Posts tagged environment
Our first annual Teachers Networking event
Mar 23rd
This Thursday, the GreenTreks team and many of our amazing partners will be hosting a fantastic evening of learning, networking, and fun at the Beautiful Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center on Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. We’ve invited educators from around the region to come network with fellow science teachers, learn about local environmental non-profit organizations and community-based programs that offer experiential-learning opportunities, and discover the resources we’ve made available on our flagship Online Resource Center, EcoExpress.
Light fare and drinks will be provided. All teachers who attend will receive a packet containing special materials from EcoExpress.org and EcoExpress’ Community Partners (while supplies last). A donation of five dollars will be accepted at the door.
To register or to see the list of scheduled event activities, please visit EcoExpress.EventBrite.Com
A Special Shout out to all of those who have helped make this event possible, including generous support from:
Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
BFN – The Business Friends Network
Dynasty Wines (Distributed by Vintners Choice, 610-631-3120)
AND viewers like you : )
The Philly of the Future: Plan2035
Mar 1st
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) has just released the draft of Philadelphia2035: The Comprehensive Plan/Citywide Plan for public review and comment. Residents not only have the opportunity to preview this exciting vision of the future NOW, they can also provide feedback so that it becomes even stronger before its final release.
Philadelphia2035 is a blueprint for a 21st century city that THRIVEs with new growth and opportunities, CONNECTs to the region and the world, and RENEWs its valued resources for future generations.
THRIVE: Philadelphians THRIVE in the center of a competitive metropolitan region.
In 2035, Philadelphia is a thriving metropolis. It is a city built on healthy neighborhoods and
a diverse economy offering opportunity to everyone. Cultural and institutional resources
and new enterprises flourish, and land is used in suitable and vibrant ways.
CONNECT: Philadelphians CONNECT seamlessly to the region and the world.
In 2035, people, goods, and ideas move effortlessly between neighborhoods, the region,
and the world, driving economic prosperity. Reliable and efficient transportation serve a
population that is more energy conscious than ever before.
RENEW: Philadelphians RENEW valuable resources to enable a sustainable future.
As a city intent on renewing the environmental and public realm, in 2035, Philadelphia showcases
centuries of growth and change, treasured parks and rivers (or river trails), valued culture and
architecture, and clean air and water.
The CPC is looking for feedback between now and March 31, 2011. To Get Involved, you can attend the CPC’s monthly meeting (March 15), the Citywide Plan Open House (March 23), or send in comments via email. You can also find Plan2035 on Facebook.
Do all that. Plus, visit the Plan2035 site >>
Sustainability Education for the Next Generation
Feb 9th
We’re proud to take part in Green From the Start, the Feb. 17 Urban Sustainability Forum at the Academy of Natural Sciences, where we’ll be sharing our exciting Educators Resource Center, EcoExpress.
Here are the Details:
Date: February 17, 2011. Reception: 6:00 pm. Program: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
How is our region educating the next generation of residents who will be living in a world of more limited resources, overpopulation, and more severe changes in climate?
February’s Urban Sustainability Forum will demonstrate the need for students and teachers in kindergarten through high school to have awareness, knowledge and skills in science, economics, technology, engineering, math, sociology, history, and art to create a new and more sustainable approach to living in southeast Pennsylvania.
The forum will showcase examples from local programs and institutions that are successfully taking on this challenge. Organizations from around the region with formal and informal education programs addressing sustainability and student awareness of the natural world will also be on hand to display their efforts and programs.
Featuring:
Dennis Winters (Moderator) President, Board of Trustees, Green Woods Charter School. Chairman, Sierra Club PA Chapter.
Tony Girifalco (Keynote) Executive Vice President, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center.
With the Following Panelists:
Jean Wallace, CEO, Green Woods Charter School
Keith Arrington, Principal, Thurgood Marshall School
Vera Figueiredo, Director of Community Programs, EarthForce
Victor Donnay, Professor of Mathematics, Bryn Mawr College. Co-Principal Investigator, INLETS project.
To register please visit: http://sustainabilityeducationforum.eventbrite.com/
Learn about Philadelphia’s plans to Go Green
Feb 3rd
If you’ve been following GreenTreks effort for any length of time, you know that being green isn’t about crunchy-granola or tree-hugging: it’s about jobs, the economy, and creating communities that will continue to grow and thrive with the environment in mind.
Greenworks Philadelphia is our city’s road map (or should we say “bike path”?) to sustainable success. In 2008, Mayor Michael A. Nutter created the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) to write and oversee implementation of Greenworks Philadelphia, the City’s comprehensive sustainability plan. Greenworks sets 15 goals in the areas of energy, environment, equity, economy, and engagement to strive to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the United States by 2015. To reach these ambitious but achievable goals, MOS coordinates and tracks progress on over 150 initiatives.
On Wednesday, February 16, as Sarah Wu, outreach and policy coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, will present an overview of each Greenworks target, an update on implementation progress made to date, and an introduction to planned next steps for each focus area. Philadelphia has made a strong commitment to becoming a green city. Greenworks Philadelphia is a key component of this effort.
To RSVP for this event, please call the Water Works Interpretive Center 215-685-0723 by February 14.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We don’t think it’s a coincidence that GreenWorks was the name of our long-running television series: it portrayed ordinary people making lifestyle changes — both big and small — to reduce their environmental footprint and move the needle toward a more sustainable world…
New World Order: Electricity Choice is full on in PA
Jan 4th
We take electricity for granted, but how often do we think about where it comes from, its environmental costs, or what we can do differentl
Here at GreenTreks, we’ve followed the renewable story for more than decade and we’ve said for awhile that consumers do have a choice; but, until now, we’ve had to pay more. With the expiration of rate caps on electricity generation, the free market has taken over–and new options abound. You may be able to save go green for less, save some green, or both!
Check out the article from the Philadelphia Inquirer on choosing renewable energy >>
Go to the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC) site on making a switch >>
If you think you’re in tune with your energy use, Check out the following video. It’s from our Energy Thinking DVD, which is available now at our Shop.
Energy Aware from GreenTreks Network on Vimeo.
