GRID Magazine August 2010

Sustainable Philadelphia

take one!

aug 2010 / issue 17 gridphilly.com

the

elephant in the room

The peco rate caps are coming off, and you can’t ignore it anymore.

also inside!

sun spot

Nick Pine demystifies solar power

grid lock

Smart grids will fuel the future

heat proof

No cook recipes are ideal for late summer

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EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY Certificate Programs Undergraduate & Graduate

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Visit www.wcupa.edu or contact Dr. Paul Morgan at 610-436-6945 pmorgan@wcupa.edu

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publisher

Electric Avenues

Alex Mulcahy 215.625.9850 ext. 102 alex@gridphilly.com ad sales

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can’t wait to get my next electricity bill. By following low-tech energy guru Nick Pine’s simple advice—monitoring the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures—I’m certain that I’ve already reduced my A/C usage significantly. (Another tool in the battle to conserve: a rock-solid American-made fan from the 1950s that shows no signs of slowing down, though I should probably wear a weightlifting belt when I move it.)

But the A/C is only one element of my energy diet.

There are lots of places to nip and tuck. Someday we’ll all have access to a “smart grid,” something that tells us how much energy we use and how much it costs in real time. Local companies like Viridity Energy are already bringing the technology to forward-thinking institutions. An informed consumer is a more prudent consumer. When we finally modernize our electricity system, we will save money, reduce peak demand and make energy production more efficient.

Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. (It tends to happen when I talk about this stuff.) I haven’t even mentioned that this is the Energy Issue—the one I’ve been looking forward to, oh, pretty much since the last one. When it comes to sustainability, it all boils down to energy.

Energy would make the perfect villain in a conspiracy theory, or answer to a riddle. It can take many forms—a liquid, a steam, a gas. Even though it’s everywhere, it’s shifty. “Honest officer, I put it in my tank a few miles back, but now it’s gone!” In every product we buy, from sneakers to cell phones, it’s embedded but unseen. We summon it easily, flicking switches and turning keys, but despite its ubiquity, it remains abstract.

Until we have to pay for it in our homes. Then it becomes real. In January 2011, when the PECO rate caps expire, our electricity bills will go up, and energy prices will start to feel very real for everybody in Philadelphia.

In our cover story, Samantha Wittchen explains the history of “the caps,” how they artificially kept our energy prices low and discouraged the growth of an alternative energy market, and why they are now “coming off.” This is really bad news, especially for the many families in Philadelphia already feeling the crunch of a bad economy. But, hopefully, with greater value placed on energy, we’ll become more aggressive about conservation and efficient production. We have a city full of leaky buildings, oozing energy that could be saved—this is an opportunity.

Best case scenario: Our new energy reality will result in green job growth and a lower carbon footprint for the city.

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Claire Connelly 215.625.9850 ext. 100 claire@gridphilly.com managing editor

Lee Stabert lee@gridphilly.com art director

Jamie Leary jamie@gridphilly.com designer

Melissa McFeeters distribution

Claire Connelly 215.625.9850 ext. 100 claire@gridphilly.com copy editors

Andrew Bonazelli Patty Moran production artist

Lucas Hardison customer service

Mark Evans mark@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 105 interns

Cassie Cummins Ariela Rose Sam Watson writers

To that end, I wholeheartedly encourage you to take full advantage of the programs and incentives being offered right now, listed on page 22. It’s up to us to lead the way and jump start the market for energy efficiency services.

On August 28, Grid will sponsor an event at Greenable in Northern Liberties with home auditor Rob Post (see page 25). He’ll demonstrate some easy, energy-saving, do-it-yourself projects. The cost is $10. Call to reserve a space or register on line. We have less than six months to prepare for this. Let’s get to work!

Bernard Brown Tenaya Darlington Jess Harvell Julie Lorch Jacob Lambert Marisa McClellan Meenal Raval Lee Stabert Lori L. Tharps Char Vandermeer Samantha Wittchen photographers

Jessica Kourkounis Dan Murphy Jonathan Oler Jack Ramsdale illustrators

Jacob Lambert Michael Miller published by

Alex Mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com

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Red Flag Media 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 215.625.9850 g r i d p h i l ly . c o m

cove r illus t r at ion by m ichael mi l l er

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Silver and Green

News

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business

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r e c yc l i n g

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Food and more

Mural Arts celebrates the city’s gateways with a new sculpture

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ural Arts, one of the city’s strongest advocates for public art and community development, is expanding its reach. “RE:flect,” unveiled June 10 at the corner of 38th and Powelton Streets in West Philadelphia, is the city’s first “green wall” sculpture.

The two adjacent towers were designed by Florida-based artist JEFRË in conjunction with students from Sayre High School, who spent time exploring the confluence of environmentalism and public art. As the artist explained in his presentation, the sculpture draws inspiration from the Schuylkill River and its power as a gateway to West Philadelphia. At its simplest, the structure is two vegetative edges, framing a reflective surface—a powerful invocation of the beloved waterway. The plantings will change seasonally.

At the unveiling, Mural Arts Director Jane Golden spoke passionately about the impact art can have on communities— both through beautification and the involvement of local youth. “Our mission is about providing people access to community public art,” said Golden. “It’s about looking at the intersection of art and social change.”

This particular project is a collaboration between Mural Arts, Sustainable Communities Initiative West (Enterprise CDC, Partnership CDC, People’s Emergency Center CDC and University City District) and United Bank of Philadelphia (the sculpture is on the corner in front of the bank’s West Philly branch).

Golden reflected on the transformations wrought by Mural Arts since its first incarnation as the Anti-Graffiti Network. “There’s a saying,” she said. “Hope is succeeding in spite of the evidence, and then watching the evidence change.

We have seen that in every neighborhood and community in the City of Philadelphia, and we have seen that in young lives.

That is truly what drives us forward.” —Lee Stabert

A Dream Deferred Unfortunately, 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. The team’s Ford Focus experienced technical difficulties with its charger the night before, and was only 1.9 MPGe under the 67 MPGe limit—the team appealed the

elimination but the request was denied. Despite the disappointment, Team Manager Ann Cohen had a positive take. “We used good American technology, great innovation and even greater grit and determination to build what Detroit has not: an affordable family car that gets 80 miles per gallon and has a range of 500 miles,” she said in an email to supporters. “By the way, we also built a hot sports car that gets 64 miles per gallon. Pretty good work for a group of West Philadelphia High School underdogs.”

For more on the team, and reactions to the elimination, visit evxteam.org

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/ local business

Bubbling Up

A local cleaning company is as green as its mascot by lee stabert

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fter only a few minutes of conversation with Dos Funny Frogs’ Alex Suarez, it becomes clear that he has the mind of a scientist— discern a problem, research, test, solve. That enthusiasm for discovering a better (and greener) way to do things propels his business, a cleaning service and cleaning product manufacturer with an environmental bent, to growing success. Last month they opened a storefront location on a bustling section of Girard Avenue in Fishtown.

Suarez immigrated from Cuba over a decade ago. He attended Bucknell College, earning a degree in molecular biology. His mother, who followed him to America a year and a half later, started cleaning houses. “She doesn’t speak English, but she’s a very hard worker,” says Suarez.

“Once I finished school, I noticed that she had a few customers, and that she was making a little bit of money.” Dos Funny Frogs was born.

“I wanted the name of the business to be something very different,” he explains. “And I wanted it to be Spanglish—unique to us, yet very friendly to Americans. So, that’s where ‘dos’ comes from—dos meaning two. It’s just me and my mother.” The “Frogs” part of the name was inspired by Suarez’s passion for biology. “I think they are very, very cool animals,” he continues.

“So gentle, and they are a very good example of how we are devastating the environment.”

Once he went into business with his mother, 6

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Suarez started to notice all the waste that happens in cleaning operations. “My mother was spending a tremendous amount of money for paper towels,” he explains. “Why are we using paper towels? Not only are we killing a tremendous amount of trees, but we are spending a lot of money. So we had to do a little research, and it was, in my opinion, environmentally conscious to use rags that you can wash and reuse.” He also wanted to disinfect without the use of chemicals, so they came up with the idea of boiling the rags before reuse.

Then it was onto the next challenge: Suarez was tired of using someone else’s cleaning products, so he got to work—research, test, solve. Dos Funny Frogs developed SAPOS, a hydrogen peroxide-based all-purpose cleaner scented with oil from discarded orange peels. (“I love orange. I love it. It’s like one of my things,” effuses Suarez.)

Finding acceptable bottles was also a complicated

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task. They needed to be made in the US and composed of No. 2 plastic for recycling purposes.

Suarez eventually found a suitable company in Iowa; their labels are manufactured locally using biodegradable ink. Eventually, the Fishtown storefront will house a refill station offering the cleaner at discounted rates.

In addition to the rags and the cleaner, Suarez has gone green with the company’s transportation system. To cut down on fuel costs and Frogs’ carbon footprint, employees travel en masse in the “Frog Mobile,” cleaning homes more quickly in larger teams. This eliminates the need for picking up and dropping off. The company’s website also features “The Frog Tracker,” allowing customers to remotely monitor the crew, seeing if they are en route, in progress or finished with the job.

Environmentalism informs every aspect of the business. The SAPOS label features a frog suspended in a bubble—it’s a carefully considered image. “Bubbles are very fragile,” says Suarez.

“And that’s basically how everything is—life is very fragile. Today you have it and tomorrow you don’t. If we don’t take care of our everyday habits, the frogs will eventually be exterminated.

Our great grandkids may never get to see a frog. I do have a real frog, by the way. She’s not here, yet.

She’s at the old office. Her name’s Mango.” ■

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dosfunnyfrogs.com, 215-740-5522, 223 W. Girard Ave p ort r a it by d a n mu rph y

Cookie Monster

Mike Landers churns out tasty vegan sweets

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by dana henry

ike Landers, founder of North Port Fishington Cookie Factory, is part of a generation of vegan bakers rewriting your grandma’s recipes. Those who’ve tasted the chewy oatmeal-cashew-cranberry cookie, the gooey chocolate peanut butter-frosted brownie or the ever-fluffy cinnamon roll have been known to exclaim, “I can’t believe this is vegan.”

Landers takes the left-handed compliment in stride. “People have traditionally been less exposed to stuff that’s good and vegan,” he says. “They sometimes assume it’s gonna be some kind of weird health food cookie instead of this rich sugary treat. But it can be done. Just by recipes being out there in the world, people begin to experiment.”

Young, urban and with no professional culinary experience, Landers is a textbook example of how local vegan fare has flourished. Three years ago, he was just another devoted vegan living in the former industrial neighborhoods of eastern North Philly (hint: say Northern Liberties-Port Richmond-Fishtown-Kensington three times fast), teaching himself to cook wholesome vegan meals. His sweet tooth demanded he learn how to bake, so he started messing around with cookie recipes.

Pretty soon friends were stopping by for dairy-free deliciousness. Then friends of friends, owners of neighborhood coffee shops and cafés, began requesting his treats in bulk. Armed with increased confidence as a baker and salesperson, Landers eventually started approaching vendors cold, armed with cookie samples. Greensgrow Farmers’ Market gave him his first big break, allowing him to sell directly to customers.

For the last year or so, the Factory has been based out of Philly Kitchen Share, a shared commercial kitchen at 15th and South Streets.

Things were getting a bit crowded there, so this month Landers is moving operations back to his namesake neighborhood, taking over a kitchen in Kensington. The plan is to eventually move into Greensgrow’s temporarily-stalled Philadelphia Incubation Community Kitchens project.

Landers sells between 700 and 1,000 pieces weekly to local shops, including six varieties of cookies (chocolate-walnut, double chocolatechip, ginger molasses, snicker-doodle and peanut butter), brownies, peanut butter rice-crispy treats, muffins and buns. He has also ventured into less traditional territory with April Fool’s “Gluten Free Maple Bacon Doughnuts” and bright green Cinco de Mayo Guacamole cookies.

Experimentations aside, the light, fluffy, egg-free cinnamon buns remain the baker’s crowning glory. (Anyone who’s ever baked without dairy knows the tendency towards density).

Landers’ bulk ingredients—cane sugar and flax seeds (used in every cookie)—are fair trade and organic whenever possible, and he’ll soon be baking with Daisy Flour, milled in Lancaster County. + ■ North Port Fishington Cookie Factory goods are available at Almanac Market, Soy Cafe, Higher Grounds, Bennas, B2, the Last Drop, Flying Saucer, Milkboy, Satellite, Mariposa, Greensgrow (seasonally), Weaver’s Way (Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill), Red Hook Coffee, Rocket Cat and Leotah’s Place. facebook.com/northportfishington

portrait by l u c as h ardi son

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/ events

The Good Seed Dr. Vandana Shiva changed my life.

You could be next. by meenal raval

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1. All species, peoples and cultures have intrinsic worth 2. The earth community is a democracy of all life 3. Diversity in nature and culture must be defended 4. All beings have a natural right to sustenance 5. Earth Democracy is based on living economies and economic democracy

first heard of Dr. Vandana Shiva about nine years ago.

At the time, I was burnt out from overwork, apathetic about the state of the world and just drifting through life. I received a postcard inviting me to a weekend-long technology and globalization teach-in organized by the International Forum on Globalization. I was unfamiliar with the speakers, but something compelled me to cancel my weekend plans and get myself to Hunter College.

This is where I first heard Dr. Shiva speak about the World Trade Organization, globalization and genetically modified organisms. I woke up. How could all this have happened? Where had I been? Over the next few months, I shifted from an apathetic day-tripper in search of my next entertainment to someone with tightly held beliefs on big issues, be it monoculture of the mind, bio-piracy, natural capitalism, television and the cloning of cultures, indigenous cultures, genetically-engineered

Principles of Earth Democracy

6. Living economies are built on local economies 7. Earth democracy is a living democracy 8. Earth democracy is based on living cultures 9. Living cultures are life nourishing 10. Earth democracy globalizes peace, care and compassion

food, weapons in space, corporate agriculture, the precautionary principle,

Gandhi or local food.

My personal paradigm shift pulled me deeper and deeper into environmental action and social justice work. Eventually—and despite significant apprehension—Dr. Shiva's modern day Gandhian message drove me to revisit India after a quarter century, in search of a culture I'd left behind. I did this not as a tourist, but as a student at Dr. Shiva’s newly formed school, Bija Vidyapeeth. I signed up for the school's very first class:

Crib Sheet Get caught up on Vandana Shiva with these three recent works Soil Not Oil (2008) Shiva’s 2008 call-to-arms exposes the sorry state of corporate farming—the waste of natural resources, the massive carbon footprint, the poor working conditions and the chemical pesticides. Her solution: Redistribute the money spent on fossil fuel production and corporate farming to small, local, sustainable farms. Shiva’s proposal is both practical (empowering disenfranchised communities by feeding and employing them) and radical (shifting the economy from Earth-destroying to Earth-nurturing), rendered in prose both hard-eyed and optimistic.

Philadelphia University

Manifestos on the Future of Food & Seed (2007) Manifestos asks two basic questions: Why are the poor still denied access to nutritious food, and why are the wealthy so unhealthy? Instead of examining the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable small-scale farming, the book looks at how agribusiness affects the health of both the haves and have-nots, from imported (and chemically-treated) produce to countries with a high rate of starvation that ignore the potential of indigenous edible plants. But as the title suggests, Shiva also maps out a future where local cultures, wealthy and poor alike, might reconnect with their food.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN

RECIPIENT OF THE USGBC AWARD 2009 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN A COLLABORATIVE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (2006) Earth Democracy is Shiva’s short but powerful treatise on what it truly means to be “in touch with the Earth” in the ownership culture of the early 21st century. The book rejects “corporate globalization” in favor of “an awareness of the connections” between “human and nonhuman species.” Shiva offers not only a definition of Earth Democracy, and a diagnosis of the ill-effects of corporate globalization, but also a possible cure, exploring what a more connected society just might look like. —Jess Harvell

“The principle of sustainability is reshaping the way we think about the world, encouraging us to improve the way we design, build and live in the 21st century”

— Rob Fleming, Program Director

Vandana Shiva will speak at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Wednesday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m.; 6 p.m. reception. To register, visit ansp.org/environmental.

Jul 14

"Sustainable Living: Learning From the South."

During this three-week course, I learned about the importance of biodiversity, seed-saving, water conservation and rainwater harvesting, centuries-old medicinal uses of local plants and even the evils of bottled water.

The course made me much more aware of my own consumption—especially items that generate trash and are highly processed. I realized how little one actually needs. I met entire families living contentedly and with dignity, possessing but a few pots, clothes and cots. I learned that what’s actually essential has been gradually pushed to the background in our culture: clean air, water and food.

Needless to say, this was a big shift for a technologist who'd grown up in a household thinking West knows best.

At the time, Dr. Shiva talked about “Living Democracy,” now dubbed “Earth Democracy.” I find this term difficult, but realized recently that democracy, as we use it, only includes people eligible to vote and, recently, corporations. Rights of the voiceless—the incarcerated, children, animals, plants, marine life, extinct species and the planet as a whole—have been omitted.

Dr. Shiva has conceptualized Earth Democracy not just for people currently alive, but also those to come, and to honor the wishes of those long gone. The ideology emphasizes the rights that all life should share: right to biodiversity, right to food, water rights and the right to thrive across generations.

Dr. Vandana Shiva is an inspiring leader in the international environmental movement.

Come hear her speak at the Academy of Natural Sciences and be prepared for a radical shift in your worldview. ■

Become proficient in Green Building Materials, Energy Efficiency, Construction Systems and Sustainable Design

VISIT

www.PhilaU.edu/greengrid

Photography by Tom Crane & Dean Gazzo

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/ gardening Kind Buds

Radish blossoms will become next year's crop

by char vandermeer

Going to Seed M y garden usually begins in December, when the first batch of seductive seed catalogs slip through the mail slot. I hide them in a special stack far from my husband’s rolling eyes. Once five or six varieties of direct-mailed garden goodness have been collected, I tear through them in one delightful binge.

I make lists. I spend too much money. I feel satisfied, but a little guilty. Despite one’s best efforts to buy local, the fine print often reveals seeds shipped from Germany, India and the Netherlands. There is an obvious solution to this conundrum: Save your own seeds.

It’s pretty easy, though some seeds are easier to save than others. Let’s start with the basics: beans and tomatoes. These self-pollinators make worrying about cross-pollination largely unnecessary. For beans, simply allow the pods to dry completely—it usually takes a month or two after the ideal eating stage has passed.

Then simply break the pods open and allow the seeds to finish drying.

Melon-Drama If you read last month’s Muskmelon column, it should come as no seeds are a surprise that it’s slightly more money saver

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complicated to save tomato seeds. Slice a ripe fruit in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp.

Eat the rest of the tomato. Place the pulpy seeds in a jar with a little water and cover it with plastic wrap. Give the seeds a stir or two throughout the day for the next few days. The goop will ferment and the good seeds will sink to the bottom of the jar. Pour off the goop, place the seeds in a mesh strainer and rinse them with cool water.

If you’re feeling a little bolder, give radishes and muskmelons a shot. These guys rely on bees and other insects for pollination, so to prevent compromising future yields, you’ll want to make sure you only have one variety growing in your garden before you decide to rescue seeds.

Allow three or four radishes to blossom and when the seed pods turn brown, harvest. Simply crush the pods in your hand and sift the seeds from the chaff. Muskmelon seeds can be treated a lot like tomato seeds, though there’s no need for fermentation. Place the seeds in a wire strainer and smush the goo into the

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compost bin. Then rinse them under running water. Put the seeds in a bowl and cover with warm water. Toss the floaters. Rinse some more.

In general, you should save seeds only from healthy fruits and vegetables, as diseases easily infect seeds. Once your seeds are thoroughly dried, store them in a cool, dark place. ■

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ImprovIng commutes and communItIes A SEPTA bus removes up to 39 cars from the road.

Our railcars, up to 120. That adds up to a better commute, better environment, and a better Philadelphia region.

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/ bike culture

P

…

with

Sarah Clark Stuart of the

Bicycle Coalition Julie Lorch pedals along with notable members of Philly’s bicycle community on a route of their choice.

They ride, they chat, she reports back. the route

ouring over a stack of maps, Sarah Clark Stuart, Campaign Director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, points to a pink blob in West Philadelphia. “It is our intention to realize a seamless recreation and transportation corridor,” she says. “This blob between the West Bank Greenway and the University Avenue Bridge represents a major study area for the Complete the Schuylkill River Trail Coalition.”

Yes, I’m listening, but I’m also plotting ways to get Stuart to break some traffic laws. (Members of the Bicycle Coalition are famous for following every rule). Maybe I can let her in on the pure joy of blowing through a red light? Or not coming to a complete stop at a four-way intersection?

Or the prized wrong way down a one-way street? “[The study area] is part of finding the best route to get from Locust Street, which is the current trail terminus, to Bartram’s Garden,” she continues, “and then down to the Cobbs Creek Bikeway.” Stuart means business. I might just have to settle for riding side by side on a busy street.

Last February, the City of Philadelphia secured $17.2 million in federal funding from the TIGER program (The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary Grant Program). “It was truly amazing and fantastic,” enthuses Stuart. “There were over 1,400 applications.”

The TIGER funding will build five segments below the Fairmount Dam, including a "Connector Bridge" over the CSX railroad tracks at Locust Street.

The Connector Bridge is a special victory for Stuart, who began her bicycle/pedestrian advocacy work in 2004 with the Free the Schuylkill River Park campaign. The campaign successfully advocated for permanent streetlevel railroad crossings at Race and Locust, allowing unencumbered access to Schuylkill Banks.

TIGER is also funding a boardwalk from Locust to South Street, streetscaping on the Walnut Street Bridge, a new trail through Bartram’s Garden and the “58th Street Connector” between Bartram’s and Cobbs Creek. den Spring Gar

WEST PHILADELPHIA Woodlands Cemetery

Spruce

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Broad

Dupont Crescent Cobbs Creek

SOUTH Bartram’s Garden

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We fold up the maps and head out on the Spring Garden bike lanes behind the Art Museum. Riding towards the West Bank Greenway, we meander through the pink blob, pausing in Woodlands Cemetery. Included on the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery is so peaceful and well-landscaped that it immediately jumps to the top of my list of favorite places to explore on bicycle.

Leaving the cemetery and heading towards Bartram’s, we approach a yellow light at the bottom of a hill. I really think she’s going to go for it. She has to go for it. I pull up to Stuart, joyously anticipating a run yellow. I can almost taste victory. When she hits the brakes on her Fuji commuter, I’m shocked—so shocked that I nick her saddlebag with my front wheel.

We use the lesser known river entrance to Bartram’s Garden off 51st Street and Botanic Drive. The irony of this street name, which connects the oldest surviving botanical garden in North America to a PIDC-owned brownfield, cannot be overstated.

Walking our bicycles up the freshly Spring Art mowed pathway that will become BarGarden Museum tram’s Trail, Stuart and I find ourselves in a wild meadow, staring at the city skyline.

676 It is an awe-inspiring moment.

After leaving Bartram’s, we make a quick stop at Cobbs Creek—a bikeway Market Chestn that will soon be linked to the 58th Street ut Walnut Connector being developed by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)— 611 and then head back towards the city via South Grays Ferry.

In 14 miles, Stuart did not break one traffic rule. Her confidence in Complete Washin the Schuylkill River Trail is both inspiragton tional, and, based on the progress already made in the campaign, believable. “In my PHILADELPHIA mind,” asserts Stuart, “there’s no way we’re not going to succeed.” ■

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bicyclecoalition.org

by Samantha Wittchen

Refrigerators The Issue: Disposing of your old fridge The Challenge: The refrigerator that went perfectly with the brown and gold color scheme of your 1976 kitchen just doesn’t cut it in a stainless steel world. Fortunately, the average vintage fridge (a decade or more old) contains 120 pounds of recyclable steel. But, depending on the year it was manufactured, its refrigerant could contain harmful ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). So, it’s important that the refrigerant is removed from the unit properly before disposal.

Besides the environmental benefits of proper disposal, it’s just plain illegal to release CFCs into the atmosphere.

The Solution: If you’re replacing your refrigerator with a new energyefficient model, ask if the appliance retailer will pick up and recycle your old fridge when they deliver the new one.

If that’s not an option, for a limited time, PECO will pick up your old, inefficient refrigerator through the PECO Smart Appliance Recycling Program. The fridge must be between 10 and 30 cubic feet in size, and it must be empty and working at the time of pick-up. As an added bonus, they’ll give you $35 for the old appliance. And, if you happen to have a spare air conditioner lying around, they’ll take that off your hands as well (and give you $25 for it). Participation is first-come, first-serve, and they’ll continue the program until funding runs out. You can participate by visiting pecosmartideas.com/programsandrebates.

If you miss out on the PECO deal, there are a few other places that will take your refrigerator. Northeast Philadelphia-based Safe Disposal (7333 Milnor St., 215-3323134) and Conshohocken-based Recycle Metals Corporation (407 Alan Wood Rd., 610-838-5553) will remove the refrigerant and recycle the unit. Be prepared to pay a small disposal fee.

Collingswood, NJ has a large dumpster by the Police Station and in the Bike Share driveway on Atlantic Ave. that accepts plastics # 3-7.

Easy drop offs. No hassles.

Joe Rosato Collingswood, NJ

The EcoAware Consumer: When buying a new refrigerator, look for the big yellow EnergyGuide label on the unit. It will tell you how much energy it uses, and if it qualifies for Energy Star. Purchase an Energy Star-qualified model to save the most on your electric bills. Additionally, buy the right size unit for your household so you’re not using energy to cool more cubic feet than you need.

Consider a refrigerator with a top-mounted freezer—it’ll use 10 to 25 percent less energy than its bottom-mount or side-by-side counterparts. Forgo the icemaker and save 14 to 20 percent on energy use. ■

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In response to July's Recycling Challenge (Plastics No. 3-7), reader Joe Rosato wrote: "Collingswood, NJ, has a large dumpster by the Police Station and in the Bike Share driveway on Atlantic Ave. that accepts plastics No. 3-7. Easy drop offs. No hassles."

Thanks Joe! Have a Recycling Challenge or a tip for us?

Email letters@gridphilly.com.

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/ profile

Heatmiser

Nick Pine pushes solar power that goes beyond panels by lee stabert

“S

olar power” conjures images of high-tech, high-priced panels and carefully constructed rigs, but, as Nick Pine explains, the concept is actually much simpler— harnessing the sun’s heat can be cheap and easy, and an excellent replacement for fossil fuels.

Pine has an eclectic résumé, but he is obviously a problemsolver at heart. After a childhood spent in Wayne, he studied at Cornell before earning a Masters in electrical engineering from Villanova. He has worked for aerospace companies and Western Union. He is also a registered US Patent agent, passing the federal patent bar exam without a law degree. These days, he lives on a farm in Collegeville, growing food on five acres (including two high tunnels for tomatoes) and talking to anyone who will listen about inexpensive, effective energysaving methods.

When Nick Pine talks about solar power, he’s talking about solar heating, not solar electricity. His current passion is sunspaces—small external rooms where air is heated by the sun, and then circulated throughout the house. He heats his 1820 stone farmhouse with a sunspace. “I’m trying to point out to people that solar heat can be 100 times less expensive than solar electricity and that houses need about three or four times more heat energy than electrical energy,” explains Pine. “And by solar heat, I don’t mean solar panels on the roof, I mean a little sun room where the sun shines in and heats up the air and the air moves through the house, and at night the airflow stops and thermal mass in the house keeps it warm.”

For his sunspaces, Pine uses panels made of thin polycarbonate plastic, inflated with dry air (or argon gas, when available).

The cost per square foot is between $5 and $10. Each square foot provides the heat equivalent of about a gallon of oil per year.

You can also make hot water for showers.

But it’s summer, making it a bit tough to get worked up about a winter chill. Fortunately, Pine also has plenty of low-tech advice for staying cool. He claims that with a few smart, simple solutions (window fans, external and interior thermometers), Philadelphians can avoid the A/C for all but a couple weeks a year. “Look at your indoor thermometer and your outdoor thermometer,” explains Pine. “If, at 10:37 p.m. on Tuesday night, you notice it’s cooler outdoors, turn on your window fan. And, the next morning at 11:36 a.m., when you see that it’s warmer outdoors than it is indoors, turn off your window fan and close the windows. I don’t think anyone really does that. And it’s simple to do with a computer and some temperature sensors, which are fairly inexpensive these days.”

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Shine on The American Society for Heating and Nick Pine outside his Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE) has sunspace in Collegeville, PA something called a comfort zone and a comfort scale, from minus 3 to plus 3. Zero is considered comfortable. The edges are defined by upper and lower temperatures, and upper and lower humidity limits. And for comfort, 80 degrees at about 60 percent humidity is livable. “It’s a little bit on the upper edge,” says Pine. “But if you’re trying to save energy, that’s a good target. Moving air helps, too; it can be even warmer in that case, or more humid.”

Pine has also been experimenting with humidity solutions— one with serious potential is kitty litter. “I’m trying to help an 87-year-old friend in Harleysville whose dehumidifier is run- Nick Pine will speak ning full-time in the basement,” says Pine. “That’s about $2 at the Pennsylvania a day for electricity. Turns out, if you cover the floor of your Renewable sunspace with cat litter, it absorbs moisture at night and dur- Energy Festival, ing the day the sun bakes out the moisture—the next day it’s September 17-19 in ready to absorb moisture again. Two hundred pounds of cat Kempton, PA. Visit litter would do an average-size house around Philadelphia.” paenergyfest.com Not quite as glamorous as those shiny panels, but effective for details. nonetheless. ■

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Terrapin Station

The Wetlands Institute releases baby turtles, cuteness ensues by bernard brown,

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ake my word for it: Nothing is cuter than kindergartners with baby turtles. On June 15, a fellow herper (i.e. reptile and amphibian enthusiast) and I drove to Stone Harbor, NJ, to watch the Wetlands Institute release baby diamondback terrapins. The researchers at the Institute could have easily had interns dump the turtles back into the marsh, but these are clever herpetologists—they turned the release into an environmental education event (not to mention a brilliant photo op), inviting local school children to do the liberating.

Grid’s terrapin-savvy readers might wonder about the timing. Babies? Aren’t the female terrapins laying eggs right now? Indeed, the babies that the Wetlands Institute released in June hatched from eggs salvaged from roadkilled females in 2009 and “head started” for a

year at Stockton College, giving them a leg up on predators. This year’s wild hatchlings should be popping out of their nests from late August into early October. Life is tough for the little tykes— or, as the Wetlands Institute’s Roger Wood called them, “seagull potato chips.”

phillyherping.blogspot.com

Life isn’t easy for their moms either. The females crawl out of the brackish marshes from June through July to dig their nests, and evolution has not equipped them to deal with Shore traffic. They make matters worse for themselves with extremely picky nesting habits. The girls will dig several test holes until they settle on just the right sand for laying their eggs (about 10 eggs per clutch). We brought in two freshly run-over females, found on the way to the release event, and saw several more on the way home.

Terrapin populations bounced back after almost being wiped out for the soup trade in the beginning of the 20th century. But, along with crab traps that drown them, the recent Jersey Shore development boom (which equals lots of cars) is again dragging them down.

We can all help by slowing down and assisting terrapins we find on the road. If you happen upon a mother terrapin trying her chances on the asphalt, make sure to move her across in the direction she was heading; turtles are stubborn and will only start all over if you move them back. The Wetlands Institute’s website features examples of citizen-driven turtle fencing projects (to keep them from crossing in the first place), so if you live or vacation near a particularly turtle-hazardous road, you might be able to make it safer.

Want to learn more about terrapins? The Wetlands Institute is the place to start, either at their exhibits in Stone Harbor (a great break from sunbathing), or on their website, where you can learn more about terrapin biology, and get updates on their innovative terrapin research and conservation projects. ■

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The Wetlands Institute, 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor, NJ, 609-368-1211, wetlandsinstitute.org

Shell game

Local kindergarten students released the young terrapins

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The PECO rate caps are about to expire. Are you ready? there’s an elephant in the room. You might have overlooked him because it’s a big room—the entire Philadelphia region, in fact. That said, he’s also a big elephant—a big, electron-filled elephant. But come January 1, you’ll finally be forced to notice that he’s been sitting on your great-grandmother’s coffee table all along. ¶ We think you should start sooner. In case you’ve missed Grid’s relentless attempts over the past several months to hammer home this point (heck, we’re even tired of hearing ourselves talk about it), here’s a news bulletin: The rate caps on PECO’s electricity will expire on December 31, 2010.

story by samantha wittchen illustration by michael miller

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icole huie hasn’t used her air conditioning all summer.

And she doesn’t plan to. She knows that the cheapest watt of electricity is the one she never uses. Since the electricity rate caps expired where she lives—the Lehigh Valley—her electric bill has increased 25 percent. That shift equals serious money during the summer months when central air makes the electric meter spin like crazy. ¶ In parts of the state (like the Lehigh Valley) where caps have already expired, electricity bills have increased 20 to 40 percent across the board. And for that extra electrical cost, you can bet the coffee Huie brews every morning doesn’t taste any better. ¶ Meanwhile Philadelphia customers might be in for a double whammy: Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) has successfully petitioned the Public Utility Commission to raise its rates by 10 percent. Details are still being worked out regarding how PGW will help customers mitigate these costs through an energy conservation plan, but Philadelphians can expect to see an increase in their gas bills as well.

The big question for a lot of consumers is, “Why now?” With the economy showing timid signs of recovery from a deep recession, it seems like the rate increases couldn’t come at a worse time. However, the PECO rate increase isn’t arbitrary—the legislation that set the caps and their conditions of expiration was passed over a decade ago. We’ve known it was coming for quite some time, making our gross ill-preparedness even more frustrating. Regardless of how this elephant wound up in our living room, he’s here now, and he’s hungry.

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n 1996, when the economy was booming and the concept of deregulation was sweeping the nation, the Pennsylvania government believed that by opening up electricity generation to free-market competition, it would drive down prices and create more reliable service. Pennsylvania passed the “Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act” (Competition Act), which allowed consumers to shop around for cheaper generation rates, while their current provider would have to maintain the equipment to get the electricity from the generating company to their home. (This is called transmission and distribution.)

Unfortunately, the Competition Act didn’t work out as intended.

Before 1996, many Pennsylvania utility companies had invested in power plants, believing that they were necessary to supply their captive customer base. When faced with deregulation and the possibility of losing customers to other providers, the companies felt that these new investments could no longer be profitable and demanded the ability to recoup these “stranded costs.” On your bill, it’s called a “transition charge.”

The trade-off was that the utilities were forced to agree to rate caps until they recovered their stranded costs. As the costs are paid off, the caps expire, which is why some have expired sooner than others. Because of the increased price of oil, natural gas and coal, the cost of generating electricity has been much higher than what the rate caps mandated. As a result, competing providers that didn’t have stranded costs to recoup left the state. The Competition Act’s anticipated electricity generation price reduction never happened, and we’re left with an instantaneous jump in price over the artificially low prices we’ve grown accustomed to during the last 14 years.

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es, higher costs are a bummer, but there is another way to look at this: In the long run, Philadelphians could ultimately benefit. The rise in energy prices is spurring the rapid development of an energy efficiency sector in our economy, as well as new opportunities for business and job growth.

As consumers and businesses take advantage of incentives and low-interest loans to implement energy-efficiency measures before the rate caps expire, a whole new industry of trained technicians and professionals is needed to perform the work of making our region more energy-efficient.

The Philadelphia region has already made substantial strides in developing this skilled workforce, and recently received a financial boost from the federal government. In April, Philadelphia and its surrounding counties received a $25 million “Recovery Through Retrofit” Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund residential and commercial building retrofits. The grant provides additional funding to expand several existing programs, including Greenworks’ loan and grant programs and the Keystone HELP program. The balance of funds is available to the entire Philadelphia region on a competitive basis.

The grant also presents a tremendous opportunity for the region to establish itself as a leader in America’s growing green economy. Improving existing building efficiency by leveraging the region’s highly skilled tradesmen is a win-win. Becoming more energy-efficient will provide greater security to residents and businesses, as energy rates will undoubtedly continue to rise even after the rate caps expire.

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ounds like a rosy green future, right? So, why aren’t we beating down the doors of energy efficiency experts to improve our homes and businesses? Turns out building a whole new industry isn’t so easy.

To start, there needs to be consumer demand. As stakeholders in the future of the greater Philadelphia region, we have to take it upon ourselves to make energy efficiency a priority.

As a nation, we aren’t long-range planners, and in general, we’re not sold on energy efficiency quite yet. The Greenworks Small Business Energy Efficiency Rebate Program has been open since February, and only 24 qualified applications have been accepted. The Greenworks loan program has been met

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with a similarly tepid response. Some of saving all that money, gaining control of her Energy this may be due to lack of marketing for home’s airflow has made her family more efficiency is comfortable overall. The report given to her the programs, and some of it may be that businesses don’t have the upfront cash like a colonoscopy. by the energy auditor has also served as an for upgrades, even if they’re getting reinvaluable roadmap for prioritizing energy You know you need efficiency projects. imbursed.

PECO, on the other hand, says the reEven if you’re already sold, consumer to get it done, but demand is only one piece of the energy efsponse to their residential programs has you’re going to been very good. They’ve poured a lot of ficiency puzzle. Streamlined funding prowait until the last money into marketing their CFL programs and qualified, easy-to-find contracgram, and they’ve made it relatively easy tors are also important factors in building minute to do it.” for consumers to get rebates for upgradthis new industry.

— Peter Krajsa, ing appliances through their Smart Ideas “ECA has been doing a lot of training, Chairman and CEO program. PECO has sold or given away so we’re a lot more ready for demand,” says 2,878,301 discounted CFL bulbs between ECA Executive Director Liz Robinson reof AFC First Financial October 2009 and May 2010, and they’ve garding the recently announced incentives.

Corporation processed 16,492 rebates totaling $1.6 mil“We’re more prepared than even a year ago.” lion through the end of May. ECA will also receive funding through the In the long run, if you’re not concerned about energy efficien- Recovery Through Retrofit Block Grant to launch a new resicy, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Efficiency upgrades are, dential program that’s aimed at making energy efficient imhands down, the best energy investment you can make. They provements easier for homeowners. According to Robinson, may be less sexy than installing solar panels on your roof to the main barriers to homeowners making energy efficient impower that kegerator/teleportation device you’ve been eyeing in provements are that people don’t know what to do and they the Brookstone catalog, but the payback period is much shorter. don’t know who to trust.

The investment also makes you more secure in the long term.

The new program will include a searchable database of Energy prices may fluctuate, but optimizing your efficiency ECA-vetted contractors who work in all the main efficiency ensures that the impact of those fluctuations is minimal. It also disciplines. Robinson says that some segments of the indusmeans that if you do decide to take the plunge into alternative try will have to be built out very quickly—like air sealing and energy, you will have already minimized your energy demand, insulation—but ECA will be doing outreach to existing contracso you can purchase a smaller system at lower cost. tors to identify high-quality work, adding them to the database.

The city also has a goal of expanding the database to include onsider this story: The Energy Coordinating Agency more Philadelphia-based contractors; right now listings skew (ECA), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that towards the suburbs. provides energy conservation services, was called to audit One of the most exciting things about the block grant is that the Elkins Park Mansion Carriage House. Like most carriage it allows ECA to scale up the work they’ve been doing for years. houses, it was old, stone and not meant to be a residence. The “We will be integrating all the lessons we’ve learned,” explains owner was heating it with a 400,000 Btu fuel oil heating system, Robinson, “streamlining all of our processes and collapsing all costing him thousands of dollars a month during the winter. our multiple steps into fewer steps.” The city wants to launch Seeing an advertisement for a geothermal system that promised the new residential program in July, which should give them massive energy cost savings, he called a geothermal installer to some time during the slower summer months to work out the make the switch. The installer replaced the system with a 75,000 kinks before the anticipated uptick of activity in the fall. The Btu geothermal system at the bargain price of $30,000. block grant doesn’t provide much money to market the proWithin a few months, the owner called the ECA because his gram, so the city and ECA are going to rely heavily on commuhouse was so cold that he couldn’t sleep at night. As it turned nity-based and word-of-mouth marketing, and articles in local out, the geothermal solution was like placing a band-aid on a publications, to jump-start interest in the program. gunshot wound. Although the system may have been properly Most homeowners only think about big-ticket energy upsized for the space, the house was so leaky and poorly insulated grades when they’re in a pinch—like when some major piece of that the unit was completely incapable of keeping the house equipment in their house breaks. As a result, they often don’t warm. have time to evaluate their options. The repair must happen Contrast that story with this one: The owner of a 110-year- right away, so they tend to go with whatever their contractor old, three-story Mt. Airy stone house decided she needed to recommends (and they can afford). According to Peter Krajsa, make some changes when she received her first $500 winter Chairman and CEO of AFC First Financial Corporation, the gas bill. Through a combination of air sealing, insulation and company that administers Pennsylvania’s Keystone HELP Enturning her thermostat down, her bills are down to around $300 ergy Efficiency Loan Program, some of the block grant money per month, a 40 percent savings. She says that the biggest incen- will fund expansion of the Keystone HELP program and help tive for doing the energy analysis was that she knew she could consumers become more proactive and less reactive. “Energy get the money back through grants and rebates. In addition to efficiency is like a colonoscopy,” said Krajsa. “You know you

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Trust Fund

Looking to take the energy-efficiency leap?

Check out these local funding resources

residential

business

Keystone HELP Program keystonehelp.com This program provides

Greenworks Small Business Energy Efficiency Rebate Program This program offers 50 percent match,

low-interest loans to homeowners with annual household incomes under $150,000 to conduct whole-house energy audits and/or make specific energy-efficient upgrades. The program is subsidized by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and identifies well-qualified contractors to perform the work.

EnergyLoan / AFC First Financial energyloan.com AFC offers pre-

ferred rate financing, typically in the $2,000 to $20,000 range, for energy efficiency improvements. The program identifies well-qualified contractors to perform the work.

Beneficial Bank thebeneficial.com Beneficial offers alternative energy

financing (solar, wind, geothermal) in the form of home equity loans with terms up to 20 years. Loans are made for up to 100 percent of the equipment and installation cost.

TD Bank tdbank.com TD Bank offers home equity loans that can be

used for alternative energy projects, as well as energy-efficiency projects. They also provide leasing options for middle market companies for energy efficient projects.

up to $10,000, for small businesses to invest in energy improvements such as structural retrofits and energyefficient processes/equipment replacement. The program is administered by the Commerce Department. Details and requirements are available at phila.gov/business; click on “Finance and Incentives.�

Greenworks Loan Fund The City of Philadelphia, Phila-

delphia Industrial Development Corporation and the Reinvestment Fund offer the Greenworks Loan Fund, providing financing to support energy efficiency retrofits and new construction projects for Philadelphia-based businesses and nonprofits. Loans between $100,000 and $1,000,000 can be used for energy-efficient building retrofits, machinery and equipment upgrades, renewable energy systems and energy-efficient building practices in new construction projects. For more information, contact Susan Lowry at 215-496-8161 or slowry@pidc-pa.org.

PECO Smart Ideas Business Programs pecosmartideas.

PA Home Heating Equipment Rebate Program paheatingrebates.

com/programsandrebates/business PECO offers rebates

com This program rovides rebates for upgrades to Energy Star-qualified

to customers in the Philadelphia region for equipment upgrades related to HVAC, lighting, motors and refrigeration. They also offer a custom incentive program for large commercial energy users. Once changes are implemented, governmental, nonprofit and institutional customers can qualify for technical assistance and comprehensive energy audits at 50 percent the cost of the audit up to $10,000.

gas water heaters, furnaces (gas or oil) and boilers (gas or oil). Eightyfive percent of the program funds are still available.

Energy Coordinating Agency ecasavesenergy.org The ECA provides

a full suite of energy-efficiency and weatherization services for all income levels. Services include energy auditing, cool roofing, insulation and air sealing, and heating equipment replacement. ECA also helps customers locate funding for projects. With funding from the Recovery Through Retrofit Block Grant, they will be launching a new turn-key residential program in July 2010.

PECO Smart Ideas Residential Programs pecosmartideas.com/programsandrebates/residential These programs provide a host of rebates

and discounts for appliance and heating/cooling equipment upgrades to Energy Star, lighting upgrades, remote air conditioning control and gas efficiency upgrades.

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PPL Commercial & Industrial Programs pplelectric. com/e-power/commercial PPL offers custom incentive

programs to industrial users in their region, providing 50 percent reimbursement of a technical study (electrical audit) and additional reimbursement after successful implementation of recommended energy-saving projects. PPL also provides prescriptive rebates for upgrading HVAC equipment, lighting, motors and appliances.

need to get it done, but you’re going to wait until the last minute to do it.”

If the contractor can shepherd the homeowner through the process of choosing the right energy-efficient equipment and securing a low-interest loan to fund the project, it’s highly probable that the homeowner will take that route. To make this happen, more contractors need to be recruited and trained in energy-efficient technologies and funding programs. Making upgrades easy and affordable will drive faster and broader adoption of these technologies.

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e still have a long way to go. The block grant funds are going to be hitting the streets soon, and as a region, we need to make the most out of them.

For residents, the easiest thing to do is get in touch with one of the organizations that’s receiving block grant funding to provide low-cost (or no-cost) turnkey services for energy efficiency updates. This includes ECA (ecasavesenergy.org), Keystone HELP (keystonehelp.com) and AFC First Financial (afcfirst.com). These organizations can help you find approved contractors and secure funding for the project.

An energy audit of your house will be the first step in making improvements. Until you establish a baseline understanding of exactly how your house is inefficient, it’s hard to know what improvements to make. Relatively cheap fixes like air sealing and insulation can often yield some of the best results. Once you have a report from a qualified energy auditor, you’ll have a much better handle on where you should be focusing your efforts—and money.

The report may suggest any number of energy efficiency measures, including air sealing, insulation, cool roofing, furnace and water heater replacement, major appliance replace-

ment, new windows and light bulb replacement. Your auditor will help you prioritize the recommendations based on return on investment, available equipment loans and rebates, and your budget.

For example, if you have your house insulated and sealed by an Energy Star-qualified contractor, you can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs. Install a cool roof?

That’s another 20 percent on cooling costs. Replacing your old refrigerator with an Energy Star model can get you another 10 percent. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that these changes can add up to significant savings. The Department of Energy has a great online tool (homeenergysaver.lbl.gov/consumer/) to help you do some preliminary calculations on your specific property.

For businesses, the Greenworks Small Business Energy Efficiency Program, the Greenworks loan program, PECO’s Smart Equipment Incentives (Philadelphia region) and PPL’s Custom Incentive Program (Lehigh Valley and Berks County) are good starting points. These programs provide financial support for initial technical studies (energy audits) and equipment replacement; most require a 50 percent match from the business.

It’s important to stress that the current funding won’t last forever. In the last year, we’ve seen an unprecedented investment in the energy-efficient future of the Philadelphia region at the local, state and federal levels. (See sidebar for a list of resources.) With the rate cap expiration, continued Greenworks program rollouts and Recovery Through Retrofit funding, our region has a wealth or resources for low- or no-cost upgrades, ensuring the financial security of our homes and businesses well into the uncertain energy future. Elephants might be large, but they can also be friendly. ■

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This Year’s Model Replacing your old appliances could save you some serious dough by samantha wittchen

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hen it comes to energy hogs, large appliances are second only to your home’s major mechanical systems. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers make up 13 percent of your annual energy bill. Upgrading your appliances to more efficient models is one of the easiest ways to shave some bucks off your monthly costs. ¶ The government makes it easy to find energy-efficient appliances with its Energy Star rating system—products earn an Energy Star label if they meet energy efficiency requirements. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets these specifications and periodically revises them when the market share of Energy Star-qualified products in any one category (i.e. air conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines) exceeds 50 percent. Visit energystar.gov for more information.

With the dog days of summer upon us, window air conditioners are ideal items to replace with more efficient models. Energy Star-qualified air conditioners use 10 percent less energy than other units. When looking for a new air conditioner, make sure you check out the yellow EnergyGuide that’s required on all appliances. It tells you the estimated yearly operating costs of the unit—based on the nation’s average electricity rate—as well the estimated yearly electrical use. This goes for any appliance you’re considering, not just an air conditioner.

The other important consideration when replacing your air conditioner is choosing one that’s the right size for your space. Many people choose an air conditioner that’s too big, which leads to a decrease in effectiveness and an increase in energy usage. Calculate the square footage of your cooling area and choose a unit with the proper capacity. Energy Star provides a handy chart on their website.

Dishwashers don’t burn as much energy, but purchasing a new one can still generate savings. If your dishwasher was built before 1994, it’s costing you an extra $40 per year. It’s also wasting about eight gallons of water per cycle. As with refrigerators, choose a new one that’s the right size for you. If you have a one- to two-person household, you might be able to go with a compact-capacity model instead of a standard-capacity model. Just remember, if you run the compact-capacity model more often, you might use more energy over the dishwasher’s lifetime than you would with a standard model.

If your washing machine is more than 10 years old, you could save $135 a year on energy bills by switching to a new Energy Star model.

Again, size the washer appropriately for your household and choose a model with a high Modified Energy Factor (MEF). The MEF measures energy efficiency by combining energy used by the washer, energy used to heat the water and energy used to run the dryer into a single number—the higher the number, the more efficient the machine. Energy Star does not rate dryers because energy usage doesn’t vary much from model to model, but they do recommend purchasing a dryer with a moisture sensor that shuts the machine off when clothes are dry and prevents over-drying.

The added bonus of upgrading now is that PECO is offering rebates.

A new Energy Star refrigerator will get you $75, and a new washing machine, $100. Other appliances, including dishwashers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners, also qualify. For details on the program, as well as qualifying products and rebate forms, visit PECO’s Smart Home Rebate website at pecosmartideas.com. ■

Of the appliances you use year-round, your refrigerator should be the first target for an upgrade. (For information on recycling your old fridge, see page 15). Of all large appliances, refrigerators use the most energy. But, because of improvements in insulation and compressor technology, new refrigerators use a whole lot less than older models. According to the Energy Star website, replacing a fridge from the ’80s with an Energy Star model will save you at least $100 a year on electricity bills. Replace a model from the disco era?

That number jumps to almost $200 per year.

Considerations for refrigerators are size and functionality. The bigger the refrigerator, the more energy it uses. Consider how much space you actually need and purchase accordingly—16 to 20 cubic feet models are generally the most efficient. Energy Star also reports that refrigerators with top-mounted freezers use 10 Replacing a fridge from the ’80s with to 25 percent less energy than their bottom-mount or side-byan Energy Star model will save you at side counterparts. And those convenient automatic icemakleast $100 a year on electricity bills. ers and door dispensers add 14 to 20 percent to the energy usage. Get yourself a few ice cube trays instead.

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August 28 1 – 2:30 pm

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Get Smart A local company pushes “smart grid” technology by lee stabert

W

hen it comes to radically improving the way we use electricity, there is only so much consumers can do—no matter how much they are willing to sweat or how much caulk they pump into window frames. Our country’s electrical grid was built in the 1950s, and hasn’t changed much since. Unfortunately, the rest of our society—and its energy consumption— have changed quite a bit.

Companies like Viridity Energy, based in Conshohocken, are working hard to change all that using “smart grid” technology. “The true key is moving to a system that is more of a digital system and involves two-way communication,” says Viridity CEO Audrey Zibelman. “We need to have an active network, almost like the internet, and have customers participate actively on the grid.”

The current system is a big lumbering beast of a thing, prone to costly lapses and waste. “In the 2003 blackout, trees fell onto wires in Ohio, and it created a blackout in the Northeast, because it is such an integrated system,” explains Zibelman.

“One of the things that the smart grid is doing is putting intelligence throughout the system to make it more responsive and allow people to be more secure.”

This all comes back to information. Most consumers have no sense that electricity costs more to produce during high-use times of day (like 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.). But hopefully we are looking at a future in which wholesale electricity costs are available on a constantly updated basis to all Americans. That way, people can make more prudent decisions about their usage habits— like setting the washing machine to run in the middle of the night.

“The best way for consumers to get involved is to get the real-time price information,” says Zibelman. “Part of what Act 129 [which requires all electric distribution companies with at least 100,000 customers to develop and file an energy 26

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efficiency and conservation plan for approval] is doing—and the programs that the utilities are implementing—is giving consumers the same level of information about electricity as they have about any other commodity. Imagine if you were shopping at a grocery store, and you didn’t know how much it cost until the end of the month, when you got your bill. Would you be able to make choices and selections, with no information to base it on?”

Utility companies are getting behind these advances because they realize that the costs of new generation systems are prohibitive—they know

“

Imagine if you were shopping at a grocery store, and you didn’t know how much it cost until the end of the month, when you got your bill. Would you be able to make choices and selections, with no information to base it on?”

— Audrey Zibelman,

Viridity CEO

August 201 0

we need a smarter, more dynamic system. “We built the grid in the 1950s,” explains Zibelman. “Think about the changes in our economy. We went from manufacturing processes that were combustion engine driven to now, when almost everything is electrified. And the costs of even momentary outages of the system are huge.”

Currently, Viridity is dealing mostly with large institutional electricity consumers, like Drexel University (though they are working on creating programs for individuals and aggregate groups, such as multi-family residences). PECO recently received a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and $1.179 million is going towards the implementation of smart grid technology at the school. Viridity will pair its VPower ™ system—an advanced software platform that evaluates the customer’s overall energy load and optimizes their energy usage on a 24/7 basis—with a Siemens’ DEMS (decentralized energy management system).

“The objective is that once customers understand the value of energy resources—whether it’s solar or electric vehicles or storage or microturbines—it becomes not just a reliability device but an asset,” says Zibelman. “That’s how you create a sustainable market for these sorts of resources.”

Zibelman’s advice to individuals starts with efficiency, and ends with information. “When you’re looking at homes, you need to look at efficiency,” she reiterates. “The other piece is that the best way for consumers to get involved is to get the real time price information. They need to look at the programs utilities offer, and become aware.” ■

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For more on Viridity, visit viridityenergy.com; For more on PECO’s programs, visit peco.com

Primex Garden Center

444 N. 4th S†ree†

PHILADELPHIA. PA 215-925-5080

Independent, family-owned and operated since 1943

“One of the citys bes† new bruncheries.”

—C RAIG L A B AN , P HILA . I NQUIRER

Conveniently located near the Glenside train station, Primex offers over 250 organic and eco-friendly gardening products. You can pick up compost bins and rain barrels, check out the on-site demonstration garden, recycle your pots and flats or take advantage of free soil pH testing. Our knowledgeable staff is always ready to answer your questions or help you out with anything you need!

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TUESDAY THROUGH F RIDAY 7 AM - 4 PM S ATURDAY & S UNDAY 9 AM - 4 PM C LOSED M ONDAY

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COM

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/dining

Sustainable Soul

An under-the-radar Mt. Airy restaurant keeps it green—and tasty by lori l. tharps

W

hen it comes to Geechee Girl Rice Café—a low key Mt. Airy favorite on Germantown Avenue—a lot of people can’t get past the name. “What’s a Geechee?” is a question executive chef/ owner Valerie Erwin hears often.

Geechee refers to the people of African descent who inhabit the Sea Islands and coastal areas of the Carolinas, Georgia and Northern Florida. The Geechee people (also referred to as Gullah) are often credited with introducing rice cultivation to the Southeastern United States. To this day, they produce some of the most exquisite rice in the world.

At Geechee Girl, patrons can sample menu items inspired by traditional Southern cuisine, augmented with influences from Chef Erwin’s eclectic training, acquired over 20 years of cooking at a broad range of Philadelphia restaurants.

Think black-eyed pea fritters served with a piquant Asian dipping sauce or succulent barbecue chicken accompanied by savory rice gratin with goat cheese and cheddar.

But it’s not just the mouth-watering selection of sophisticated soul food that shines at Geechee Girl—their commitment to using local, seasonal 28

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and organic ingredients makes them a true gem in Philadelphia’s restaurant scene.

“You know how some people page through Vogue magazine and drool over the pretty dresses?” asks Chef Erwin, seated in the restaurant’s sparse, sunlight-filled dining room. “That’s how I feel when I see beautiful produce.” Erwin works hard to keep in close contact with her muse. Last year, with the help of a few restaurant patrons and friends, she converted the trash-filled lot behind the restaurant into a flourishing vegetable, herb and flower garden. Erwin is also a member of a local farm co-op, so she receives organic produce, dairy, flour and maple syrup directly from the farm.

“When the farmer drops off the vegetables, I could make a bouquet for a bride from the bunches of lettuce,” says sous chef Hilary Johnson. “They’re so beautiful.” The flour is also an inspiring product. “It actually smells like wheat,”

August 201 0

continues Johnson. “It’s totally different from what you’d find at the supermarket.”

Using local products and seasonal produce that come from only a few miles away instead of across the country makes a marked difference when it comes to the flavor and quality of the food at Geechee Girl. “Produce is one of those things that if it’s not in season, it’s just not going to be as good,” says Erwin. Enjoy the restaurant’s juicy peach cobbler and heirloom tomato salad this summer—those items will be gone come fall.

So what keeps Erwin in the locavore game?

As a business owner in an industry fraught with failure, surely there have been times when she was tempted to cut corners—to bypass the farmer and shop at the restaurant equivalent of Walmart? Erwin shakes her head and insists, “It’s just something I have an emotional commitment to.”

And that emotional commitment—for which she credits her green thumb father—inspires her to go beyond simply sourcing responsibly.

Geechee Girl hosts an annual farmers' dinner and Erwin devotes time to working with innercity youth, helping them learn how to garden, grow and cook with fresh produce. ■

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Geechee Girl Rice Café, 6825 Germantown Ave., 215-843-8113, geecheegirl.com p hot o by j e s s ica k ou rko u n i s

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8/31/2010

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/recipes

Raw Deal H

When the heat hits, give your stove a break ere in Philly, August is a notoriously steamy month.

Temperatures hover in the 90s and the air is so thick with humidity that walking from one room to another can leave you dripping with sweat. The last thing you want to do is crank up the oven or stovetop, adding an extra layer of suffocating heat (and a few bucks to that A.C.inflated electric bill). ¶ Happily, this time of year, farmers' markets and backyard gardens are bursting with produce that only needs a bit of washing, chopping and dressing to be delicious. Start your no-cook meal with a salad made from raw kale and grated carrot. When you toss kale ribbons with a nice, flavorful oil, they mellow into something truly inviting.

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recipes and photos by marisa mcclellan, foodinjars.com For the main course, toss cubed tomatoes, cucumber chunks, minced red onion, torn basil, fresh mozzarella and hunks of day-old bread together with a simple dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Light, easy and ready in five minutes.

While you’re eating, set a dish of slivered peaches (or nectarines) to macerate in a few spoonfuls of Cointreau and a sprinkling of sugar. Serve these juicy bits with lightly sweetened crème fraiche or some good vanilla ice cream.

Dinner is done. ■

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Raw Kale Salad 1 bunch of kale, washed and cut into thin ribbons 2 large carrots, grated ¼ cup olive oil 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil 5-6 grinds of black pepper a generous pinch of salt

Place kale ribbons and grated carrots in a large mixing bowl. Whisk dressing oils, vinegar, salt and pepper together, and pour over vegetables.

Using a pair of tongs (or your hands), toss the greens with the dressing to incorporate. Let salad sit for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

The oil will soften the kale, making it tender and relaxed, but that takes a bit of time.

Taste prior to serving and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Cut tomatoes in half across their equator and squeeze the seeds out into a strainer set over a small bowl. You want to reserve the tomato juice while discarding the seeds. Chop tomatoes and place them in a large serving bowl. Add cucumbers, onion, mozzarella cheese and basil. Add dressing ingredients, reserved tomato juice, salt and pepper.

Let the vegetables sit for a few minutes; they will shed liquid (don’t skip the salt; it helps draw out moisture). Once it’s nice and sloshy, add your bread and toss to combine. Serve when the bread is just saturated with the tomato-y liquid.

Macerated Peaches 2 peaches, cut into slivers 1 tbsp. Cointreau 1 tbsp. sugar

Combine the ingredients and stir to combine (don’t be gentle; smush the fruit a bit to really get those juices flowing). Top with lightly sweetened crème fraiche or ice cream (a sprinkle of granola or some toasted nuts is also nice). Truly the perfect, no-cook summer dessert.

Panzanella 4 good-sized tomatoes 1 large English cucumber, cubed ½ medium red onion, minced 8 oz. small fresh mozzarella cheese balls (bocconcini) 1 cup gently packed basil leaves, torn 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 3 tbsp. olive oil 8 inches of day-old baguette or rustic country bread, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces salt and pepper to taste A ugus t 20 10

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/buy local Cheese of the

Month

Extra-Sharp Chevre Shellbark Hollow Farm

by tenaya darlington, madamefromage.blogspot.com

P

ete demchur might be the only cheesemaker in America making extra sharp chevre. He produces an array of goat’s milk specialties from his longestablished herd in Chester County, including kefir and yogurt, but the recipe for Shellbark’s Extra Sharp remains his best-kept secret—and his personal favorite.

Drizzled with buckwheat honey, it crosses the line into sublime.

Shellbark’s Extra Sharp tastes like a meadow, amplified. It’s creamy and herbaceous, full of flavor without a pronounced goaty tang. If you find those snow-white logs of grocery store chevre banal or too sour, then you’ll appreciate this artisanal variation.

“My milkers eat Western Alfalfa,” Demchur says, proudly. “It’s primo. You could make tea out of that stuff.” So, maybe that’s the secret to his great-tasting cheese. After all, quality feed makes for quality milk.

Shellbark Hollow cheeses are available at local farmers’ markets, including the Piazza at Schmidts and Chestnut Hill. You can also find them at DiBruno Bros. and the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market.

When you’re ready for your next lesson in sharp chevre, try Shellbark’s Crottin, an aged version with a peppery kick. Demchur debuted it this spring, after traveling to France to study cheesemaking with Pyrenees farmers. His Crottins are sold in small rounds, and you’ll notice a marvelous flinty hook that catches deep in your cheek pockets—it could almost make you whinny. ■

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Shellbark Hollow Farm, 942 Cornwallis Dr., West Chester, PA, 610-431-0786, shellbarkhollow.com

Green Meadow Farm “Someone once said, ‘If you do what you like, you’ll never work a day in your life,’” muses Green Meadow Farm’s Glenn Brendle. “But the key is to make what you like pay the way. I liked to garden, but it wasn’t clear that I was going to be able make it work well enough to raise a family.”

Brendle grew up on a farm, but in the ’70s, he found himself stuck in an office job he didn’t like. At the time, he had an Amish neighbor in Gap, PA (Lancaster County), who was traveling long distances to sell his goods, putting a strain on him and his business. Brendle mentioned to him that it might be easier to sell in Philadephia at the Reading Terminal Market, and eventually convinced him to take a ride into the city to check it out. “David O’Neil had just started to revamp the Market, and they were looking for vendors,” recalls Brendle. “It was one of those Eureka! moments.”

Eventually, Brendle began growing some things for that neighbor’s stall. A few years later, he noticed chefs coming to the Market to buy their produce. He had a hand cart, so

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he started delivering to a few restaurants.

That business grew, and eventually he got himself a truck.

These days, Brendle sources 70 to 80 local restaurants. He also provides produce to the Fair Food Farmstand, Almanac Market and Green Aisle Grocery. “I try to grow the most unusual things, or the things that take the most effort,” he explains, “because we have experience doing that sort of thing. The rest of the stuff—bell peppers, sweet corn, zucchini—I contract out to Amish farmers.

Everyone here is looking for another income source because dairy is so bad, and the price for field crops is terrible.”

Brendle has a particular thing for alliums— leeks, shallots and cipollini onions. Green Meadow also grows a rainbow of colored beets and carrots.

This year, he’s trying peanuts. “I thought it might be fun to have raw peanuts to sell [at the Fair Food Farmstand],” he says. “It’s a fun thing for families to do. My kids used to love it. We would bring them in a couple handfuls at a time and roast them in the oven, on a

August 201 0

pan, until they start to smell—and then you can’t keep your hands off them.”

The key to Green Meadow’s success has always been freshness. “We pick everything Wednesday, and deliver on Thursday,” explains Brendle. “So, everything people buy is picked and brought to them within 24 hours. And that makes a huge difference. I tell people, ‘If you want it any fresher, you have to grow it yourself.’ And now some of them are taking me at my word, starting little roof gardens.” glennbrendle.com, 717-442-5222

Corn

S

ometimes i feel bad for corn. With the preponderance of industrial/monocultureraised/processed corn products, the golden ears have become synonymous with the face of food evil. It’s like having a punk sibling whose bad deeds tarnish the whole family.

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visit

NightKitchenBakery.com for menu and order deadlines

• G r ee n

Corn is also best friends with bacon—the salty richness of the pork is a perfect foil. Try this summer pasta sauce: dice a couple of slices of good local bacon (Meadow Run and Country Time are excellent options), render them in a pan until crisp (at this point you can remove some of the excess fat, if you like), then toss in fresh corn and diced shallots. Once the shallots have softened, finish with a little bit of white wine and a handful of fresh herbs (basil or parsley). Toss with pasta and top with fresh parmesan.

Corn and bacon also make excellent partners atop pizza. Add blue cheese and thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes to the mix, and you’re really getting somewhere.

Lastly, one of the best corn-cooking methods is also the simplest—throw it on the grill, husks and all. When it’s done, peel back the papery hull, rub with butter (spiked with chili and lime if you’re feeling adventurous) and eat with your hands. —Lee Stabert

fied B a rt i Ce

ry • ke

But, as many people know, sweet corn (white or yellow) is a completely different animal from the tough stuff that ends up in soda and sweets.

Bright, crunchy and relatively cheap, it’s an underutilized seasonal superstar that’s high in Vitamin B and dietary fiber. Yes, you can boil it and roll it in butter (a simple, sensational side dish that just screams South Jersey shore), but there are myriad other ways to incorporate those crisp kernels.

Corn is great on salads. Char it on a grill first if you can (or throw it under the broiler for a hot minute) to add another dimension of flavor. But, if you have the really fresh stuff, raw works just fine (especially if you have citrus in your dressing—which you should—as it will help break down the kernels). Try it as a sweet, textural element with arugula, parmesan and lemon vinaigrette. Or try a southwest spin with tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro and black beans (a tomatillo-based dressing is excellent here; use store-bought or homemade salsa verde as your acid).

Chestnut Hill hours MON-FRI 7 am–6 pm sat 8 am–6 pm | sun 8 am–2 pm 7725 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19118 | 215 248.9235

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Green Metropolis

Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability

by David Owens, Riverhead

Hardcover (2009)

S

Gasland (2010)

R

eady to be outraged? The devastation chronicled in Josh Fox’s documentary Gasland hits very close to home. Offered almost $100,000 dollars for drilling rights to his family’s land in northeast Pennsylvania (which sits atop the vast natural gas deposits of the Marcellus Shale), Fox sets off on a mission to discover how the extraction of natural gas affects local water supplies and residents’ health. The news isn’t good.

The focus of the film is hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a method of extraction that involves the injection of millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals into deep wells. The pressure fractures the shale, allowing the gas to flow more freely. In 2005, the Bush/Cheney Energy Bill exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act—companies are not even required to disclose which chemicals they are using.

Though natural gas is often touted as a “clean” alternative, Gasland makes it clear that the costs—groundwater contamination, air pollution, health issues, explosions—are prohibitively high. The stories of the desperate people Fox meets and the shots of gorgeous landscapes marred by well after well are nothing short of heartbreaking. Fortunately, the film is brisk, thoughtful and occasionally droll, an approach that eases the burden of the subject a bit. Plus, there’s a banjo.

Some viewers might take issue with the way Fox injects himself into the action—like a younger, more svelte Michael Moore in cooler glasses—but others will be relieved to have a tour guide/surrogate on this emotionally exhausting journey. He earns special props for his reaction as he lights a Colorado family’s tap water on fire; it’s a pitch perfect blend of boyish glee and horror.

With the Marcellus Shale (and subsequently, the Delaware River watershed) under increasing threats from the energy industry, this film is a well-timed call to arms. You’ll never think of natural gas the same way again. —Lee Stabert →→ Running on HBO through 2012; for information, visit gaslandthemovie.com

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August 201 0

prawl stinks. The more people spread out, the more they rely on cars, and the more gasoline they burn. Detached suburban houses generally take more energy to heat and power than apartments or rowhouses, and lawns consume staggering quantities of water, pesticides, fertilizer and space.

Of course, the reverse is true for urbanites. Philadelphians are green heroes, with per-capita greenhouse gas emissions about one-half the national average.

(That said, it’s a painful truth that New York City residents produce emissions one-third the national average.)

In his book Green Metropolis, David Owens makes a strong case that our environmental movement’s general bias against cities obscures what the SEPTA-riding Grid reader already knows: We need to celebrate our urban centers as models of efficient, sustainable living. He also argues that anything that makes urban life more pleasant—from murals to cleaner El stops—is therefore an environmental amenity, while anything that facilitates dispersed living is a bad idea.

Owens himself lives in a quaint but wasteful Connecticut village. He offers some lame excuses, but don’t let his hypocrisy stand in the way of the message: If you want sustainability, ditch the long commute—and the pristine lawn—and join us in the city. —Bernard Brown

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Jul 14

Academy of Natural Sciences: Vandana Shiva

At this Town Square program, Vandana Shiva, noted advocate for biodiversity and ecological justice, will speak on the concept of “Earth Democracy.” For more on Vandana Shiva, see p. 8. →→ July 14, 6 – 9 p.m., 1900 Benjamin Franklin

Pkwy., for information, visit ansp.org/environmental

Jul 17

P.O.P. Music Festival

This Philadelphia Orchard Project fundraiser will feature musical performances by great local bands, including the Mean, Betty Iron Thumbs, the Weeds, Elder Brother and West Philadelphia Orchestra. Food will be available from Honest Tom’s Taco truck, Dapper Dog and Buttercream Cupcakes. Philadelphia Brewing Company will be bringing the beer. →→ July 17, 2:30 – 8:30 p.m., Liberty Lands

Park, 3rd & Wildey Sts., $15 suggested donation; $5 for kids and designated drivers, phillyorchards.org

Jul 19

→→ July 19, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Leotah’s Place Cof-

feehouse, 2033 E. York St., for information, visit bennettcompost.com

22

Green Drinks Philly at Horizons Restaurant

Dubbed the “Super Party” of all Green Drinks events, this gathering will take place at Horizons, Philadelphia’s top vegan restaurant.

Come out to sip cocktails, taste complimentary appetizers and discuss your love for a healthy, green earth. The event is sponsored by the Big Green Earth Store. →→ July 22, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Horizons,

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611 South St., RSVP by July 15 by visiting Green Drinks Philly’s Facebook page.

Pennypack Farm Papermaking

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Greensgrow U: Rainwater Collection and Reuse

Greensgrow Farm, the Kensington market, nursery and CSA, has launched “Greensgrow University,” hosting various classes throughout the season. This rainwater workshop will teach you how to get the best out of what falls from the sky.

→→ July 23, 10 – 11 a.m., Pennypack

→→ July 29, 6 – 7 p.m., Greensgrow Farm,

Farm & Education Center, 685 Mann Rd., Horsham, $20 per child, to register, visit pennypackfarm.org/education/26

Jul

24

Uhuru Flea Market in Clark Park

The Uhuru Flea Market in Clark Park is up and running one Saturday a month from May to October. The market features everything from antiques and work by local artists to a farmers’ market and food vendors. →→ July 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Clark Park, 43rd

and Baltimore Ave., for information, visit uhurufleamarket.blogspot.com

Jul

PASA’s Western Regional Buy Fresh Buy Local Summer Farm Tour

Pile your friends and family into the car for this all-day event. At just $10 per carload, tour goers receive a day pass to visit any of the two-dozen participating farms located throughout Pennsylvania. Check out the Interactive Farm Tour map at pasafarming.org and start planning your adventure. →→ July 24, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., various farms

throughout Pennsylvania, for information, visit pasafarming.org

Jul

29

Urban Jungle Workshop Series: Herb Gardens

Add an extra element to your summer BBQ dishes by learning to grow fresh herbs right on your windowsill. Held at South Philly’s new garden store, Urban Jungle, this event offers you the chance to smell and taste a range of fresh herbs, taste homemade herb tea and vegetable dip, and create your own herb container to take home. →→ July 29, 7 – 8 p.m., Urban Jungle,

1526 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-952-0811, for information, visit urbanjunglephila.com

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Jul

At this fun-filled event, kids (ages 7-11) will learn about reducing paper use and make paper from post-consumer recycled goods.

Instructor Dottie Baumgarten will teach children about the paper they use every day and give them ideas for using recycled waste to make their own colorful sheets at home.

24

Cups for Composting

Curious about whether composting is right for you? On July 19, Bennett Compost will be at Leotah’s Place Coffeehouse in Kensington, buying coffee for those who want to talk about compost and the company’s services.

Jul

Jul

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2501 E. Cumberland St., to register, email greensgrowu@greensgrow.org

aug

06

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: The Lost Cyclist

Philadelphia Native Frank Lenz left his Pittsburgh home in the spring of 1892 to cycle around the world on his “newfangled pneumatic safety.” Lenz mysteriously disappeared in Turkey two years into his journey, but remains a true pioneer of the modern bicycle. Author David Herlihy will present a slideshow of photos Lenz took before his fated tour and sign copies of his book, The Lost Cyclist. →→ August 6, 6 – 7 p.m., Penn Bookstore,

36th and Walnut St., for information, visit bicyclecoalition.org

An herb garden from Urban Jungle

aug

07

aug

PASA Green Means Go Sustainability Tour

Hosted by local nonprofit Community Partnerships RC&D, this tour is a summer event that should not be missed. A $65 ticket will give you access to activities at Warm Springs Lodge in Landisburg, a sustainable agriculture demonstration in Loysville, a green living discussion and a social hour featuring dinner and rhythmic words from local poet Jonas Stoltzfus. The event is BYOB, so don’t forget to grab your favorite local libations before you go. →→ August 7, 1 – 7 p.m., various locations, $65,

for information and tickets call 717-2484901, pasafarming.org

See Ann Northrup’s “Taste of Summer” as part of Ale & Arts

12

aug

PHS Chanticleer Walk: Small Space, Big Impact

If you didn’t hear us before, we’ll say it again: You can be a city dweller and a farmer.

Instructor Jonathan Wright will show you how to come up with the best design concepts for your small, urban backyard by guiding you through Chanticleer’s smaller, more intimate spaces. →→ August 12, 6 – 8 p.m., Chanticleer,

786 Church Rd., Wayne, $18 members; $23 non-members, to register, visit pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org, for information, contact Carol Dutill at programreg@pennhort.org or 215-988-8869

aug

Penn State Philadelphia Master Gardeners Second Saturday Summer Gardening Series: How to Preserve the Summer Bounty

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PSU Master Gardener Lois Fischer will show you how to preserve jams, relishes, chutneys, pickles and other delectable jarred items using a water bath canning method. Once you have the skills, you can begin jarring your own homegrown or locally-bought goods and enjoy summer’s bounty all year long. →→ August 14, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Horticulture Cen-

ter in West Fairmount Park, Baltimore Ave. and Montgomery Dr., $10, for information, call 215-471-2200 ext. 100

aug 14

PHS Vertical Gardening: Climbers & Vines Workshop

There is more to climbing plants and vines than meets the eye. Learn what makes these upward growers unique, how to care for them and why they are preferable at this free workshop. Part of PHS’s Summer in the Neighborhood Series. →→ August 14, 10 a.m., Dickinson Square Park

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SCEE: Composting for Large & Small Spaces

Still wary of composting? Learn the ins and outs of the process by attending this hands -on workshop. Build your own worm bin for vermicomposting and take home an outdoor composter to put your new skills to work at home. →→ August 17, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Schuylkill

Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagys Mill Rd., to pre-register, call 215-482-7300 ext. 110

aug 21

ANSP Electrofishing Field Study

Your rod and reel can probably only promise you five fish in an hour, if you’re lucky. On this day trip, join scientists as you observe and identify several hundred fish species using the electrofishing method of catch and release. Get right in the water or participate by caring for captured fish and recording data. →→ August 21, 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., space

limited to 20 participants, $25 members; $30 non-members, for details and location, register by calling 215-299-1060

aug

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PASA 14 Acre Farm Tour and Potluck

Bring your friends and family to this vegetable-focused tour and potluck. Kevin Rich, 14 Acre farmer and owner of a Farm-to-Table catering company, is adamant about creating a sustainable, local food system. He promotes his mission by setting up dinners at Muhlenburg College, local wineries and other locations. Learn more about Rich and 14 Acres, and bring a favorite dish to share. →→ August 26, 6 – 8 p.m., 14 Acre Farm, 169 E.

Whitebear Dr., Summit Hill, to RSVP, email Sarah at sarah@pasafarming.org or call 814-349-9856 ext. 25

Parsons Building, 4th and Tasker Sts., for information, visit dickinsonsquare.org

aug 12

Mural Arts: Ale & Arts Walking Adventure

Hosted by Dirty Frank’s, McGillin’s Olde Ale House and the Field House bars throughout the summer, the Ale & Arts tour will guide guests through 10 murals and give them a brief history of the beloved bars involved. The $30 price tag includes the tour and drinks. Put on your walking (and drinking) shoes, and join the adventure! →→ August 12, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Dirty Frank’s,

347 S. 13th St., $30, to make reservations, visit muralarts.tix.com, email tours@ muralarts.org or call 800-537-7676

aug 14

Vix Emporium Happy Places 2

After the success of their first terrarium workshop, Vix is at it again. Hosted by Beth Richey, this Second Saturday event will teach you how to build a low-maintenance ecosystem in a jar. For $15 you’ll receive all the materials you need, including whimsies like gnomes and mushrooms. →→ August 14, 12:30 p.m., Vix Emporium,

5009 Baltimore Ave., to register, visit vixemporium.com or call 215-471-7700

mu ral p h o t o by J ac k R amsdale for Mural Arts P rogra m

A ugus t 20 10

Terrarium Workshop at Vix

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essay and illustration by jacob lambert

Battle of the Bulb

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nvironmentally speaking, there are a few things i ’ d like to experience before I die. Hopefully, the coming decades will bring a collective snubbing of our oil-centric exurban lifestyle. A move towards energy creation that doesn’t involve strip mines and cluster bombs would be also encouraging, as would genuine mainstream Kirsten’s childhood home abutted a small, dense forest, and interest in nature, an end to industrial farming, sincere corporate when the sun went down, the lights came on. The prospect of a stewardship and a cap on CO2 emissions. For any or all of those dimly-lit house so close to those woods—teeming with imagined changes to occur in the near future would be wonderful. But, in horror-movie maniacs—rightfully freaked her out. Leaving the the end, I’ll expire with a smile if just one thing comes to pass: My lights on was a way to calm the nerves, an easy source of comfort. Over the course of her first 18 years, that habit steadily wife turns off the lights when she leaves a room. ingrained itself, and now, though we live miles from anything resembling a forest, the practice continues. Kirsten and I have been together for 12 years, and for 12 years I’ve been re-entering rooms she’s just left, flipping the switch.

Her habit isn’t particularly horrible. It’s not like she’s sacrificing goats or reading Ann Coulter. As pet peeves go, it’s in that odd middle ground: just enough to annoy me, yet just minor enough to make me feel like a scold when I, um, scold her about it.

Sometimes, I’ll attempt the “electricity bill” argument, which generally gets me nowhere. A more successful approach invokes personal responsibility: Our burning bedroom light, I explain earnestly (and not at all pedantically, I promise), is being powered by something, somewhere—maybe coal, maybe wind, maybe water. Yes, I’ll say, it’s just one bulb, powered perhaps by a single nugget of coal. No, shutting off that light won’t alter our course, won’t cool down the globe. But, I’ll continue, that’s not really the point—we each must do what’s within our own individual reach.

Stirring stuff, I know.

In other matters of conservation, Kirsten is quite conscientious—so when she pledges to try and shut off the lights, she really does mean it. But ultimately, no amount of speechifying seems likely to break her habit. Those creepy childhood woods will always be swaying in the far reaches of her mind.

And that breed of fixed thinking represents the real problem— not just for my wife and our overworked bulbs, but for all of us. Because when it comes to preservation, we ultimately do what’s comfortable—and when change is needed, we may be willing but not actually able. Whether it’s turning out the lights, ditching our cars or swearing off meat, in the end many of us aren’t as capable of change as we’d like to think. Multiply our personal indulgences by 300 million, and you begin to see the contours of a crisis.

A partial solution, for each of us, is simply to try harder. As for me, I’ll try to quit using the Dustbuster to pick things up off the kitchen floor when a dustpan will do. It’s a flagrant waste of electricity—and I’m pretty sure it drives Kirsten crazy. ■

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E N V I R O N M E N TA L BIOLOGY

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT E N V I R O N M E N TA L POLICY

E N V I R O N M E N TA L H E A LT H

E N V I R O N M E N TA L ADVOCACY & E D U C AT I O N

URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Expand your opportunities by earning a second master’s degree at the same time through the Wharton School or the Fels Institute of Government.

Study with a distinguished faculty of professionals who are among the most respected figures in the fields of environmental research and practice.

Change Your Life, Change the World Walk-In Wednesdays

July 14 and 21 11:00am–1:00pm and 4:30–6:00pm

Discuss your academic options with MES

University of Pennsylvania

Program representatives. No appointment

College of Liberal and Professional Studies

needed—just walk in.

3440 Market Street, Suite 100, Philadelphia

F o r m o r e i n F o r m at i o n o n :

Walk-in Wednesday » pennlps.org/wiw MES Program » pennlps.org/grid

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