Entrance to Out on a Limb; photo by M. McClellan
More than five years in the making, the Morris Arboretum opens their new permanent exhibit on July 4th. Called the Tree Adventure, your experience begins with Out on a Limb, a 450-foot-long canopy walk more than 50 feet above ground level, that gives visitors a bird’s eye view of the forest.
From the Canopy Walk, you’ll cross the Swaying Suspension Bridge to the Bird’s Nest, scamper onto the Squirrel Scramble’s rope-netting skirting two towering trees, head to the top of the Wissahickon Vista platform for sweeping views and wander along the raised platform of the Canopy Walk.
Once you’ve taken in the views, pick up a Tree Adventure Passport and explore the tree education stations set up across the arboretum grounds. Kids get a small prize if they complete the learning challenges at each of the five stops.
The Tree Adventure is free with the cost of admission to the arboretum. Adults are $14 and children/students are $7. The arboretum is open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. (on weekends during the summer months, they’re open until 5 p.m.). Click the image above to see a full slideshow of images from Tree Adventure.
Morris Arboretum
100 Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-5777
http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/index.shtml
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Looking to enjoy the warm temps and scenic beauty of the great outdoors? A natural retreat is closer than you think at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. With 340 acres of preserved land and over three miles of hiking trails, it’s the perfect spot to spend some time with Mother Nature.
There are plenty of wild residents of the Schuylkill Environmental Center you might have the pleasure of meeting on your trip, like: deer, chipmunks, moles, foxes, opossums, skunks, frogs, toads, snakes and groundhogs, along with over 150 species of birds.
Head to the Education Building where there’s something for everyone. The Discovery Center is packed with vividly painted interactive exhibits, where kids can learn while having fun. There’s also an indoor bird blind that promises to give an upclose look at some timid feathered friends. The building’s Green Roof provides the perfect example of how to make an eco-friendly building top, while the Art Gallery is filled with eco-themed art exhibits.
An acorn’s throw away from the Education Building, you can enjoy the picnic grove and seasonal Butterfly House exhibit, plus the impressive Solar Panel Array (guaranteed to knock your organic hemp socks off). On other side of the property, sits the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, a free clinic and ER if you will for animals of all sorts. It’s also home to the organic community gardens, where anyone can rent a space and play farmer for a season.
Schuylkill Environmental Center
8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128
(215) 482-7300
www.schuylkillcenter.org
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Spring festivals are usually about relaxation; about enjoying the dewy air, cooking some good food and maybe throwing a Frisbee around. Injecting politics into an atmosphere like this would be a serious buzzkill, unless you are the folks of Clark Park, who have been bringing amusement side by side with activism for years.
Let’s run down the list: Live music and dance, speakers, spoken word, and great food. Definitely fun. Free workshops on health, sustainability, gardening, and social justice, green information booths: more about learning.
But like many things of this ilk, there are equal amounts of overlap, from the Food Trust Farmers’ Market to the vendors selling everything from antiques and collectibles, ethnic arts and crafts and fashion, to bikes, books, records.
As usual, the Uhuru Movement is making sure all funds raised by the flea market go to worthy causes. This particular event benefits the African Village Survival Initiative, developing collective food, water, energy survival and economic self-reliance programs in response to the deep economic crisis.
AVSI has done work in many African American communities, helping create self reliance and economic independence. AVSI hopes now more than ever that their practices will be duplicated in other cities and other parts of the world.
So come be part of a springtime festival that is equal parts empowerment and entertainment, learning and lounging. Because you can only throw a Frisbee for so long.
Earth Day Flea Market
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Clark Park
4300-4398 Chester Ave, Philadelphia, PA
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FUEL, where the show is taking place!
Green with Fashion is more than an eco-fashion show spotlighting designers from across the country… it is a charity event conceived out of a senior project assigned at Drexel University. This show not only celebrates great design but provides a wealth of information on environmental issues to the community.
On April 22nd, take the opportunity to be inspired by the works of over 30 designers and boutiques participating in the show. Plus, Drexel students (including a buddy of mine) will have the opportunity to present their own eco-friendly sportswear designs at the event!
Carbon Fund will be donating five tons of carbon offsets to make the event carbon neutral, not-to-mention an addition 15 other sponsors from all over the map are on board for the show. Green with Fashion is to take place in Old City at the F.U.E.L. house, which you may recall is where they filmed the Philly house for MTV’s Real World back when after midnight you could still view music videos.
As an FYI, the fashion show is only getting its word out their by way of the internet and word of mouth. Tickets can only be purchased in advance and their proceeds also go to benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So be sure to log onto their website to make your purchase!
The FUEL House
249-51 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 592-8400
www.fuelcollection.com
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The Academy of Natural Sciences
The concept of “Going Green” has begun to mutate like a virus and attach its disingenuous connotations to other, more well-meaning concepts. There is no better example of this concept than the buy local movement. Somehow, “Buy Local” became a slogan and now seems lumped in with all the other enviro-fads floating around our ears. But understanding your local environment is a great first step to thinking in a more environmentally friendly way and creating real change.
From buying local produce to supporting your neighborhood to simply understanding what might be living just below your sidewalk, thinking locally can help you sort out the problems facing your local ecosystem and understand your place in the solution. The people at the Academy of Natural Sciences are hitting two birds with one stone as they celebrate Earth Day while helping people get a better glimpse at their local environment.
Learn how to test your local stream for bacteria with pollution tests from Academy scientists, then check out the notorious snakehead fish from South Philly. Local fishing techniques will be on display as you can climb aboard a real fish-shocking boat and see how to test crabs for chemicals. The chemists and botanists at the Academy monitor the local environment daily. Be there when they bring their fish tanks and equipment out of the lab and share with visitors how they can be stewards of their local ecosystem.
Earth Day is a great time to take a stand against greenwashing, against the business agenda of “going green.” Learn the tips and tricks of making your environment the best it can be. Then you will really be going green.
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.ansp.org
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One Philadelphia filmmaker is giving “friendraising” a go.
To pay for for her debut environmental drama Future Weather, Jenny Deller is raising money by selling organic T-shirts and handmade totes. It’s all very Earthy.
All proceeds go to Deller’s goal of producing her script, which She plans on shooting sustainably in and around Philadelphia this summer.
The shirts are illustrated by Anthropologie designer eBond and are being promoted through a network of environmentalists and film supporters.
Future Weather is a coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old environmentalist named Laduree. In the midst of forestry research she believes will save her town from global warming, Laduree is abandoned by her mother. Forced to move in with her grandmother and stuck in a depressed rural community, she must prepare to face an uncertain future.
The image Bond illustrated for Future Weather is a collection of three abstract rings, representing both the movie heroine’s love of trees and the family histories told in the film. The shirts are printed by Center City-based Space 1026, which used organic cotton tees for women and partially recycled tees for men.
The limited run of tote bags were sewn by Deller and friends, who used unusual tees they salvaged from local thrift stores. For each item purchased, Future Weather will plant ten trees on the world’s barren lands through Maryland-based nonprofit Trees for the Future.
Buy the $38 shirts or $28 bags at the Future Weather store, and you accomplish a number of feats: you support a local, independent filmmaker, you help plant trees, and you buy hip, organic products. One friend to another.
Future Weather
www.futureweathermovie.com
Facebook
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/62266?m=4ffa5b46
MySpace
www.myspace.com/futureweather
Twitter
www.twitter.com/FutureWeather
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Post by Jacqueline Rupp
Think compact-fluorescents and reusable grocery bags are cutting-edge green trends? If so, then it’s definitely time to hit the PA Convention Center for the Go Green Expo. Here, you’ll find the latest and greatest technologies, trends and gadgets all guaranteed to be Mother Earth-friendly.
The Expo makes its Philly debut on March 13th with a Business-to-Business show, followed on March 14th and 15th by a weekend dedicated to regular eco-interested folks. With over 200 booths and exhibits, interactive seminars and speeches, film presentations and an Eco-Fashion Show, this event is sure to inspire some green habits.
The Green Marketplace allows visitors to shop for innovative items like Agreenday’s Eco-friendly Reusable Dry Cleaning Bag or Chairloom’s line of up-cycled vintage furniture. There will also be plenty of hands on activities and a Kid Zone to keep little environmentalists busy.
And about those compact fluorescents… bring your used bulbs to the show and have them recycled by Next Level Recycling, the nation’s first self-service CFL recycling center. Show hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., except on Saturday when the show stays open an extra hour. Just don’t forget to carpool… better yet, take SEPTA.
The Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
www.PAconvention.com
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Ah, Greensgrow Farm. Jonathan talked about it on here once before, and now we’ve got a wonderful video. Take a look and learn about the farm and the people who run it.
Greensgrow Farm
www.greensgrow.org
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In East Kensington at the corner of Susquehanna and Amber streets, a remarkable project is taking shape: the 100K house. Simply put, a Philadelphia development firm called postgreen is trying to see if they can build a modern “green” house for a thrifty $100,000. If they are successful, their design could provide the blueprint for countless more sustainable Philadelphia homes that are cheaper than their non-green counterparts. Amazing.
Thanks to the crew at streettalkin.com for putting this video together for us!
www.postgreen.com
100khouse.com
While we’re on the topic of sustainable housing, you’ll want to go check out Clean Break this week as part of Design Philadelphia. From October 17 to 30, a temporary prefab “neighborhood” in Philadelphia will offer a fresh view of what the city might look like in the near future.
Clean Break
Free
October 17-30, 2008
Daily, 11:00-7:00
313 South Broad Street at Spruce, Philadelphia
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