story by Liz PachecoPhiladelphia has been a national leader in higher education since Ben Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania in 1740. Our local institutions of higher learning are adding to this proud legacy by blazing trails in graduate-level sustainability education. Compared to traditional programs, these degrees are typically more interdisciplinary. Students are not
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story by Tenaya DarlingtonHere’s a cheese perfect for the onset of fall, a raw-milk beauty that pairs well with apples, nuts and even chocolate. Havilah, from Lawrenceville, N.J., is a firm, nutty cheese that’s somewhere between a mild Cheddar and a mountain-style Swiss. It’s sweet and milky with a pleasantly bright finish similar to apples.
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story by Marisa McClellanFresh corn and juicy peaches are great, but there is no summer food more versatile than plump, sun-ripened tomatoes. Because their season is fleeting, I make a point of preserving as many tomatoes as possible in as many ways as I can. Here are some ways I stash away enough Romas,
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story by Samantha WittchenFACT: Fire extinguishers should be inspected annually to make sure they’re charged properly and in working order. Every six years, an extinguisher must be taken apart, examined and recharged.
PROBLEM: Fire extinguishers in the U.S. are often filled with Halon 1211, the trade name for an ozone depleting gas that is hazardous
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story by Leah R. TroianoAs with many household products, we rarely look closely at the ingredients. But next time you’re in the laundry room, check out your detergent. Some common ingredients are:
Phenols Can damage your lungs, heart, kidneys and liver, and are easily absorbed into the skin. Deemed toxic by the National Institutes of Health
Optical
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Photo via visitphilly.comThe Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is on the move! With 400 miles of bike paths and lanes, a 150 percent increase in bicycle commuting, and new safe traffic patterns, biking in Philadelphia is quickly becoming the norm. To encourage its current and future projects, and to get more people out on bikes,
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story by Liz PachecoThirty-seven floors above Philadelphia, Zone 7 founder Mikey Azzara is talking local food. He’s at R2L restaurant in Liberty Towers, overseeing the delivery of potatoes, greens and herbs to Chef Daniel Stern. Azzara and Stern spend a few minutes chatting, mostly about the difficulty Stern once had in sourcing locally. Some farms
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Image via shelfconsumed.com.While the challenging economic times don’t seem to improving, The Merchants Fund (TMF) is offering local Philadelphia businesses another chance to stay in the black. TMF, a private fund that evolved out of the Mercantile Beneficial Association, is set to award another round of grants to keep local Philly businesses stable and viable.
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story by Lauren MandelRooftops are becoming prime locations for Philadelphians to fulfill their tomato-growing obsessions. While prominent rooftop gardens in Center City and Manayunk are already raising crops in containers and buckets, the local organization Philadelphia Rooftop Farm (PRooF) is trying another very promising approach.
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While useful, the typical blue rain barrel isn’t exactly beautiful. So, when the Philadelphia Water Department donated five barrels to the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District this past April, the Mt. Airy Art Garage, a community art nonprofit, volunteered their creativity. Neighborhood artists were recruited and soon word spread, attracting more local artists—adults and kids—to
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