Summer in the city is tough, and those drippy boxes protruding from windows all over Philly are the most ubiquitous solution to beat the heat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), air conditioners use about 6% of the total electricity produced in the United States and cost homeowners and renters a cool $29
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In July 2020, after spending several months of the pandemic wondering whether her trash and recycling would be picked up, Sarah Ausprich was frustrated. When it was collected, Ausprich, a resident of Philly’s East Passyunk neighborhood, watched sanitation crews repeatedly combine her trash and recycling in the same truck. Disillusioned by curbside collection, she decided
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Lindsey Troop is the regional manager for Fabscrap Philadelphia. Photography by Drew Dennis. Fashion Forward By Samantha Wittchen Jordan Haddad sat in his 1,800 square-foot studio in South Philly’s BOK. The waste was piling up. His local sustainable fashion company, Lobo Mau, had been saving fabric scraps from all of the clothing it designed and
MoreThe Challenge: Those cheap Walmart pots and pans you bought just out of college are reaching the end of their usefulness, but there’s a good chance they’re made out of aluminum or stainless steel, which are both recyclable. You can’t put them in the blue bin at the curb, but, according to the Institute of
MoreFor energy savings, cool roofs are a no-brainer by Samantha WittchenThe roof is no longer on fire. First there was the Mayor’s “Coolest Block” Contest, offering Philadelphians the chance to win an energy-saving cool roof and other energy efficiency upgrades from the city for every house on their block. Then there was City Council’s Earth
MoreA guide to upgrading your hot water heaterby Samantha WittchenAccording to Energy Star (energystar.gov), in 2009, 14 percent of a household’s annual average energy costs went to heating water. If you have an old, inefficient water heater, that number is probably higher.
MoreRecycling your old compact discsby Samantha Wittchen
The Challenge: The day when your tower of compact discs goes the way of the 8-track is rapidly approaching. With the increasing ubiquity of digital music, we are certainly in for a major influx of CD-related trash to our landfills.
The Challenge: Bicycle Tubes
MoreThe Challenge: Scrapping A Large Household Appliance
MoreCarpeting
The Issue: Getting rid of old carpet.