Wissahickon Growing Greener 
Let's Promote and Educate RESIDENTS about a Sustainable Future for OUR Area   

News                               (The Community Calendar has moved to this page)

Donate extra garden produce
  • June 28 through September 27, 2014.  Philabundance is asking local and community gardeners to donate extra fruits and vegetables which will help families in need in their community. Schools, churches and other organizations are encouraged to dedicate gardens to Share the Harvest.  From 9 a.m. to noon, drop-off tables are set up at select locations listed below.
  • PhiladelphiaCounty
    Laurel Hill Gardens
    Visit Website

    BucksCounty
    Carousel Gardens
    Visit Website
    Seasons Garden Center
    Visit Website

    ChesterCounty
    Gardner’s Landscape Nursery
    Visit Website

    MontgomeryCounty
    Albrecht’s Garden Center Nursery
    Visit Website
    St. Asaphs
    Visit Website
    Primex Garden Center
    View Website
    Rhoads Garden
    Visit Website

    DelawareCounty
    Linvilla Orchards
    View Website

    CamdenCounty
    Springdale Farms
    Visit Website

Philadelphia Green Streets Program
Start Identifying the Insects in Your Garden!  Free App From Mother Earth News:



SF Program seeks to get harmful chemicals out of furniture


Natural Lawn Care
  • The only way to reduce a dependence on chemical fertilizers is to develop a healthy lawn which is naturally resistant to weeds, insects, and diseases. Here's how... [continue reading]

Making our environment be a better place includes going out and having fun.  Check out the list of PA Trails for your recreational use: http://www.explorepatrails.com/

Roundup and other Glyphosate-containing Herbicides-Are they Really Safe?
  • Private landowners and Township property managers are using herbicides to control invasive plants and unwanted weeds on lawns, parks, trails and public lands, and so the exposure of children, adults, pets, streams and wildlife to these toxic chemicals is extensive. While manufacturers of these products tout the safeness of herbicides such as glyphosate, there is also peer-reviewed science documenting the known and potential harms for people and ecologically important wildlife.  Glyphosate-containing herbicides are the top-selling herbicides in the world and include Roundup, Rodeo, and other Monsanto herbicides.  There are many actually non-toxic options available for controlling invasive plants.  Before pulling out that container of Roundup or other herbicide with advertising that says it is safe for use, please consider the scientific evidence: Read the Delaware Riverkeeper's blog post to learn about the most recent testing of the concentration of glyphosate in breast milk and methods for maintaining your lawn without using dangerous chemicals. http://saferchemicals.org/2014/05/21/roundup-chemical-found-in-breast-milk/

Two ways Philly is becoming more bike friendly:
Low income Bucks County residents can get free home energy audits and weatherization work!  Call 215-345-3309 for more info.


Be a Creek Watcher and help WVWA monitor the Wissahickon Creek!

  • The WVWA is looking for a dedicated group of volunteers to help monitor the health of the Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries! Volunteers will be asked to spend about two hours a month visiting an assigned section of the stream where they will monitor a site, walk a section of the creek, and to report the findings back to the WVWA. Having new trained eyes on the Creek will help the WVWA understand the Wissahickon better than ever.  Want to learn more? Come to an introductory meeting on June 18th at 6:30 PM to learn more and to sign up! RSVP to Steph Figary - stephanie@wvwa.org



Interesting ways to get energy:

Read about the Billboard that can purify your air:


Find or register fruit trees for free fruit
  • Check out this app Neighborhood Fruit’s Find Fruit for finding free fruit near you.  If you don’t have an iPhone, you can get the same information from Neighborhood Fruit’s website. You need to register, and then you can search for fruit in your area. You can also register a fruit tree that you own to give others permission to come and pick from your tree or bush.

Choices for PA Energy Suppliers
  • If you can't put solar panels on your roof but still want to suport renewable energy, you have options.  Check out www.papowerswitch.com and click on the "Shop for Electricity" tab to review different options. If you want to purchase renewable energy, scroll down on the far right, check the "Renewable Energy" checkbox, and slide the slider over to "100% renewable." Once you click the "Renewable Energy" box, options will appear for "Renewable PA" or "Choose PA Wind."

Check out how to decorate by UpCycling in a Home From Montgomery Media:
  • Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County raised nearly $600 through its first-ever UpCycle Challenge, which asked five contestants to design rooms using as many recycled materials as possible. They were encouraged to utilize ReStore Montco, a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center that benefits HFHMC, according to Marianne Lynch, HFHMC executive director. They could also buy materials elsewhere, though they had to stick to a $500 budget.  Read the entire story here.


Free Trees from PECO and Arbor Day
  • Through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, PECO is giving away 1,000 trees to help reduce energy costs where you live.  Go to the arborday.org/PECO and use the tool to determine the best location in your yard to plant your Free trees to save energy. Your free 3' to 4' foot trees will be shipped directly to your house ready for planting.  



Resource: A Green Home Guide: http://www.choicehomewarranty.com/blog/green-home-guide/

DIY Natural Slug Trap Recipe
  • ½ cup of flour;
  • 3 tbsp. of cornmeal;
  • ½ tbsp. of yeast;
  • 1 tbsp. of molasses; and
  • 1/3 cup of water.
  • Mix the first four ingredients together and slowly add the water to blend the mixture into a bread-like dough.  Place dough in a sealable container or re-sealable sandwich bag and keep in a warm spot to rise overnight. Place the dough in a small deli container and cut four 1 inch by 1 inch holes in the lid to allow the slugs to enter.  Place the entire container in the ground so the lid is flush with the surface of the ground. The container and bait can be replaced each week.  Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/diy-natural-pesticide-recipe-is-good-enough-to-eat.html#ixzz305c0lUWy

Make homes for the pollinators 
  • At least 80 percent of our world's crop plant species require pollination. Imagine the heap of trouble we’d be in if our pollinators were compromised. Well, truth is, they are, and we need to do all that we can to protect them. The national Pollinator Partnership has regional guides to provide information on how you can provide habitat requirements for pollinators including food, water, shelter, and enough space to allow pollinators to raise their young. Enter your zip code at this web site to retrieve some great information.  This info was found in the SEEDS newsletter.


PSU Extension in Montgomery County is about to launch a new program; Master Watershed Stewards. 
  • The program is a citizen science training program that empowers everyday people to take action to address local watershed issues. The Master Watershed Steward Program provides training for ordinary citizens without formal natural resource education backgrounds, with the goal of strengthening local capacity for the management and protection of streams, rivers and watersheds throughout Montgomery County.  Examples of watershed projects and programs include designing and installing demonstration rain gardens or streamside plantings, assisting with stream restoration projects, teaching stream ecology classes, writing for municipal newsletters, organizing stream clean ups, speaking to neighborhood groups and organizing educational workshops that address such topics as backyard conservation or homeowner storm water management.  
  •  http://extension.psu.edu/montgomery/news/2014/2014-master-watershed-steward-program-call-for-volunteers


Med-Return Box Available at Whitpain Township Building.  Keep prescription medications out of landfills and water supplies.
  • This Med-Return Unit is a secure box that has been installed in the Police Department lobby. This box will allow anyone to dispose of unwanted drugs at their convenience. There are certain restrictions as to what can be placed in the return box. Use the Med-Return box but please observe these guidelines.
  • Accepted Items: * Prescription Medication, * Prescription Patches, * Prescription Ointment, * Over-The-Counter Medications, * Samples, * Medications for Pets
  • Not Accepted: * Needles, * Hydrogen Peroxide, * Inhalers , * Aerosol Cans, * Medications from businesses or clinics, * Ointments, lotions, liquids, * Thermometers


Want to make a garden this year but have soil that's not good for planting?
  • Try lasagna gardening.  This is a method of layering greens and leaves in the location you want to use and then letting nature help decompose the material.  No digging needed, but you will need time and patience! 

Contact your local Master Gardeners for plant diagnostic problems
  • Need help identifying a disease or have a plant-related question?  Try this resource.  

Starting a Garden?  Try winter seed sowing
  • You can start some of your annuals in mini greenhouses from recycled milk cartons and you can do it outside so you don't have seeds sprouting all over your dining room.  Read more



Montgomery County (PA) Recycling Days start in April
Water is a precious resource
  • This resource has great ways to reduce your water use by 20%.  And then read here to find out how to harvest rainwater for residential use.


Another local CSA
  • A WGG member suggested another CSA Red Earth Farm, with a pick up in Ambler (http://www.redearthfarm.org/), a small family farm near Hawk Mountain.  Red Earth Farm allows CSA members to choose what they get in their box every week, they offer options for fruit, eggs and dairy, and they don't require volunteer hours.

EWG releases 12 Hormone-Altering Chemicals and How to Avoid Them
  • The EWG/KAB Dirty Dozen list includes BPA, phthalates and other endocrine disruptors that are widespread in consumer products such as plastic containers, food cans and fragrances. The list also includes common contaminants that many people don't realize can be hormone disruptors, not only those familiar toxins - arsenic, mercury and lead - but other, less familiar chemicals such as glycol ethers and perfluorinated chemicals. The guide is intended for consumers of all ages, particularly young people who are most at risk from these dangerous substances.   Read more here.

Spring/Summer CSA signups are going on.  Some local ones:
  • Greener Partners in Montgomery and Delaware Counties, with various pick up locations.
  • Lancaster Farm Fresh with various pick up locations in MD, PA, DE and NY
  • Pennypack Farm and Education Center with pick up locations at the farms in Horsham and Fort Washington
  • Check localharvest.org for more CSA options in your area.  
  • What IS a CSA?   Community Supported AgricultureHere are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. You purchase a share and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.


    This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer.  Some of the advantages are that farmers spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin and they receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow.  Advantages for consumers include getting ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits; being exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking; you meet like-minded people; feel like you support your community; stick to a healthy-eating plan since you've already paid for it!



Wondering if you can use your rain barrel water on plants?
  • From Organic Gardening: Using or not using water from your rain barrel on edible crops is largely a personal decision. Many gardeners consider this to be a safe and environmentally sound practice. If you do use water collected from your downspouts on vegetables and herbs, there are a few things you can do to minimize potential health hazards:
    • Consider adding a “first flush” feature that captures the first 5 to 10 gallons of water that comes off of your roof and holds it separately from subsequent water that goes into the main storage tank. This “first flush” contains the majority of the dust, pollution, bird waste, etc., that builds up between rains. You can use this water on ornamentals or lawn away from your vegetable gardens.
    • Apply water from your rain barrel to the soil around your plants rather than on the plants themselves. This allows the soil to perform its role as a filter and, if you amend your soil with plenty of compost, helps to trap compounds like heavy metals so they are not taken up by your plants.
    • Rinse produce from your gardens thoroughly with clean, potable water before you eat it.
    • Keep your rain barrel reasonably clean. Rinse it thoroughly at the end of each growing season and as you have the opportunity throughout the summer. If you notice that its contents seem particularly mucky or smelly, drain the barrel, rinse it out, and start afresh with the next rainfall.
    • Read the full Organic Gardening article here: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/ask-og-rain-barrel-hygiene

Recycle your bikes (even if they are broken)
  • Bring your unwanted bikes, bike parts, tires, cycling clothing, accessories and tools to Doylestown Bike Works from now through February and they'll serve as a collection point for http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org/

Save water tips
Have you ever heard about school food recycling? 
Rain gardens and pourous basketball courts turn a block in Philadelphia from concrete to a playground.
  • Watch an amazing transformation of a city playground going from a drab slab to a healthy and green play area that manages 100 percent of its stormwater all while keeping smiles on kids’ faces.  This info was found in the SEEDS newsletter.

Pinelands Commission's tie vote halts pipeline proposal


Applications for local community garden grants are available


Culinary Arts Institute Goes ‘Landfill Free’, by Alana J. Mauger, Think Green Editor
  • Montgomery County Community College's brand new Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) became the institution's first "Landfill-Free Enterprise" when it opened in August 2013. The CAI partners with Sustainable Waste Solutions (SWS), of Souderton,  to convert all waste -- trash, recycling and food trimmings -- into energy or materials.  "Sustainability is so important in the food industry, especially since we produce so much waste," explained Chef Instructor and CAI Business Manager John De Pinto.  For waste that can be recycled, SWS employs single-stream advanced techniques to increase the rate of materials that are actually recycled, eliminating  byproduct waste that may end up in the landfill.  For materials that cannot be recycled, SWS employs Energy-from-Waste or Waste-to-Energy processes, which create energy, typically in the form of electricity, from the combustion of solid waste.  SWS also transforms 100% of the CAI's food scraps -- including meats and high fat foods that typically cannot be composted -- into agricultural compost through a scientific process that complies with government regulations regarding disease control and ground water pollution. In addition all of the CAI's cooking grease collected and transformed into biofuel.

Shop the ReStore (or donate your cabinets and extra tiles when you remodel)
  • Montgomery County ReStore is a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center. They sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. All proceeds support Habitat for Humanity programs in Montgomery County.   www.restoremontco.org
  • Location: 533 Foundry Rd, West Norriton, PA 19403
  • Contact Info:  610-631-3149, restore@habitatmontco.org
  • Store Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am to 5 pm; Saturday 9 am to 2 pm  
  • FREE pick-up for large donations in Montgomery County. Please call our donations coordinator at 610-631-3149 to schedule a pick-up.

PECO offers programs and rebates for energy savings in your home:  https://www.peco.com/Savings/ProgramsandRebates/Residential/Pages/default.aspx

Gas Drilling Study in Bucks, Montgomery Counties Begins.  State officials have commissioned a study on the potential for gas drilling in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

Searching for funding for your clean energy project? Look here.


System to report natural gas pollution events from the Clean Air Council


The Buycott app will help you keep Monsanto out of your shopping cart:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/05/14/new-app-lets-you-boycott-koch-brothers-monsanto-and-more-by-scanning-your-shopping-cart/


Need to recycle a bike?
  • Try Doylestown Bike Works at 139 south Main Street doylestown. 215-340-7746. They will fix up the bike and donate it.  If it can not be fixed, they will reuse what they can to fix up another bike.  The bikes are then donated to charity.  http://www.doylestownbikeworks.com/


Fairmount Water Works has some amazing programs.  Check here to find out what you can go for free, including tours of the Fairmount Dam Fishway, Science Saturdays, Cinema Sundays

What's a farm explorer?
  • FARM EXPLORER ™ inspires people to eat more fresh food and provides tools for healthier eating. FARM EXPLORER™ is based on supporting research that curriculum combining gardening and nutrition improves student attitudes towards and preferences for fruits and vegetables. Research also shows that eating fruits and vegetables is associated with a lifelong healthy weight. From schoolyards to senior centers, our FARM EXPLORER ™ travels directly to communities, bringing fun, hands-on curriculum about gardening and ecology, seasonal eating, and how to prepare simple, healthy recipes. - See more at: http://www.greenerpartners.org/farmexplorer/index.php#sthash.weNDUpjv.dpuf To learn more click here!

Interesting Website: Mother Nature Network, http://www.mnn.com/

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) of Ambler is developing a trail stewardship program 


Check out the urban map to free food: http://fallingfruit.org/  
  • There are lots of fruits and veggies growing on public property.  Find it here and also add some that you might have to offer.


Get the PHS Guide to Great Gardens 
  • To help you enjoy Philadelphia on foot, PHS has created the “PHS Guide to Center City Gardens,” a handy map of nearly 50 beautiful public green spaces in downtown Philadelphia. The map is available at area hotels, tourist information centers, and on their website.

Check out an Energy Audit (Assessment) Kit for FREE
  • The Wissahickon School District 6th graders created Energy Audit Kits which contain a kill-a-watt meter, a hot water gauge, a refrigerator thermometer and a shower flow meter, and you can check them out from the WVPL library!  Go here to learn more: www.wvpl.org or log on to http://spica.mclinc.org/ and search "home energy audit kit" to reserve one.

Check iConservePA's website for water conservation info
  • iConservePA’s web site is turning its focus to water. They’ve added new content to help you use water wisely in all aspects of your life. At home, we can make simple choices inside and outside the home that help save money and water. If you are involved in your community’s decision making, you know that managing storm water, providing access to water-based recreation, and protecting water supplies are vital to citizens’ health and well-being. If you are anoutdoor enthusiast, you know our lakes, rivers and streams provide natural beauty and countless opportunities for exploration and adventure.
  • Log on today to find daily tips and new ways to conserve. They’ve also added a My Conservesection that breaks down topics and links by how you define your role in conservation. Of course, you’ll still find native garden templates, a native plants database, energy saving ideas, tree planting tips, ways to live local, and so much more. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to join our conversation on conservation.
Elmwood Park Zoo is collecting items for Terracycle.
Spring/Summer CSA signups are going on.  Some local ones:
  • Greener Partners in Montgomery and Delaware Counties, with various pick up locations.
  • Lancaster Farm Fresh with various pick up locations in MD, PA, DE and NY
  • Pennypack Farm and Education Center with pick up locations at the farms in Horsham and Fort Washington
  • Check localharvest.org for more CSA options in your area.  
  • What IS a CSA?   Community Supported AgricultureHere are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. You purchase a share and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.


    This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer.  Some of the advantages are that farmers spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin and they receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow.  Advantages for consumers include getting ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits; being exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking; you meet like-minded people; feel like you support your community; stick to a healthy-eating plan since you've already paid for it!



Wondering if you can use your rain barrel water on plants?
  • From Organic Gardening: Using or not using water from your rain barrel on edible crops is largely a personal decision. Many gardeners consider this to be a safe and environmentally sound practice. If you do use water collected from your downspouts on vegetables and herbs, there are a few things you can do to minimize potential health hazards:
    • Consider adding a “first flush” feature that captures the first 5 to 10 gallons of water that comes off of your roof and holds it separately from subsequent water that goes into the main storage tank. This “first flush” contains the majority of the dust, pollution, bird waste, etc., that builds up between rains. You can use this water on ornamentals or lawn away from your vegetable gardens.
    • Apply water from your rain barrel to the soil around your plants rather than on the plants themselves. This allows the soil to perform its role as a filter and, if you amend your soil with plenty of compost, helps to trap compounds like heavy metals so they are not taken up by your plants.
    • Rinse produce from your gardens thoroughly with clean, potable water before you eat it.
    • Keep your rain barrel reasonably clean. Rinse it thoroughly at the end of each growing season and as you have the opportunity throughout the summer. If you notice that its contents seem particularly mucky or smelly, drain the barrel, rinse it out, and start afresh with the next rainfall.
    • Read the full Organic Gardening article here: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/ask-og-rain-barrel-hygiene

Recycle your bikes (even if they are broken)
  • Bring your unwanted bikes, bike parts, tires, cycling clothing, accessories and tools to Doylestown Bike Works from now through February and they'll serve as a collection point for http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org/


Free forestry lunchtime webinarsSave water tips
Have you ever heard about school food recycling? 
Rain gardens and pourous basketball courts turn a block in Philadelphia from concrete to a playground.
  • Watch an amazing transformation of a city playground going from a drab slab to a healthy and green play area that manages 100 percent of its stormwater all while keeping smiles on kids’ faces.  This info was found in the SEEDS newsletter.

Pinelands Commission's tie vote halts pipeline proposal

Recycle your Christmas Tree
  • Some local municipalities offer a Christmas Tree Recycling program:
  • Whitpain Township:  Christmas trees will be collected for recycling Wednesday, January 8th, and Wednesday, January 22nd.  Christmas trees must be free of any ornamentation, including tree bags, lights, tinsel, hooks, etc., or they will not be collected. Please have your items out at the curb Tuesday night for Wednesday's pick up.
  • Also, Streets Department sanitation convenience centers will be accepting trees Monday, Jan. 6 through Saturday, Jan. 18. Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Locations: Domino Lane and Umbria Street (Roxborough); 3033 S. 63rd St. (near the airport); and State Road and Ashburner Street (Northeast Philadelphia).
  • Check Earth911.com for other options.

Applications for local community garden grants are available

New GRID magazine is available online: http://www.gridphilly.com/magazine

Culinary Arts Institute Goes ‘Landfill Free’, by Alana J. Mauger, Think Green Editor
  • Montgomery County Community College's brand new Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) became the institution's first "Landfill-Free Enterprise" when it opened in August 2013. The CAI partners with Sustainable Waste Solutions (SWS), of Souderton,  to convert all waste -- trash, recycling and food trimmings -- into energy or materials.  "Sustainability is so important in the food industry, especially since we produce so much waste," explained Chef Instructor and CAI Business Manager John De Pinto.  For waste that can be recycled, SWS employs single-stream advanced techniques to increase the rate of materials that are actually recycled, eliminating  byproduct waste that may end up in the landfill.  For materials that cannot be recycled, SWS employs Energy-from-Waste or Waste-to-Energy processes, which create energy, typically in the form of electricity, from the combustion of solid waste.  SWS also transforms 100% of the CAI's food scraps -- including meats and high fat foods that typically cannot be composted -- into agricultural compost through a scientific process that complies with government regulations regarding disease control and ground water pollution. In addition all of the CAI's cooking grease collected and transformed into biofuel.

Solar Powered Schools and Vocational training in Philly
  • Read about  the Philadelphia Solar Schools Initiative that is helping bring solar power to 20 Philadelphia schools with a sustainable energy education effort that includes in-school classes and vocational training to prepare the students for “green collar” career opportunities.   The kids are interested!

Looking to support your local farmer during the winter?

Shop the ReStore (or donate your cabinets and extra tiles when you remodel)
  • Montgomery County ReStore is a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center. They sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. All proceeds support Habitat for Humanity programs in Montgomery County.   www.restoremontco.org
  • Location: 533 Foundry Rd, West Norriton, PA 19403
  • Contact Info:  610-631-3149, restore@habitatmontco.org
  • Store Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am to 5 pm; Saturday 9 am to 2 pm  
  • FREE pick-up for large donations in Montgomery County. Please call our donations coordinator at 610-631-3149 to schedule a pick-up.


Don’t Trash Those Leaves!
  • Before you bag up the leaves falling from your trees, consider their potential for your landscape. The leaves of one large shade tree can be worth as much as $50 of plant food and humus...  Pound for pound, the leaves of most trees contain twice as many minerals as manure. For example, the mineral content of a sugar maple leaf is over five percent, while even common pine needles have 2.5 percent of their weight in calcium, magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus, plus other trace elements.  Composting your leaves is quite simple and doesn’t require any expensive bins or tumblers, just a good mix and time. Your compost pile can be any size and can be loose or fenced in with some chicken wire. Make sure you can access it from one side so you can easily turn the compost every so often. Turning your pile will allow oxygen to help the decomposition process.  Start with a 6 inch layer of leaves, shredded or not, and then add a two inch layer of something green that contains more nitrogen such as manure, grass clippings, green weeds, or vegetable waste from the kitchen. If you don’t have green waste, then add a little nitrogen such as dried blood or cottonseed meal. You can also spread a little native soil between the layers which will add some bacteria, fungi and other organisms that will help decompose the organic waste. Turn your pile every three weeks or more often if you want. If you turn the pile three or four times before spring, you can have some fine compost ready for spring planting.
  • Once you have compost, use it in your garden or landscape by incorporating into planting soils or topdressing a planting bed. The compost will improve soil structure, loosening compacted clays that have trouble draining or helping sandy soils hold moisture and nutrients.
  • For more information about composting download a free publication from Penn State Extension.    Posted: October 21, 2013  http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/news/2013/don2019t-trash-those-leaves


PECO offers programs and rebates for energy savings in your home:  https://www.peco.com/Savings/ProgramsandRebates/Residential/Pages/default.aspx

Gas Drilling Study in Bucks, Montgomery Counties Begins.  State officials have commissioned a study on the potential for gas drilling in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

Searching for funding for your clean energy project? Look here.


System to report natural gas pollution events from the Clean Air Council


The Buycott app will help you keep Monsanto out of your shopping cart:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/05/14/new-app-lets-you-boycott-koch-brothers-monsanto-and-more-by-scanning-your-shopping-cart/


Need to recycle a bike?
  • Try Doylestown Bike Works at 139 south Main Street doylestown. 215-340-7746. They will fix up the bike and donate it.  If it can not be fixed, they will reuse what they can to fix up another bike.  The bikes are then donated to charity.  http://www.doylestownbikeworks.com/


Fairmount Water Works has some amazing programs.  Check here to find out what you can go for free, including tours of the Fairmount Dam Fishway, Science Saturdays, Cinema Sundays

What's a farm explorer?
  • FARM EXPLORER ™ inspires people to eat more fresh food and provides tools for healthier eating. FARM EXPLORER™ is based on supporting research that curriculum combining gardening and nutrition improves student attitudes towards and preferences for fruits and vegetables. Research also shows that eating fruits and vegetables is associated with a lifelong healthy weight. From schoolyards to senior centers, our FARM EXPLORER ™ travels directly to communities, bringing fun, hands-on curriculum about gardening and ecology, seasonal eating, and how to prepare simple, healthy recipes. - See more at: http://www.greenerpartners.org/farmexplorer/index.php#sthash.weNDUpjv.dpuf To learn more click here!

Interesting Website: Mother Nature Network, http://www.mnn.com/

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) of Ambler is developing a trail stewardship program 


Check out the urban map to free food: http://fallingfruit.org/  
  • There are lots of fruits and veggies growing on public property.  Find it here and also add some that you might have to offer.


Get the PHS Guide to Great Gardens 
  • To help you enjoy Philadelphia on foot, PHS has created the “PHS Guide to Center City Gardens,” a handy map of nearly 50 beautiful public green spaces in downtown Philadelphia. The map is available at area hotels, tourist information centers, and on their website.

Check out an Energy Audit (Assessment) Kit for FREE
  • The Wissahickon School District 6th graders created Energy Audit Kits which contain a kill-a-watt meter, a hot water gauge, a refrigerator thermometer and a shower flow meter, and you can check them out from the WVPL library!  Go here to learn more: www.wvpl.org or log on to http://spica.mclinc.org/ and search "home energy audit kit" to reserve one.

Check iConservePA's website for water conservation info
  • iConservePA’s web site is turning its focus to water. They’ve added new content to help you use water wisely in all aspects of your life. At home, we can make simple choices inside and outside the home that help save money and water. If you are involved in your community’s decision making, you know that managing storm water, providing access to water-based recreation, and protecting water supplies are vital to citizens’ health and well-being. If you are anoutdoor enthusiast, you know our lakes, rivers and streams provide natural beauty and countless opportunities for exploration and adventure.
  • Log on today to find daily tips and new ways to conserve. They’ve also added a My Conservesection that breaks down topics and links by how you define your role in conservation. Of course, you’ll still find native garden templates, a native plants database, energy saving ideas, tree planting tips, ways to live local, and so much more. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to join our conversation on conservation.
Elmwood Park Zoo is collecting items for Terracycle.

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