Rachael Kennedy recently completed her Low Car Diet with Zipcar, just like I did last year! We had a chance to ask her a few questions about her experience. She’s a recent Temple University graduate who moved to Philly last August. Just as she was going on her second year as a city-dweller and sick of the parking scene, she heard about Zipcar. The Low Car Diet seemed like a perfect trial period to go car-less.
Now, for the questions:
Green Philly Blog: How does it feel to be car-free?
Whether you’re hosting a barbecue, enjoying a picnic in the park, or hitting up the beach one last time during this Labor Day weekend keep in mind these simple tips :
- Reduce your carbon footprint and use public transportation or carpool with friends and family to your destination.
- Use the final celebration weekend of summer to enjoy locally grown produce like (get more info, after the jump!)
GPB reader, Jack asks…
Q: I see the term “fair trade” on products. I know this is a good thing but what does fair trade really mean?
A: The term fair trade refers to the movement that helps farmers or producers experience better trading conditions. Essentially, the approach focuses on exports coming from developing countries to developed countries and emphasizes paying the producers more (and more fairly.) Read on!
When you’re a voracious reader it’s easy to accumulate a slews of novels, periodicals and the occasional magazine. Reading is my go to relaxation method. Despite using the public library whenever I can I’ve accrued my fair share of books over the years. ( I reread and lend them to friends for maximum reuse.)
While I’m here getting things off my chest – a few months back I noticed I had magazines piling up as well. My rule was: I’ll only buy magazines when I travel. Then I started traveling more frequently , and before I knew it my already crammed bookshelves were filled with magazines… that I’d eventually recycle. Still, I felt guilty contributing to paper consumption.
What’s a reader to do?
A highlight of my week is picking up produce from my CSA share. I consider it a culinary challenge to base my meals around what’s in the box each week. Furthermore, I love that the produce doesn’t have to travel far to make its way to my table.
But, when Fall rolls around I recognize that there is perhaps a more eco-friendly way to get my fruit – pick it.
Typically, we see lots of new companies giving momentum to the green movement – which is why when Philly’s oldest pub goes green, it’s even cooler. 150-year old McGillin’s Olde Ale House (13th & Drury) recently chose to switch from traditional light bulbs to energy-
efficient LED lighting to both reduce their carbon footprint & energy costs.
McGillin’s has already started their switch to completely LED lighting that lasts up to 50 x’s longer than their current lighting (90% less energy than traditional bulbs), saving the pub’s electricity costs by more than 25%. Besides reducing fossil fuels, McGillin’s efforts to go green include strict recycling practices and focusing on local draft beers instead of choices bottled and shipped long distances.
Chris Mullins, co-owner of McGillin’s says,
The Skinny Bitch herself came to Philly to talk about the “V” word. 
Kim Barnouin, author of Skinny Bitch, discussed Veganism and her popular best-seller last evening at the Free Library of Philadelphia. She brought up some interesting topics including: the often controversial tone of Skinny Bitch (She & co-author Rory talk like that in ‘real life’. Plus, America’s in a food crisis: we need “Tough Love”, not babying); the increased awareness of Veganism (the book came out 4 years ago and we’re now seeing veganism popularized by Kind Diet and more); organic foods and protein to name a few.
Kim also brought up the environmental impact of animal-based food. The carbon footprint is huge:
Eco-friendly products have flooded the market – which is great to see! Unfortunately, you have to be aware of possible impostors – some supposedly green products have a more damaging carbon footprint than a simpler, non-green branded product. How can you tell if a product is really green or if it’s just marketing?
This Sincerely Sustainable blog post shows the ANDREA air filter as a green imposter. While the intentions of ANDREA are good – transforming plants into air cleaners – there’s a huge carbon footprint from creating this gadget (between sourcing, transportation and creating the manufacture and sale).
A better alternative than ANDREA? Mother nature’s “houseplant” – A novel concept, and it costs about $197 less than the $200 price tag.
Other ‘green’ marketing scams & questionable companies include:
