at a time, and allows DIYers to network and showcase their products and services to a vibrant and informed audience. If you have a green skill or service to share (or would like to contribute in-kind donations) or for more information about the event and YIP, go to http://www.stateofyoungphilly.com/.