In April, the Philadelphia Eagles scored a few days of positive publicity when quarterback Jalen Hurts donated $200,000 to install more than 300 air conditioning units in 10 Philly public schools. The problem the donation addressed is real; Philly’s ancient school buildings afflict our students with temperatures too hot to learn safely in our warming
MoreIt’s right there in the name: global warming. Step outside and the air is thick, like you’re breathing steam. Walking is almost too much effort. You try to find shade, but the treeless sidewalk offers no refuge from the sun’s rays. At night you open the windows to let in a fresh breeze, but only
MoreIn this issue we take a closer look at how environmental problems disproportionately affect communities of color, and particularly low-income communities of color. More than those of whiter and more affluent communities, their residents breathe air poisoned by industrial facilities like refineries or by the tailpipes of unending lines of cars and trucks. Often homes
MoreWho is walking around the neighborhood while you’re not looking? Humans share the city and suburbs with a cast of other mammals that do their best to avoid us by only coming out at night. To see these shy beasts, scientists use infrared-triggered, battery-powered cameras. In a setup often called a “camera trap,” they can
MoreWho doesn’t love lady beetles (aka ladybugs)? They are bright and cheery with that cute, round shape, plus they help gardeners by gobbling up plant-sucking aphids. There appear to be plenty of them; they’re not hard to find outside from spring through fall, and at the end of the growing season, they often make themselves
MoreNevermind the wildebeest of the Serengeti or the caribou of western Alaska; the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth takes place over our heads twice a year. Early May marks the high point of the spring bird migration season, when billions of birds around the world ranging from hummingbirds to eagles work their way north. Hundreds
MoreIf you want to elicit some angry comments from readers, print something unflattering about cats. We’ve done that more than once in Grid, pointing out the devastating impact that outdoor cats have on wildlife (they kill billions of birds, mammals and other critters per year in the United States). Author Scott Weidensaul drives that point
MoreMaybe it’s to grow fresh fruits and veggies that taste better than what you can buy at the grocery store. Maybe it’s for the satisfaction of seeing seeds you plant grow into something magnificent over months or even years of care. Maybe it’s to lay out a verdant and beautiful welcome mat to your neighbors.
MoreThe rain garden along Kelly Drive looks like any other installed by the Philadelphia Water Department: A mix of wildflowers, grasses, reeds and sedges grow in a shallow basin designed to soak up stormwater. The soil in which the plants sink their roots is what makes this particular garden unique. The two-foot-deep mix of compost
MoreIn mid-February, Grid requested an interview with Carlton Williams, the newly announced head of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s flagship “Clean and Green” initiative. After receiving no reply, we repeated the request a few weeks later. This time a communications official acknowledged the email, but that’s it so far. Fortunately, we’ve got other source material to examine:
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