Here at the eco-blog of a tabloid newspaper, we sometimes wonder about how best to convey what's going on with the planet and what people can do about it. I like to think Earth to Philly has come up with some appropriately brazen ways to draw attention to the climate crisis, but I have to admit we're pretty far behind the New York Post.

Or rather, the parody New York Post that was put out earlier this week by the Yes Men. As it's Climate Week in New York City and a UN climate summit opens, the satirical provocateurs had hundreds of volunteers hand out an ersatz Post with the headline reading... well, you can see for yourself.

The real joke is that the main story takes off from a real report commissioned by Mayor Bloomberg and released in February to little media attention. The stunt thus achieves a second level of humor, that of the court jester being the only one able to speak the truth, a la The Daily Show's Jon Stewart.

Replicated on a spiffy Post-like site, the main story shouts, "According to a high tech study commissioned by a concerned Mayor Bloomberg and generously funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, climate change caused by human-created greenhouse gases is threatening the health, livelihood, and security of New Yorkers—especially those who take the subway to work."

Unless the imminent disasters are something localized to Manhattan, it's probably worth all of us down here paying some attention to the report too. Hey, maybe we could do our own anti-authoritarian stunt and... wait a minute, police detention? Hmmm. Maybe this kind of thing is best left to those gutsy New Yorkers.

Some of the locations where you may see altered parking spaces.

If you're walking through Center City (or a handful of other neighborhoods) tomorrow between 9 am and 5 pm and come across a parking space that's just a little more organic, or even a little crazier, than you might expect, you'll know you're in the midst of the second annual Park(ing) Day in Philadelphia.

The initiative aims to "reclaim parking spots and transform them into engaging, people-friendly public spaces for one day!" Last year, the first year Park(ing) Day was celebrated here (it started in San Francisco in 2005) there were 25 spaces decorated and otherwise upgraded to make statements of one kind or another about public space and the greening thereof. This year it's 30 - while still not a huge percentage of the total spaces in town, that's "170 square feet of public space."

The Park(ing) Day Philadelphia site has a map  of the spaces and more info on the project. It will be good to see Philly parking spaces generating smiles and provoking thought instead of generating/provoking fights with our infamous Parking Authority. And it will be good to see more green around town - if only for a day.

ALSO: You may remember the Earth to Philly post, White House farmer's market? Do it! Well, they took our advice and did it! And the first one is tonight! Fantastic. If you're in or arounjd DC, check it out and let us know how it goes!

How much do you love the Earth? If you talk the talk, then put your mouth where your mouth is and head out to an "art" event where you can eat the artwork.

This weekend sees the opening of Down to Earth: Artists Create Edible Landscapes, an exhibit at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education consisting of "socially engaging interventions in the landscape related to food and agriculture, creating an aesthetic and cultural link between art and farming."

These artistic extrapolations on the concept of the garden will be around throughout the fall, but duing tomorrow's event you can meet the artists and join in the overall festivities that should entertain children and grown-ups alike. The Schuylkill Center's publicity promises "an artists’ talk and tour, activities for all ages led by the artists, as well as hay rides, a composting station, a guided edible plants trail walk, and much more!"

If you don't make it out there tomorrow you have until November 23rd to check out the exhibit. You can find out more about the individual works and the Center's other exhibits at the Schuylkill Center site.

Whose mess is this?

As our story in Thursday's Daily News made clear, City Councilman Bill Green is serious about cleaning up the dumpster situation on Philadelphia streets and sidewalks. He proposes a medallion system that would make it easier for a single city employee - rather than a hodgepodge of departments - to identify and fine those who misuse or overuse dumpsters on our urban passageways. So far the main opposition has been from the Chamber of Commerce.

John Jonik, one of the most vocal of Philly's community of "Dumpster Diver" artists - who really do get into trash receptacles if necessary to find castaway items for use in art (or around the home) - doesn't like the idea either, and volunteered to talk about it for this Dumpster Divers Dispatch.

It's not the easy identification of responsibility Jonik is against, but the doubling of city fees that seems to be the price tag for implementing the plan (e.g. the fee for a standard "two-yarder" would jump from $300 to $600). Back when Green first started pushing for this in late spring, Jonik immediately ran up the red flag, and he hasn't changed his tune in the waning days of summer.

"First of all,  I'm against the idea of 'user fees' for any public service whatsoever," he stipulates. "It's in the public interest to have dumpsters to keep the city cleaner and therefore the whole public should conttibute to that through their taxes. Whatever the public services cost determines how much taxes should be."

But more than the ideological friction, Jonik sees trouble in the practical effects of the change: "Any fee hike is going to encourage short dumping and discourage clean-ups of lots and abandoned houses and other projects. They'd be less inclined to do it. Maybe the big contractors don't care - the cost would be passed on to their customers and such - but I think you'll see a change in places that would ordinarily be cleaned out by community groups."

Having been to a couple of "clean-outs" where the Dumpster Divers got the word out and got massive amounts of (mostly useable or re-purpose-able) junk out of the way before the finer-grain trash and garbage had to be hauled out, I can see how those smaller-scale operations could be hit. But in terms of problems or benefits, it's not all black and white.

Notably, Jonik admits that an increase in "short dumping" could be good for his ilk, as more trash would be visible and available in, say, vacant lots. "Sure, there's that: I wouldn't have to climb into the dumpster," he says with a rueful chuckle. "But there are larger issues.  Even if this would benefit Dumpster Divers, in spite of that I still disagree with it."

Calendar cover girl Devan with recycled phone wire on the wrist and a necklace made of washer parts.

If you're not familiar with the terms "eco-sexy" and "biolicous" you obviously didn't have a chance to attend the Eagles Cheerleaders' unveiling of their latest calendar. Well, neither did I, but with the exhaustive coverage in the Daily News, I almost feel like I was there. In addition to our story from St. John Barned-Smith there's a Steve Falk slideshow with 29 photos chronicling every aspect of the Green (in more ways than one) stage show.

While some may assume the Eagles are going all environmental on us in an attempt to replicate the success of the 2008 Phillies - whose embrace of sustainability, Earth to Philly showed beyond a shadow of a doubt, was responsible for their World Series championship - the Eagles Cheerleaders were already on the "eco-sexy" tip with last year's edition. But this year they're upping the ante, focusing more strongly on global warming.

The entire cheerleading squad showed off bikinis made of recycled soda bottles and organic cotton by designers Aaron Chang and San Natura Organics.

Jewelry was also made from recycled, repurposed or "up-cycled" materials like animal shells, dried flowers and repurposed silver, guitar picks, melted forks and knives, feathers, and even nuts from Latin and South America. The calendar is printed on recycled paper.

Now, some might grouse that some kind of digital or virtual calendar would ultimately be more legitimately sustainable, requiring no paper at all. But that would forgo the opportunity to have a group of people that a great many Philadelphians pay a lot of attention to sounding the alarm about climate change. And if there's one thing the Daily News has learned in packaging hard-hitting stories - like our reporting of the plea deal Vince Fumo rejected, only to wind up getting an even lighter sentence - it's that sex sells. That's why longtime-Senator-turned-criminal Fumo is on our cover playing second fiddle to, well, a woman's butt.

It could work. If any Eagles fans are inspired to moderate their lifestyle after seeing this event or buying this calendar, that's something to cheer about.

In other local sports team news, the Sixers and Flyers have yet to make an equivalent eco-friendly push, whether in terms of big PR events or real-world changes such as the menu options available to fans. As it happens, the Daily News did just today trumpet the fact that the "Flyers are going 'Green' for New Year's Day," but alas, not quite in the same sense, nor with the same "eco-sexy" strategy.

Joel Spivak is seen through one of the open spaces in his one-of-a-kind art project on Independence Mall.

Joel Spivak, one of the founders of Philly's Dumpster Divers artists group, is at it again, spreading the favorite message that "trash is just a failure of the imagination." He's combining his trash-related artistic/architectural skills with one of his three thousand other passionate interests in a project on Independence Mall to create a Lincoln Memorial out of trash.

Wait, isn't Independence Day about 1776? Where's the Lincoln connection? Actually, Independence Mall is the site for the Lincoln Bicentennial Festival, celebrating the 200th anniversary of our 16th president's birth. Today in the Daily News Spivak shared some of the rationale behind the sculpture, which will be there on the Mall throughout the holiday weekend for spectators and passers-by to add to and collaborate on.

I stopped by this afternoon and found a lot of people engaged in the project, including a handful of Dumpster Divers, a lot of kids and a couple soldiers (modern-day types - meanwhile Civil War-era ones were marching by a few feet away). When I asked Spivak how things had been going so far he enthused that a lot of people were having a lot of fun contributing to the sculpture. Noting the area where people can post their Letters to Abraham Lincoln, he chuckled that the first one they got was "Dear Mr. Lincoln, I'm sorry that you are dead."

The Dumpster Divers have, in the course of the last year or so, stepped up their public profile and found new ways to promote the idea that creativity is a greater force than consumerism. If you agree, stop by Independence Mall (between 5th and 6th, Market and Arch) sometime this weekend to help build the "gleaming art sculpture" celebrating Lincoln and, in the process, our national ingenuity.

For anyone up north of town who uses the distance from Center City as an excuse to avoid coming into town for 'Green' gatherings, now there's one right up in Yardley. Just got a press release from Gail McMaster of Greeniac Life, who explained what an all-encompassing event this is going to be. Lots of info that will be useful to people who are just getting into this now. You may even see a Dumpster Diver or two if you know where to look. Here's the release:

BUCKS COUNTY'S GREAT GREEN EXPO

Saturday, JUNE 27th, 10 am - 3 pm

Masonic Hall - 1661 Edgewood Rd., Yardley, Pa 19067

Join over 45 Energy and Solar experts who volunteer to teach residents tips on how everyone can reduce their energy use tonight....before rates go up!  It's a Free community effort with a lot of heart, so if you're free, email: gmcm@greeniaclife.com.

You can meet the Experts and learn to save energy!   Fun, Exciting Demonstrations by Energy Auditors, Solar Manufacturers, Solar Installer Trainers, Energy Auditors, Passive House Builders, Recycling Artists, Smart Energy Metering, Green Job Trainers, Blower Doors, Infrared, Solar Products, Green Workforce Development, Keystone Help Low Interest Loan Program, Energy Star! Learn how to find and seal Building Air Leak & Insulation Methods, Solar Installation Training Programs * Energy Auditor Training Programs * Sustainable Advisor Program
Save Energy….Save Money....before the rates go up!! This expo demonstrates people caring about people who like to know.  www.greeniaclife.com    gmcm@greeniaclife.com

While I was away for a week, a couple of events came to fruition here in town that Earth to Philly had tipped you to way back when, so here's a quick update on those two stories:

First, the Philly Carrotmob, which we told you about a month ago, is moving into high gear getting closer to the city's first carrot-mob "action," with meetings and parties supporting the cause. Meanwhile, the mainstream media, e.g. Time Magazine, is starting to take notice of the phenomenon, proclaiming that "carrots are looking greener every day." If you're interested in being a part of said action, keep up on thePhilly Carrotmob blog and let Tony Montagnaro know you're out there. All you'll need to do is buy something you're already going to buy, but at a specific time and place. You won't have to bring your own carrot, but it couldn't hurt.

Secondly, this weekend saw the triumphant third annual installment of the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, the wacky "green"-themed event that we spotlighted back in February with a short podcast. Having ridden in the Derby last year I really wished I could have also been there for this one, but it looks as though even without my participation (or because of it?) the event was a huge success, with people of all ages from all over the Delaware Valley finding ways to get through the streets of Kensington - and especially through the mud pit - on human-powered works of art.

You can use the Google to find photos across the Web as they start showing up today and tomorrow, but there's already a good collection right here on philly.com at the Phrequency channel. Check 'em out, and remember, there's only 11 months left to register for the 2010 event, so you might want to start planning your own definitive kinetic sculpture today!

TWO TIDBITS: Earth to Philly bids a poignant farewell to former philly.com Green writer (and even more formerly DN columnist) Mark Alan Hughes, who announced today his resignation as Sustainability Director. Having left us in the hands of his ambitious Green plan, Hughes will now return to his native habitat, the academic realm. And we could hardly let this post, commencing with a Carrot Mob update, end without giving one more shout-out to Paul Glover (who, we learn, was also at the Kinetic Sculpture Derby on Saturday) and Green Jobs Philly, whose 12th edition of its newsletter has just come out.

The Green Racer begins its conquest of Federal Hill.

Not much time to blog today as I'm getting geared up for the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race tomorrow. This is the one where entirely human-powered vehicles (which also must have an "art" aspect) compete to master a course around the inner harbor and go through sand, mud and water in addition to city streets. If you're around that area, come out and say hi. Pictured is our vehicle (made almost entirely out of trash and bamboo) as it was last year, though now it will be a little more streamlined.

If, however, you didn't make plans to be in Baltimore on Saturday, you can still get in on our local version here in Philadelphia, which is coming up in two weeks, and which you'll remember from this post. The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby does not have the water entry that adds such an imposing and entertaining level of difficulty to the design of the craft, but it's still a great time and a great way to see how alternative means of transportation can be fun and functional at the same time.

UPDATE 5/4: OK, as my co-pilot remarked at the end of Saturday's event, "in a way, this was the best year yet for the Dumpster Divers. Aside from the one thing in the water, everything worked perfectly throughout." And its true our vehicle's steering, which had been a problem last year, and other elements worked flawlessly. There was just the one thing with our water entry, which was the vehicle tipping over and winding up completely upside down and having to be hauled out and cobbled back together so we could complete the race. The good news, though, is that since our water-entry fiasco was so "interesting," we brought home the coveted "Golden Flipper" Award. See this page for more details.