Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

After reading last week's environmentally friendly Home and Design issue, Running Numbers has decided to go green. Call it a recycled concept.

100 Number of acres of vacant, concrete lots that were converted into fenced-in grassy areas last year by Philadelphia Green, the urban greening program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which hosts the Philadelphia Flower Show March 4 to 11 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

161 Number of words — and subsequent number of seconds I wasted reading them — in a forwarded e-mail with the subject line "A little story from Philly." To save you the time, I'll summarize the joke: A headline written about a kid who saves his friend from being attacked by a rabid dog while playing hockey changes from "Eagles fan rescues friend from vicious animal" to "Dallas fan kills beloved family pet" after it's found that the hero likes the Cowboys. The moral? That you forgot that this is the green edition of Running Numbers. Eagles e-mails count, right?

200 Number of environmental professionals expected to attend the Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council's annual awards meeting and luncheon March 9 at Temple University. Organizers encouraged the nomination of "hardworking operations, facility and property professionals out there who deserve recognition" for awards by March 1. Visit greentreks.org for the form. Paperless, of course.

250 Number of businesses — at least — that participate in Philadelphia's RecycleBank program, an incentive-based recycling system in which residents receive credits to local stores depending on how much they recycle. It's kind of like the opposite of trash-picking. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

330 Number of Philadelphia municipal vehicles that have been eliminated from use — saving taxpayers more than $2 million per year — thanks to Philly Car Share, a program in which residents over 18 can use a shared vehicle for rates as low as $5.90 an hour and 9 cents a mile. Someone please make sure the light bulb that appears above Milton Street's head, upon reading this and thinking of how to turn a profit as a taxi service, is energy-efficient.

Can I get your digits? I want to hear about the numerals you need to see. Let a number runner know at runningnumbers@gmail.com.