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Concerned about accelerating climate change, activists at the Clean Air Council are pushing Amtrak to reverse its switch from steam power to gas boilers

Since Philadelphia’s 30th Street Amtrak Station announced in late March that it would switch from steam power to gas boilers, activists have been pushing back on the station’s claims that the move aligns with a sustainable future for the city. “That is simply a false narrative,” Clean Air Council Executive Director Joseph Minott says. “Everyone

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5 mins read
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Queer clients are safe to be themselves at Germantown backyard barber studio

Tucked into a little corner of Germantown, there’s a backyard garden unlike any other. At the entrance there’s a black-and-white sign with a combined triangle and circle logo. After passing through the barbed-wire gate, there’s a stone path passing several trees and plants along the side of the house. In the back, a circular garden

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4 mins read
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A closed vocational school became home to hundreds of small businesses. Could it be replicated elsewhere?

In 2013 the School District of Philadelphia closed 23 schools, including a massive gray stone building on South Ninth Street, the Edward W. Bok Technical High School. In an unexpected twist, the development and design firm Scout bought it for $1.75 million and has been gradually repurposing it into a sanctuary for creatives since July

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5 mins read
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More warehouses are moving into Philly. Clean air advocates want officials to monitor the pollution

Four new warehouses are setting up camp in Philadelphia, and clean air activists are concerned about the pollution of their vehicles. The four new sites include an Amazon facility in Southwest, a redevelopment of the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in South Philly, a UPS site in the Northeast and a redevelopment of the Philadelphia

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4 mins read
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“Food forests” help Black and Brown communities gain access to fresh produce and cooling shade

On a quiet street in East Germantown is a small farm blooming with red bok choy, turnips, Brussel sprouts and nasturtium, all grown organically. Located within the confines of Awbury Arboretum, this is one of Philly’s “food forests,” also known as forest gardens. Food forests are a modern name for an ancient practice—historically found in

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4 mins read
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Look back at how activists in 2020 set their sights on creating a better, kinder city

Imagination ran wild this year as activists and protesters envisioned a city much different than the one we live in. Philadelphians marched down Broad Street, climbed the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps and gathered at Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, demanding change with chants, signs and determination. Temple University communication professor Jason Del Gandio

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8 mins read
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Germantown mutual aid program dreams of a permanent “free market” for the people, by the people

Something special happens at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Church Lane every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. A collective of neighbors and volunteers gather in The People’s Lot, with cardboard box cutouts that read “Free Food,” but that’s not all that brings people in. If you travel to The People’s Lot, you will see an

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4 mins read