What’s LEED For Homes?

LEED For Homes is a Rating system developed by the USGBC. (United States Green Building Council.)

For a peek at some LEED Certified, eco friendly Philadelphia Real Estate, check out LEEDPhilly.Com.

For an overview of what “LEED For Homes” is all about, check out these videos…

LEED For Homes (Click Titles for Youtube Videos)

Disposing of Disposable Cups

Here below is an internal memo [not originally intended for public consumption] from Remax City Space admin Heather Riley to the entire City Space team. Man, this chick’s got a huge Eco! If you’re not in the market for one of the great Green Projects featured at LEEDPhilly.Com, maybe banning disposable cups from your office could be a nice alternative to making a “groofy” move? (Comments below much appreciated)

-Ryan Hartman

OK people. Long gone are the days of the disposable cup! I have moved our glass glasses into the kitchen - they are on the first shelf in the cupboard. We will no longer be getting plastic cups for the water cooler because they are ridiculous. You know in your hearts they are. So i encourage you all to use the glass cups, drink lots of water because it is good for you and your bod.

Now — we know that glass cups need to be washed so we don’t spread germs and start another bubonic plague. Even though I consider dish washing therapeutic… I encourage you to wash your own cup… it truly does only take a minute to do… and then Kim and I aren’t stuck with a pile of dishes at the end of the day. I bet you can imagine how happy that makes us.

For those of you who would like to invest in an awesomely stylish water bottle and forgo the whole cup thing in general - check out Sigg Bottles —

http://www.onlinefitness.com/bottlefinder/

I love mine - it is metal - so easy to wash, you can put it in the dishwasher and the most joyous thing about it is that I don’t have to buy endless plastic bottles. Plus mine has gorillas on it and that just makes me happy for some reason.

Viva la glass cup! Viva la metal water bottle!
awash in watery happiness,

H. Riley

Green It Up at The XPONENTIAL Music Festival This Weekend

WXPN (88.5)’s annual music festival is going down at Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront this weekend.

For more information about the festival, visit the Xponential Music Festival Site.

One of the festival’s themes this year is “going green”…

and there’s a nice list of Eco-Friendly Sponsors from around the Delaware Valley at the Village Green Tent.

If you don’t have a chance to swing by and enjoy a few of the many great musical acts, be sure to check out these Village Green Sponsors Online.

Converted Organics - Recycles food waste into an environmentally friendly fertilizer

Greenable - Green Building Supplies and Consulting Services

(Special thanks to Greenable for allowing Remax City Space to feature a few of Onion Flat’s LEED Certified properties at their table.)

Energy Coordinating Agency

Nature Conservancy

Sunpower Builders

Ayala’s Herbal Water

Organic Mechanics

“Water” We Waiting For? A Shared Vision for Philadelphia’s Delaware River Waterfront

There are 7 miles of blighted waterfront property just east of our beloved center city Philadelphia. On Thursday, hundreds of citizens and advocates joined together at the Independence Seaport Museum on Penn’s Landing to listen to speakers on the redevelopment of this property including representatives from Penn Praxis, the Next Great City, the Central Delaware Advocacy Group, the PA Horticultural Society, the Del. Valley Planning Commission, Andy Altman, Frank DiCicco, and Mayor Michael Nutter (If you are reading this mayor, I was the one giving you the “standing o”).

10 Action Plan For The Waterfront

Our representatives have been working together and set out a 10 Action Plan in order for us as a city to realize this new shared vision of a beautiful, usable, people friendly, wildlife friendly, sustainable, accessible waterfront that will replace the run down, industrial looking, littered, squandered land that is now at the water’s edge.

The actions are as follows:

1. Appoint an open, accountable, effective waterfront manager
2. Adopt clear zoning, a detailed master plan and a coordinated regulatory policy
3. Build a continuous, 7-mile trail along the waterfront
4. Create new parks and improve the 2 existing parks
5. Guarantee public access to the riverfront and make it easier for residents to walk and bike to the waterfront
6. Extend transit to the river
7. Extend key streets to the river (Tasker, Reed, Pier 70 Blvd, Washington, Brown, Shackamaxon, Beach, and Lehigh)
8. Manage traffic and parking in the area
9. Create a 100 foot greenway along the water’s edge
10.Create a natural river’s edge and restore habitat

Execution of Philadelphia’s Delaware Waterfront Plan

The best part about this plan is that people are already working on execution- especially Mayor Nutter. If I have learned anything about the man, it’s that he sticks to his word and makes the changes he proposes. He stated in that auditorium that this is not a plan that will be put upon the shelf and forgotten about. He pledged to take this proposal out of the planning phase and into the execution phase- effective immediately. One of the highlights to a lot of attendees was his acknowledgement that the casino’s do not fit into this plan, but the truth is that we may not be able to stop them from building….but we must not let them come in the way of the total vision.

Here’s a look at Mayor Nutter’s speech on Brightcove.com:

What Can We Take From All This Delaware Waterfront Planning?

I must take the opportunity now to say, it’s time to purchase property near the waterfront NOW. This plan will happen, and those property values will continue to soar as the plan nears completion.

Go to my website www.livegreeninphilly.com to look at properties up an down Delaware Avenue / Columbus BLVD and other spot near the water, as well as all other real estate in Philly.

Rachel Lipton
REALTOR, Certified EcoBroker
RE/MAX City Space
direct: 215-625-7940
cell: 215-868-5972
email: rlipton@phillycityspace.com
website: www.livegreeninphilly.com

Pedal Your Commute!

“It’s going to be a beautiful day in Philadelphia,” the radio crooned at me this morning… and I thought, “YES! Viva la bicycle! I will ride my bike to work!” Which isn’t truly an amazing thing, as I ride my bike 8 miles to work and home several times a week - but this isn’t to say that it isn’t exciting every time I do it.

On the way in to work I find myself cruising down Kelly Drive into the city, morning sunshine resting lazily upon me, as I gaze out at the Schuykill River. I always think how happy I am that I am outside, getting in a workout, and that I am not stuck in the metal box of my car, or the metal box of the train. I stop off at the gym to clean up before heading to the office - where I sit down at my desk feeling awake, refreshed and ready to go.

On the way home there is more of a crowd on Kelly Drive - as it is full of joggers, walkers, dogs, babies, birds, water vendors, and those who picnic.  I weave around them with joy, happy to be out of work and moving my body after a long day sitting in a chair, staring at a screen.

The most satisfying part about commuting by bike? It’s free and eco-friendly. Reduce that carbon footprint people, Philly is a pretty friendly bike city, now is your chance.

-Heather Riley, Remax City Space

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