Soap City

For every bar purchased, Hand in Hand says it donates a bar of soap and provides a month of clean water to children in need.Vegan soap-making companies in Philadelphia offer natural products for the environmentally conscious
For many soap makers, there is concern over using palm oil in their products. The vegetable oil is linked

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Foot Soldier

by Mary Van Ogtrop
Illustration by Julia Tran
 Want to enjoy your commute? Try walking.
 At 7 a.m., my clock radio powers on to the sound of WXPN. “It’s a cold morning in Philadelphia,” the announcer says, a little mournfully, “with a low of 23.”
My eyes flashed open and I hopped up. Over 20 degrees: better get walking.

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Nurture by Nature: Eviama Life Spa pampers your body and your planet

Enviama Spa owner Penny Ordway turned her passion for promoting human wellness and eco-living into the city’s first green spaPenny Ordway faced a dilemma: She was passionate about her human wellness work, but the spa where she was employed regularly used processes and products she found questionable. She wanted to be a good employee, but

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1 min read

Wheel House: West Philly bike shop expands to a second location

Firehouse Bicycles, which is co-owned by Monica Pasquinelli, above, and Sam Davis, primarily sells refurbished bikes—keeping them out of landfills.Every neighborhood deserves a great bike shop—one with grimy, committed mechanics, affordable new and used bikes, and fast service. Firehouse Bicycles, at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, has been West Philly’s bike shop since 2001. Monica

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Ripe Ideas: Natural deodorant can take the heat

When Carly Dougherty was enrolled in a culinary program in Berkeley, California, she spent a lot of time hustling in a hot commercial kitchen. When she complained to a few chef colleagues that her natural deodorant couldn’t stand up to her newfound stinkiness, they let her in on a secret: they made their own deodorants

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Scraps of Hope: UCD initiative fights food waste and hunger

Grand opening of the Dirt Factory, June, 2012Each month, the average household in Philadelphia puts more than 200 pounds of trash out for curbside pickup — much of it food waste. Thanks to an innovative food recycling program, residents of University City are working to reduce that amount.

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