As is too often the case in Philadelphia, when a project takes one step forward, someone, somewhere, decides to bring it two steps back. That one step forward happened for bicycling infrastructure last summer, when Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell introduced an ordinance that would allow for a protected bike lane along 11 blocks of Chestnut Street, between
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A West Philly high school student reflects on how we curate our lives Illustration by James Heimer By Cameron Swann The first time I realized that I could make my world beautiful was during a summer program from The School of the New York Times, where I spent two weeks looking at how the curation
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“I like talking to farmers about their work and seeing the seasons change through our produce selection,” says Bull Gervasi, facilities and produce department coordinator for Mariposa Foods, a cooperative grocery store in West Philadelphia. Gervasi has been a Mariposa Co-op member for 18 years because he believes co-ops are the least exploitative business model
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portrait by Mark Likosky “When I found myself back in my childhood neighborhood, ravaged by time, I set a course that—through guerilla gardening with children on crime-ridden parcels—has methodically proven that by reclaiming land and respecting human life, no matter how depressed, a community can recreate itself, catalyzing individual and community health.” — SW It’s time
MoreCommunity members work on what will be Philadelphia’s first Earthship.
In West Philadelphia, organizers use tires and earth to create an ambitious and energy-passive home
At a glance, the open-air lot at the corner of 41st and Lancaster appears to be littered with garbage—tires piled up in the northwest corner, mounds of dirt and cement mixed
For all those guilty of drooling over the fresh produce sprouting up in Philly’s many urban farms, it’s time to stop staring and learn about the roots of this growing movement. The Westphal College at Drexel University is hosting a special screening of two farm-focused films tomorrow, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. First, watch “West Philly
MoreImagine a world where consumers really did control corporate agendas. Whereby simply choosing to buy from one store over another, consumers could make a business more eco-friendly. This is the Carrotmob model.
MorePhiladelphia high school student Seth Brown is frank about it: He started skipping lunch more and more this past year. “The rate has increased this year,” says the 18-year-old rising senior at West Philadelphia’s Parkway West High School, “because my English class is above the kitchen.”
MoreThe Polselli lot at 53rd and Wyalusing in the Haddington section of West Philadelphia was a dangerous eyesore. Equipment from the owner’s contracting business, stripped cars and barrels of gasoline sat nestled in the overgrown weeds.
MoreUnfortunately, the dream has come to an end. The West Philly Hybrid X Team (profiled in July’s Grid) has been eliminated from the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize Competition. Both the team’s cars failed to reach the mileage standards in the “knock out” round of tests.
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