This 16-ounce jar holds all the waste produced on the set of “Citywide.” Photography Courtesy Fishtown Films. A 16-ounce mason jar filled with trash feels like a trophy to Emily Gallagher and Austin Elston, cofounders of Fishtown Films. It was the designated place for all waste produced during the creation of their first feature-length film, “Citywide.”
More
Mulch, compost and wood chips are piled high on the concrete grounds of the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center in West Fairmount Park. On a typical day at the center, city residents fill out the sign-in sheet and waiver form and collect whatever organic materials they need from the scattered piles with shovels and buckets
More
Bloc delivery cofounder Alison Cohen believes people are much more likely to support local businesses if they do not have to leave their homes to do so. Her vision, a local alternative to Amazon that provides Philadelphia’s small businesses with a wider customer base—where all the deliveries are done by employees riding on a fleet
More
Alexandra Kroger, energy program director at The Energy Co-op, is hoping that Philadelphia’s biggest utility providers notice the work they are doing and get inspired. “As the demand for our renewable energy products becomes more apparent, PECO and PGW might see that as a market signal favoring renewable energy,” Kroger says. “We can’t speculate if
More
Khalil steward first envisioned Philly Farmacy while working on a class project at Delaware Valley University. “I had an idea for a school bus or old ambulance turned into a mobile produce store,” Steward says. The mental image stayed with him, and he made Philly Farmacy a reality in 2019, a year after graduating from
More
Christa barfield of Viva Leaf Tea Company is a business owner who isn’t afraid of honest feedback. “I appreciate criticism,” she says. “It’s what makes you better.” It’s a good thing, too, because at an event at Awbury Arboretum in 2019, beekeeper Jeff Eckel of Instar Apiaries had some to offer. “I was sourcing my
More
In 2020 the failures of Philadelphia’s recycling and waste management were on spectacular display. Sanitary workers were seen throwing garbage bags and carefully sorted recyclables into the same truck, leaving environmentally minded onlookers appalled. The city blamed a depleted workforce, ravaged by COVID-19, and a significant increase in volume due to people staying home. But
More
Anisa George sees a strong connection between theater and forest therapy: they both involve improvisation. “You enter the rehearsal space, invite the ensemble to try different things, to engage with the environment,” George says. George was drawn to the practice because of its focus on the body and the natural world. Her career as an
More
In March 2020 customer sign-ups at Philly Foodworks grew 50 times in just one week. Last year, overall, customer orders and customer sign-ups tripled when compared to 2019. “People were placing $600 fish orders,” Dylan Baird, Philly Foodworks co-founder and CEO, says. Baird credits some of this growth in his online business, which home delivers
More
Eggplant and beets are not the kinds of vegetables Tanisha Muse typically buys, but through a program offering free produce from Sanctuary Farm in North Philly, they are now part of her family’s diet. “It’s still not my first thought to get beets at the supermarket,” says Muse, a West Philly resident. “That might never
More