Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Philadelphia is committed to the environment, as evidenced by Mayor Michael Nutter’s appointment of a director of sustainability in 2008. The position develops, implements and oversees the city’s environmental policies and initiatives to deliver the mayor’s promise to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America. The new position is just one of the latest efforts that shows the city’s commitment to reducing the region’s environmental impact.

In another pioneering venture for the city, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO) will launch the second year of its initiative to encourage more eco-friendly practices during film production. The 2009 theme, Greener S.E.T.S. (Setting Entertainment Toward Sustainability), promotes recycling on film sets and in production offices. The 2008 Greater Philadelphia Film & Video Production Guide lists recommended recycling vendors along with tips to help productions identify ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

But the city government’s and GPFO’s green initiatives are just two of many noteworthy examples of Philadelphia’s dedication to emerging as a leader in the global move toward sustainability. Local residents, businesses and teams have been going green for years, and their accomplishments make Greater Philadelphia a leader in eco-friendly living. And as locals and frequent visitors know, it’s unbelievably easy to find an eco-friendly place to stay, shop, eat or entertain friends and family. Here’s a look:

Rest Easy With Eco-Friendly Lodging:

• The new Best Western Widener Hotel and Suites, which opened in December 2008, was built with environmentally conscious visitors in mind. Located near Philadelphia International Airport, the silver LEED-certified hotel heats all of its water through solar panels on the roof and uses toxin-free, natural cleaning products and biodegradable or recyclable products and equipment whenever possible. 1450 Providence Avenue, Chester, (610) 872-8100, bwwidenerhotel.com
• The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia embarked on an ambitious effort to minimize its environmental impact. Through a series of efficiency and lighting upgrades, the hotel significantly reduced its overall energy consumption. And leftover food from its award-winning restaurants is recycled at a local composting farm. Some of the compost is then used in the hotel garden and flower beds. 1 Logan Square, (215) 963-1500, fourseasons.com/philadelphia
• In October 2009, the Hotel Palomar Philadelphia opened as the city’s greenest building. Philadelphia’s and Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants’ first LEED-certified hotel, the highly stylized Palomar uses renewable and sustainable resources while maintaining the integrity of the former Architect’s Building. 117 S. 17^th Street, (877) 725-1778, hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com

Building A Greener Tomorrow:

• The recently completed Comcast Center is the biggest example of environmentalism in Philadelphia—literally. The tallest building between New York and Chicago, the 57-story Comcast Center also boasts the designation of the tallest “green” building in the country. It is among the first in the United States to be 100% LEED certified, with features like high-performance, spectrally selective glazing glass walls and atriums to maximize daylight and an automated light-dimming system and occupancy sensors to reduce unnecessary electricity. 17^th Street & John F. Kennedy Boulevard, gophila.com/comcast
• Philadelphia development company Postgreen is proving that it’s easy being green, even when building a dream home. The goal of their first project, the 100K House, is to build an affordable home that satisfies the designer and the environmentalist in everyone. The modern and platinum LEED-certified 100K House—and the 120K House next door—are currently under construction in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. 100khouse.com

You Are What You Eat And Drink:

• Philadelphia’s newest brewery, Earth Bread + Brewery wholeheartedly embraces the concept of green living. Aside from cooking up innovative flatbreads made from sustainable and locally sourced ingredients and serving regional brews alongside of its own selection of alts, smoked wheat ales and Belgian-style dubbels, the owners of Earth Bread have decorated their brewpub with recycled furniture and eco-friendly materials. 7136 Germantown Avenue, (215) 242-6666, earthbreadbrewery.com
• Managers at White Dog Cafe support local organic family farms, buying from them in season and encouraging other businesses to do the same. Through the White Dog Cafe Foundation, they founded the Philadelphia Fair Food Project which works to link sustainable farmers with other area restaurants and food purveyors. The restaurant is powered entirely by wind, and 20% of their annual food profits are donated to charitable organizations. 3424 Sansom Street, (215) 386-9224, whitedog.com
• Eating truly locally is now even more appealing with the opening of CityGrange, a farm-connected, sustainably sourced restaurant in The Westin Philadelphia that uses seasonal produce from local farms and free ranges, hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and dairy products and sustainable fresh seafood. 99 S. 17^th Street, (215) 575-6930, citygrange.com
• If patrons of quaint and rustic Joseph Ambler Inn notice that their tomatoes, squash and herbs taste as fresh as can be, they’re right: They’re grown on premise. All of the food that doesn’t get eaten is composted and used for fertilizer in the inn’s garden. 1005 Horsham Road, North Wales, (215) 362-7500, josephamblerinn.com
• Arnold’s Way Vegetarian Organic Raw Café & Health Center combines a health food store and vegetarian café, serving all raw, organic food, including burgers, wraps made-from-the sea vegetable “nori” and salads so finely minced they require no dressing. 319 W. Main Street, Lansdale, (215) 361-0116, arnoldsway.com
• New Hope’s Organic Coffee Bar serves exclusively organic teas, coffees and smoothies, and customers eat and drink using eco-friendly products like recycled paper goods lined with corn plastic that’s derived from bio-degradable corn starch instead of petrol. 115 S. Main Street, New Hope, (215) 862-1073, theorganiccoffeebar.com
• In North Philadelphia, John and Kira’s confectionary uses mint grown at local public school gardens, organic cream from grass-fed cows, strawberries and lavender from local farmers and cocoa beans from cooperatives to make their dark-chocolate delights, sold online only. (800) 747-4808, johnandkiras.com
• Positano Coast, a Mediterranean retreat in Old City, mixes eight organic cocktails, all using liquors with unique organic purees and garnishes. What’s more, about 80 percent of the fish prepared in the restaurant’s kitchen comes from sustainable sources, including clams, crabs, mussels, octopus, oysters and rock lobster. 212 Walnut Street, 2^nd floor, (215) 238-0499, lambertis.com

Sustainable Growth:

• The Reading Terminal Market features the Fair Food Farmstand to sell humanely raised meats, milk and cheese from grass-fed, hormone-free cows and organic produce exclusively from local area farms. The market is also home to Livengood’s Produce, offering certified organic seasonal fruits and vegetables from Lancaster County, plus Iovine Brothers Produce and OK Lee Produce, both offering a rotating selection of locally-grown, certified organic produce. 12^th & Arch Streets, readingterminalmarket.org
• Greensgrow Farmstead, located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, runs a nursery and farm stand on a rare urban farm. From May to November, shoppers can purchase locally grown produce, humanely raised meats and eggs, cheeses and artisinal breads. 2501 E. Cumberland Street, (215) 427-2702, greensgrow.org
• The Heritage Conservancy has bought the Hortulus Farm, which is being used as a nature preserve with 20 separate formal gardens open for tours and a “school” to teach people about sustainable farming. They’re also testing eco-friendly experimental farming techniques, including the use of organic fertilizer, eco-friendly pest management and the implementation of green roofs. 60 Thompson Mill Road, Wrightstown, (215) 598-0550, hortulusfarm.com
• Members of Weavers Way Co-op, with locations in the Mt. Airy and West Oak Lane sections of Philadelphia, pitch in to keep the community-owned markets running smoothly. And every shopper takes an active role in supporting local farmers and creating an intimate cultural center. 559 Carpenter Lane, (215) 843-2350; 2129 72^nd Avenue, (215) 276-0706, weaversway.coop
• Hendricks Farm and Dairy supplies local chefs with lamb, beef, pork from grass-fed animals and rich dairy products like yogurt, cream, milk and hand-crafted cheese. The sustainable farm has a store on premises and also hosts educational culinary events like cheese tastings. 202 Green Hill Road, Telford, (267) 718-0219, hendricksfarmsanddairy.com
• Willow Creek Orchards does more than supply strawberries, raspberries and blackberries to nearby Boyd’s Cardinal Hollow Winery. It’s also a USDA-certified organic family farm that offers pick-your-own flowers, vegetables and fruits spring through fall, an onsite farm market and family events most of the year. 3215 Stump Hall Road, Collegeville, (610) 584-8202, willowcreekorchards.com
• Various types of pastoral lavender bloom during summer and autumn at Bucks County’s Carousel Farm Lavender, where 15,000 organically grown French and English lavender plants cover the countryside with a majestic blanket of purple. 5966 Mechanicsville Road, Mechanicsville, (917) 837-6903, carouselfarmlavender.com

Turning Those Greenbacks Into Green Living:

• Arcadia Boutique is a place to find original yet affordable fashion, art and home pieces from eco-friendly artisans from Philly and around the world. The boutique is also launching a travel service to partner amateur explorers with eco-friendly destinations and tour operators. 819 N. 2^nd Street, (215) 667-8099, arcadiaboutique.com
• The Black Cat Gift Shop is full of quirky, eclectic collections of handmade jewelry, crafts, souvenirs and home accents made by local artists and craftspeople. 424 Sansom Street, (215) 386-6664, blackcatshop.com
• Local artist Gretchen Wilson hand sews all of her one-of-a-kind dolls out of found material like old buttons, socks and scraps of fabric. Many of the dolls—popular among celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore—are clothed in sweaters and stockings woven by fair-trade women’s cooperatives in Peru, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Dolls are available by phone or at Saks Fifth Avenue, (610) 212-7604, littlesouls.com
• Billing itself under a “People, Products, Planet” tagline, Earth Mart is a fair-trade home superstore that only sells an item if it’s energy-saving, made from recycled materials or locally crafted. 235 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, (610) 935-1793, earthmartonline.com

For The Socially Conscious Pet:

• Cutter’s Mill has been called “The Whole Food for pets,” with its organic, holistic and natural pet supplies. 43 Paoli Plaza, Paoli, (610) 635-0912; County Line Road & Route 202, Chalfont, cuttersmillpetstore.com
• With three locations in Philadelphia, Doggie Style is the place to buy the latest in organic treats, puppy and kitty sweaters and accessories. 114 S. 13^th Street, (215) 545-4100; 1635 Spruce Street, (215) 545-5900; 315 Market Street, (215) 923-4333; 1700 E. Passyunk Avenue, (215) 271-5200, doggiestyle2.com
• Buzzy’s Bow Wow Meow has recently opened as “the premier lifestyle destination” for pets and carries high-end items, as well as eco-friendly and organic supplies. 701 Montgomery Avenue, Narberth, (610) 617-3300, buzzysbowwowmeow.com

Eco-Friendly Spas: The Ultimate Feel-Good Experience:

• Providing all-natural, non-toxic and plant-based professional body products and services, Juju’s salon and spa share the same mission and philosophy: to mix organic, healing and holistic treatments and services with state-of-the-art equipment for revolutionary skin care and relaxation. Juju powers both of its locations with wind energy. Juju Salon & Organics, 713 S. 4^th Street, (215) 238-6080; Juju Spa & Organics, 728 S. 4^th Street, (215) 922-3235, jujusalon.com
• Eviama Life Spa provides award-winning holistic services in facials & bodywork, waxing and more while using exceptional organic products. 262 S. 16^th Street, (215) 545-3344, eviama.com
• Ancient Egypt-inspired 3000BC WellMed Spa, a nationally recognized leader in holistic wellness services, offers natural body-care products made with pure and exotic botanical oils, the finest organic herbs, rare plant extracts and natural vitamins and minerals. 8439 Germantown Avenue, (215) 247-6020; 605 W. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, (484) 367-1000, 3000bc.com
  

Environmentally Engaging Entertainment:

• Longwood Gardens owes its very existence to early environmental conservation, as Pierre S. DuPont created the sculpted nature preserve as a way to keep the trees in this historic arboretum from being cut down and sold to a lumber mill. Now, 100 years later, Longwood’s renowned conservatory, more than four acres under glass, has warm water-filled coils under the soil to heat the planting beds to the optimal temperature without having to heat the ambient air in the conservatory. In addition, Longwood composts and reuses all of its plant material and houses a sewage treatment plant onsite and uses the effluent for watering. Plus, more than 80% of Longwood’s holiday light display uses energy-efficient Light–Emitting Diode (LED) technology. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org
• “Footprints,” the Philadelphia Zoo’s carbon offset program, addresses global warming and invites families to join America’s first zoo in behaviors that will help protect wildlife here and around the world. In addition to the zoo’s own on-site “carbon sequestration,” the Philadelphia Zoo is also involved in the Green Woods project, an urban reforestation project being undertaken in partnership with Fairmount Park, where 875 trees will be planted. 400 W. Girard Avenue, (215) 243-1100, philadelphiazoo.org
• Because Crossing Vineyards and Winery always strives to make wine in the most environmentally responsible way possible, the owners added solar panels to their facilities and plan to run their entire operation on solar energy eventually. Crossing Vineyards is also committed to limiting its use of harmful chemicals, substituting more environmentally friendly methods such as cover cropping, bat boxes, under-row tillers, bio-fungicides, natural oils and kelp products for nutrition to strengthen the vines against disease. 1853 Wrightstown Road, Washington Crossing, (215) 493-6500, crossingvineyards.com

Team Green:

• For the Philadelphia Eagles, green is more than a team color—it’s a way of life on and off the field. The Eagle’s Go Green program incorporates green initiatives, sustainable business practices and educational outreach as core operating principals that reduce the organization’s environmental footprint on the planet. In the spring of 2008, volunteers and state park staff planted more than 1,500 trees and shrubs in the Eagles Forest at Neshaminy State Park in Bucks County to offset the team’s carbon emissions from away-game travel. And in September 2008, the Eagles announced that the NovaCare Complex training facility and Lincoln Financial Field will run on 100% wind energy for one year, making them the first NFL team to run completely on sustainable energy. Neshaminy, (215) 639-4538, dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks; Lincoln Financial Field, 1020 Pattison Avenue, (215) 463-2500, philadelphiaeagles.com/gogreen
• The Philadelphia Phillies could win the World Series of the green game. To offset the carbon footprint of the team’s utility power usage at Citizen’s Bank Park, the Phillies have purchased 20 million kilowatt-hours of Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). According to the EPA, this buy is the largest single purchase of 100% renewable energy in professional sports and is equivalent to the planting of 100,000 trees. The team also continually shows its commitment to the environment through recycling initiatives, building and food-related management and fan awareness. 1 Citizens Bank Way, (215) 463-1000, phillies.com/redgoesgreen

Getting There The Greener Way:

• Now in its sixth year, locally owned not-for-profit PhillyCarShare is paving the way for many American cities to follow its successful model of short-term and inexpensive membership-based vehicle renting. The urban car-sharing service has just partnered with The University of Pennsylvania to offer the largest university car-sharing program in North America. This comes after the City of Philadelphia joined, becoming the first government worldwide to share cars with local residents in a major fleet reduction effort. At just $3.90 an hour or $39 per day (including gas, insurance, parking and public transportation to and from the many car pick-up spots,) so far, PhillyCarShare users have conserved 1.6 million gallons of gas. (215) 730-0988, phillycarshare.org
• According to a report by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, bicycling in Philadelphia has doubled in the last three years. To further promote the growing two-wheeled trend, a network of organizations and individuals are working together to implement Bike Share Philadelphia, a program that would put thousands of rentable bikes on the streets of Philadelphia to ease traffic congestion and pollution. Modeled after similar programs in France, Bike Share Philadelphia would operate much in the same manner as PhillyCarShare, with registered members having access to “credit cards” that would unlock the bicycles from their racks, located all over the city. Bike rentals would likely be free or low-cost. bikesharephiladelphia.org

GPTMC Promotes A Greener Philadelphia:

• Residents and visitors alike can log onto gophila.com/green to find the “Top 10 Ways to Go Green in Philly,” which include tips on farmers markets, breweries and picnics. Not to be outdone, insider blog uwishunu.com gets in on the environmental action with a series of green videos, which are still in production. But visitors to the site can view the first two editions about Greensgrow Farmstead and the 100K House.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to Hear Philly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Caroline Bean, (215) 599-7433
• Morgan Obidowski, (215) 599-2298