A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings

Can recycled art at the Philadelphia Zoo help protect habitat and change habits?

by Heather Shayne BlakesleeNine-foot-tall recycled-cardboard gorilla sculpture created by Canadian artist Laurence Vallieres for the Philadelphia Zoo’s Second Nature: Junk Rethunk exhibit.

The newest animals at the Philadelphia Zoo aren’t in cages, although some of them—including a life-sized alligator sculpted from bubblegum—will remain safely behind glass.

More
1 min read

Let it Grow

Awbury Arboretum’s unlikely stewards let nature—and discovery—run wild

Awbury staff from left to right: Denis Lucey, Karen Flick, Heather Zimmerman and Chris van de Velde.Philadelphians are familiar with the sounds of city life: the laughter of kids walking home from school, bus engines and car horns on the busy streets, music flowing from rowhome windows.

More
10 mins read

Environmental Justice Lecture at Temple University

Dr. Robert D. BullardTonight, Temple University hosts Dr. Robert Bullard, a lauded environmental justice advocate, author and scholar, for their 5th Annual Kelch Lecture. His most recent book, The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the Government Response to Disaster Endangers African American Communities, is the latest in a life-long body of groundbreaking work. Dr. Bullard and his co-author

More
1 min read

Top of the Heap

Scott Blunk teaches Theresa Harter, a junior, how to work a loader at W.B. Saul High School in Roxborough. | Photos by Stephen Dyer
Compost expert and volunteer teacher makes educational programs possible for high school students
The compost pile at W.B. Saul High School in Roxborogh is about the size of a school bus—and that’s

More
2 mins read

Meet the Mayoral Candidates – Anthony Williams

His Story:
Williams is son of a father who was both a judge and community activist. He went to The College of  William & Mary, where he earned a degree in economics, and rose through the ranks at PepsiCo to become a mid-level executive. The rise of gang violence, blighted communities, and lack of opportunity in

More
3 mins read

Meet the Mayoral Candidates-Doug Oliver

His Story:
Doug Oliver was raised by a single mother in Philadelphia and has strong ties to his church. After completing an undergraduate degree from Lock Haven University, he earned a Masters in Communication from La Salle University and an Executive MBA from St. Joseph’s University. He started his career at Beech Advertising, and after a

More
2 mins read

Meet the Mayoral Candidates-Nelson Diaz

 
by Heather Shayne Blakeslee 
His Story:
Diaz grew up in a public housing project in New York City, and made his way through St. Joseph’s University and then Temple Law. He was the first Puerto Rican to earn a law degree from the University and to pass the Pennsylvania Bar Exam, after which he became a Public

More
3 mins read

Meet the Mayoral Candidates-Jim Kenney

by Heather Shayne Blakeslee 
 
His Story:
Kenney was born in South Philadelphia and raised by a firefighter and homemaker. He got his first union card at 17, and went on to get a degree from La Salle University, becoming the first person in his family to go to college. He’s served in City Council since 1991, and

More
2 mins read

Meet the Mayoral Candidates-Lynne Abraham

by Heather Shayne Blakeslee
 
Her Story:
Abraham’s bio has a lot of firsts. She’s the daughter of first-generation Americans who lived “on the edges of poverty,” and was the first in her family to go to college; she got a degree from Temple University and went on to Temple Law School. She is the first woman to

More
2 mins read

The Progress That’s at Stake

Political progress has been made, but much work remains
Eight years ago, the new crop of mayoral candidates were like sustainability seedlings, just beginning to poke their soft green heads above the soil and move toward the light.
There were some unintended moments of comedy along the way. During a candidate forum, one of the candidates purported

More
6 mins read
1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 9