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Back Page: Green Jobs for Philadelphia

The economy should be funby Paul Glover
Philadelphia’s greenest dreams can come true, with enough money. Parks and yards can overflow with fresh healthy food; our neighborhoods can become as beautiful as our kids’ smiles; each of us can be proudly employed rebuilding our city; every home can be secure.

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2 mins read
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How-To: Seeing Clearly

How to recycle your TVby Samantha WittchenMy television is older than I am. When I was younger, my best friend called it “The TV From Outer Space” because it has that mid ’70s space-age look. My sister, who lives with me, hates the thing. So, when the digital television transition became imminent, she was all

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1 min read
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Light ‘Em If You’ve Got ‘Em

How to recycle light bulbsby Samantha WittchenWith energy costs rising, switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save us money. It’ll soon be the law, too; beginning in 2012, incandescent bulbs will be banned by Congress. Whether you’re replacing your incandescent light bulbs with CFLs individually as they burn out or in one fell

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1 min read
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How-To: Compost

Turn waste into black goldby Will DeanIf you’re reading this magazine, you probably have at least have a vague idea of what composting is. The natural way to make nutritious (for plants, that is) fertilizer, composting was once a standard practice for every farmer, gardener and consumer.

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3 mins read
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Back Page: Envelopes & Noodles

What we can take from those who make doby Dee Dee Risher I leave my friend by the library copy machine while I track down a book. I come back to find her carefully stuffing an inch-thick wad of white bond paper into her tiny bag. She turns to me incredulously. “Some­one threw this away.”

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2 mins read
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Book Review: Sewing Green

Sewing Green: 25 Projects made with Repurposed & Organic Materialsby Betz WhiteSTC Craft, A Melanie Falick Book, 2009, $24.95The stitch ‘n bitch scene has been making your grandma’s favorite hobby hipper over the years. But in this latest DIY guide to needle and threading, author Betz White showcases how crafty designers can rethink wardrobes and

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1 min read
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Book Review: the Ecology of Commerce

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainabilityby Paul HawkenHarper Collins, 1993, $19.96Paul Hawken, author, entrepreneur and activist, debunks the tired notion that business and the environment are somehow at odds.  “Common wisdom holds that ecologists worry about nature while economists are concerned with human beings,” Hawken explains. “But economists are in fact taking care

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1 min read
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From the Editor: Creative Change

When the New Kensington CDC was faced with mountains of garbage being dumped on their neighborhood’s vacant lots, they came up with an ingenious idea: plant trees around the perimeters of vacant lots. Just the presence of trees stoically standing guard proved discouragement enough for would-be garbage dumpers.

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1 min read