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Tag: Sustainability

Shop Local: Solo Real Estate 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on by Solo Team

This holiday season, Solo Real Estate is sharing its commitment to the environment with a guide to local, sustainable holiday gifts from Philadelphia businesses. All of our suggestions below may be purchased online in the comfort and safety of your home and shipped directly to the lucky recipient.

We love the selection of unique fair trade crafts at the Barnes Foundation Shop. Give a child a gift, not found at any big box store, that will be passed down for generations with a hand-carved Noah’s Ark set. It comes with fourteen charming animals made from sustainably harvested jacaranda wood in Kenya. The Ark’s roof serves as a lid to house this collection which includes small sculptures of Noah and his wife. The Ark measures 12” long, 7.5” high. $120. 

For the adult art lovers on your list, the Barnes Shop offers a large selection of fine art books, apparel, accessories, and distinctive jewelry.

Barnes Foundation: hand-carved Noah's Ark set, $120
Barnes Foundation: hand-carved Noah’s Ark set, $120

Remark Glass is a local company based in the BOK building that keeps glass out of landfills by making beautiful homewares out of recycled post-consumer bottle glass. They have a great selection of glassware on their website and also custom-made lighting. For the beer-lover on your list, we love the draught glass, made from beer bottles sourced from Philadelphia. Each glass holds 28 oz and is dishwasher safe. $15.

Remark Glass: Draught Glass, $15
Remark Glass: Draught Glass, $15

If there’s someone on your list who has been very good, dazzle them with custom-designed, ethically sourced jewelry from Bario Neal. They offer gold extracted by responsible, artisanal miners. Their diamonds are traceable and primarily recycled.  All of their gemstones have been repurposed without impact on the environment. 

Our pick? The Knottedrush Ring, handcrafted in Bario Neal’s Queen Village workshop in 14 carat yellow gold, starting at $115. This delicate golden knot ring connotes friendship, love and bigger things to come. If you are really ready to the tie the knot, Bario Neal can redesign family heirloom gemstones into a spectacular contemporary setting. Their 524 S. Fifth Street showroom is open by appointment only; they also offer virtual appointments.

Bario Neal: Knottedrush Ring, $115
Bario Neal: Knottedrush Ring, $115

For the globetrotters on your list, temporarily grounded due to the pandemic, give them a taste of adventure from Bali to Bala. This online market, curated by local artist Laura Cohn, presents a collection of crafts by Indonesian artisans. A portion of the proceeds supports the South Philly Indonesian Community and non-profits in Indonesia. Choose from hand-painted sarongs, home décor, housewares, and jewelry.

Bali to Bala: Melted Glass Wine Carafe, $88
Bali to Bala: Melted Glass Wine Carafe, $88

Oenophiles will covet this Melted Glass Wine Carafe on Driftwood  Unique to Bali, the carafe is made from recycled glass and found driftwood. This one-of-a-kind carafe is created by blowing molten glass directly into driftwood. The carafe may be removed for cleaning purposes. 12” High, 8” Wide, 11” Long. $88.

Fashionistas of all genders will covet a gift from Lobo Mau, a Philly-based, slow fashion clothing line specializing in original silk-screened prints and innovative textile designs. Headquartered in the Bok Building in South Philly with a boutique at 6th and Bainbridge, Lobo Mau was named Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Sustainable Local Brand in 2019.

You will find a wide range of super comfy, head-turning casual wear for men and women. Our favorite?  The vintage inspired Scribble Pom Jacket. This has been their best-selling jacket for six years and is now available in a limited edition, hand-drawn print by Philly artist Ben Jones. 92% Cotton. 8% Spandex. $398.

Lobo Mau: Scribble Pom Jacket, $398
Lobo Mau: Scribble Pom Jacket, $398

Imagine a retail store dedicated to saving our oceans. That is the mission of United By Blue which removes one pound of trash from waterways for every product purchased. Based in Philly, their flagship store is located in Old City with a branch in University City. Their products are made from sustainably sourced materials and are created to last.

For the vegan on your list, check out their best-selling 25L Transit Pack. 100% vegan, water-resistant, and stain-resistant. 100% recycled polyester with recycled nylon straps. Oodles of expandable compartments for holding cell phones, laptops, you-name-it. 19” High, 14” Wide, 7.75” Deep. $68.

United by Blue: 25L Transit Pack, $68
United by Blue: 25L Transit Pack, $68

Has your best friend been baking bread during quarantine? Get them the beginner’s bakers bundle from The Kitchen Garden Series. Designed to make kitchen projects easier from start to finish, this bundle is part of a holiday set that includes a bread bag and a linen kitchen tea towel. Linen has anti-bacterial qualities that help keep your bread (or cookies, or muffins) fresh longer. $38

The Kitchen Garden Series: Bread Bag from Beginners Baker's Bundle, $38
The Kitchen Garden Series: Bread Bag from Beginners Baker’s Bundle, $38

We saved the best for last. Handmade chocolates from Philly’s own John & Kira’s. As seen in the New York Times, Oprah’s Magazine, and Martha Stewart, these are chocolates that raise the bar. Using organic ingredients from carefully selected sustainable artisan food growers, John & Kira’s offers chocolate lovers a decadent selection from which to choose. We were totally seduced by their Chocolate Figs featured in Wine Spectator. Each dried fig is filled with a silky smooth, whiskey infused Valrhona dark chocolate ganache. Then, they are hand-dipped in 62% dark chocolate and gift boxed. Six pieces for $24.95. Buy one box for someone special and another for yourself.

John and Kira's Chocolate Figs, $24.95
John and Kira’s Chocolate Figs, $24.95

Gift cards to your favorite Philly restaurants and bars are also a good option to help support local businesses who have experienced a hefty dip in revenue this year and have limited seating as COVID restrictions continue. Bennett Compost now has gift cards as well. If they’re within the pick up areas, encourage your friends to keep food waste out of landfills by getting them a gift card they can apply towards a subscription.

Single-Stream Recycling in Philly: Dos and Don’ts

Posted on by Solo Team

We all want to play our part to keep the planet healthy and recycling is one way you can help. Since the first Earth Day 50 years ago, society has made big strides in education and awareness of the environmental issues we face, and we’ve learned a lot about how our lifestyle choices and methods as consumers have impacted the Earth. We’ve woken up to our bad eco-habits, and the majority of us are eager to change them.

But while we may have the best intentions at heart, our actions can often be misconstrued. We receive a lot of information from friends and family, brands, and the media — all of whom are constantly telling us what to do and how to do it when it comes to helping the planet. 

We should be cautious not to take all the information we receive at face value because often it isn’t accurate. This is especially true of recycling. 

In Philly, like in many other cities across the country, we use a “single-stream” recycling system, meaning all the recyclable materials we use get mixed into a single bin, collected together, and then sorted and separated later on at a special facility. It’s a system that’s designed with convenience in mind, but in order for it to remain effective, it’s integral for us to use it the right way. As the ones who are doing the recycling, we are the foundation of the system, and if we don’t use it properly, the whole thing becomes obsolete.

Follow these guidelines to ensure that you’re contributing your recycling to our city’s single-stream system accurately. 

Use the Right Type of Recycling Bin

There are many types of sanctioned bins you can use to recycle in Philadelphia. The idea is, you’ll want to have something that won’t contaminate your recyclables between collections. To help you better plan when to put your recycling out and reduce contamination you can also now check the city’s new PickupPHL app for the most up-to-date recycling collection updates. The city considers all of the following acceptable forms of recycling bins:

City-issued bins: There are six Sanitation Convenience Centers scattered throughout the city from which you can pick up a free city-issued recycling bin. If you plan on acquiring one, call your nearest location ahead of time for hours of operation, and to make sure they have a supply in stock. To avoid pick up delays, you can also drop off your recyclables directly at any of these Sanitation Convenience Centers.

Solo bins: As part of our ongoing effort to help Philly residents love where you live, we offer free Solo-branded bins, too. They are available to our clients, tenants, and neighbors, and if you’re interested in obtaining one, we encourage you to contact us directly to schedule a pickup at our office near Rittenhouse Square.

DIY bins: If you can’t easily obtain a city-issued or Solo Real Estate container, the city allows other containers to act as permanent recycling bins. As long as it’s plastic and 32 gallons or less, it should be good to use. The city advises that residents who choose this method either get a recycling sticker, or clearly write “recycling” on the outside of the container.

Temporary paper bags: If you’re between bins and need to put your recycling out before you get a new permanent one, you may use a paper bag or a cardboard box in the interim. However, there’s no guarantee that the city will pick these up, especially if they’ve been out in the rain or snow, where they can easily become contaminated. The recycling crews will use their discretion when determining whether or not to collect temporary paper or cardboard containers, so it’s best to get a permanent one as soon as possible.

Don’t use plastic bags: This includes clear and opaque plastic garbage or shopping bags. These are not recyclable, and the Streets Department will not collect them.

Philly Recycling Dos and Don’ts

Once you have the right bin, it’s important to only place sanctioned recyclables in it. Please read through the following dos and don’ts to make sure you’re using the recycling service effectively.

Plastics

Do recycle: Plastic food and beverage containers (like milk jugs, water bottles, and plastic takeout containers), plastic single-use drink cups (like the ones you get from convenience store soda fountains and fast food restaurants), plastic household and bathroom item bottles (like detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, and cleaning spray bottles), similar plastic pails, buckets, and pots.

Do not recycle: Plastic bags of any kind, styrofoam of any kind (including styrofoam takeout containers and cups), or plastic straws of any kind. 

Pro tip: It’s true, plastic straws are not recyclable! We recommend using compostable paper straws, or reusable glass and metal straws whenever possible.

Paper

Do recycle: Newspapers, magazines, brochures, catalogs, paper-based mail and envelopes/junk mail, paperback books and phone books, greeting cards, and paper-based gift wrap.

Do not recycle: Wet or soiled paper of any kind, waxed paper plates, and cups, tissues, napkins, toilet paper, or paper towels.

Pro tip: Keep your recyclables in a closed container until as close to collection as possible to prevent water and other contaminants that will deem these items non-recyclable.

Cardboard

Do recycle: shipping and storage boxes, cereal and dry food boxes, egg cartons, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, cardboard food and beverage cartons (like milk, wine, and soup cartons and boxes), and flatten out all of these containers before you place them in the bin.

Do not recycle: Dirty or greasy pizza boxes, or any other potentially contaminated cardboard items.

Pro tip: Pizza boxes are technically recyclable, but they must be clean and contain no grease, which is rarely the case. However, you can rip them up as compost! We recommend reading this article if you’re interested in learning more about how to reduce waste or start composting at your Philadelphia home.

Glass and Metal

Do recycle All types of glass jars, tin, aluminum, and steel cans, empty and clean paint cans, disposable metal baking dishes and trays, empty aerosol cans, metal lids, and bottle caps, and crumpled and clean aluminum foil.

Do not recycle light bulbs, broken glass of any kind, or porcelain.

Pro tip: Reusing can be more effective than recycling, and used glass and metal jars can serve a variety of purposes—like drinking cups, change jars, and planters. Use your imagination and save your jars! While regular light bulbs can’t be recycled, Green Philly has a list of places in Philadelphia that will recycle your CFL light bulbs. 

Other Non-Recyclables 

There are several other common household items that are commonly mistaken as recyclable. This includes any food waste, any electronics (like phones, tablets, and computers), garden hoses, needles, and syringes. Please leave all of these things out of the recycling bin.

For more information about recycling in Philly, read our article on Recycling Plastics. One of the best ways to help the environment is to build eco-friendly habits and find ways to minimize your waste footprint. 

Jeanne Weber: Raises The Roof

Posted on by Solo Team

Business is booming for Jeanne Weber, owner of Philadelphia Green Roofs, LLC. “Even during the pandemic, business has not slowed down. It blew up. In a good way,” said Weber who, since 2011, has designed and built over three acres of green roofs in Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware Valley. Major projects include Septa Frankford Transportation Building, Rittenhouse Estates, and 2601 Parkway. Jeanne also completed the four green roofs located above the Solo Real Estate’s offices at 2017 Chancellor St and the green roof at 1330 N 5th next to Kensington Yards, Solo’s most recent development project.

Why would a talented landscape designer choose to specialize exclusively in green roofs? For Weber, the transition was organic. “Back in 2009, I had been invited by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society to judge their annual City Gardens Competition in the Sustainability Category,” said Weber. “I saw a gorgeous green roof at the home of a Center City architect and we gave it a perfect score.” 

Weber had seen green roofs before. But never one that appealed so powerfully to her design sensibilities. After a decade of landscape design, she became a certified green roof professional in 2009 and in 2013 launched a certified woman-owned business, one of only three or four companies in Philadelphia that exclusively installs green roofs. Weber’s roofs aren’t just functional and cost-saving. They are beautiful.

Green roof located above the Indigo Bike Share office. Image courtesy of Philadelphia Green Roofs, LLC.
Green roof located above the Indigo Bike Share office.
Image courtesy of Philadelphia Green Roofs, LLC.

Benefits

For developers, contractors, and architects, the savings of installing a green roof balance the cost over the long run. Any company that pays Business Income and Receipts Tax in Philadelphia that has a green roof, covering 60% of the available roof area, can apply for and receive a Green Roof Tax Credit up to $100,000 per building.  Besides Tax Credits, SMIP Grants are available for non-residential properties to cover the cost of installing a green roof on existing buildings, called a retrofit.

The Philadelphia Water Department goes one step further – eliminating stormwater charges for buildings that have a green roof. “Every time it rains over an eighth of an inch, there is a good chance that the City’s 19th-century sewers will overflow and send untreated raw sewage into the Schuylkill and Delaware River,” said Weber. “Green roofs absorb and hold the rainfall and can keep more sewage out of the rivers.” They also provide up to 70% savings in cooling costs and protect roofs from damage and will slow down or even eliminate the need for replacement.  

The environmental benefits are vital to our City’s sustainability. Green roofs reduce the “urban heat island” effect, lowering the risks of people becoming sick or dying of stroke as summer temperatures spike. They also clean the air and combat pollution, reducing the incidence of asthma and other respiratory and coronary diseases. A 2018 EPA study found that adding green roofs to the workplace can result in lower stress, higher productivity, and fewer employee absences. 

How to go green

First Kensington and Fishtown went green. Now the action is in Germantown, Roxborough and Manayunk. “Not every property qualifies,” said Weber. “Green roofs require a flat roof that must be able to support twenty-eight pounds per square foot. The average Philly rowhouse roof cannot withstand the weight.” The best candidates are new construction with flat roofs, repurposed factories and warehouses.

The process starts early. “It is best to plan your green roof installation well before construction,” said Weber who attends preliminary meetings with architects and civil engineers. 

Green roof at 1330 N 5th next to Kensington Yards, Solo's most recent development project.
Green roof at 1330 N 5th next to Kensington Yards, Solo’s most recent development project.

The roof will first be covered with a waterproof membrane, then a rot-proof, plastic barrier. Next comes a layer of engineered soil medium composed of crushed rock and three percent compost material. Plants used on green roofs are drought-resistant and can survive for up to three months without water. 

While green roofs require little maintenance and can last up to 45 years, Weber initially keeps a close eye on her projects for the first two years. “I might be there every two, three weeks checking on growth and the health of the plants,” she said.

The cost of installing and maintaining a green roof varies. It can range from $10 to $35 per square foot, depending on the size of the roof, height of the building, accessibility, etc.

Green roof at 2016 Walnut Street.
2016 Walnut Street

Weber has worked with Deborah Solo for ten years, creating green roofs for commercial and residential properties reflecting Solo’s personal commitment to environmental sustainability. Solo Real Estate strives to take an active role in environmental stewardship through building and renovating properties in a way that reduces their carbon footprint, and supporting programs like the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Pop Up Garden on South Street, which increases the amount of green space in our urban landscape. The PHS Pop Up Garden on South Street is currently open through November featuring food, drinks, and pop-up plant giveaways sponsored by Solo Real Estate throughout the season.

Four Ways to Minimize Your Waste Footprint in Philadelphia

Posted on by Solo Team

It’s difficult not to notice the amount of garbage piling up on residential streets in Philadelphia these days. Home waste is up between 25 and 50 percent in Philly due to people staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Streets Department is processing 3,000 more tons of garbage per week than usual on average.

Mountains of bags and bins are a frustrating sight, but it’s not solely up to the city to remedy the issue. We’re all responsible for keeping Philadelphia clean, and residents can help by reducing the amount of waste we generate. The Streets Department recommends these tips as a starting point, and we recommend a few additional steps that will help reduce waste long-term. 

Solo Real Estate is committed to sustainability and now more than ever, we’re encouraging you to join us in our mission to “love where you live” by helping keep Philly as beautiful as it can be. Help us lessen our overall environmental impact by reducing your trash output and changing the way you approach your day-to-day with these four ways to minimize your waste.

1. Build Eco-Friendly Habits

Now is a great time for all of us to assess our habits, and make some environmentally conscious changes that will reduce our waste footprint. Build eco-friendly habits by:

Donating: Rather than throwing away working household items, small appliances, and gently used clothing, donate them! Philly AIDS Thrift and Circle Thrift are two organizations in the city that accept donations and give your unwanted items a second life. If your pantry is cluttered with non-perishable food, you can donate that, too. Philabundance has an interactive map of the agencies in the city that you can work with.

Buying secondhand: Reduction-based habits are the most effective, but reusing is also a great way to reduce your environmental impact. Purchase clothes and household items secondhand, and you’ll be helping the planet, saving money, and finding unique items too. The thrift stores listed above have wonderful selections to suit any taste. 

Avoiding single-use items: Single-use items like plastic water bottles, styrofoam coffee cups, cutlery, containers, and straws pile up quickly. Replace disposable plastic water bottles with a reusable bottle and go strawless or swap out plastic straws for metal or glass versions. Canvas totes are a no-brainer, but also consider the pre-packaged goods you buy and avoid items packaged in unnecessary layers of plastic and cardboard. That all adds up too.  

Avoid single-use items and opt for reusable alternatives like these metal straws.
Image: Open House

2. Start Composting

Food and yard scraps are compostable, yet they account for 28 percent of the waste that ends up in landfills in the United States, according to the EPA’s National Overview. Landfilling compostable material is a two-fold issue. For one, it takes up a lot of unnecessary space. Also, when it’s left to decay in a landfill, rather than compost properly, it releases methane gas — a major contributor to global warming. With that in mind, composting is a tremendously effective way to reduce the amount of trash you make.

Composting is increasing in popularity, with 27 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) having been composted in 2017, according to the EPA overview. However, 140 million tons of compostable MSW were landfilled that same year, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Do it yourself: If you have a garden space, you can compost and use it to supplement your soil. Clean PHL offers this comprehensive guide for setting up a home composting system that will steer you in the right direction. Generally, it comes down to installing a bin system to contain the compost, mixing nitrogen-rich materials (like fruit and vegetable peels, grass clippings, and other fresh yard scraps) with carbon-rich materials (like paper products, dead leaves, and egg shells), keeping them damp, and occasionally turning and mixing. 

Hire a service: If you don’t have a yard, garden, or enough space, you can still compost! There are two local services for residents of Philadelphia that will help. For an affordable price, Circle Compost and Bennett Compost will give you a customized five-gallon bin in which you can toss your compostable scraps, then they’ll collect it from your home on a regular schedule. Not sure if this is right for you? You can also sign up for a free one month trial to test it out.

Bennett Compost and Circle Compost make composting easy for Philadelphia's residents and businesses.
Bennett Compost and Circle Compost make composting easy for Philadelphia’s residents and businesses. Image: Bennett Compost

3. Buy Local

Waste is inevitable in each step of the food supply chain. According to NRDC research, up to 40 percent of food never survives its journey from farm to plate. If you want to help change that, the best thing you can do is shop locally. Local supply chains are shorter than their non-local counterparts, and that means higher percentages of products successfully make it from the farm to your table. 

Participate in the local food economy in any of the following ways:

Farmers’ markets: There are almost 40 farmers’ markets scattered throughout every neighborhood in Philadelphia. While we think of them as a summertime activity, many farmers’ markets remain open until around the holidays, and some move indoors through the winter. This article features a comprehensive list of all the farmers’ markets you can find in Philly.

CSAs: The community-supported agriculture (CSA) model allows consumers to buy directly from farmers on a regular schedule, and that’s beneficial to everyone involved. Joining a CSA will give you the opportunity to build relationships with the farmers who produce your food, as well as help to ensure their financial security. You start paying for your share in a CSA at the beginning of the growing season, so the farmer has capital upfront to be able to operate. Come harvest time, a percentage of the yield will be yours, and you’ll receive your food (typically) on a weekly basis. 

The Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op is one of the most well-known and comprehensive CSAs accessible to Philadelphia residents, and there are a substantial number of others you can join, too. Do some research and find a CSA that’s right for you.

Alternatively, Philly Food Works is an easy-to-use, year-round food share program that offers subscriptions and a la carte purchasing. Their program includes local produce, meat, dairy, baked goods, and more, and you can place orders directly through their website. 

While CSAs typically operate between spring and fall, there are several that go year-round, including Jack’s Farm for produce and Landisdale Farm for produce and meat. The Common Market runs through February and features a range of items from local farms.

Locally-conscious grocers: There are several brick-and-mortar grocery stores in the city that emphasize locally-sourced products. In North Philly, Riverwards Produce and Kensington Community Food Co-op offer a wide range of high-quality local items. In Mount Airy you can find Weavers Way and in West Philly, Mariposa Food Co-op should be your go-to.

Take an extra step to reduce waste at these stores by bringing your own bags, using the bulk bins, and purchasing their bags of discounted produce (produce that’s cosmetically damaged or bruised but is still perfectly good to eat). Beeswax wraps, like these colorful ones made locally by Supra Endura, are a great alternative to plastic wrap when it’s time to store your purchases. 

Beeswax wraps, like these made locally by Supra Endura, are a great sustainable alternative to plastic wrap. Image: Supra Endura
Beeswax wraps, like these made locally by Supra Endura, are a great sustainable alternative to plastic wrap. Image: Supra Endura

4. Recycle Right

After you reduce and reuse as much as you can, there will be items left over that don’t fall into either of those categories and needs to be thrown away. Take care to recycle properly.

Have the right type of container. In Philly, that can be any household bin that’s less than 32 gallons and has the word “recycling” written on it clearly and legibly. If you need a new bin, we have them for you at Solo Real Estate. Reach out to us if you’d like one, and we’ll arrange a pick-up at our office.

Solo Real Estate recycling bins
Solo Real Estate Recycling Bins are available free of cost.

Fill it only with items that the city will accept. This includes emptied and rinsed plastics, paper products that aren’t in their plastic sleeves, emptied and rinsed cartons, certain types of metal, and glass bottles and jars. Take a look at the Streets Department’s website for a comprehensive list of acceptable recyclables. Some of the items that the city cannot process include plastic bags, styrofoam, tissues and paper towels, disposable plates, and light bulbs.

Put your recycling out only on pickup day. The city just rolled out a real-time tool for residents to view live trash and recycling collection updates. Use the map function on PickupPHL on garbage day to get a sense of where the trucks are, and if they’re going to be delayed that week. To avoid delays you can also drop off your trash and recycling directly at one of the city’s sanitation convenience centers. 

Setting Up the 2020 PHS Flower Show “Riviera Holiday”

Posted on by Solo Team


This Saturday is the opening day of the 2020 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, “Riviera Holiday.” For nine days, visitors to the Flower Show will be immersed in the sights and scents of the Mediterranean Riviera through garden displays, floral arrangements, design concepts, and more.

Set-up Begins in the Philadelphia Convention Center

We visited the site of the Flower Show on Tuesday of this week and found the halls of the Pennsylvania Convention Center buzzing with forklifts and people. Piles of mulch surrounded soaring olive trees – shipped all the way from Southern California – and countless pots of lavender and roses huddled around displays. Garden beds were being built quite literally from the ground up, brick by brick and tile by colorful tile, as weeklong temporary homes for fig trees and succulents. 

Quaint mediterranean homes and front gardens being constructed from the ground up the week of February 24, 2020.

Some plants, including the olive trees, were shipped into Philadelphia from California, the United States’ most “Mediterranean” climate. Others, such as the lemon trees, were grown in Florida and shipped to Philadelphia. Lavender and rosemary plants were forced (which means to grow plants out of their season) in the greenhouses of PHS’s Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. 

The Oldest Horticultural Event In The Nation

As the oldest horticultural event in the nation, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is no stranger to the preparation it takes to create the extravagant displays that have garnered the fame of the show. Dating back to 1829, the Flower Show is one of the longest-running events in Philadelphia. This year, more than 250,000 visitors are expected to attend. Since the official start of set-up on February 19, hundreds of people (and thousands of hands) have worked around the clock to put the enormous event together. To get an idea of the scale of the gardens being built, the equivalent of 30 tractor trailers of mulch were used in the halls of the Convention Center to create “Riviera Holiday.”

On Thursday, we returned to the Flower Show to see the progress of set-up. The halls of the Convention Center looked a world of difference from Tuesday. A French-style plaza and a 25-foot olive tree welcomes visitors at the entrance of the show, with scents of sweet citrus wafting from the thousands of flowers and lemons hanging tantalizingly on garden arbors. Most of the mulch had been bedded neatly around a variety of landscape and floral exhibits: in a matter of steps, we were taken from dreamy Mediterranean fountain patio to Cinque Terre to a dark pool overlooking the French Riviera. 

Floral designers imitate the colorful homes in the steep hills of Cinque Terre, Italy.

Lemons hanging over a walkway encircling the main French plaza at the entrance of the “Riviera Holiday.”

What To See At The Flower Show This Year

New exhibits this year include an educational station on the benefits of medicinal plants, including cannabis, and a home gardening hub, where interactive seminars will take place every day, including family-friendly DIY crafts and games. The Flower Show Marketplace features over 200 vendors!

For a comprehensive overview, click here. Be sure to purchase tickets in advance! We look forward to seeing the gardens of the European Mediterranean in full bloom this coming week. 

Painstakingly constructed flower arbors at the 2020 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show.

Solo Real Estate is proud to support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society by sponsoring the PHS Pop Up Garden at South Street, open from late April to October.

How You Can Get Your Hands On A Philly Tree

Posted on by Solo Team

https://www.canva.com/design/DACbqwB6GZk/view

Did you know that there are not one, not two, but three programs through which you can get a free street and/or yard tree for your property in Philadelphia? Make use of all of these amazing benefits of trees in your neighborhood that we’ve outlined above in our infographic by signing up for one of the amazing tree planting programs in Philadelphia – Tree Philly, Philadelphia Horticultural Society TreeVitalize, or the Arbor Day Foundation & PECO Energy-Saving Trees.


Programs Offering Free Trees

TreePhilly is a partnership that includes the Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and TD Bank. A whole host of options are available for street trees through this program, and your choices can be adjusted depending on the size of your street. Don’t be deterred if you live on one of Philadelphia’s many teeny tiny streets! There are many small tree alternatives for those living on narrow streets, or to accommodate power lines. A variety of options are also available for yard trees suitable for all different property sizes. There are large shade trees, smaller varieties, and even fruit trees.

The Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s program is a collaboration between PHS’ Plant One Million endeavor and TreeVitalize. This is a neighborhood volunteer tree planting program that typically happens twice a year, in April and November. PHS provides the trees and any necessary pavement cuts, so there is no need to worry about that.

Also offered through the organization is Tree Tenders. To become a Tree Tender you can take a class that teaches about tree planting, tree care, and community organizing around the importance of trees. Graduates of this class can form Tree Tenders groups which can then organize tree plantings of 10+ trees in a neighborhood.

In collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation, PECO also offers energy-saving trees. Not only can you get a tree for your property through this avenue, but they also specialize in strategic tree planting specifically geared towards saving energy. According to the foundation, some clients have cut up to 20% off of their summer energy bill.

All three website have a wealth of information about tree planting, how to sign up, and other educational resources. Start making a positive difference in your community by growing Philadelphia’s urban canopy today. If your interest is piqued we definitely recommend heading over to one (or all) of these websites to get started on your own tree adventure!

Figures in the infographic found at CityLab.

A wheel winner: Bikes lanes make motorists safer too

Posted on by Solo Team

A recent article on the benefits of bike lanes caught our attention. While some of the benefits listed are widely known, such as increasing the number of cyclists and improving safety for cyclists, this one in particular caught our eye: adding more bike lanes improves safety for motorists. Here’s how:

A study in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio found that without a marked bike lane, car drivers veer so far away from bicyclists that they swerve into the next car lane 90% of the time.

The researchers concluded that this is because the drivers don’t have lane lines to determine the appropriate amount of space to give cyclists, and are unable to gauge that amount of space sans bike lane.

When there was a bike lane on the other hand, fewer drivers veered away from the bike lane, and when they did, they only veered 40 percent as far as those who veered without a bike lane.

Here in Philadelphia, we have a solid and growing system of bike lanes, but there’s room for improvement yet. To see our current bicycle infrastructure, look out for the latest print version of the Philadelphia Bicycle Map, which will be released later this month (in the meantime you can use this online version).

However, the process of adding new bike lanes in Philly is challenging. In 2012, City Council passed a bill requiring a resolution from Council to create any new bike lanes that remove a parking or driving lane.

The City has seen at least one much-needed addition to the bike lane network thwarted due to this law: 22nd Street in the Fairmount neighborhood.

In the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) blog post about the demise of the proposed bike lane, they too mention the fact that the bike lane would have improved safety for motorists as well as cyclists.

As we wrote about in our blog post on parking, infrastructure decisions such as these about parking or bike lanes boil down to whether the City will accommodate more cars, or more people (some of them on bikes).

We can either design the city to prioritize more people (some of them on bikes) or more cars
We can either design the city to prioritize more people (some of them on bikes) or more cars

At Solo, we are definitely in the “more people” camp! Luckily, some Council members are as well. Councilman Henon introduced a bill to add a buffered bike lane on Tyson Avenue from Frankford Avenue to Roosevelt Boulevard, which will require the removal of a traffic lane in each direction.

Philadelphia was also recently awarded federal and state funding to add multiple new protected bike lanes. Here’s a handy visual guide to and analysis of all the different methods to “protect” a bike lane; the new lanes being installed in Philly will use the second option on the list, flexible plastic delineator posts.

Another heartening sign came recently on Bike to Work Day (May 22nd) when three Councilpeople joined a group of about 50 cyclists biking down west Market Street. All three expressed support for adding a protected bike lane to the 5-lane wide arterial. The ride terminated at Dilworth Park, where Mayor Kenney himself spoke about the importance of bike infrastructure.

For the safety of motorists, cyclists, and even pedestrians, we hope the bike lane network in Philadelphia continues to expand. We’ve been saying as much here on the Solo blog for years.

We also practice what we preach! Solo is developing condos at 1326-1332 N 5th  Street with parking for bikes instead of cars, and currently house the headquarters for the City’s Indego Bike Share program in one of our buildings.

If this blog post has piqued your interest, check out the BCGP’s guide of where they believe bike lanes should be added in each Council District, and how to contact your Councilperson to advocate for them!

2nd image courtesy of Pixabay.

Solo Property Houses Indego Bike Share HQ

Posted on by Solo Team

Philadelphia’s new bike share program, Indego, is launching this week! The program found the perfect home for its headquarters in a South Kensington property rented from a family partnership of Deborah Solo, Angel and Alex Franqui of Solo Real Estate.

 

Learn about the unique warehouse/office space hybrid they’ve created in the building to accommodate Indego’s diverse needs.

 

Peter Hoban, COO at Bicycle Transit Systems and General Manager of Indego, was struggling to find the perfect building to house the headquarters for Indego.

 

The building had to be inside the station map area: Tasker Street to Temple, Delaware River to 45th Street. In addition to office space for some 20 staff, it needed to be big enough to house 5-10% of the initial 600-bike fleet, with room to grow.

 

 

The room that will be used for bike maintenance (left) features one of the many skylights Solo installed in the building. A large storage/warehouse space (right) comprises the rear half of the building

Then, on Craigslist, Hoban found it: a small warehouse in South Kensington owned by Deborah Solo, Angel and Alex Franqui. The family worked with Hoban and Indego every step of the way from obtaining a use variance for light industrial and commercial use, to retrofitting the space to create the ideal hybrid of warehouse and industrial-chic office space.

Open-concept office space (left) currently being built-out, and the kitchen-in-progress (right) featuring yet another skylight

The arrangement is a win-win-win, the third win being for the neighborhood. South Kensington gains 20 new jobs from the Indego headquarters, which will also result in 20 new patrons for local businesses.
The neighborhood will also benefit from the activation of a building that has been unoccupied since 1983, including more lighting at night and the addition of security cameras.
No wonder the project received overwhelming support from the local Registered Community Organizations (RCOs), South Kensington Community Partners and Olde Kensington Neighbors Association.

Solo is extremely excited for the launch of Philadelphia’s bike share, and honored to have the opportunity to help implement the program!

Indego officially launches this Thursday (April 23rd). Attend the launch party and ride-off at Eakins Oval at 11:30am that day.

Solo Real Estate Owners Invest $10k in KCFC

Posted on by Solo Team

Deborah Solo and Angel Franqui, owners of Solo Real Estate, have committed $10,000 to help the burgeoning Kensington Community Food Co-op (KCFC) move to the next phase of their development.

 

The end goal of the campaign is to open a complete healthy grocery store at the property KCFC secured this year at 2672 Coral Street (at the intersection of Coral Street, Frankford Avenue and Lehigh Avenue). Solo and Franqui’s investment pushes KCFC much closer to that goal.

 

Why are two real estate company owners interested in supporting a food co-op? Solo and Franqui personally value a local and sustainable food economy. “I believe a co-op educates people about their food, engaging them in the process of food cultivation and allowing them to build a community of conscious food consumers,” Solo describes.

 

Beyond the sustainability benefits, the couple knows the community-building power of a local food co-op: “We see the Co-op as supporting the growth of Northern Liberties/Kensington/Fishtown in a very positive way, allowing those communities to connect with food, with each other, and with other local businesses. This is needed and KCFC is making that happen,” Solo adds.

 

The couple lives near the future site of KCFC and are personally invested in KCFC’s success as a boost to life and health in their own neighborhood. As Solo puts it, “For 27 years I’ve lived and sold houses in the community; the Co-op’s strengthening of the community matters to me personally and professionally.”

 

The future site of KCFC (left) at 2654-72 Coral Street, and a rendering (right) of what the completed KCFC might look like

 

The investment is emblematic of Solo Real Estate’s care for community and value-driven business. Solo and Franqui have been long-time advocates of recycling, composting, creative re-use, community-building and the local food movement.

 

Jeff Carpineta, one the founders and current board member of KCFC, just had his 10 year anniversary as an agent with Solo Real Estate. Franqui, Solo and Carpineta have helped thousands of people find their homes and create their businesses in the area.

 

There are high-profile success stories, such as landing spaces for Johnny Brenda’s, Pura Vida,Cedar Point, Threshold Wellness, and Pizza Brain. Beyond these big wins for small businesses, they know daily habits are just as important for sustainability.

 

In the last two years, Solo Real Estate gifted thousands of custom-made recycling bins to tenants, clients, and neighbors, “ensuring that more of our neighbors and everyone living in a Solo Real Estate-managed property can recycle is much more important to us than any associated costs,” Solo explains.

 

Deborah Solo poses with one of the custom recycling bins that are given to our tenants, clients, & neighbors

 

Carpineta invites everyone to “come visit the Co-op site, and join the effort. The neighbors are creating something awesome.” Solo adds, “Please do, and take a recycling bin or two before you head home.”

 

To learn more about the Kensington Community Food Co-op, click here.

 

Opening image courtesy of KCFC. Site image courtesy of Hidden City Philadelphia and rendering by David Quadrini, MAKE Architecture.