By Claire Marie PorterDid you know that you can major in sustainability? Colleges and universities all across the nation offer programs on the subject. “A lot of people assume that sustainability is [just] environmentalism. It’s not,” says Rob Fleming, an architect, professor and director in the sustainable design program at Thomas Jefferson University. The term
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By Alexandra JonesThe teen years are an opportune time to learn smart money habits. High school students are on the verge of making big decisions—choosing colleges and career paths, opening bank accounts and sometimes getting their first cars and credit cards—that may have long-term effects on their lives. A few fundamental lessons can set them up
MoreBy Claire Marie PorterRyan Ebner is a construction consultant by day and a cooper by night. In a rented workspace in West Philadelphia, shared with Ice Sculpture Philly, he and his father, Jeff, moonlight amongst smells of smoke and wood.The father-son duo started Anthony Barrel Company in 2015 as a side hustle. Jeff is a
MoreBy Constance Garcia-BarrioFor a black transgender woman, being true to one’s self sometimes exacts a horrific price. One hears little about them unless they make lurid headlines as victims of violence—as did Michelle “Tamika” Washington, shot to death on May 19 in North Philly.
MoreBy Bernard BrownGardeners who have taken a peek inside the hand-sized yellow flowers on their squash plants have probably witnessed what looks like a bee dance party. On smaller flowers, bees perch themselves and deploy their long tongues to suck up the tiny droplets of nectar inside. By contrast, on winter squash plants (like pumpkins, butternuts
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By Randy LoBassoAfter I testified at City Council on a Vision Zero issue in the spring, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, where I work, put up a blog post with a bit of context and the transcript of my testimony, which was then shared far and wide on social media, including in the local
MoreIt isn’t easy to accept that our dirt and mess are important. Why would we want to? Many of us feel there are bigger, better and more exciting things to do with our lives than to vacuum and dust the house. In actuality, the mess is a window through which we see the deep, unknown
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By Meenal Raval Thanks to the climate crisis, we’re guaranteed hotter and wetter weather in the years to come. We’re used to our humid summers in Philly—but hotter and more humid? How are we all going to cope with that? When we cool our indoor spaces with air conditioners, we’re basically pushing the heat and
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By Alex MulcahyMy pockets are empty. I am free. I have, at least briefly, escaped modern life.It wasn’t easy. I’m on vacation, writing you from Camp Common Ground in Vermont.It’s a 400-mile trip, an especially long one when made with a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old. There are stops at gas stations, where my children pluck
MoreBy Jillian BaxterAs the city experienced its hottest day of the year on July 19th, the Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) dropped a 50-foot banner from the roof of PECO’s Market Street headquarters that read: “Climate is Changing: Why isn’t PECO?” Three EQAT members, who hopped a fence to drop the banner while on a
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