Wine to Water A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World by Doc Hendley (Avery, 288 pp., $26, January 2012)In 2004, Doc Hendley was a bartender and a bit of a partier in Raleigh, N.C. But an encounter with a family friend whose husband worked for an international aid
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Straphanger Saving Our Cities and Ourselves From the Automobile by Taras Grescoe (Times, 336 pp., $25, April 2012)Across the globe, car-centric urban planning has wreaked havoc on many a city. In Straphanger, Taras Grescoe explores this problem by traveling on public transportation in cities like Tokyo, Copenhagen, Los Angeles and even
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Fool Me Twice Fighting the Assault on Science in America by Shawn Lawrence Otto (Rodale, 380 pp., $24.99, October 2011)In Fool Me Twice, Shawn Lawrence Otto narrates the evolution of science in America. His story begins with the beliefs of the founding Puritans and leads all the way to the
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FACT
Glass used in mirrors contains additives that make them unsuitable to throw in the blue bin.
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story by Shaun Brady | photos by Sam OberterMario Gentile describes his basic philosophy as a question: “How can the everyday homeowner buy local and afford something that looks really well-designed made out of relatively expensive materials?” His answer: Shift_Design.
Gentile started Shift_Design in 2010, after being laid off from his architecture
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Mountaintop removal isn’t happening in Philadelphia, but the controversial mining practice is a major local issue. Philadelphia’s Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) has launched a campaign against PNC Bank for their financing of companies that use mountaintop removal mining practices. This February, EQAT introduced a “Green Your Money” initiative to encourage Philadelphians to pull their
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story by Missy Steinberg
At the Teens 4 Good farm on Eighth and Poplar Streets, growing produce relies on a surprising technology: a stationary bike. The bike-powered watering system is a recent addition to the urban youth farm, which previously used a nearby fire hydrant for irrigation.
The new watering system uses a 500-gallon
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story by Bernard Brown | photo by Nick KiriazisOne early sign that spring has arrived is the sound of Spring Peepers. To call these frogs “peepers” is a bit of an understatement. They have loud, projecting calls. When you finally track down one of the little guys (easiest with a friend to
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story by Samantha Wittchen
By mid-2010, news of PECO’s energy rate caps expiring had the media filled with doomsday tales of electricity prices rising 20 to 30 percent by the end of the year. And then, a strange thing happened – or rather, it didn’t happen. As the ball dropped at midnight on
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story by Tanya Veitch | illustration by Stephen HaighFirst, a confession: I am a full-on honey bee nerd. I love my bees and am totally addicted to beekeeping. I’ve been “keeping” bees since July 2010. In that time I’ve lost sleep, been stung (my fault), felt terrified and overwhelmed, and of course,
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