Circumambulate the city with Walk Around Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a big city, at about 140 square miles, and you could be excused for not having walked through all of it. But if you’re looking for an excuse to walk AROUND all of it, the 10th Walk Around Philadelphia is running from September 10 through 26. Don’t worry: you won’t cover the 100

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Questions remain about Cobbs Creek restoration approvals

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a notice on September 3 in the Pennsylvania Register that it has approved the environmental assessment and the restoration plans for the Cobbs Creek golf courses — nine months after the Cobbs Creek Foundation began work on the project. Specifically, the approval is for the restoration of

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Effort to sell Boy Scout Tract suspended indefinitely

The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education has announced that it is “indefinitely suspending its request for proposals to develop the Boy Scout Tract,” a 24-acre wooded parcel across Port Royal Avenue from the center’s core grounds in Upper Roxborough, according to an email sent on Tuesday, September 6, by the center’s executive director Mike Weilbacher. 

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Bicycle Coalition to SEPTA: Let Bikes on Trains

In September 2020, SEPTA’s bike policy was amended to allow bikes on trains during peak hours because of low ridership during the pandemic. This policy allowed residents to create a multimodal network of transportation that wasn’t available in pre-COVID times. In December 2021, that amendment was rescinded, and bicycle access has since been limited to

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Symposium to Explore Intersection of Art and Environmental Justice

The Mural Arts Institute is hosting a two-week series of events from September 12 through 22, looking at the transformative work happening at the intersection of community-based cultural practice and environmental justice. The 2022 Arts & Environmental Justice Symposium invites local, regional and national artists, activists, cultural workers, environmental justice advocates, organizers, scientists, scholars and

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Subjects sought: Volunteer your house mice for science!

Researchers at Monmouth University in New Jersey want your mice for a study of the genetic and microbiome differences between mice in urban versus rural settings. Although house mice (Mus musculus) stick pretty close to humans wherever they live, the ones in cities might have different diets or territory sizes from their country cousins, according

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FDR Park Clear-cutting Continues Despite Vandalism

Equipment used to clear-cut the South Philly Meadows at FDR Park was disabled by vandalism, according to a report by 6 ABC News. Six unspecified pieces of equipment were damaged some time between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. According to the report, crews say that sugar was put in diesel tanks and that wires were

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Da Vinci Art Alliance, South Philly Standby, Needs You Now

The Da Vinci Art Alliance is in financial distress and needs help staying afloat, according to co-directors Samantha Connors and Bryant Girsch. “As many organizations post-COVID-19 lockdown, we’re struggling financially,” they announced via press release. The Alliance dates back to 1931, when 16 Italian immigrant artists and collectors founded the organization at a time when

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On the Horizon: Philadelphia Solar Week

As the inhabitants of Philadelphia roast under the unrelenting sun of July and August, it is easy to dream of shading the entire city with solar panels in an effort to do something useful with the radiation that otherwise renders the daylight hours insufferable. Philadelphia Solar Week, August 15–19 is a start, with Solarize Philly,

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