Articles Written by Julie Hancher

We've all made the purchase: whether it's shoes, purses or food. There are always those dreaded little silica packets that warn, Do Not Eat. Those silica packets aren't deadly, regardless of all those warnings. Instead, Silica gel is a desiccant, a substance that absorbs moisture that protects products through shipping and making it from the manufacturer to your home. Here's 10 ideas to reuse Silica Packets:

Are you a new parent still trying to sort through the cloth diapering dilemma? Are you a not-so-new parent but new to biking with your children? Are you simply bike-curious? The Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia is hosting a meetup for parents (new, long-time, or expecting) interested in bicycling with their kids. The workshop will address tips, equipment, helmet fitting, and other elements of biking with wee ones.   Find out more, after the jump!

Although I attended a "how to" terrarium workshop a few years ago, I needed a refresher course to create a succulent terrarium. I had collected a few plants from my trip to a local farm and wanted to display them in a beautiful setting instead of having the same ol’ plastic pots around my apartment. Here are the steps to make a succulent terrarium:

Looking to get outside this summer? Who doesn't love camping, hiking, beaching and water sports?! Outdoor Discovery Day is tomorrow,  Saturday, July 13 from 11 AM - 3 PM at Pleasant Hill Park. Plus, they have a ginormous "bootmobile" in tow, which is instagram-worthy alone. LL Bean is hosting the Outdoor Discovery Day as part of a summer-long effort to inspire families to spend more time outdoors and try a new outdoor activity. What does this day to L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Day include? Activities like:

Whether you're getting a weekly share of your veggies from a CSA, farmer's market or grocery store, it's easy to end up with a stack of those veggie cartons. So what can you do with all those extra cardboard & plastic boxes and cartons? It's a perfect question for... Where Can I Wednesday?

Curious about cloth diapering? Look no further than Cloth, the new hotspot on East Passyunk in Philadelphia. Did you know an estimated 18 billion diapers are thrown into landfills every year? They take 500 years to decompose, are expensive... and disposable. Plus, some diapers contain dangerous chemicals dioxins, VOCs and possibly carcinogens. Do you want your precious baby in that? Angela and Shai Halperin recognized that parents new to cloth diapers often must buy online. As two working parents, they had a lot of online successes (and failures) with cloth diapers. Plus, the closest store was 30-40 minutes outside of Center City Philadelphia. They recognized the need more and more for a Cloth Diaper store. Cloth was born. I stopped by Cloth to talk with Angela about more about the store. Find out more, after the jump!

If you follow our Twitter page, you may have seen me praise the newest, bad-ass cafe around. Breezy's Cafe is a local treat located right in Point Breeze. Whether you're in the mood for a vegan, veggie or carnivorous treat, Breezy's Cafe offers a daily variety of sandwiches, salads & sides. Find out more about this Point Breeze's gem, from the background to delicious offerings!

Today is the day: Get out that extra change (if you didn't hoard tokens last week...) SEPTA fares increase. SEPTA has routine fare increases to raise revenue - their 2014 operating budget is $38 million short of the $1.3 billion. Hey, when you're the #1 large transit system in the country, you have to keep up your eco-friendly programs, large fleet & awesomeness somehow. Find out the new SEPTA fares & other changes, after the jump:

Whether you have a kick-ass CSA this year or are frequenting the Philly Farmers Markets, it's the time right now where leafy greens are a predominate portion of your foods. And if you're receiving CSA shares with loads of lettuce, you'll learn REAL quickly if you can preserve them or not. Considering this is my second go at a CSA and I still hadn't mastered the skills, it was important for me to figure it out. Here's 2 methods that will help preserve your leafy greens like lettuce, swiss chard, kale and more: