Welcome!

Welcome to Philly Green Girl blog!

“Welcome to the Good Green Life! Let’s go on a living’ spree they say the best things in life are free…”-Mr. West

It Feel Like Philly…

Welcome to “The Student Voice of Temple’s Office of Sustainability” ’s blog!

I am a student at Temple University and I’ve decided to keep a blog about my journey through life trying to live sustainably as a student in the 6^th largest city in the U.S. I am new to the green life, but I am hoping to easily transition. Some things that I am learning are that I have actually been practicing sustainability my whole life without knowing it. Perhaps, my entries and stories will be heard by other students at Temple or anyone else for that matter with a taste for green.

Vroom! Vroom!

Currently winning the race towards the best electric car of the market for 2011 by TreeHugger.com, the Chevy Volt has some interesting new perks in the realm of electric cars.

“Put simply, electricity is a cleaner source of power,” sources from http://www.chevrolet.com/volt/ state, “and as technology improves in the generation of electricity, we will continue to see reduced carbon outputs.”

With new innovations in improving the United States’ hunger for oil, electric cars are becoming both affordable and a great choice when buying a new car this season. Adding to its sporty look is the car’s aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of the car are what allow the car to be efficient for driving. The Chevy Volt requires only $1.50 of electricity a day, which is 10 hours for a full charge. This means that one can make a gas-free trip to the grocery store! The Volt also has an emissions-free tailpipe and installed with an energy-efficient Bose sound system. It has two LCD screens that read speed, battery power, and your re-charge range. Not too shabby for around $32,000.  The Volt’s competition as of today is the Nissan LEAF, the Tesla Roadster, and the Mitsubishi i MiEV.

Other fascinating specs:

- 0-60 in about 8 seconds

- top speed 100 mph

- battery is 5.5ft, 380 lbs. and is located in the center of the car

- lithium-ion battery is the same battery found in cell phones and laptops

- average of 35 mph of purely electric range

Philth-adelphia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRF2BjgBDig

If you watch this classic vintage video of the first “Earth Week” in Philadelphia, it is rather depressing. I find it almost tragic the imagery of pollution clouding off of the giant power plants, oil refineries, incinerators, chemical plants, coke ovens, and smeltering operations. Not to mention the yucky brown river waters filled with grunge and trash. Ironically and sadly enough, the announcer of this video states, “It’s pretty much what you would expect to find in any major American city.” He further goes on to list all of the pollutants, which as he reads, feels like an eternity.

“Hundreds & Hundreds of…”

- Soot

- Smoke

- Fly-ash

- Dust

- Sulfur Dioxide

- Hydro-carbons

- Metal Fumes

-Organic Matter

Luckily,  more and more Americans  are trying to be Eco-conscious everyday. Departments such as Temple’s Office of Sustainability are making huge efforts to save this planet one city college campus at a time. It is a pity that I agree- Philadelphia is a filthy place. There are times when it makes me so disgusted and angry that I feel ashamed telling people that I do not want to continue living in Philly after school.  I strongly hope to change this mindset and eventually want to live here after college. So that is why I have taken Temple’s Sustainability Pledge> https://sites.google.com/a/temple.edu/temple-s-sustainability-pledge/

And try out these reducing tips:

http://www.temple.edu/sustainability/reduce.htm

G! Going Green in Hollywood

Being that it’s Earth Day soon and Spring this month, celebrities, and all of Hollywood are showing their green spirits. From eco-friendly couture to making new green vows in their homes a variety of these movie stars are setting a trend.

Check it out! —> http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/green/index.html

Heidi Klum recently voiced at the 2011 Kids Choice Awards that her family is making an effort to not waste saying, “I think you have to start small in order to make a difference.”

Another find is the newest trend in buying the fuel efficient Toyota Prius. On the green G-list is Leonardo DiCaprio, Miley Cyrus, and Ryan Gosling among others.

GDUSA

GDUSA: Graphic Design USA is a nationwide graphic design magazine that recently has taken on a green initiative. Their green newsletter just came out for the month of April. You can subscribe for free to receive this magazine by going to their website too! <http://www.gdusa.com/>

Some of this month’s green news:

- Better World Campaign: http://www.nikebetterworld.com/

- Earth Day AD Alert: http://www.bbb.org/us/article/marketing-greenfor-earth-day-what-ftcs-green-guides-mean-foryour-business-26129

- A-Peeling Bottle: http://www.pepsico.com/PressRelease/PepsiCo-Develops-Worlds-First-100-Percent-Plant-Based-Renewably-Sourced-PET-Bott03152011.html

- Take Consumers On A Journey: http://www.ecofashion-week.com/

- Sustainability Site: http://www.derek-senseandsustainability.blogspot.com/

Green Fiend!

There has been an amazing burst of green airing on television. Just this past week, I saw over ten commercials all supporting the green trend. But the most interesting examples are when I notice them where I least expect, such as one of my favorite shows– America’s Next Top Model. Last week’s episode (episode 11, cycle 16) the models were taken to a landfill and photographed wearing eco-friendly couture outfits by designer Michael Cinco.

Not to mention, on episode 11, season 3 of MTV’s Rob & Big, Big decides that his car is guzzling way too much gas and it’s time to go green. He and Rob invest $3,000 to turn their car into a green machine! Here is the Pinto, which now runs on vegetable oil and food grease…Rob agrees this was an excellent decision as his car now smells like French fries.

Neato! People are really starting to catch on to the green trend especially taking initiative with limiting plastic water bottles.

It’s called Boxed Water and it’s the newest trend in combining recyclable materials and contained water. The packaging is made of 90% recycled material and currently is sold in California, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Twenty percent of the company’s profits also go towards clean water and sustainable forestation initiatives.

Philly Phlyer 2011

This past Sunday, March 20th 2011 was the annual Philly Phlyer 2011: Collegiate and USAC Race Weekend at our very own Temple University. The event was presented by Drexel, Penn and Temple Cycling, Philadelphia, PA and was held from Saturday, March 19, 2011 to Sunday, March 20, 2011.

 

From Temple U Congratulations to these riders who placed in the race:

1. S. Charles Zamastil placed 18th and 20th Men’s A

2. Lindsey Knast placed 3rd in Women’s C

3. Adriane Hairston placed 9th and 14th in Women’s C

4. Sean Butler placed 34th in Men’s C1

5. Eric Mayer placed 38th in Men’s C1

6. Cody Slack placed 42nd in Men’s D

7. Joseph DiBerardinis placed 34th in Men’s D1 and 35th in Men’s D

8. Ross Creed placed 21st in Men’s D1 and 36th in Men’s D

9.Jozef Jozefowski placed 18th in Men’s D1

10. Ryan Exner placed 38th in Men’s D1

11. Steven George placed 4th in Men’s Intro.

12. Jacob Colon placed 24th in Men’s Intro.

Website’s Full Results:

http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2011/03/19-ECCC-Week3-Philly-Phlyer.asp

 

 

 

Hot guy, Cool shoes, Environmentally Friendly???

Must watch video clip:

http://earthkeepers.timberland.com/

or if that doesn’t work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QyLtDlgxRc

Here is another awesome video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrKdUCzZNEs

This website is the shizzz. If you’re interested in designing for websites, this site is just all around fabulous! But more importantly, I saw that Timberlands’ new make of shoes are called “Earthkeepers” and if the video isn’t already crazy enough, each pair of these shoes are made out of, “a bottle and a half” of recycled plastic bottles!!!

The shoe itself has green specs:

• 50% recycled PET linings provide comfort and climate control
• 100% recycled PET laces
• 42% recycled Green Rubber™ outsole

(and Timberland also has a “Green Index” for its products that scopes out the overall environmental impact, chemical usage, and resource consumption of the product – which is awesome for a shoe company.)

I am making my boyfriend buy them this weekend I don’t care if they cost $150 haha

Official Timberland’s site:

http://www.timberland.com/