A red-bellied turtle basking on a log next to a pocket of wetlands at Point Breeze on the Schuylkill River doesn’t know that it is threatened, legally speaking, or that its home is tiny compared to the once-expansive ecosystem that used to stretch far beyond its current territory. The controversy over a planned warehouse development
MoreFluid Needs
Make your water coolerAt first glance, the office water cooler looks innocuous, especially if you forego the dumpster-bound plastic cup and refill your (Philadelphia Phillies, 2008 World Champions) glass instead. However, there’s one key wasteful component unaccounted for: energy consumption. Yup, those heavy jugs need to be manufactured and then carted around town by
Q: [What is] your vision for residential solar power in Philadelphia’s energy future? Many Philadelphians, like me, have homes with flat roofs that receive plenty of direct sunlight. Is the city considering any programs that would help us tap into that potential power, like California’s “Million Solar Roofs” project?—Tom Schrand, Director of the Environmental Sustainability
MoreLaura 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
MoreNew 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,
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