Finding the Root Cause of Litter in Philadelphia

A great post by Green Blog Philly, which ties in perfectly with Earth Week. Here's to a cleaner and greener Philadelphia: http://www.greenphillyblog.com/philly-represent/why-is-philly-so-dirty/

TREAT YO SELF: A Love Letter to Philly Parks & Rec

Dear Philly Parks and Rec,

It's been a while. Too long, really. We're ready for the snow to melt so we can get a good look at that great grass of yours. But enough about us.... let's talk about you.

This is a love letter to you and your beautiful parks, and the road rage you help us get away from. From Kelly Drive to Wissahickon to Pennypack, you make us look better, and help us stay in shape (which makes up for our pretzel, water ice and cheesesteak issues).  You ease our pain, you calm our nerves, and you  help us keep our cool. We don't even feel Philthy anymore. At over 150 years old, you're an inspiration- we don't know how you do it! I mean, over 200 parks?! Girl, you cray cray.

So, it is with great respect and admiration that we say, Parks and Rec: TREAT YO SELF!!!!

Since you already have so many clothes, fragrances, massages, mimosas and fine leather goods, we were thinking that this year (Treat Yo Self 2014), maybe you would want to splurge and get yourself some recycling containers.

We know, it seems so overindulgent! But just think about it. You could save tons on disposal costs by separating out your recyclables, follow the city's recycling ordinance and even set an example for the millions of people that see you each year! Your girls over at the Streets Department have been doing it and have honestly never looked better! They know that cleaner areas mean safer areas, which we suspected all along.
We get that money's tight (isn't it always?!), but this will actually lower the city's disposal costs and free up some cold hard cash so that the Philadelphia School District can treat itself to more teachers.

Anyway, we love you, we love your Organic Recycling Center and just want to emphasize that we'll probably put a ring on it no matter what. But we can't help but think that you deserve this, and we do too.

Treecycling : Give Your Christmas Tree New Life!

Excellent article on treecycling today in the Philadelphia Inquirer... instead of ending up in a landfill in the new year, your Christmas tree can be mulched and reused at a local dog park! The suggested donation at each location is $5. 

Saturday, January 4th, 2014

Kensington/Fishtown: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Palmer Dog Depot, East Palmer Street.

Northern Liberties: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Liberty Lands Park, North American Street.

West Philadelphia: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Clark Park, Baltimore Avenue.

West Center City: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Markward Recreation Center, 400 S. Taney St.

South Philadelphia: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m; 13th and Reed Streets. (Greenlimbs.com also is organizing sites: 9 a.m. to noon, Weccacoe Playground, Catharine Street, collection only; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Whole Foods Market, 10th and South Streets.)

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

Logan Square: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; parking lot at 22d and Winter Streets.

Fairmount/Art Museum: 1 to 4 p.m.; 22d and Brown Streets.

Chestnut Hill: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Norwood- Fontbonne Academy, 8891 Germantown Ave.

Mount Airy: 1 to 4 p.m.; Gabbie's Community Garden, Chew Avenue off Mount Pleasant Avenue.

East Falls: noon to 4 p.m.; Ridge Avenue and Scotts Lane.

City Drop-off Program

From January 6th  to January 18th, Philadelphia residents may drop off their undecorated trees at the Streets Department's Sanitation Convenience Centers at 3033 S. 63d St.; Domino Lane at Umbria Street; and State Road at Ashburner Street. The centers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Spending Thoughtfully in 2014

When I'm in a rush at work, and on a deadline, I sometimes forget to eat lunch. If you're hungry and stressed, it's difficult to make good decisions about what you'd like to eat... hell, if you give me long enough, a donut and chocolate milk can seem like a well-balanced meal. Science backs up this claim, as researchers have found that hungry shoppers buy food with a higher caloric content than those who haven't fasted. So last Tuesday, after forgetting (yet again) to pack my lunch, and then heading down to 30th Street Station to grab something to eat quickly, I ended up eating a bagel from Dunkin Donuts instead of something that was more balanced.

It wasn't the worst nutritional decision that I've ever made, so I wasn't feeling terrible about it until I recalled a line from an article I had read earlier in the week. It was a great quote by Anna Lappe: "Every time you spend money you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." I started thinking about the purchases I had made recently; gifts for the holidays, groceries, household items, and realized that a lot of the votes I was casting weren't making the world a better place. In fact, they were supporting some practices with which  I vehemently disagree. The bagel that I was eating was boosting sales for a corporation that still chooses to use polystyrene cups, has no visible recycling program and actively markets "K cups" which generate literally tons of additional waste each year. It was just a hunch, but I figured that I also probably wouldn't have agreed with the farming techniques used for the flour, the other ingredients used, and other destructive practices caused by massive franchising.

I'm not expecting that I'll be able to completely overhaul my life overnight and pack a very thoughtfully chosen local lunch every day of the week, but at the very least, I can choose to spend my money in a more conscious manner. By supporting locally-owned businesses, I'm ensuring that my money is in the hands of businesses that are trying to make life better for their consumers AND the community. Great examples in the Philadelphia area include Metropolitan Bakery, Barbuzzo, the vendors at Reading Terminal Market, and even some of the area food trucks (my personal favorites being Lucky Old Souls and Schmear It). The point is, that even if you're not the biggest spender, you can have a considerable impact by choosing the type of businesses that you support. Even though I only focused on food in this post, there are countless ways for you to "cast a vote" for the kind of world you want to live in, from the organization that you work for to the clothing that you purchase to the vehicles that you drive. So I urge you to ask yourself...  how can I spend more thoughtfully in 2014?

My Most Recent Act of Kindness

One of the organizations that I volunteer with is called The Monster Milers, (formed and run by the wonderful owners of The Monster Minders) and we run with shelter dogs so that they can have regular exercise, lower their stress levels, and get adopted more quickly! The Milers operate at 3 different locations- PAWS Grays Ferry, PAWS Old City, and STAR on 2nd Street. As a result, many high energy dogs in the Philadelphia shelters have been adopted by runners, and they both have found a perfect fit.

Personally, I volunteer at one of the PAWS locations, and despite being a long distance runner for over ten years, I have found that being a Miler has tremendously improved my running. The dogs help you keep a faster pace than you would on your own, and they're often far more reliable than my friends are about getting together to work out! Since I often spend time at the shelter with the dogs, we occasionally foster for the shelter when it's a good match for our monsters (Ellie the cat and Izzy the dog).

One of the foster puppies!

Following a recent run, the volunteer coordinator suggested that I check out the cute puppies that they had just rescued, and mentioned that they might be an easy foster. PAWS is a no-kill shelter, but it pulls directly from a high-intake city shelter that does euthanize, so fosters are essential to the organization and create space to save more lives. Puppies are great because they are adopted pretty quickly, don't take up too much space (an essential for apartment living), sleep most of the day, and are just so stinking cute. So I took a peek at the three pups- three sisters, all brindle mastiff mixes- and said that I'd talk to my boyfriend about it.

We came in to pick them up on Sunday afternoon, and they've been at our house since! I'd forgotten how funny puppies are- one of them jumps up and down in excitement over just about anything, and another one tries to play tug of war with your socks in the morning. We've gotten a tremendous amount of interest in them from friends and co-workers, so I have no doubt that they'll be adopted as soon as they have all their shots and are spayed. Until then, we're giving them lots of large breed puppy chow, socialization and love.

If you're considering adding a pet to your family, I urge you to consider adopting from a shelter (like ACCT Philly, PAWS or STAR) instead of buying from a breeder- even better, I encourage you to adopt an older animal. Chances are that they're already house-trained and much lower maintenance than a puppy or kitten would be!!! I chose not to take a picture of the mountains of laundry these puppies generate, but trust me, it's one thing that you wouldn't miss.

Hope you're having a great week!