As part of Earth to Philly's Dumpster Diver Dispatch series, I have in the past kept you updated on the progress of the Dumpster Divers team in Baltimore's AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race. For those coming in late, these are human-powered vehicles tricked out as works of art that must surmount pavement, sand, mud and water. Its a bona fide movement mixing love for art and sustainable transportation, involving thousands of people, started back in 1969 by Hobart Brown after he souped up his son's tricycle with a couple extra wheels. I've also alerted  you to the ensuing annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby held here in Philadelphia, and this year is no exception.

What's exceptional is that the "Dumpster Divers" team (the only team in Baltimore that's done every race) now consists solely of myself -- no longer an official Dumpster Diver -- and my son Skyler, who never was inducted into that group of trash-picking artists.

What's also exceptional was Skyler's determined mastery of the course in his self-designed "Cat-a-maran." And when I put it that way, I'm not just being a doting dad - he brought home an award for the Dumpster Divers, for his performance in exiting the water.

Now, you may recall The Golden Flipper as the award he and I won in 2009 when we entered the water and our vehicle immediately flipped over. However, the award is not for flipping per se, but for "the craft with the most interesting water entry." Often this does involve either flipping, or falling apart, or otherwise engaging in comical catastrophe (don't worry, everybody has a life jacket).

At this year's awards ceremony, the emcee specified that breaking with tradition, even though there were plenty of spectacular failures among vehicles entering the water, they were going to award it to the "most interesting water exit:" Skyler, going for an "Ace" award (no help getting through any obstacles, no pushing or walking the vehicle) had the waterfront park crowd on the edge of their seat as he contrived to pull himself up the ramp by rotating his front wheel with his feet. What the crowd didn't know was that his chain had gotten stuck in the highest gear at the outset of the race, so even once he could use the pedals it was still a gritty, heart-stopping, crowd-pleasing feat, to the point that the race judges decided -- exceptionally -- to award the Golden Flipper this year "not for failure, but for success."

Now, you doubtless will assume I'm going on about this one epic moment last weekend because of my personal connection to the pilot. Maybe so. But I'm also trying to illustrate a larger point: I want Philly to have the kind of event that can generate such moments of glorious athleticism -- mixed as it is with the fun spirit embodied in the fact that Skyler was doing this while made up as a cat, with Gorilla-tape ears on his helmet.

»  More Kinetic Sculpture Derby not yet set to get wet

Well, tomorrow's Earth Day, so here's Part Two of our E2P roundup - a bunch of items related to the holiday from products to events to food and film!

Time was, releasing a product with less packaging or some recycled materials was enough for a flurry of publicity about a company's "commitment to sustainability." The field was less crowded, and a token effort would allow you stand out from the mainstream crowd. But with more jumping on the crowded "green" bandwagon, the bar is being raised.

"How high?" you might ask, but the question is really "how low?" when you're talking about compostable Toothbrushes!

Yes, I have indeed tried brushing my teeth with one, so that I can report to you that the handle did not bend or break, nor did the head suddenly snap off - something that apparently will become more likely (keep reading). I didn't want to throw it out after one or two uses, though, so I can't personally verify how well it composts. Here's what the makers, World Centric, have to say, though:

World Centric provides high quality compostable food service disposables and food packaging products ... made from annually renewable resources like corn, sugarcane, and wheat straw fiber, some of which are by-products of the agriculture industry. We use these materials to make sustainable alternatives to plastics and Styrofoam.

Our BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) certified compostable toothbrush and compostable travel case are made from Ingeo™ (derived from plants), instead of petroleum based plastics. Bristles are not compostable. You can break off the head to compost the handle and travel case within 6 months in a commercial composting facility. You can also send us your old toothbrush and travel case for composting.

Here's the thing, though: Bristles are a key part of a toothbrush, no? If you can't make them compostable, it's a stretch to call it the whole unit a "compostable toothbrush." Though of course any compostability is a net gain, I'm left wondering why World Centric doesn't restrict the "compostable" line to things that really are.

Another entry from the past year is the Hydros Water Bottle. Frequently described as "like a Brita pitcher on the go," this is a reusable bottle that filters your water while you carry it. That's pretty neat in and of itself. But these days, it's not enough:

Your Hydros Bottle is designed to eliminate the need for bottled water and can be used at water fountains, kitchen sinks, and bathroom taps here in the US. Hydros is the movement to fight the Global Water Crisis worldwide. Your bottle purchase funds water projects through Operation Hydros and can provide clean water for one person in need for an entire year. $1 from each purchase helps fund sustainable water infastructure projects.

Here's part 1 of our annual Earth Day products round-up, this one from Gizmo Guy Jon Takiff. Watch for part 2 with more products and events tomorrow morning.

How do we know that  Earth Day must  be right around the corner (Sunday)? Environmental groups focused on the (fraught with eco-peril) electronics industry have been laying on the good and bad tidings.

Cloudy Forecast: Amazon, Apple and Microsoft all got slammed by Greenpeace International yesterday in a report on cloud energy practices. While Google, Yahoo and Facebook are
"taking steps to power their clouds with clean energy," those other "highly innovative and profitable companies are building data centers powered by coal and acting like their customers won't know and won't care," said Gary Cook, Greenpeace senior policy analyst. Some data centers "use as much electricity as 250 European homes."

 We Done Good: Patting itself on the back - and maybe hoping to stave off more unwieldy state laws mandating recycling - the Consumer Electronics Association reported this week that 460 million pounds of consumer electronics had been responsibly recycled by its' members and "third party" companies in the last year. That's a 53 percent increase over the prior year.  By 2016, CEA's eCycling Leadership Initiative hopes to up the annual ante to one billion pounds of electronics, equivalent to an entire 71,000 seat NFL stadium and making room for more good gear to invade our homes. "The average U.S. household owns 25 different CE products," said Walter Alcorn, CEA's v.p. of environnmental affairs. "We want to make recycling just as easy as purchasing electronics,"  And to that end hopes you'll check out the recycling  options nearest you by visiting greenergadgets.org  

Slamming Walmart:  Walmart's newly released 2012 Global Responsibility Reports touts waste reduction as its #1 achievment in 2011. But the Texas Campaign for the Environment says the retail giant is doing zilch to collect used electronics at its stores, unlike prime CE competitor Best Buy. The latter  started a pilot recycling program in 2008 and now takes back stuff at  stores nationwide.(Staples locations also proved prominent in my search at greenergadets.org. ) For Earth Day, Texas Campaign executive director Robin Schneider urges concerned citizens to post a message on Walmart's "What's on Your Mind" Facebook page "calling on the company to take back e-waste for recycling . . . and to support federal legislation to stop e-waste from being dumped on developing countries."

Green Guilt: Do Americans really give a hoot about responsible recycling of computers, phones, TVs, batteries and such? A new survey commissioned by Call2Recycle found 29 percent of the populace have "green guilt" - defined as knowing they could and should do more to help preserve the environment. That's a marked improvement from the 12 percent who felt remorse in 2009. More than half of respondents (57 percent) say they have old electronics to discard. Eight-four percent said they recycled stuff responsibly during the past year. 68 percent turned out lights and unplugged rechargers.  53 percent purchased "green" products.

Get 'em Here: Are iPad and iPhone users more eco-responsible than normal? You'd sure think so, from the deluge of eco-friendly cases you can buy for the products, made of  everything from "recycled" leather and  vinyl tarps to water bottles and cardboard album jackets. The all-natural sheep wool felt Greensleeve is even made without sucking a drop of juice from  the grid -  put together on a 1935 Singer foot-powered sewing machine, claims the  makers at Gone Studio.

Philips launches its latest, greatest LED light bulb  at Home Depot stores this Earth Day Sunday. The unique yellow wrap on the outside actually re-balances the color output so the bulb produces a more natural looking light than prior LED-based bulbs. While putting out the equivalent glow of a 60 watt incandescent, the Philips bulb consumes just 10 watts and could save you $8 a year in energy cost, if used four hours a day. Oh and it will last for 20 years in that scenario. Keep all in mind when you go to buy one and are confronted by the $50-$60 price tag! Philips hopes to get the retail cost down to a third of that, in the short run with subsidies from power companies. 

To anyone who has embraced the 'Meatless Monday' concept, I say good for you. Huzzah, and all that. But from a climate perspective, I hope you're not planning on sticking to the one-day-a-week regiment.

Let's just consider one greenhouse gas: Nitrous oxide. A new study has found that to even have a chance at stopping it from increasing by 2030, those of us in the developed world who now eat meat every day will need to change to every other day, that is, only half the time.

Here's how the write-up in Discovery News summarizes the study:

Nitrous oxide is the biggest man-made contributor to stratospheric ozone destruction (the "ozone hole"), and the third most critical greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane.

About 80 percent of nitrous oxide emissions from human activity come from agriculture. Bacteria convert the nitrogen found in manure or excess fertilizer left in the soil into nitrous oxide gas.

Every pound of meat we eat requires multiple pounds of grain to produce, and the grain in turn requires the use of nitrogen-containing fertilizer, so the amount of nitrous oxide released per calorie of meat (and dairy) is much higher than that from eating crops directly.

Eric Davidson of the Woods Hole Research Center looked at several possible trajectories for future nitrous oxide emissions, including stabilizing atmospheric nitrous oxide levels this century. He considered what changes to emissions would be necessary to achieve this target.

Davidson's work showed that even if we can somehow manage nitrogen twice as eficiently in the future, it will still be necessary for Westerners to cut their meat consumption in half.

"If we want to get to the most aggressive reduction -- the one that actually stabilizes nitrous oxide -- we have to use all of the above, including dietary changes, to get there," Davidson said.

Oh, and if you're a longtime Earth to Philly reader, you may be asking yourself, "hey, didn't Earth to Philly make the point that reducing meat consumption would be necessary to mitigate nitrous oxide a few years ago when nobody else was talking about this?"

And the answer is, yes. Yes we did. I'm willing to toot the "E2P Pride" horn for that. I may be a vegetarian, but Cory Booker I ain't.

It may have sounded to some like an April Fool's joke, but it was as real as a metal trash can: Yesterday the 20th anniversary of Philly's legendary "trash art" group The Dumpster Divers was marked with a group photo and an official Mayoral Tribute from Michael Nutter.

The celebration was held at the site of the first meeting, April 1, 1992, at the American Diner at 5th and Spring Garden. Silk City diner, which now resides at that location, was gracious enough to allow the Divers to use their premises as the site for their revelry.

The Dumpster Divers' motto is "one man's trash is another man's treasure," and the group has established a name for itself by creating art of trash, recycled materials and found objects, turning traditional notions of artistic beauty and worth on their head while generating some of the most eye-catching and original works of art and craft anywhere. (Disclosure: I was a member of the group from 1994 to 2008. I resigned membership upon launching Earth to Philly so I would be able to chronicle the group's exploits with the crystal-clear eye of objectivity required of all jounalist-bloggers.)

As many members of the group, some decked out in festive, coloful garb, assembled for an official 20th-anniversary photo, the original invitation to a meeting chartering the group was read aloud. In a historical footnote, the original name was to be The Dumpster Diners, as the concept was to meet at area diners to talk about trash-picking finds. But the crew quickly realized this created the impression they were eating out of dumpsters, which was far from the point: Their treasure is trash, not garbage, and Neil Benson, for one, has been at pains ever since to keep this distinction clear.

Soon the Mayoral Tribute itself was read, the photo was snapped and members regrouped to find a place to eat and talk trash. You can see much of how things unfolded in this image gallery.

Some excerpts from the official tribute:

"[F]ew individuals or agencies have taken this initiative [to meet the goal of greenest and most sustainable city] to the level of 'art form' or can claim the longstanding history of recycling held by Philadelphia's Dumpster Divers.

"The Dumpster Divers have made art, exhibited this work in numerous art galleries, and gained the respect and approval of the worldwide art community ... [they] have reached out to Philadelphia's students, organized workshops in schools, implemented special projects in cooperation with art galleries and alternative spaces, and taken action to teach and include local children in their projects.

"On Sunday, April 1 through Saturday, April 7, 2012, the Dumpster Divers will observe their 20th Anniversary of the founding of this pioneering group.

"It is fitting and appropriate, therefore, that the City of Philadelphia officially recognize with this tribute THE DUMPSTER DIVERS OF PHILADELPHIA and urge all citizens to be aware of the ongoing efforts of the Dumpster Divers to ensure Philadelphia's future as a green and sustainable city through recycling while creating original art and craft to enhance Philadelphia's reputation as a premier destination for incomparable arts and culture."

Get more info on who the Divers are, what they've been up to and what they're about to get up to at their web site.

Does this happen to you? I sometimes go past a corner in Roxborough and think, something's wrong. This doesn't look right. At first I may not be able to put my finger on it, but then I realize that a big tree that used to be part of the scenery has been cut down. The scene now has too much sky, and less character than before.

As trees age, cutting them down does sometimes become necessary. And I hope the ones involved were removed for reasons of health and safety rather than commercial expediency. But either way, we need to be sure we're keeping up on the other end, planting new trees that will help beautify our neighborhoods in addition to other benefits (like, you know, oxygen).

If you have space in your yard for a tree, you have until the end of the month to apply for a free one from TreePhilly. Here's the key pitch from their press release.

With support from Wells Fargo bank, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s TreePhilly campaign is empowering residents to beautify their homes and blocks, improve their health, reduce their energy costs, and reduce stormwater runoff all in one shot, at NO COST.

Philadelphia property owners who have space in the front or back of their property to plant and care for a new tree, should visit www.treephilly.org or call 215-683-0217 to request a FREE YARD TREE.

Here's more iformation on the TreePhilly campaign from their site:

TreePhilly is a new greening initiative led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation that directly engages all Philadelphians in improving their communities by planting and maintaining trees and enabling others to do the same.

TreePhilly is actively creating programming, pursuing partnerships, and supporting existing tree planting activities in order to get more trees in the ground and build our City’s canopy. To reach TreePhilly’s goal to plant 15,000 new trees in the City in 2012, we need widespread participation from everyone.

The City’s Greenplan Philadelphia calls for Philadelphia’s tree canopy to increase to 30 percent in every neighborhood by 2025. To support this goal, Mayor Nutter’s Greenworks Philadelphia sets a target of planting 300,000 trees by 2015. It’s an ambitious goal, but a goal we can strive for and achieve only with full cooperation from all partners and residents.

Of course, you don't have to be a treehugger to see the value of trees in the city. Let's get planting.

If you go to an Eagles game next season and enjoy a plastic-bottled beer during the game (I know, what are the odds?), that bottle could be part of a former Lincoln Financial Field tarp.

How so? Randy Hendricks, the CEO of Sustainable Waste Solutions, explains: "The Eagles organization has done a tremendous job of looking at everything they buy, and everything they do, for sustainability," and the go-green mindset extends beyond high-profile solar-panel and wind-turbine projects to the nitty-gritty of waste management. Hendricks says the team is on a quest to go "100% landfill-free."

That's where his company enters the picture: "They just had a full field tarp replaced. They were looking into how it could be gotten rid of in the least harmful way, you know, most efficiently - but we said hey, that's a plastic that we can ground up and recycle. That's going to become a beer bottle or something."

Hendricks's company, based in Souderton is handling landfill-free business contracts throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, and claims a statewide milestone in putting the first compressed natural gas (CNG) trash truck into operation.  “Putting the first CNG trash truck on the road in Pennsylvania allows SWS to expand upon its commitment to providing a sustainable waste handling alternative to the area’s green conscious companies,” Hendricks said in the company's press release.

In speaking with me, he conceded that it's possible someone in the far-western portion of the state has a CNG trash truck, but it seems pretty unlikely: "There are only 28 CNG fueling stations in Pennsylvania," he explained, "and most are privately owned. PECO allows other companies to use their fueling stations - we pay for the fuel, of course - and we're the only [waste-management company] fueling up there. That's why I'm pretty sure we'd know if someone else was doing this."

Natural gas, of course, has recently come under some scrutiny as a green fuel due to the industry's "fracking"-mania. But Hendricks asks us to compare it with how things are now with gasoline-powered trucks, given that petroleum extraction also has plentiful environmental issues: The CNG trucks boast "quieter operation, including an 80 to 90 percent lower decibel levelthan comparable diesel trucks; a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 30 percent; a reduction in carbon monoxide (CO) up to 80 percent; and a reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) up to 85 percent."

Sustainable Waste Solutions may set a trend in waste hauling and processing; at any rate, the company is cleaning up at various operations (they only do businesses, not residential) including several Whole Foods Market stores and Merck, always avoiding the landfill. "Organic waste goes to a composting facility in Wilmington," said Hendicks. "As for Merck - the stuff goes either to recycling or is burned to turn into energy."

He notes that another contract is with Lehigh University - "so we have been handling waste up there at the Eagles training camp." He's looking forward to dealing with the Linc and the Eagles in full-season mode.

So remember, while at the game, please be sure you don't forget to get one of those beers. After all, who knows? You might have a piece of the tarp! Not the same glory as a game ball, of course, but as close as most of us will ever get to the playing field.

Here is today's Editorial from the Daily News about a victory for fans of the Delaware waterfront.

THE SYMBOL of our squandered, inaccessible Delaware waterfront is not so much the presence of the big-box stores like Walmart, but what lies directly behind Walmart: a hurricane fence plastered with large "No Trespassing" signs (and plastered, as well, with trash). That fence and those signs say everything about how we have, until recently, treated one of the city's great treasures, especially people's access to that treasure.

Slowly but surely, that began to change five years ago, when thousands of citizens participated in creating a new master plan for the central Delaware waterfront, which in turn has led to new trails, a new park, and plans for much more. Last week that very parcel behind Walmart was acquired for a new wetlands park with a $1.25 million grant from the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (and a donation from the property's owners). The park's plan and creation will be overseen by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, which acts as the steward of the waterfront.

That's good news indeed - but it was trumped this week when the Planning Commission voted to adopt the Delaware waterfront master plan. That was an important victory not just for the mayor and the many people who participated in the planning process, but for the city as a whole. The adoption means that the waterfront plan will be part of the city's comprehensive plan. But it also means that after decades of failed attempts to transform the waterfront for the benefit of all, the city has finally gained serious momentum in making that happen. The significance of this victory shouldn't be understated: this is huge.

Ordinary citizens can celebrate this victory by taking advantage of the Delaware access that now exists:

Visit the Race Street Pier, a new park, or walk the interim riverfront trail that begins at Washington Avenue. It will change your view of the city.

NOTE: This piece on a new car-sharing model is cross-posted from Jonathan Takiff's Gizmo Guy blog.

What's environmentally friendly, socially responsible and can make you money? RelayRides, putting a new spin on "car pooling"  and today  hanging out its virtual shingle nationally  at www.relayrides.com.

Like ZipCar and regional deals like Philly CarShare (now owned by Enterprise Rent-a-Car), RelayRides operates on the principle that many people only need a car on a "spot" basis, for a couple hours now and then. 

But RelayRides  adds a big twist. The cars being rented out by the hour or day don't belong to a big consortium. The vehicles belong to the community  of members who've come to realize (and maybe feel guilty) that their transporters are sitting idle 90 percent of the time.

 Hitching A Ride: When joining online (no membership fees here), RelayRides asks if you have a car to rent and, if so, its' age and condition (clunkers will be excluded). A picture is requested for posting. 

As owner, you name the hours when you're willing to share and set the hourly fee. In the San Francisco and Boston markets where RelayRides has been tested,  the rental range has been $5 to $15 an hour, with $7-$9 dominating.  RR takes a 40 percent  cut for site maintenance, billing and support services - including  a million bucks (per vehicle) in insurance, roadside assistance, dealing with parking tickets and even paying to have a car cleaned if some slob done you wrong. Even after  deductions, car owners have  been  "pulling down about $250 month, $3,000 a year" said RelayRides founder Shelby Clark, with  vehicles "on the average about six years old. "

 Safety Net:  RelayRides performs due-diligence on all who want to join up, either as a borrower or lender (or both.) License, address and credit card are validated, driving history checked. To participate, you can't have had more than one accident or moving violation in the last two years.

The GM Connection: Boasting  $14 million in venture capitalization,  RelayRides has won an especially strong ally in General Motors, as both a tech partner and financial backer. (Google Ventures is also on board.)

You know the OnStar remote connectivity system built into millions of GM cars and trucks? The technology will make these vehicles especially friendly to RelayRide use, after a soon-coming upgrade of the OnStar software.

Here's how it works.  You've arrived to the rental car. Text a special code on a mobile phone to OnStar and the concierge service remotely  unlocks the door (the keys have been hidden somewhere inside.)  On return, you park the vehicle in roughly the same spot, within a maximum two block zone. Exit the vehicle and enter another text message. The car locks and a report on your use - hours, miles, gas consumption and the car's current location  - is automatically sent to RelayRides for appropriate billing. The car's owner gets  a "car returned" alert instantly and his/her money once a month.

Making A Different Connection: For cars jumping into the pool without OnStar,  a person-to-person key exchange  is the basic way to conduct business. An owner can turn down a renter who seems intoxicated or otherwise unqualified to drive.   Another difference from the OnStar scenario  -  the borrower is honor-bound to return the car with the gas gauge needle at the same spot where he/she found  it.. 

 The Big Picture:  RelayRides  is part of a national trend/movement in property sharing, a mindset dubbed "The Mesh." It's been sparked partly by the recession but also the growing realization that  "access trumps ownership," says movement evangelist and author Lisa Gansky. 

 RelayRides' Shelby Clark  sees potential here (likewise Ford CEO  Bill Ford) to radically reduce the number of vehicles crowding our city streets. Peer-to-peer car sharing also saves renters thousands a year in insurance and maintenance, promotes public transportation use, introduces neighbors to each other  "as most  who're borrowing a car live nearby" and keeps money in the community, said Clark. 

When RelayRides switched on its national site this morning, the venture had exactly zero cars registered locally, though a big bunch I could borrow 260 miles away in Boston! 

Feel like planting the first seeds, here 'n there? There really is some truth to the axiom "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."