Talking Trash Seminar, March 24, 6:30-8:30pm

Our monthly seminars are tools for businesses and residents. Beginning in April they will be held on the third Thursday of each month. Our next seminar “Let’s Talk Trash” is Tuesday, March 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Seminary (Hagan Center) across from the Mt Airy Wawa. RSVP to the CHBA at 215-247-6696 or pmiller@chestnuthillpa.com

Recycling experts Maurice Sampson, president of Niche Recycling, David Biddle, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council and Ann King-Musza of The Institutional Recycling Network will lead the discussion. Kim Miller, president of the Mt. Airy Business Association has coordinated what promises to be an exciting evening of Trash Talk.

Chestnut Hill's Garden Festival Needs Green Participants

If you are looking to market your "Green" wares, the CHBA is offering tables and tents at the Garden Festival on May 3, 2009 for a green block, situated in front of the soon to be Weavers Way Store.
This Festival attracts over 30,000 people from all around our area. The hours are from 11am until 5pm.
If you are interested, contact Peggy Miller at the CHBA at 215-247-6696 and tell her you want to be on the green block. There is a reduced rate for greenies.
We are trying to make a really big presence on the Avenue. We will be putting up GRINCH signs on the sustainable vendors' tents as well.
We were also thinking about having a demo tent that could be shared by several people, so if you are interested in that please email me so we can set that up
Deadline for ordering tents/tables is April 15th.

Free Energy Audit from EMAP

Hi All!
Below is the info for the FREE energy audit of your building from EMAP. Click on the first link below, fill out the form and send it to them via email or fax. They will send you a survey then they will set up a FREE audit of your building.
There is also a link to the State grants if you plan to upgrade your energy efficiency with solar or insulation etc. But that is a separate link below.

Amy
www.nightkitchenbakery.com
215-248-9235 (Bakery)

The following is a letter outlining the process:
Some of the links have to be cut and pasted...they don't seem to want to cooperate.

The first step is for you to become a client of the SBDC. Here is the link to our on-line Request for Counseling form:

www.askemap.org/641/641.asp

Please click on the link, fill in the required fields, and submit it to us.

You’re also welcome to print it out and fax it back to me at 215 573 2135.

Once we receive your form, I’ll be in touch to discuss next steps including collecting some pre-assessment information.

If you haven’t already found it, the website detailing the Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant (the grant we discussed) is:

www.depweb.state.pa.us/energindependent/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=543714

Here you can also sign up to be included in future updates, which you’ll want to do – especially since you mentioned possibly being interested in residential monies, which were recently released (link below), and solar, which should be coming soon. Just enter your information where you see the little “envelope” icon. There will be a second round of funding in the second half of the year – by then, you’ll probably have a plan in mind. Meantime, it can’t hurt to download the application and review it. As a general rule, for upgrades to windows and other equipment (you can check for your industry-specific items but you may need a vendor to provide information on those) you’ll want to ensure the materials you choose are Energy Star rated: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.

The residential program is outlined further at: www.keystonehelp.com

Please feel free to contact me at our toll-free hotline, 877.ASK.EMAP if you have any questions.

Laurie Leas

Evironmental Outreach Consultant

Phone: 215-573-2767

Environmental Management Assistance Program

PA Small Business Development Centers

Wharton School of the Univ.of Pennsylvania

www.askemap.org

Collingswood plans Green Festival April 25, 2009

www.courierpostonline.com/article/20090315/NEWS01/903150355

Check out the Green Festival happening in Collingswood April 25. Lots of great ideas!

April 3 & 4, 2009 Environmental Stewardship

Going Green: Environmental Stewardship for Preservation and Profit

(The 20th Annual Cliveden Institute)

April 3rd, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm - April 4th, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Wondering how you can affordably and easily incorporate “green” practices into your everyday life? Join us at Cliveden, a National Trust Historic Site, on Friday April 3rd and Saturday April 4th for Going Green: Environmental Stewardship for Preservation and Profit.

Located in our historic Carriage House, visitors will hear a variety of perspectives on local “green” issues from renowned scholars and environmental leaders. Topics will include an assortment of subjects including: “green” lawn care, protection of local wildlife, historical environmental issues and the true characteristics of eco-living.

April 3rd - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Join us for a wine and cheese conversation about Cliveden’s climate control project.

Anne Weber
- FAIA and Senior Associate at Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects LLC
- “Less is More: A Low-Tech Approach to Sustainability for Cliveden”

Panel discussion with local museum leaders, engineers and architects
- “Historic Sites and the Environment”

A special behind-the-scenes architectural tour of the Chew House will conclude the Friday evening program.

Saturday April 4th - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
A full-day of scholarly speakers will address a variety of local environmental issues.

Speakers and topics include:

Mike McGrath -
- Host of WHYY’s You Bet Your Garden radio show
- “Get Your Lawn and Landscape off Drugs” - Keynote Speech

Dr. Andrew Isenberg -
- Chair of Temple University’s History Department
- “Environment and History: The Historical Context of Environmental Challenges”

Richard Whiteford -
- Author/Writer, The Climate Project
- “Climate Change: Things Each of Us Can Do About It”

Seth A. Shapiro -
- Director of Planning and Urban Design at Barton Partners Architects Planners’
-“Is Mixed Use the Real Green”

Activities include:

Natural History Tour of Cliveden - Phillyist.com Green Scene Columnist Lori Litchman will detail what Cliveden’s 6 acre property would have looked like in 1777 as well as the variety of plant and wildlife at the site.

Eco-Lunch Break - Farmers from Weavers Way, a food cooperative in Northwest Philadelphia, will provide eco-friendly appetizers for lunchtime and discuss the economic and health benefits of eating locally and organically.

Yellow Bus Trip - Concluding the Going Green forum will be a brief local field trip to Weavers Way farms at Awbury Arboretum and Martin Luther King High School. Hop on the yellow bus to see a food co-op’s urban gardens and nutrition programs in action.

Registration Information:

Admission to both days of the program, April 3rd and April 4th, is $30. A reduced rate is available for one-day admissions and members of Cliveden. Price of admission includes speakers, demonstrations, eco-friendly appetizers, local bus trip as well as a reusable Cliveden coffee mug and shopping bag.

RSVP is requested but not necessary. To RSVP or request a printed program for this event, contact rfink@cliveden.org or call 215-848-1777.

Click here to download and print a registration form

April 18, 2009 Composting Workshop at Wyck

wyck@wyck.org or 215-848-1690

March 21, 2009 How to start your own garden

Workshop at Wyck
wyck@wyck.org

March 23, 2009 Recycling Discussion

On April 3, Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenny will hold a hearing on legislation they have introduced to reduce waste in Philadelphia by banning plastic bags at large retailers, mandating a $0.25 fee on plastic shopping bags at smaller stores and banning Styrofoam food packaging.

RecycleNOW Philadelphia invites us to support this legislation and come to an information session. City Council staff will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the proposed legislation. Learn:

Who will be affected by the bills
How they will be enforced
How they will minimize waste
The opposition's argument
How to get involved

Monday, March 23, 2009
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

The Academy of Natural Sciences
Commons Meeting Space, Lower Level
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA

March 17, 2009 Bee Keeping Workshop

At the Wyck House, 6026 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-848-1690 or wyck@wyck.org

March 19th Seminar at Academy of Natural Sciences

Academy of Natural Sciences

Urban Sustainability Forum – Growing Sustainable Philly Neighborhoods
What to Do in Your Community

Thursday, March 19

6-6:30 pm: Community resource fair and reception:
6:30-8 pm: Forum presentation and discussion
8-8:30 pm: Community resource fair (continued)

This program is designed to help Philadelphia citizens and communities create more sustainable healthy neighborhoods.

Give Feedback to the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability:
Short surveys on sustainable neighborhoods will be collected, compiled, and given directly to the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, so come and be heard.

Forum on Community-Led Sustainability
Participants will hear from a panel of national and local community leaders who will present some inspiring ideas and projects that they are leading in communities across Philadelphia:

• United States Green Building Council
• New Kensington Community Development Corporation
• Friends of Carroll Park
• Village of the Arts and Humanities
• Northern Liberties Clean and Green

Visit the Community Resource Fair
As a special bonus the program will also invite organizations that provide resources to communities to participate in a Green Neighborhood Resource Fair. Organizations will be present to offer tools for building sustainable neighborhoods such as: assistance with tree plantings, community gardens, and composting; offering new tools to manage neighborhood flooding; contributing funds and performance ideas to help organize communities; and many more.

RSVP for Sustainable Philly Neighborhoods (via EventBright)

Patricia Blakely

The Merchants Fund

1616 Walnut Street, Ste 802

Philadelphia, PA 19103

215-399-1339 office

info@merchantsfund.org

Visit our web site http://www.merchantsfund.org/

Sustaining Businesses since 1854.

Upcoming Events

On February 5 , Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy business owners and others attended the first of a series of seminars devoted to the “greening” of our local business community. The seminar was hosted by a joint effort of the CHBA and the MABA at the Flying Fish and featured guest speaker, Professor Rob Fleming of Pennsylania University, where he teaches Sustainable Design.
These seminars are important to raise ecological awareness and to form local action groups which will go out and help implement real change in our communities. Dr. Fleming noted that we have now officially entered into the “Age of Ecology”. So what can we all really do? How can we get involved? These are questions this group will be trying to answer with monthly seminars conducted by local experts about local problems and solutions.
Our next seminar, March 24, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Lutheran Seminary Amphitheater in the Hagen Center, 7301 Germantown Ave., will focus on Trash and Recycling for the Business Owner. Featured speakers will be Maurice Sampson and David Biddle, long-time Mt. Airy residents, and two of the city’s most accomplished trash experts. They will be joined by Ann Musza of the Instituitional Recycling Network(IRN). She will be teaching us how to save money by introducing smart and efficient programs for reducing, reusing and recycling our trash. You don’t have to be a business owner to attend, perhaps you just want to know what’s going on or what you can do to help.
For more information and to RSVP, email Kim Miller at president@mtairybiz.com

Welcome to the new Chestnut Hill Green Space

The Green Initiative in Chestnut Hill, aka GRINCH, is a new group interested in furthering sustainable business practices in the beautiful Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. We are hoping that this will become a forum for all things green happening in our area and also, to join forces, share information and promote our efforts.