Yesterday Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office annouced they will be promoting Sunday Streets again this year, the wildly successful citywide effort to get people to go outside that debuted last summer. The campaign closed a 4.5 mile stretch of roads between Bayview and Chinatown on several Sunday mornings to make more space for joggers, cyclists, walkers and even yoga practicioners. Former arterial roadway, transformed recreational asphalt.

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City Room sums up the episode:

A pedestrian was struck by a sport utility vehicle on a street in Corona, Queens, on Wednesday morning, then immediately struck again by a cargo van that dragged the victim 17 miles through a web of city highways and to Coney Island in Brooklyn, the police said. The pedestrian, apparently a male, was killed.

The victim had not yet been identified, though some paperwork was found in the clothing on his body, which was wedged under the van’s chassis, the police said. The authorities said there did not appear to be any criminality involved.

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Organic, value-added, and specialty production in agriculture are also on the rise.

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This week, Oregon’s Full Sail Brewing Company received the Governor’s Sustainability Award for small business in recognition of the company’s ever increasing commitment to the community and the environment.

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Everyone knows the very tastiest tomatoes are homegrown, lovingly staked and watered at regular intervals until they’re big and red and ripe. Until recently, such simple pleasures were reserved for rural dwellers but the growing movement for urban farming is starting to change all that. While container gardens and green rooftops have made urban agriculture more common, a new system called a Portable Farm may take it a step further.

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Too many old yogurt containers concealing ancient leftovers in your refrigerator? Seems that we all have a stack of them cluttering the cabinets in our kitchen–the price we pay for enjoying yogurt, sour cream or anything that comes sold in those shiny Number 5 plastic containers and also having a conscience.

Luckily Preserve, makers of 100% recycled personal care products, has started a new program to recycle the pesky plastics even when your municipality does not. They’ve partnered up with organic dairy producers, Stonyfield Farm and Organic Valley, to turn used plastic dairy containers into toothbrush handles. Consumers can return the plastic containers, along with used Brita water filters, into bins at any of the participating Whole Foods markets in the Midwest, Northeast and Northern California.

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The city of Cincinatti joined the choir growing louder by the day, urging residents to consider eating less meat in an effort to combat climate change. As part of the Green Cincinatti Plan, the city’s Food Task Force met for the first time and discussed a campaign that would ask that residents replace some of the meat in their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.

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For nearly a month now, the feisty residents and independent retailers in the Mission District of San Francisco have been abuzz over the national retailer’s bid for a new space at 988 Valencia St. The hippest corner of San Francisco, most widely known for its incredible burritos, vibrant street scene and eclectic culture, has long prided itself on being free from stores like the Gap, Banana Republic and Starbucks. Instead they have the beloved Four Barrel Coffee company, taxidermist’s paradise Paxton Gate and veritable treasure trove of all things printed, Little Otsu. Shopping on Valencia Street is not like shopping in any other place, and the neighborhood’s residents intend to keep it that way. No formula stores, no chain stores, not even if it’s American Apparel.

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Now with peanut butter on the outs, you may find yourself seeking a B-list nut butter just to be safe. Technically speaking, jars of peanut butter are still in the clear. The thing is, peanut butter is already the lowliest of the nut butters and actually a legume butter, despite its popularity in the American market. So consider this latest epidemic an opportunity, if you will. If you’re with me, I’d like to introduce you to a more sophisticated escort to that jam in your sandwich: butter from almonds.

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As of January 16, Philadelphia’s metered parking rates went up substantially-in some places, double-and drivers are not surprisingly peeved. Higher parking rates, along with higher fees for violations are intended to decrease downtown congestion and increase Philadelphia Parking Authority revenues.

In theory, the extra money will in turn be used to improve city schools and assuage the city’s financial woes, though many seem skeptical. The PPA has long been viewed publicly as a profligate city agency, corrupted by patronage and wasted resources; in fact, the agency doubled its staff and its revenue over the past five years and only once has their surplus revenue benefited other ailing initiatives. Moreover, while the agency does provide money for the city’s school district, the PPA is a state agency and most of the surplus money will likely head to Harrisburg.

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Chariots of Philly has been shuttling passengers around Manayunk since 2003, following a larger urban trend toward the environmentally friendly alternative to taxis and horse drawn carriages but the project’s been stalled by an outdated lack of regulation.

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