Many weekend warriors, athletes, and fitness buffs aim to fuel their endeavors with the best food possible. There’s no shortage of diet programs and books for bodybuilding, vegan bodybuilding, endurance athletes and any stripe of athlete in between. Tons of studies show that a balanced diet with a lot of variety and sufficient calories will meet almost any athlete’s energy and nutritional requirements.

One way to ensure that simple, clean eating will meet those nutritional needs is to eat organic food. At the very least free range eggs and any fruit or vegetable contain more nutrients than processed foods. Some studies suggest that organically grown produce contain more nutrients than produce grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. But how do you find organic food?

FarmPlate aims to create the largest online directory of sustainably and ethically produced foods. With your help. FarmPlate currently lists 40,000 sustainable food producers. Users can search, rate, and review farms and agricultural producers. If your favorite farmer isn’t listed, you can add them. It’s like yelp…for sustainable food only.

“FarmPlate’s mission is to help sustainable food businesses expand their markets. They are the engine of local food systems, and we are committed to contributing to their growth in any way that we can,” says Kim Werner, founder and president of FarmPlate.com.

So if you’re looking for user-rated organic, sustainable food, hop over to Farmplate. Feed your body the best to perform the very best.

Primal Fitness Is the New Green Exercise

Maybe it’s nostalgia for the early hominid lifestyle, but recent years gave us the paleo diet and now we’re seeing the rise of “primal fitness.” Primal fitness is outdoor exercise involving jumping, running, and lifting natural objects like logs and stones. Practitioners tout it as a whole movement approach (as opposed to training one muscle or muscle group with one movement) with the added psychological benefits of spending time outdoors.

Similar to an outdoor boot camp, primal fitness may also be a little different from the Cross-Fit style boot camps that spring up in local parks. Indeed, many municipalities now ban the use of public parks for paid fitness instruction. Cross Fit recently has been under fire for overuse injuries and many boot camps have caused complaints by other parks users. Is there a real difference? It probably depends on your trainer.

Of course the real questions are whether primal fitness is safe and effective. Addressing safety first, I’d say that its emphasis on whole-body movements (squats, lunges) is positive. As long as your fitness trainer has appropriate training and skills, knowledge of progressions and contraindicated moves, and good form, you should be as safe participating in primal fitness as you would be in any other exercise. Injuries happen. You could trip while leaping over a log or drop a rock on you foot but there is no inherent reason why primal fitness would be any more dangerous than a sculpt and tone class.

Many studies show that simply spending time outside improves mood. Theories abound whether the brain is responding to vitamin D production or to returning to the natural environment. On a personal level, after I adopted a dog, I learned that Philly winters aren’t so bad, if you take a mid-day walk to get fresh air and daylight. My mood improved and I didn’t get sick.

Primal fitness is certainly a greener option than heading indoors to the gym. The sun provides the heat and light and you’re not on a perpetual motion machine that draws from carbon-energy grid. Even if you use gym equipment that creates or returns power, using your own energy outside still has less ecological impact.

My take on primal fitness? Getting outside to move is always the right thing to do. Incorporating natural, whole movements is relatively safe. Ultimately if you enjoy exercise, you’re more likely to continue. If your chosen exercise also gives you additional mental and emotional benefits, you’re more likely to continue. Get out and get primal!

Go Circular Free

You come home from work (if you're lucky in this economy) only to find your rail, steps, and sidewalk covered with fliers, circulars, and advertisements. You spend 10 minutes picking it up and putting it int your recycle bin, fuming the whole time because of the trees and energy wasted printing, distributing, and recycling unwanted matter. It will happen again at least once this week.

Put a stop to your circular woes by filing for a Circular Free Property Designation. The city maintains a list of properties that don't want to receive grocery store circulars, fliers, etc. Of course, this doesn't stop junk mail but it does reduce the litter blowing off doors and rails into the street.

Simply fill out the request, receive a decal to place on your door, and go circular free. Don't worry about violators. They can be fined, if you agree to have your address on the complaint.

Today Is America Recycles Day

A project of Keep America Beautiful, America Recycles Day is the nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the U.S. Since 1997, Americans have celebrated America Recycles Day on Novovember 15. Learn more about the program and how to participate.

The Green Revolution: Where Fitness Meets Renewable Energy

The Green Revolution retrofits Spin bikes to generate electricity that feeds back into a club's power system, reducing the club's reliance on the grid and reducing the carbon footprint of the club. The Green Revolution is a suburban Philadelphia company. It is also a start-up.

The Green Revolution has been submitted to the GE Ecoimgaination Challenge. If the Challenge generates enough interest, GE may invest in some of these companies. Winning the Ecoimagination Challenge could secure more funding for the Green Revolution and help them continue retrofitting Spin bikes to make the world a cooler place.
It takes two minutes to vote. Please register and cast your vote.

Want to see more videos of The Green Revolution? Here's a starter and there are more on Youtube!

Rejoice: Recycle All Plastics Curbside Now!

Officially you can stop peering at the underside of your plastics now. Starting August 1, the city opened curbside recycling to all plastics, from old standby #1 PETE to the new amalgamated #7. No longer do you need to organize special collections or to feel guilt and shame when you purchase yogurt. Chuck it all into your mixed stream recycle bin and get on with living. (PS: always reduce what you use where possible, recycle next).

A Toxic Blow Out for Your Hair?

What's the latest service at the salons? A Brazilian blow out uses leave-in conditioner and a blow dryer to straighten your hair. Allegedly the results last longer and are *ahem* more permanent. This is achieved by using formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Yes, the same preservative that soaked the frogs you dissected in high school...applied to your head.

The cheaper less toxic solution? Break out your own organic conditioner--any type will do, including the traditional kind that you typically rinse out. Apply a layer, plug in your hair dryer and dry your hair without removing the conditioner. Gently comb while you blow out your hair and you'll end up with soft, straight hair.

For more information about toxicity in beauty products, consult The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. Always remember there is no federal agency that regulates the cosmetics industry.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off This Saturday!

Two day countdown 'til you can dump your hazardous waste without creating three-eyed fish! This Saturday, June 26, is the next household hazardous waste collection. Simply take your hazardous waste (list of materials accepted) to Domino Lane and Umbria Street between 9 AM and 3 PM.

Unsure if you have anything to contribute? You do. Common household items like batteries, paint, antifreeze, pesticides, household cleaners, & moth balls do not belong in the trash. Bring them to Household Hazardous Waste and save a planet!

Can't make it this time? The next collection date is July 22 so mark your calendars.

Specific Acts of Weatherization

We've just had our crawl space and basement (cellar, if you're not fancy) treated with foam spray. The foam spray should retain heat and cut our energy usage while reducing our energy bills and delivering a tax credit.

The process did not take long. The contractors showed at about 8 AM as expected. At 11 AM, I asked if they minded if I took the dog for a walk around the block. They replied that they were already done.

Our old house is drafty and rather cold in the winter. Even when wearing slippers and socks, our feet feel cold. We know we suffer immense heat loss. The foam treatment should reduce our heat loss and make us more comfortable.

The best factor is that we get a tax credit for our act of weatherization. We not only hope to see a longterm reduction in our heating costs but we will see additional savings on our tax bill. The money comes later but winter is soon. Hurry to stay warm and save!

Erase Your Trace

What's your annual carbon dioxide emission? You can find out at Erase Your Trace, a new tool from the City of Philadelphia. Erase Your Trace is a carbon calculator that estimates carbon dioxide usage by asking questions about your habits and behavior.

Whatever your usage is, Erase Your Trace aims to nullify it while increasing tree coverage. The project uses the CarbonPlus Calculator, developed by the U.S. Forest Service, to estimate carbon production. Using a carbon price at 20 dollars per ton, the price currently used by the Obama Administration, Erase Your Trace assigns a dollar value to your own carbon emissions. Users then donate part of that cost to The Fairmount Park Conservancy, which in turn will donate the combine money to neighborhoods for tree planting.

Trees help reduce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to global warming, and they reduce other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter. Philadelphia currently has approximately 2.1 million trees that sequester 16,100 tons of carbon per year. Philadelphia’s trees also reduce urban heat island effect, decrease stormwater runoff, and increase property values.

While Ms. Philly Organic knows we can't live without an impact and we can't simply erase our carbon emissions, we can plant trees, benefit the city and parks, and minimize the effect of our carbon output with a few clicks of the mouse. Why not learn more and reduce the effect of your personal carbon production?

Carrotmobs: Coming to Philadelphia

Carrotmobs, similar to flashmobs but completely different from protests and boycotts, are coming to Philadelphia. What is a Carrotmob? Carrotmobs encourage business to implement more environmentally sound policies by directing customers and sales to the business during a targeted time. The aim is to show the strength of green movement and to show how much money we have to spend, thereby encouraging targeted businesses to go greener.

The organizers work to identify businesses that are open to the message and that may have existing plans to become more environmentally sound. The Carrotmob organizers and the business arrange a time and date, then ask supporters to come and shop. It's been so successful in some cities that Carrotmobbers form long queues just to make a purchase!

Carrotmobs started in San Francisco and are spreading around the country. Philadelphia is one of the earlier growth sights! There are also offshoots in Europe. To participate, you just have to shop at the right time and place. To learn the right place and time, you have to visit their blog or follow them on Twitter.

Recycling More Than Ever: way to recycle, Philly!

Single stream recycling has increased Philadelphia's recycling rates by 46%. Our beautiful recycling trucks have collected 75,060 tons of household waste between June 2008 and June 2009. Philadelphians now recycle approximately 12.4% of their household garbage.

While this is exciting news, it's still too low. It's below the national average and is significantly lower than the 25% target rate established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1980s. In other words, although we've improved, we're still behind.

How can we continue to boost our recycling rates? Recycle bank pays citizens to recycle in the form of coupons and cash. Philadelphia has not joined this popular program. Fines, unpopular sources of revenue in this tight economy, are proven ways to increase participation. There is anecdotal evidence of stepped-up enforcement but the truth is that Licenses and Inspections inexplicably laid off enforcement agents to meet Mayor Nutter's budget.

While Philadelphia's recycling participation has improved, we still have miles to go. Recycle Bank and enforcement can help increase participation city-wide and should be used to expand participation. Keep up the great work and keep moving forward, Philly!

July Potato Harvest

After I heard rumors that in some US climates, gardeners can plant potatoes in the fall, Ms. Philly Organic decided to try. We dug a nice deep row and planted potatoes, each one separated by the length of Mr. Philly Organic's foot. Underneath the potatoes, we left a little leaf litter to create warmth for the spuds, then we immediately hilled them.

The idea is that the potatoes will begin to develop a healthy root system in the fall, which will be warmed and protected in the winter by the decomposing leaf litter. No green shoots will appear until spring but they will appear much earlier than they would if you waited for the ground to warm up before planting. The root system will begin to grow potatoes right away, instead of needing time in the spring to develop and grow.

We saw our potato flowers early and Mr. Philly Organic tasted a couple, pronouncing them unbelievably delicious. This week, Ms. Philly Organic noted that the tops of the plant were dieing and so it was time to harvest! The above picture shows our yield from our lightly amended, compacted, clay soil.

The beauty of growing potatoes in the winter is that it allows for a dual harvest each year. After digging the potatoes, Ms. Philly Organic planted some beans and onions. A row of corn is growing in nicely behind the location for the row of potatoes. Potatoes are economic and easy to grow, even for beginners. Simply plant whole, partial, or even peels (tested years ago by Ms. Philly Organic and her mom). This fall, give up a flower bed to grow a few potatoes!

Calling All Hands: Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers

Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers needs 5 to 10 volunteers this Sunday, June 28 from 10 AM to noon. Remove invasive plants, plant trees and shrubs, rescue trees from vines, and perform trail maintenance in Wissahickon Park. All tools, gloves, and supplies are provided.

Contact Project Leader, Ron Ayres, at 215-653-0421 (h) or 215-483-4348 (c) for more information or to sign up.

First Step of Going Green

Recently Mr. Philly Organic and I had a slight plumbing problem: A small clog caused a slight back up into our utility sink. Gross!

We avoided using any harsh chemical clog dissolvers. This is especially important when a plumber might snake your lines because splash back could burn his face or hands.

We tried to reduce the clog with a technique that keeps our pipes clean and removed clogs in the past: baking soda, salt, and boiling water. There was a slight improvement but ultimately the plumber came out for a mechanical repair.

Unfortunately we've had this problem more than once but the baking soda, salt, boiling water technique has kept the pipes clear for two years. After the plumber's visit, Mr. Philly Organic bought pipes and sewer plumber so he can mechanically fix the problem in the future. We also decided to perform more regular maintenance with baking soda.

What's the recipe for the baking soda flush? Dump a cup of salt into your drain. Follow that with a cup of baking soda. Then wash it all away with a quart of boiling water. For smaller vanity sinks, reduce the amounts by one quarter or one half.

Sadly we had to clean out our utility sink. We still had old pine disinfectant in the house. Ms. Philly Organic has relied on natural cleaning techniques like baking soda for many years and assumes this is an old product from before we combined households. Why not throw it away and replace it with a green product? Simply, that's not a green behavior. The first step of going green is not throwing away anything; it's using up the toxic items first.

Throwing out toxic products does not prevent them from joining the water cycle. In fact, many chemicals are removed from treated waste water that comes out of drain pipes. They are not removed from the garbage dump but leech slowling into the ground water. So this time the green choice was to use what we found in our cabinet and to plan a replacement. In the future we'll rely on vinegar, which has anti-microbial properties.

The Congressional Energy Bill: Good Enough?

What do the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and New York Governer David Patterson have in common? They all believe that the Waxman-Markey Climate bill, referred to as "the most ambitious energy and global warming legislation ever debated in Congress" by the New York Times, is inadequate.

The Washington Post notes that "Democrats turned to a coalition of business and environmental groups to help draft their own sweeping climate bill. And one little-noticed provision of the draft bill would give one of the coalition's co-founders a lucrative exemption on a coal-fired project it is building. "

The New York Times also reports that "In weeks of closed-door negotiations...Mr. Waxman doled out billions of dollars worth of free pollution permits, known as allowances, to cushion any price shock caused by imposing a cap on emissions of heat-trapping gases. In the end, 85 percent of all pollution allowances were given at no cost for various purposes, including compensating energy-intensive industries, state governments, oil refiners and low-income households..."

The same permits could have been auctioned, especially in a time of decreasing governmental income. Worse are suggestions that the process is being rushed so that President Obama can tackle healthcare. While healthcare restructuring is an urgent matter, many studies prove that environmental degradation increases the health problems of all, especially the poorest people in our country and on the planet. These increased health problems increase healthcare costs and demands.

MoveOn.org is sponsoring a petition urging the strengthening of a bill that wasn't necessarily written to improve our environment and energy, but rather with the suspect input of energy companies who also have received free allowances. Sign to Moveon.org petition at http://pol.moveon.org/cleanenergy/

Other environmental groups do support this legislation. In fact the legislation is hotly contested across party lines and many affiliations and creeds. Whenever an issue is in so much contention, it's essential that we educate ourselves and express our opinions. With that goal in mind, Ms Philly Organic provides an additional reading list and encourages you to search Google for more information. Then speak up!

Additional reading

1. "Bill Needs Strengthening to Guarantee Necessary Carbon Reductions, New Green Jobs and Consumer Benefits, Science Group Says," Union of Concerned Scientists, May 14, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51475&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=6

2. "EPA urged to act on climate, not wait for Congress," Associated Press, May 18, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51479&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=7

3. "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," Library of Congress, May 15, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51482&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=8

4. "Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy," Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, September 2008 http://www.peri.umass.edu/green_recovery/

5. "Bill Needs Strengthening to Guarantee Necessary Carbon Reductions, New Green Jobs and Consumer Benefits, Science Group Says," Union of Concerned Scientists, May 14, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51475&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=9

6. "Stopping the Coal Rush," Sierra Club http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51483&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=10

7. "So How Good Is This Climate Bill, Anyhow?" Sierra Club, May 22, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51478&id=16315-783803-slkOllx&t=11

Mural Arts Paints the Trucks Floral

If this doesn't make you want to recycle, nothing will. On Earth Day, Philadelphia launched 10 new trucks covered in art. The design is the handiwork of Desiree Bender, who worked with students at rec centers. The project was a joint effort between the Streets Department, the Design Center at Philadelphia University and the Mural Arts Project. The trucks are intended to draw attention and compliance to the curbside single stream recycling program.

Need a Composter, Find a Composter

Find a Composter locates nearby composting facilities. The Pennsylvania search yields results in suburban Philadelphia, a state corrections facility, and a few others. Philly, represent! Area composters can add themselves to the site's database. Why turn down free advertising? Get on the list.

The Resources page includes links to non-governmental and governmental agencies and initiatives that support composting. Find the contact information for the EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental protection. Find a Composter is a service of BioCycle Magazine and is sponsored by the Biodegradable Products Institute.

Lazy Environmentalist Reads and Signs

Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget will discuss and sign his book, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet. In The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget, Josh Dorfman takes you inside the latest developments in green living to demonstrate how you can easily and affordably save your planet. From raising eco-conscious kids to greening your daily commute, Dorfman provides insights into the next wave of green innovation and the products and services that will lighten your planetary impact and lower your expenses.

Josh Dorfman is the author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) and host of The Lazy Environmentalist television series on the Sundance Channel. Dorfman is also the founder and CEO of Lazyenvironmentalist.com, a resource for consumers seeking the best green products and services, and of Vivavi, a retailer of modern, green furnishings. He lives in New York City.

The discussion and signing takes place at 7 PM in the University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St. Philadelphia , PA 19104. Call (215) 898-7595 or visit the bookstore web site for more information.

Run for Air

During the past 28 years more than 50,000 people have celebrated Earth Day by participating in the Clean Air Council's 5K Run for Clean Air. The 5k run is the largest Earth Day celebration of its kind in the Greater Philadelphia area. Set on a beautiful spring morning, the Run brings out more than 3000 people to celebrate Philadelphia-area communities, clean air, and healthy living.

The run takes place Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 9 AM to Noon at Martin Luther King Drive. The Run features a pre-race group stretch by Dhyana Yoga, Run bags and t-shirts, and post-race massages! Online registration is available until April 15th. For more information contact Ryan Schneider, Run Director at 215-567-4004 x 110 or send him an email.