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Chemical Heritage Foundation

#042 October 2012

Cultural Shift: Philadelphia’s major institutions embrace green building practices

story by Kristen Dowd

Walls made from plastic bottles. Rainwater recycled to flush toilets. Electricity generated from the sun. Green building is on the rise across the nation, and institutions in the Philadelphia region are prime examples. While only some have official Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, all have

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September 24, 2012
4 mins read

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Events happening in and around Philadelphia this w Events happening in and around Philadelphia this weekend! ➡️ Creek Cleanup Day - Montgomery County: All tools and supplies will be provided, including work gloves (though you’re welcome to bring your own). Please note, that restrooms are not available. No plastic water bottles – please bring a reusable water bottle if you have one. When: Saturday, April 12th (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM) Where: Abington Junior High School School 2056 Susquehanna Road Abington, PA 19001 ➡️ Horticulture Volunteer Day: Volunteers will support seasonal plantings, weeding, invasive species removal, and support greenhouse maintenance. When: Saturday, April 12th (9:30 AM - 12:00 PM) Where: Bartram’s Garden 5400 Lindbergh Blvd. Philadelphia, 19143 ➡️ How to Help Nesting Birds in Your Yard: Many cavity-nesting birds, like bluebirds, have become reliant on manmade bird boxes to provide them with the safe spaces they need to raise their young. Willistown Conservation Trust will talk about supporting birds in your neighborhood. When: Sunday, April 13th (2:00 PM - 3:30 PM) Where: Historic Waynesborough 2049 Waynesborough Road Paoli, PA 19301 #philadelphia #philly #phillysupportphilly #eventsinphilly #phillyevents #phillyevent #philadelphiaevents
🚲 Millions of visitors will descend on Philadel 🚲 Millions of visitors will descend on Philadelphia in 2026 to celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary), to watch the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and to attend FIFA World Cup matches. To take full advantage of the waves of global travelers traversing our city, officials need to take critical steps to improve infrastructure and create a welcoming and integrated experience. Other cities have leveraged big events to expand active transportation. Paris completed 34 miles of new bike lanes in two years in advance of the 2024 Olympics. Ahead of hosting the 2028 Games, Los Angeles is on track to complete a set of new rail line extensions estimated to move more than 30 million people in its first year. Philadelphia is off to a slow start but still has an opportunity to prioritize moving millions of car-free people while also investing in existing infrastructure. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Nicole Brunet 📸 Uma Mcguire #philadelphia #citybiking #bikephl #phillybikelife #bicycling #bicyclist
Walter Palmer, 90, vividly recalls how poverty sta Walter Palmer, 90, vividly recalls how poverty stalked him — first, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was born, and then in Philadelphia, where his family moved to escape the low-wage, seasonal work many Black people were relegated to in the oceanside city. It pushed him into the juvenile delinquency that brought him in contact with a firearm. Born in North Philly nearly 40 years after Palmer, Donnell Drinks, 51, grew up in similar circumstances. As a result, he became homeless, the parental figure to his two younger brothers, and a drug dealer. He also became a gunshot victim and a convicted first-degree murderer on death row — all before his 18th birthday. Like so many other Black Philadelphians across the decades, Palmer and Drinks grew up in grinding poverty, their lives punctuated by gun violence. Their experiences speak to a long-running truth: Across the country, poverty drives people to commit violence — and in no big city is that connection as acute as it is in Philadelphia. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Mensah M. Dean for The Trace 📸 Caroline Gutman for The Trace #philadelphia #stopgunviolence #gunviolenceawareness #gunviolenceprevention #endgunviolence #endgunviolencetogether
📈 In 2024, there were 220 fatal shootings in Ph 📈 In 2024, there were 220 fatal shootings in Philadelphia, a sharp decline from 375 such deaths the previous year. While city leaders celebrated this improvement, professor and writer Julien Suaudeau, 49, wondered how the community could be satisfied with that number. “The fact that it was almost hailed as a miracle — like it was an indication that the policies are working — is mind-blowing for me,” says Suaudeau. One in five American adults knows or cares about someone who was killed with a gun. In Suaudeau’s new podcast, “The People Left Behind,” he features the stories of these survivors and co-victims (surviving loved ones of victims) — the Philadelphians who are coping with long-term grief due to gun violence. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ + 📸 Julia Lowe #philadelphia #stopgunviolence #gunviolenceawareness #gunviolenceprevention #griefsupport #griefawareness
🎵 Philadelphia band Darling Damselfly wants the 🎵 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 the impact of climate change and live more sustainably,” says Sammy Shuster, 38, the band’s singer-songwriter. Shuster and Lexie Diallo — the duo’s violist — released “Galapagos” in October. The five tracks, available on Bandcamp, explore scientific phenomena from evolution to photosynthesis while prompting listeners to make connections to their own lives. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Jenny Roberts 📸 Chris Baker Evens #philadelphia #supportlocalmusic #phillymusic #phillymusicscene #climatechange #sustainability
🎙️ INTRODUCING: The People Left Behind, a pod 🎙️ INTRODUCING: The People Left Behind, a podcast presented by Grid Magazine Gun violence does not end on the crime scene. As many as 200 people can be impacted by a single shooting. What are survivors and co-victims going through, years after losing a loved one? How are they doing now? In season one of The People Left Behind, Philadelphians affected by gun violence share their stories of loss and resilience, in their own words. Episode 1 featuring Mighty Writers Literacy Director Bryana Crump is available now on Apple Podcasts. ➡️ Visit gridphilly.com to learn more #philadelphia #phillypodcast #gunviolenceawareness #griefsupport #griefawareness
How do you like your clean energy provider? Grid i How do you like your clean energy provider? Grid is working to demystify the world of green energy providers and wants your story. Please drop a note to news@gridphilly.com
Events happening in and around Philadelphia this w Events happening in and around Philadelphia this weekend! ➡️ Tyler Arboretum 10K Trail Run: Ready to challenge yourself while taking in the stunning natural beauty of Tyler Arboretum? We invite you to be part of our 10k Trail Run, a must-do race in Delaware County, made even more special by the opportunity to race through the gorgeous, historic grounds of Tyler Arboretum. When: Saturday, April 5th (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM) Where: Tyler Arboretum 515 Painter Rd Media, PA 19063 ➡️ Electronics Recycling: Bring anything that turns on and off for environmentally responsible recycling. When: Saturday, April 5th (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) Where: Chestnut Hill College 9601 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, 19118 ➡️ Birding at Awbury with Philly Queer Birders: Join Philly Queer Birders for an outing at Awbury Arboretum. Free and no registration required! When: Sunday, April 6th (8:30 AM - 11:00 AM) Where: Awbury Arboretum 1 Awbury Road Philadelphia, PA 19138 #philadelphia #philly #phillysupportphilly #eventsinphilly #phillyevents #phillyevent #philadelphiaevents
🧵 After learning to sew in middle and high scho 🧵 After learning to sew in middle and high school and studying fashion design at Thomas Jefferson University, Itohan Asemota learned the ins and outs of apparel product development. Working with regional brands such as Grant Blvd, Asemota identified a growing need in this sector: independent fashion houses had trouble finding manufacturers that would work with them when they wanted a small run of items produced. “Large manufacturers often require minimums that a lot of small startups can’t reach,” Asemota says. “They might have a minimum of 300 pieces, but I realized I could make 20 or 30 tops for them.” This was the jumping off point for HNI Collective, Asemota’s fashion service agency, founded in January 2024. Through HNI, she brings her expertise in product development to clothing businesses, helping with small batch production and fabric and material sourcing. In addition to being an extra set of (very skilled) hands, Asemota also offers plus-sized fit assistance to brands, ensuring that their collections are actually accessible. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Emily Kovach 📸 Tetsu Digital #philadelphia #inclusivefashion #sizeinclusive #sustainablefashion #sustainableclothing #slowfashion
🪡 Shari Hersh trained as a painter in the 1970s 🪡 Shari Hersh trained as a painter in the 1970s and ’80s. At that time, classical fine arts emphasized personal practice: picture a solitary artist holed up with an easel in a studio. Through her work with Mural Arts Philadelphia and a years-long participation in workshops, readings and discussions that Hersh undertook with her best friend, Beth Enson, Hersh evolved her art to focus on socially-engaged and cross-disciplinary, collaborative projects. This became the foundation for Home Studio Lab, Hersh and Enson’s joint art project. “Collaborations and projects can disrupt patterns of hetero-patriarchy capitalism,” Hersh says. “So much of Home Studio Lab is grounded in alternative economies and regenerative practices — a kind of active noncapitalist, non-individualistic relationship with the arts and the globe.” Over the years, Home Studio Lab’s work has taken many shapes, often centered around relational connections through participatory needlework projects, such as “Home Sweet Home,” a series of workshops in which participants research and share their family homes and histories, investigating how redlining and other government interventions shaped those histories. Participants sew a picture of their family home based on photos and stitch in captions verbalizing three things they learned. Each sewn piece is added to a book that Hersh stewards until the next workshop. “[Through these workshops] we’re exploring how humble domestic art practices can have relational, political and environmental value,” Hersh says. “Changing the self to change and repair the world: this is at the core.” ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Emily Kovach 📸 Chris Baker Evens #philadelphia #artcommunity #politicalart #ethicalfashion #sustainableclothing #slowfashion
👖 Are you tossing those pants because you wore 👖 Are you tossing those pants because you wore them out, or just because you don’t wear them anymore? The modern fashion industry treats clothing as disposable, and it is tempting for us to do the same. Big box stores and multinationals make money selling you way more than necessary. Really, how many pairs of pants do you need? A select few clothiers have stuck with an older, more sustainable plan of a slower churn, selling fewer of items made to last for years. Sure, it costs more each time you buy a pair of these more responsibly-crafted pants, but if they last many times as long as the cheaper fast fashion pair, you come out ahead. And they can last even longer than you might think. That proverbial “stitch in time” might save the pants for another year, or it might save them for another wearer, perhaps one who wears a size that no longer fits you. Maybe a thrift store can generate a little money for a good cause in the process of making the exchange. Shopping for quality clothing, mending what you love and finding a new home for unwanted items, can be powerful — even subversive — actions. ➡️ Visit gridphilly.com to read the full Fashion Issue now! 📸 Cover photo by Chris Baker Evens #philadelphia #circularfashion #sustainability #sustainablefashion #sustainableclothing #sustainablestyle #slowfashion #zerowastefashion
Events happening in and around Philadelphia this w Events happening in and around Philadelphia this weekend! ➡️ SBC Planet Day Conference: Many sustainability advocates see 2025 as a critical inflection point for climate action, and this year’s Planet Day conference is all about rising to meet the moment. Hosted by Wharton’s Sustainable Business Club, the event brings a hopeful lens to how innovation and strategic thinking can drive real solutions to today’s sustainability challenges. When: Friday, March 28th (9:00 AM - 3:00 PM) Where: Jon M. Huntsman Hall 3730 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 ➡️ Germantown Art & Sound: Join us for Germantown Art & Sound, a kickback for local creatives with an art show highlighting local artists. Complete with complimentary wine, live music and a playlist that is uniquely curated by our guests, we deliver your Friday night vibes just right. When: Friday, March 28th (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM) Where: Our House Culture Center 6380 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA ➡️ Saturday Wildflower Walk - Early Spring Edition: Join wildflower expert Dick Cloud on an informative two-hour hike that takes you through meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside. Although the focus is on plants, we will talk about whatever we might see while we are out! In March, we will look for newly emerging spring ephemerals as we listen to the chorus of frogs and birds during the warming spring days. When: Saturday, March 29th (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM) Where: Tyler Arboretum 515 Painter Road Media, PA 19063 #philadelphia #philly #phillysupportphilly #eventsinphilly #phillyevents #phillyevent #philadelphiaevents
Several key Philadelphia projects are now in limbo Several key Philadelphia projects are now in limbo due to Trump’s federal funding freezes. Those impacted? The Philly Tree Plan, Schuylkill River Trail expansion, and EV charging network infrastructure buildout. ➡️ Learn more at gridphilly.com #philadelphia #sustainability #environment #environmentalpolicy #environmentalissues #politics
SEPTA wants to go zero emissions by 2040. Will the SEPTA wants to go zero emissions by 2040. Will their newly unveiled Zero Emission Bus Program get them there? ➡️ Learn more at gridphilly.com #philadelphia #electricvehicle #electricvehicles #publictransportation #sustainabletransportation #cleanenergy
🍰 What became “The Year of the Cake” starte 🍰 What became “The Year of the Cake” started innocently enough. In October 2023, Sandi Pierantozzi and her husband, Neil Patterson, ordered a slice of pistachio torte from a bakery in Sicily. It was love at first bite. The couple returned to the shop each of the five days they spent in Taormina, always savoring the torte and other freshly-baked pastries featuring pistachios harvested from the shop owner’s family farm. Pierantozzi set herself the challenge of replicating that beautiful, nut-studded, not-too-sweet cake back home in their Fairmount kitchen. Baking was not entirely new to Pierantozzi. Growing up in Roxborough, she had baked bread and focaccia with her mother. She remembers that her mom always had a homemade cake on hand, housed on a glass cake stand protected from snacking children by a metal dome. But cake baking was not Pierantozzi’s thing. She has perfected countless variations of biscotti, Christmas pizzelles and an annual carrot cake for her husband’s birthday. Making 2024 “The Year of the Cake” has sent her on an exciting new baking adventure. ➡️ Read the full story (pistachio torte recipe included!) at gridphilly.com ✍️ Marilyn Anthony 📸 Chris Baker Evens #philadelphia #baker #baking #bakingchallenge #recipe #recipeoftheday
👞 For Philadelphia startup Coblr, reducing cons 👞 For Philadelphia startup Coblr, reducing consumption is more than just the latest social media trend: empowering consumers to repair rather than buy new is their entire mission. Cofounded by Emily Watts and Leslie Bateman in 2023, Coblr’s online store offers mail-in repair services for a variety of footwear and leather goods. Watts and Bateman, who are based in Boston, met in 2022 and bonded over a shared love of repair. As frequent secondhand shoppers and cobbler patrons, they grew frustrated by a decline in options and accessibility in the repair industry. “It’s hard to find repair people, not just shoe repair, but tailors and specialty artisans,” says Watts. “And then, once you do, it’s an industry that has been untouched by technology.” With their experience at technology startups — Watts was the COO of employee scheduling app Sling until it was acquired by Toast, while Bateman spent a few years at Uber — the pair brought Bateman’s “crazy idea” to start an online repair business to life. After securing a partnership with a cobbler in Boston, they launched coblrshop.com. Now headquartered in Philadelphia, the business was named “Most Innovative Fashion & Apparel Reuse Company” at the 2024 Reusies. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Julia Lowe 📸 Photo courtesy of Coblr #philadelphia #waste #reducewaste #sustainabilitymatters #repair #repairservice
Events happening in and around Philadelphia this w Events happening in and around Philadelphia this weekend! ➡️ Craft Supply Swap at STITCH AND DESTROY: Love crafting but hate the waste? Too many art supplies?? Visit STITCH AND DESTROY for their first Craft Supply Swap. Give, take and swap your pre-loved or unused art and craft supplies, and become inspired to make more art! When: Saturday, March 22nd (12:00 PM - 5:00 PM) Where: STITCH AND DESTROY 523 South 4th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 ➡️ UC Green x Tiny Trekkers PHL Women’s History Month Trail Walk: Join UC Green x Tiny Trekkers for a healing walk in nature to celebrate Women’s History Month! When: Saturday, March 22nd (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM) Where: Whitby Meadows 5922 Whitby Ave Philadelphia, PA 19143 ➡️ Women’s History Month Open House at Founder’s Hall: In honor of Women’s History Month, join us at our March Open House as we highlight the contributions of women at Girard. Find out how the Pennsylvaia ERA led to Girard College becoming co-ed. Learn about our amazing alumnae, as well the women who have shaped Girard since 1848. When: Saturday, March 22nd (10:00 AM - 2:00 PM) Where: Founders Hall at Girard College 2101 South College Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19121 #philadelphia #philly #phillysupportphilly #shopphilly #phillynews #philadelphianews #eventsinphilly #phillyevents #phillyevent #philadelphiaevents
📚 A half dozen three- and fouryear- olds wave “adios!” to their moms and younger siblings, then pile into the little bus, “el Busesito,” parked on a street corner in Frankford. Inside the 24-foot van, repurposed as a mobile preschool classroom, the Spanish-speaking children grab puzzles, blocks, stuffed animals, papers and crayons and settle on a rug patterned with trees and animals in vibrant colors. Begun in 2023 by Xiente, a North Philly grassroots nonprofit, the Busesito is an outgrowth of the bilingual preschool programs at Xiente’s Escuelita (little school), formerly the Children’s Center. The school’s curriculum has earned four stars — the highest rating — from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, but it serves only certain zip codes. The Busesito, modeled after a program for lower-income Spanish-speaking families in Colorado, allows Xiente to cast a wider net of early learning. “The Busesito gets children ready for kindergarten,” says Sarah Clemency, the lead teacher, program coordinator and bus driver, explaining that there’s often a gap between what children from low-income areas know and what’s expected of them in kindergarten. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Constance Garcia-Barrio 📸 Solmaira Valerio #philadelphia #education #educationmatters #educationforall #earlychildhoodeducation #prek
♻️ I started Bennett Compost 16 years ago with ♻️ I started Bennett Compost 16 years ago with the goal of making composting easy and accessible for Philadelphians. From the moment we started, people asked, “When do you think Philly will offer composting to every household like trash and recycling?” I used to say, “Ten years at the earliest.” Sixteen years later, my answer hasn’t changed. It doesn’t have to be this way. Composting has been happening in West Coast cities like San Francisco and Seattle for 20 years, and East Coast cities like New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., have launched citywide drop-off programs, large-scale pilots or full-scale curbside programs in the last decade. So, Philly, what gives? ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Tim Bennett 📸 Jordan Teicher #compost #composting #foodwaste #zerofoodwaste #zerowaste #sustainability
🚮 We’ve all had the frustrating experience of 🚮 We’ve all had the frustrating experience of seeing a plastic bag caught in a tree or a plastic bottle lying in the gutter. We’ve seen the jarring images of seabirds caught in six-pack rings or turtles with straws up their noses. Sadly, these images shouldn’t be surprising. Over 35 million tons of plastic waste is discarded every year in the United States, but less than 6% gets recycled. Almost all of the plastic we use ends up in a landfill, burned in an incinerator or — worse — littered directly in our environment. Last month, Montgomery County’s Abington Township passed a ban on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene foam plates, cups and containers. Abington is the first Pennsylvania municipality to pass a plastic bag ban in 2025, and, excitingly, the Keystone State has reached a tipping point: 20% of the state’s residents now live where a ban on plastic bags is in place. That’s incredible progress, especially considering that just five years ago the state legislature attempted to make it illegal for Pennsylvania’s municipalities to ban plastic bags. ➡️ Read the full story at gridphilly.com ✍️ Faran Savitz #philadelphia #waste #wastemanagement #zerowaste #reducewaste #wastefreeliving #plasticbags #plasticbagban
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