• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 23, 2008

With going green being the new black, SEPTA launched an eco-friendly campaign earlier this year that urged Philadelphia residents to ride public transportation and make a positive impact on the environment.

With a break in gas prices unlikely to happen anytime soon, taking public transport can add green to wallets, too.

Moss was placed outside Philadelphia's Market East station inside SEPTA's logo as part of its "Go Green Go SEPTA" campaign, which also included 3-D posters and elevator ads encouraging a "live green by riding public transportation" theme.

Moss appeared to grow in and around signage at the station's Information Desk. Looking up at the word "tickets" or "passenger services," for example, probably raised some eyebrows -- and, for some folks, the need to water.

Red Tettemer created the campaign, and Brooklyn-based street artists Edina Tokodi and József Vályi-Tóth helped implement the moss into station elements.

"Riding SEPTA helps reduce smog-forming pollutants by 90%. Now that's a breath of fresh air," reads one station ad, depicting a train and tracks made from actual moss.

SEPTA also handed out eco-friendly seed packets to commuters, an element that reminded me of a campaign for a landscape company that distributed grass seed to potential clients. The seeds were sealed in small packets that doubled as company business cards.

Lastly, and most importantly, SEPTA is improving its means of transportation to benefit the environment. It presently has 32 diesel-electric hybrid buses on the road, with an additional 400 joining the fleet by 2011.

SEPTA's non-hybrid buses have been retrofitted to accept cleaner, ultra low-sulfur fuel.