Philly runs on uncertain energy. It’s hard to imagine, but our electricity actually costs less than it could. Currently, our bills are lowered through rate caps applied by the state. On December 31, 2010, those caps expire, prices are expected to spike and no legislation is in place to protect us.
MoreReaching OutPeople’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation
It’s kind of hard to get a job without knowing how to type or use the Internet. Yet, despite our technologically-driven times, many Philadelphians are computer-starved—one more barrier to opportunity.
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Philly's Got Culture
With TV waves going digital this February, Nexus/foundation, an experimental artist collective, thought it might be time to go old-school. So they turned their gallery, located in the Crane Arts Building (1400 N. American St.), into a low-frequency AM radio station for the months of December and January. Their control room, made of
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Laura Blau taught energy savings to her six year old son, Nandor, using the green cloth dragon that hangs from his bedroom door. Every night, if Nandor’s clothes are still clean, he puts them inside the dragon’s pouches and wears them the next day. Overtime, Laura does less laundry and when she does, she uses
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This popped! creator and organizer admits that today’s music festivals aren’t exactly sustainable endeavors, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying. At last summer’s festival, each recycling station was managed by a volunteer who informed festival-goers about proper recycling. Businesses and organizations were discouraged from passing out flyers and encouraged, instead, to present their information
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This five block stretch of Germantown Avenue isn’t gushing to tell its secrets. You’ll find tall trees and narrow, stone-laid storefronts, not neon lights. But don’t let the formal appearance fool you. Step inside. A shop owner, who probably lives just a few blocks away, will show you Mount Airy’s experimental side.
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Don't Panic, Philly--there's work to do!
by Kenneth D. Smith, Ph.D.
Many Philadelphians feel anxious about the unfolding economic crisis. So far we’ve witnessed eye-popping declines in our 401Ks, unprecedented layoffs from CitiBank to City Hall, and planned cuts in City services, including libraries, firehouses, recreation centers and public swimming pools. Given the tense environment, is there
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When Greg Salisbury opened Rx restaurant in University City, almost no one in the Philly restaurant industry was thinking local. “When we started in ’01 there was only one other restaurant doing this,” says the laidback and laconic Salisbury. “My first exposure to a CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] in 1997, at 17th and South, caused
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New legislation could mean Pennsylvania is finally turning around its energy policy
by Will DeanPennsylvania has long lagged behind other parts of the country in terms of supporting alternative energy and energy conservation. Perhaps because of our massive coal resources, the Keystone State has kept its thinking about energy production firmly in the past. In 2008,
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Alternative energy entrepreneur Mike McKinley talks about what solar can do for Philly
by Dana Henry
Mike Mckinley was a cognitive neuroscientist working for Pfizer in southern California when the lights went out. Utility spikes caused by the deregulations of Enron and Reliant Energy (the same will happen with PECO in 2010) had led to a series
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Efficiency tips save energy and dollars
According to the Energy Coordinating Agency, most of Philly’s aging housing could use around 40 to 60 percent less energy, but it will require more than just changing light bulbs. Many solutions are simple DIY projects, but larger projects carry some risk. Insulation, for example, can cause moisture build-up (and
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