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Feel guilty that you didn't have a chance to help out on Philly Spring Cleanup Day? You can clear your conscious by cleaning up West Philly's Clark Park this Saturday, April 19th. The best part? You can get free food & beer after your clean up, so you're receiving a little bonus on top of the feel-good volunteering. Check the details, after the jump!

Did you know that women make up 51% of America, but only 17% are serving in the House of Representatives as spokeswomen? Or that only 34 women have served as governors compared to 2319 men? America now ranks 98th in the world for percentage of women in its national legislature, behind Kenya and Indonesia and barely ahead of the United Arab Emirates. Find out what's wrong with these numbers and what you can do, after the jump.

It is awkward to be a vegetarian in the company of carnivores. I’m out to eat with my parents, in town visiting, and we’ve stopped for a bite to eat. And I am realizing for the first time since adopting my new diet what it means to be a man and a vegetarian in America. The waitress asks me if I’m a vegetarian after she takes my order. Although in the grand scheme this isn’t a big deal, I do notice that when my father orders meatloaf, she does not say, “Carnivore, huh?” In these questionable moments when I feel like I’ve committed a social taboo, I realize how important my meat-free decision is for my own personal growth. By giving up meat and seafood for the forty days of Lent, I can challenge my religious discipline AND my own preconceived notions about the dietary expectations of an American male. Read on as l examine my clumsy metamorphosis into a vegetarian, and find out more about my journey:

The Philly Farm & Food Fest returned to the Philadelphia Convention Center on Sunday, April 13th. The collaboration between PASA & Fair Food expanded from the expo hall into the Atrium to showcase more vendors that ever before. Since this was my third time I've attended this annual affair, I decided to peruse the newest, local vendors. Find out about some of the newest vendors, after the jump!

We recently hosted a bookclub with Nic Esposito to discuss his first book, Seeds of Discent. A beautiful evening last week, we appropriately gathered at Head & the Hand Press headquarters over wine, with friends in a conversation that covered sustainability, urban farming and how it all began. Head & the Hand Press Beginnings Nic Esposito had a passion and noticed a problem. Authors with book deals aren't always necessarily better than those who didn't have big publishing companies behind them. Some of the best writers in Philly didn't have published works to their names. Local writers simply didn't have the accessibility of New York to make those essential connections to get their books published.   Yet Philadelphia is a city of sharers, entrepreneurs and people who support their community. Find out more about Seeds of Discent, Head & the Hand and our discussion on urban sustainability, after the jump!

The 7th annual Philly Spring Cleanup Day was on Saturday, April 5th. Over 14,000 volunteers helped pick up 970,900 lbs of trash and 29,940 lbs of recycled materials. Pretty awesome, right Philly? GPB has been hosting a park cleanup at the 8th & Poplar fields for the past 3 years, when anywhere from 7-25 volunteers arrive to pick up trash, dispose of empty 40's, and ultimately better our community. While the volunteers that show up are great, I've noticed the majority of faces helping out are community groups, sustainability professionals and personal friends. Read on for my observations, after the jump!

We're always so humbled to be featured on other publications! Our friends at Be Well Philly included us on their morning checkup for our recent Oil Pulling post. Also, I'm so honored that Philadelphia Neighborhoods included me in their 5 People Making Philly Greener post. Also featured were sustainability rockstars including

Is the Hawk going green? As Julia Knable mentioned in our previous green degrees post, sustainability options in Philadelphia are becoming extremely popular and useful. Temple, Villanova, UPenn, and Drexel all have programs to encourage students to green their degree. Read on to find out about St. Joseph's University Sustainability Minor.

Philadelphia can brag about another top 10 list - this time, with energy efficient buildings. Philly is #9 of ENERGY STAR buildings! Philly has entered the top 10 list for the first time.