Since Natural Lands Trust established Green Hills Preserve in 2012, Jim Moffett has installed 14 bluebird boxes. | Photo by Megan Matuzak
Jim Moffett, a Natural Lands Trust volunteer, works to improve Pennsylvania’s nature and wildlife preserves
With a pair of clippers in one hand and a camera resting on his hip, Jim Moffett surveys the land
Illustration by Chris Hall
Entrepreneurial middle schoolers evolve into focused jerky makers
1998. Downingtown Middle School Cafeteria. Fifth period lunch. I had just finished my brown-bagged salami, mustard and Cooler Ranch Doritos sandwich, and scrounged through my backpack for the $5 bill my mom gave me each morning for drinks and snacks. I got the same thing
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In 2007, a flyer for a new Whole Foods Market program caught the eye of Mark Highland, founder and president of Organic Mechanics Potting Soil. It asked for local producers who had products that were grown, raised, harvested or crafted within 100 miles from a Whole Foods Market store (measured as the crow flies). Highland
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Doris Stahl, here at the Horticulture Center at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, built hundreds of urban gardens around the city. Photo by Dan Murphy.After Doris Stahl’s two sons had moved out of the house in 1985, she was looking for a change. As a professionally trained fine artist and educator, she taught
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Temple University's solar panels can be seen by approximately 26,000 regional rail riders.Although the newly installed solar panels are mounted three stories up on Temple University’s Edberg-Olson Hall, about 26,000 regional rail riders see them daily as they pass through the Temple University Station. The visibility is what the university is hoping will draw attention
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The Flomar Building, now home to Esperanza Health Center and the Hispanic Community and Counseling Services, in K&A (Kensington and Allegheny), serves as an example of a would-be eyesore that went from neighborhood burden to neighborhood benefit.
The building was built in 1928 for the Northeastern Title and Trust Company. While other banks in the
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Illustration by Faye Rogers.Gardening can be rife with emotional highs and lows. For the novice gardener, the hopes held by a trove of seedlings can be dashed by watching the tiny plants wither and fade, despite one’s best attempts. More seasoned gardeners may bask in the glow of pride, having achieved success with planting, potting
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There once was a time in Philadelphia when being vegan meant scanning menus for animal-free options and, all too often, settling for a salad. But times have changed. Blackbird Pizzeria, a small shop at 6th and Lombard, serves a 100 percent vegan menu of sandwiches, wings, salads and pizzas.
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In a world full of processed foods, it’s rebellious to make healthy snacks and encourage mindful consumption. At least that’s the idea behind Rebel Ventures, a socially conscious business run by young entrepreneurs with funding from University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Rebel Ventures’ main business is the making and selling of granola
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Joe Shapiro poses at The Hamilton Mansion at the Woodlands. Photo by Neal Santos.
A walk around West Philadelphia reveals Joe Shapiro’s handiwork. He built the wooden kiosks in Clark Park, the garden beds at the Walnut Hill Community Farm, the interpretive signs at the Woodlands. He planted trees along the Schuylkill River and
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