Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Have leaves in your yard or 3' of city sidewalk in front of your house? What can you do them? In this week's Where Can I Wednesday, we're filling you in on where to put those leaves. The Philadelphia Street Department's 2013 Philly Bagged Leaf drive runs for 6 weeks, beginning Mon, November 11th through Fri, December 20th. Leaves collected are used for composting in local parks, trees and gardens (and so you can do the right thing). You can put your leaves in (only) biodegradable bags curbside on trash day for collection.  Find out the Bagged Leaf Drive: 2013 Rules, after the jump

Big news today: This post is the 1000th post we've published on Green Philly Blog! We just celebrated 5 years of publishing in July and have seen blogging evolve tons since we started. Although we're typically not a behind-the-scenes publication, I've decided to make an exception in today's post. More people have been asking me for advice/opinions and maybe it's time to mix it up a bit. Whether you want to get into blogging or maybe have started (but haven't quite latched on yet), here's a few gems I've learned over the years. Here are 7 Lessons Learned about Blogging from 1000 Posts:

Want to tour Bartram's Garden and have a FREE farm-to-table dinner? Chevrolet is hosting a farm-to-table dinner at the Coach House at Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philly on November 14th and wants you to attend! Find out how to enter, after the jump!

Monday. I’m sure you looked at the alarm clock this morning, rolled over and put your pillow over your head, begging for 8 more hours of sleep and another day of the weekend. (Or was that just me?) Monday also has another new meaning in Philadelphia: Meatless Mondays. But what does this resolution mean for Philadelphians? What’s the point of eating meat most, some or none of the time?

My favorite part of autumn CSA shares are all the squashes & pumpkins that are abundant. Besides amazing recipes like butternut squash risotto & gnocchi, soups and delish gourds, there's another hidden gem to savor: the seeds. It's so simple to make! Find out how, after the jump.

Happy Halloween from Green Philly Blog and our mascot, Pounce DeLeon.

We all love those blue bins to stash our recyclables in to feel better about our collective waste on trash day. But who monitors how much Philly is recycling overall?  Director of Recycling Phil Bresee arrived in Philly July 2012, with the mission to increase recycling participation and improve our city's 'green' efforts. A Maryland native,  Bresee got his start in Frederick and then Howard County, Maryland prior to moving to Florida in 2004. He's clearly passionate about the cause, which was apparent for those who saw his recent Nerd Nite presentation.  We sat down with Phil recently to talk trash, recycling and Philly overall.  Green Philly Blog: Mayor Nutter has focused on environmental issues (including recycling) in his Greenworks Campaign since his election in 2007. With 2 years to go in office, what recycling progress have you seen in 2013 compared to his start?

Hey there, readers! I went to Nashville this past weekend to learn some awesome digital marketing "stuff" at Keen Digital Summit, created by one of my fav bloggers Kristin Luna. Between eating local, trying out the bike share & learning, I didn't have a chance to blog some more awesome green advice. We'll be back tomorrow, and coming soon to the blog: a trial in bike sharing in other cities, which is a preview for Philly! ;-) See ya soon!

Halloween is right around the corner, where most of the population loads up on the dangerous high-fructose corn syrup & sugar-filled candy treats. What can you give out to the neighborhood kids instead of original candy? Here's a few suggestions: