Philadelphia band Darling Damselfly wants their most recent album, “Galapagos,” to get listeners thinking about human’s relationship with the planet — in the hopes of saving it. “Being able to have a better understanding and appreciation of the wonder of [the environment] can help us be more connected and want to work harder to combat
Moreby Claire Connelly
Each year, as fall comes to an end, Philadelphians brace themselves for another long heating season. Though the weather has been milder in recent years and we’re able to wait a bit longer before cranking up the thermostat, the winter months can still have a devastating effect on our wallets and the environment.
The Audubon Society's Keith Russell tracks migrating birds felled by windowsby Bernard Brown
Keith Russell shows me two white-throated sparrows and an ovenbird, all dead, at 5:30 a.m., when I meet him at 19th and Market. Russell, the Pennsylvania Audubon Society’s Fairmount Park Outreach Coordinator, had found the three migrants just on his walk over from
When we look back on 2009, we might realize that this was the year America started on the path to a sustainable future. There are finally a number of positive developments, and every week brings more good news. Carbon emissions are declining in the US—in fact, they’re down 9 percent since 2007! Electricity sales are
MoreA group of retirees in Germantown take water safety into their own handsby Natalie Hope McDonald
The group of senior citizens dipping test tubes into the Wissahickon Creek has their work cut out for them. As members of the Senior Environment Corps (SEC), a volunteer organization housed at Center in the Park—an active adult community on
Dare to keep drugs out of your drinking waterby Shaun Bailey
It's an otherwise slow shift at the hospital when, just after 2 p.m., patient John Doe is wheeled into the emergency department. After taking the man's vital signs, residents determine he has suffered a "myocardial infarction"; what doctors call a heart attack. With no time
Ray Anderson will be in Philadelphia this month as the keynote speaker for 350.org’s International Day of Climate Action. What is 350.org? It’s an international campaign founded by American environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben, which focuses on reversing the disastrous path of our earth’s climate through a worldwide Day of Climate Action.
MoreA maverick CEO makes the case for sustainabilityby Alex Mulcahy
In 1994, Ray Anderson, the CEO of an industrial carpet manufacturing company, faced a task he dreaded: delivering a speech to his workers about his company’s environmental policy. The problem was that his company, Interface Inc., didn’t have an environmental policy. They weren’t breaking any laws;
Urban Eco Electric energizes the Philadelphia solar market with free installation and affordable leasing optionsMany homeowners want solar energy, but far too few can afford the upfront costs. How can this be overcome? One solution is leasing. The most prominent example of a successful leasing company is California-based SolarCity, which was partially funded by Elon
MoreMy dad made a robot costume for me when I was in first grade. I waited until the last minute to make my choice known, leaving him precious little time to convert found paper rolls, cardboard boxes and tinfoil into a robot. Despite my dad’s industriousness, the costume had some engineering flaws.
MoreNo Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Processby Colin BevanFarrar, Straus and Giroux; $25
Over the past decade, several eco-superheroes have emerged: Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Redford, and Michael Pollan, among others. In