Where the DRBC is with fracking right now.

A resident of Dimock, PA demonstrates what has happened to well water in the area. Credit: Re-ENERGIZE Buffalo

Natural gas companies are drilling throughout the Delaware River Watershed; the drilling process called "fracking" is contaminating our waterways, drinking water, ecosystems, and the communities near drilling sites with literally tons of highly toxic chemicals.

The Delaware River provides water to 5% of the United States--that’s 15 million people in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware--and there is currently no regulation of these gas companies' practices.

An in-depth study of the cumulative impacts of fracking needs to be conducted. However, in a set of draft rules the Delaware River Basin Commission has given these companies the greenlight to move ahead with drilling without regulation. Their rules do not address the impacts of fracking, set limits on gas development, or institute high enough standards to protect streams and communities. They rely heavily on flawed state regulations that are filled with exemptions and loopholes.

The mandate of the DRBC is to prevent degradation of the exceptional water quality of the Delaware River. The public has until March 16th to comment on the DRBC’s draft rules. However, there are only three events left for public hearings. We really need to show up in numbers to make it clear to the DRBC that we will not stand for environmental policies that do not protect us. See below for dates, times and locations.

You can also submit comments electronically.

Kids Experience Nature at Fair Hill Burial Ground

Karyn Gerred, former FWP contributor, sent this video my way last week. It's a moving portrait of an ecology class for kids who don't get much exposure to nature.

The Fair Hill Burial Ground is a 5-acre green space in the midst of urban Northeast Philly. Read more about this historic cemetery and how it went through a dramatic rehabilitation here. And check out more of Jean Warrington's video work at YouTube.

DIY Comes To PHL

Before the days of the Internet, when a director made the final cut of a film, it was out of his or her hands. The final version went on to a distribution company, and essentially, all that hard work became someone else's product.

But a new conference has arisen to put the power back into the hands of the artist. Developed by filmmaker Lance Weiler, the DIY Days conference series is meant to help not just directors, but musicians, gamers and artists gain more control over their content. More specifically, Weiler wants to teach this group of "Self-Identified Storytellers" how to monetize and distribute their content on the Internet.

DIY Days’ latest installment is going to be held this Saturday at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A host of Philly filmmakers, artists and innovators are going to be there, including Tom Quinn (The New Year Parade), Don Argott (Rock School, Two Days in April), Mark Schoneveld, Gretchen Clausing, and Indy Hall co-founder Geoff DiMasi. The conference, which opens for registration at 8:30 a.m., is completely free—but space is limited, so you’re better off registering online.

Big Green Earth Store Helps Cut Down on Plastic

Psyched. I finally have a minute to do some blog catch-up.

This pic is from a recent trip to the Big Green Earth Store on Market and 2nd in Old City.

Reasons to go:

- they collect plastic bottle caps for recycling

- you can refill any container you wish with orange-scented household soaps from King of Prussia-based Sun & Earth. That means no more detergent bottles!

PhillyCarShare Rules!

PhillyCarShare is a non-profit organization that launched in 2002 as a way to cut down on the amount of cars owned in the city of Philadelphia. The idea was simple: With less automobiles clogging the road, co2 emissions would be cut. And while this is a great idea on paper, it seems like in practice, it would be a much different beast.

Nope! Philly Car Share is the real deal. For a monthly fee of $15, you can get a car at $3.90 an hour or $39.00 a day. If one doesn't want to pay the monthly cost, you can still get a car, beginning at $4.90 an hour or $49.00 a day. While this may seem excessive, Enterprise will charge you $42.13 a day, Hertz is at $55.99, and Avis is at $79.00...for an SUV. Ouch. Also, more than half of PhillyCarShare's fleet are hybrids. While all the major car rental retailers do offer hybrids (at higher rates) and will do carbon offsets, it seems obvious which is the much better option.

Another great thing about PhillyCarShare is that they're very active in Philadelphia. While I could do without the deluge of people trying to get me to sign-up as I get off the train every morning, they do work hand in hand with SEPTA, offering a half-ride rebate if you rent a car from a pod located at various stations throughout the region. While this can only be done a few times a month, it's still a great incentive to support public transportation.

While there are still not many other car shares like PCS around the country, there is a helpful list on Wikipedia that can point you in the right direction. As someone who doesn't own a car, this is definitely a great option that I will definitely consider when taking day trips outside of SEPTA's rail lines.

Green Events in June

This Wednesday, June 4th at 6:30pm, the Clean Air Council is screening the Natural Resources Defense Council's film Crude Substitute: The Folly of Liquid Coal at the The Academy of Natural Sciences. The event is free, but there is limited seating, so to attend, RSVP online or call Katie Edwards at 215.567.4004, ext. 121.

On June 19th, the Academy will also be hosting the Urban Sustainability Forum: Greening Philadelphia's Infrastructure. Featuring Philadelphia's new Director of Sustainability, Mark Alan Hughes. The event will focus on the ways that Philadelphia can "move the sustainability agenda further and faster than any city in the U.S."

Reception 6:00-6:30 pm
Program: 6:30-8:30 pm
RSVP requested to rwall@ansp.org

Greasy Diesel, We're Lovin' It!

Don't lump biodiesel in with the other biofuels Kemper mentioned in his blog on ethanols. As you'll be reading in Karyn's blogs tomorrow, biodiesel is a fuel of a different breed.

The following facts have been reprinted from the website of Fry-O-Diesel, a plant in north Philadelphia that not only produces biodiesel from waste greases, but has also invented patent-pending technology to turn trap-grease (a sludgy amalgam of fats trapped in the sewer) into pure fuel.

• Biodiesel is a clean-burning, renewable fuel made from animal or vegetable fats, greases, and oils. Biodiesel can be used in most conventional diesel engines with NO modification.

• Since biodiesel is produced from oil and grease feedstocks, it can be produced on a long-term, renewable basis.

• With even 2% biodiesel added, fuel burns more efficiently and even improves the efficiency of retrofit technologies like diesel oxidation catalysts and particulate filters by inhibiting the accumulation of ash.

• Biodiesel is significantly less toxic than petroleum diesel, and is more biodegradable than petrodiesel, reducing the negative impacts of spills.

• Biodiesel is four times as efficient as diesel fuel in utilizing fossil energy. Biodiesel yields around 3.2 units of fuel for every unit of fossil energy consumed in the lifecycle. By contrast, petroleum diesels life cycle yields on only 0.83 units of fuel product per unit of fossil energy consumed –Biodiesel Lifecycle Inventory Study, DOE & USDA, 1998

• An estimated 6 million gallons of yellow grease are generated each year by restaurants and food service companies in the Philadelphia area.

• An estimated 10 million gallons of trap grease are generated each year in the Philadelphia area. Trap grease does not have a value in the market place – it is incinerated or dumped in landfills.

• Restaurants must pay for both yellow grease and trap grease removal. Some refuse to comply with city codes and dispose of the waste illegally, in dumpsters and down sewer lines.

Philly Greensgrow Featured in NY Times

Yeay, Greensgrow! Check 'em out here:

"Where Industry Once Hummed, Urban Garden Finds Success"

Recycling FAQs

Answers for the Clueless to the Neurotic and everyone in-between.
Don't be a schmykel. Please recycle.

Can I recycle windowed envelopes?
Yep! All non-natural fibers and metals make their way out when the paper’s turned into pulp in the recycling process.


Can I recycle post-it notes?
Yessiree - as long as your recycler takes mixed-paper. Contrary to public opinion, most post-its are 99% paper, so not only do they recycle easily, they also don’t gum up the machines, a criticism often lobbed at them.


Should I recycle my pizza box?
Thanks, but no. "Food and grease-tainted paper is not desirable to have in pulping systems that recycle recovered paper."


Can you recycle plastic-coated paper cups?
No, unfortunately, there is no recyclable value. The same goes for wax-coated. While Styrofoam takes less energy to produce, it does not degrade, which is something paper has to its advantage.

The problem is using paper cups to begin with. Very few of them come from recycled paper, and Americans are projected to increase our consumption of them from 17 billion to 23 billion by 2010. If those #s don't scare you into bringing your own mug, read this.


Why can’t you recycle all plastics in Philly?
The official answer is that there isn’t enough demand to break down the plastic content in #s 3-7, because you can only garner a certain amount of reusable materials. However, according to some sources, a city will increase its plastic recycling count if it accept all numbers. Something worth bringing up at the next city council meeting. Philadelphia also has both single-stream (everything in one bucket) and dual-stream (separate your papers and cans, no plastics) recycling, but this summer will condense to single-stream. (Ahh, much better.) Learn more about Philadelphia's recycling program from this comprehensive City Paper Guide.


So if I can't recycle plastic #s 3-7 with the city, where can I recycle them?
Recycling Services, a mecca for plastics and other materials your city won't take. Located in Pottstown, PA, it's only a 45 minute drive from Philly. So save up all of your odds and ends (their list of accepted materials is exhaustive and specific, so please check it out) and make a trip once a year. It's worth it to see Jim Crater's amazing place and wandering peacock.

Meanwhile, make sure you separate your #1s and #2s for city recycling. Even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin a recycling melt. Because a lot of people don't take time to separate it, much plastic collected for recycling is actually landfilled when it could go to larger recycling centers like the one in Pottstown.


Can you recycle the caps on plastic bottles?
Yes, but not through most municipal recycling programs. They're made from a different type of plastic resin and can contaminate the other plastics. I did a search for "plastic bottle tops" and pulled up three straight pages of ways to turn them into fishing lures. Is anything NOT a craft project?! Luckily, Recycling Services will take them (see above).


Egads! There's plastic everywhere! What about baggies, cling wrap and bread bags??
Some of this falls into plastic type #2. Please refer to this chart at plasticbagrecycling.org to see the breakout and click on your location to see specifically what your city will take.


We're setting up our production office on location, and I'm not familiar with the recycling services there...
We'll be covering production waste in more detail soon, but if you're in a jam, try this handy 1-2-3 from the National Recycling Coalition.


I'm auditioning for America's Next Top Recycler, I'm burning to know more!
Here's a quick, helpful guide for when you're in doubt!

Jimmy Gardner Talks Trash

It takes about 700 years for a plastic bottle in a landfill to begin decomposing. That’s the number that made me give serious thought to my recycling efforts, long before “sustainable” and “green” became the corporate buzzwords they are today. I’m not painting myself as a crusader for recycling, because frankly, I'm a bit more of a cynic about America's habits. I’ll soon be starting a job designing landfills. With all the waste production in this country, I have no concerns about job security.

I don’t remember exactly when the city of Philadelphia first implemented its recycling program. I just remember those new red trucks with the low sides that would come by the house to pick up our recycling. The distinctive plastic buckets issued by the city held about 10 gallons and were blue. My parents would save cans and glass bottles and jars and put them out in the bucket for the biweekly collection. Newspapers would be placed into old brown paper grocery bags, as if we were wrapping the papers for delivery to the recycling center. The process remained just like that for a good number of years.

In those early days, the city also operated several collection points for plastic bottles. One of these points was at our local high school, so my dad would collect #1 and #2 plastic bottles and drop them off one Saturday morning a month. Around 1996, there were cut backs in the city budget and we lost our recycling site. There were still a few sites that would collect, but my dad decided it was too far away to continue collecting.

Luckily, a few things changed with the city’s recycling program in the following years. The city got newer, bigger trucks. Eventually they even issued each house a new recycling bin, still blue, but now much bigger and actually capable of holding a good amount of recycling. We could now recycle glossy paper in addition to newspapers, so magazines and catalogs could be added to our grocery bags for recycling.

These days, though, the municipality has started doing city-wide curbside plastic recycling. For the first time, paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, steel and aluminum cans and #1 and #2 plastics can all be recycled at the curb. If you need a recycling bin, you can pick one up at a number of sanitation yards throughout the city. You can visit recyclingpays.phila.gov for more details.

The thing that confuses me most is why more people don’t recycle their trash. My roommates, my family and I are not doing anything that takes extra effort. We have an additional bin in the kitchen for recycling . The only real work required is to check plastic container and lids to make sure they're an accepted type.

A few weeks ago, Michael Nutter held a spring cleaning in the city. The mayor challenged the citizens of Philadelphia to a day of city sponsored clean up. Philly provided the trash trucks, corporate sponsors provided the trash bags and gloves and the citizens provided the muscle. Over 10,000 people turned out, to remove over 2.5 millions pounds of litter from the streets. After going out, cleaning up and seeing the difference that can be made, I decided to take the mayor up on his challenge to continue recycling efforts. Most American trash isn't going anywhere; it's not breaking down any time soon. Get on it.

Jimmy is getting his B.S. in Civic Engineering from Drexel and will be heading to Japan this summer to study soil. Upon his return in the fall, he will be working in Waste Management.