The 2nd Annual Philly Farm and Food Fest is just days away!  The Farm & Food Fest was started last year in a collaborative effort by co-founders, Ann Karlen of Fair Food and Marilyn Anthony of PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.) Their goal was to connect everyone dedicated to producing and preparing unique, delicious, and wholesome local foods.

Last year's inaugural day of festivities was such a hit that this year's Farm & Food Fest has nearly doubled in size. If you consider yourself a dedicated "Philly Phoodie," one look at the list of this year's exhibitors and we guarantee your mouth will be watering.

At Clean Currents, we think that using local wind power is a great compliment to celebrating local food -- just like a perfect wine and cheese pairing. So, this year Clean Currents will be powering the Philly Farm & Food Fest with 100% local Pennsylvania wind! We will also be raffling off a basket of wind-powered goodies and challenging fest-goers to prove how they are the "greenest guy on the block."

Along with stuffing your belly with delicious samples and enjoying shopping from regional farmers, food producers, and sustainable food businesses, the Fest is also hosting exciting workshops throughout the day. Educational presentations range in topics from beekeeping to cooking demonstrations by local celebrity chefs. Each one is a great opportunity to learn in support of the region's diverse food system.

Clean Currents has gathered an outstanding panel of leaders from the Philly restaurant scene for a workshop that asks "How Green is your Café?" The following movers and shakers will be offering up a sustainable dining guide and sharing their experiences implementing sustainable practices within their businesses:

Angelo Anastasio- Owner of Greenable Design
Justin Rosenberg-Founder/Partner of honeygrow
Tim Noonan-Director of Store Development for Sweetgreen
Tia MacDonald-Director of Culinary Operations for the Vetri Foundation for Children
Nicole Marquis-Owner of Hip City Veg

This year's Philly Farm & Food Fest should prove to be a unique opportunity to mingle to with your tomato grower, learn how to keep it local, and sample from a cornucopia of delicious food and drink.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

The DC Office of People's Counsel (the ratepayers' advocates) is calling for an investigation into deceptive practices by some energy suppliers. Specifically, the OPC has named seven energy companies, including well known entities like WGES and Constellation, as using methods that deceive consumers into signing up for their products with potentially false claims.

This simply reinforces what many already know -- that the company behind the products you choose, matters. Clean Currents does not - and will never - engage in deceptive practices to gain customers. Clean Currents is proud to have a sterling customer service reputation, and more importantly, a reputation for honesty and transparency in everything we do.

For the full story on the OPC's proposed investigation, Energy Choice Matters has more:  http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20130403a.html

It's spring -- finally! The cold of winter is melting away, buds are bursting into flowers, trees are becoming green again, and we're all making a bee line for the outdoors. Time to get out the bike, the running shoes, the bat and ball, and PLAY! But, what are we all breathing while we're soaking up the glorious sun?

Turns out Maryland has a problem with smog and air pollution. In 2012, 11 out of 15 counties studied earned a failing grade for air quality from the American Lung Association. Also, Baltimore County experienced 32 Code Red or Code Orange Ozone days in 2012, enough to receive an F in the ALA's State of the Air Report. 

So how does this impact us?

Ozone pollution has serious health effects, and disproportionately affects the young, elderly, and people who exercise outside.  Ozone pollution causes shortness of breath, coughing, asthma attacks, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and more. Baltimore leads the state of Maryland in asthma deaths and has one of the nation's highest rates of hospitalization for children with asthma.

Wind Power means Cleaner Air

We don't have to sit back and breathe that! We can choose to support the development of clean wind power. If wind power development continues at the pace it has recently experienced, by 2016, the US could reduce air pollution by 108,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 79,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, two primary causes of air pollution.

By changing your electricity supply to wind power, you have the same impact as planting a football field of trees or removing 2 cars from the road annually.  Together, we add up to support wind power development and reduce air pollution.  If 1,000 people switch their home to wind power this spring, we will collectively offset 20,532,224 pounds of carbon dioxide this year.

Energize Responsibly

Join us this spring as we kick off Energize Responsibly: our initiative to motivate 1,000 people in the Baltimore area to pledge to ditch dirty air.   Live and breathe healthier by taking the pledge to support wind power at home.

We're not all doom and gloom! By taking the pledge, you're entered to win prizes like a Specialized bike, a ChicoBag DayPacker filled with goodies, Charm City Run gift cards, and more. We're also participating in super fun outdoor activities to get us all moving this spring. Check out our calendar of events for more information.

So, what are you waiting for? Join us today and ditch dirty power!

                                                 Photo courtesy of The Key School

When two high school juniors at The Key School led the charge to help their school switch to wind power, they inspired future generations to achieve their environmental goals. We sat down with Stuart Wilson, the advisor for the Environmental Awareness activity at The Key School, to discuss their switch to wind power, the importance of environmental education, and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

CC - How did The Key School decide to switch to wind power?
SW - The initiative was driven by two students who were curious to know why Key School was using non-renewable energy sources. Motivated by their environmental interest, they started learning more about the school's operations. They spoke to the Business Manager who explained that wind energy was more expensive than traditional coal generated energy. To make the switch to wind power a viable option, they would need to figure out a way to offset that cost. Up to the challenge, they realized that if the school cut down it's energy use, they could afford the slightly higher cost of clean energy. And so, the Key Kilowatt Kickoff was born.

CC - How did the students get participation from their classmates and school faculty to reduce their energy use?
SW - The students began their campaign for clean energy by explaining the importance of wind power to students and teachers in each division of the school, no small feat as Key School is a Pre-Kindergarten to grade twelve school with 700 students.  Through the Killowatt Kickoff campaign, they helped students and teachers become more aware of their energy use and found ways to become more efficient. By keeping classroom temperatures moderate, turning off lights and computers when not in use, and empowering students and teachers to be responsible for their own energy use, they were able to significantly reduce the school's power usage. They brought the school's energy bills down enough to offset the cost of wind power, and so Key School signed for 100% wind generated power in 2010 and has renewed that contract ever since!    

CC - Is the Key Killowatt Kickoff still around since the student's graduated?
SW - Yes! We have students monitoring the energy usage of our various buildings and maintaining the original kilowatt kickoff to make sure everyone is still aware of energy savings. It is an important legacy of the school, and students are proud to continue this and many other environmental initiatives that include students in the elementary school managing the school-wide recycling and composting efforts.

CC - What are some other activities The Key School students are doing to make the school more sustainable?
SW - Right now they are getting ready for our Earth Day activities including a film viewing and a campus wide scavenger hunt to identify inefficiencies on campus. Then, they will spend the spring finding ways to address these issues and make the school more sustainable.  We have students working in our gardens, on composting, and greening daily activities. Our Upper Schoolers are also putting on a "Green Fair" for the younger students.  We encourage students to find projects they are interested in working on and making proposals to the teachers about new exciting initiatives, so you never know what they will come up with!  Additionally, our faculty and students partner with the local homeowners association, Hillsmere Shores Improvement Association, on various neighborhood projects including work on the creation of storm water mitigation areas and community beach plantings.

The school has also partnered with Sustainafest (sustainafest.org), a local nonprofit group that focuses on educating the public about crucial social, economic and environmental issues; Key School will be the site for an exciting sustainability-focused festival in the fall of 2013 that will be open to the public.

CC - Why do you think it's important for schools to run on wind power?
SW - Ultimately, it's the right thing to do. As adults and educators we need to model to students the value of doing what is important even if it is not always the easiest or the norm. Sometimes it takes a little sacrifice in the present for the greater good in the long run. In keeping with Key's mission, our students continue to be good environmental stewards. Making this switch certainly fits with the ethos of the school. 

CC - Why is it important that youth have environmental education and the opportunity to carry out environmental projects?
SW - This generation is exposed to and understands the value of being environmental stewards. From a young age we cultivate our student's understanding and respect for the environment and natural resources. At Key, even our 3-year-olds are involved with ongoing hands-on environmental education and have the opportunity to learn in a certified Nature Explore Classroom, which is their playground.   If children learn to respect nature, once they are older and understand the ways we as a society impact their environment, they are inspired to take action. It's important to instill that intrinsic motivation early on.  

It is wonderful working with young people because they are so optimistic about the environmental challenges we face today. They don't back down from a challenge and they aren't intimidated by road blocks or the status quo. As educators, it is important for us to encourage them to take on various learning experiences. By and large they are successful, but when they do face failure, there are also valuable lessons in learning that not every project can be successful. We encourage them to start a conversation about how things could change, and when they're empowered, they are motivated to affect change. 

Founded in 1958 by tutors from St. John's College and located in Annapolis, MD, Key School is the largest, nonsectarian, independent school in Anne Arundel County currently enrolling 700 students.  The school was founded upon the conviction that children are innately curious about themselves and the world; they want to learn, they want to discover, and they want to create. Sustaining a strong academic curriculum, the School encourages intellectual rigor, independence of thought, curiosity, creativity, and openness to differing ideas and perspectives. Learn more at keyschool.org.