Back to Nature

The following is from the most recent PCEE newsletter:

'Getting Outdoors' the Focus of Several New Initiatives

The U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture are leading a coordinated federal effort to get children moving outside. The Let’s Move Outside initiative, championed by first lady Michelle Obama, gives parents the tools they need to get their families outdoors. By linking to nearby parks, trails and waters – and providing tips and ideas – the initiative will help families become healthier and develop more active lifestyles.

A broad coalition representing the business and non-profit communities (including YMCA of USA, Sierra Club and the Children & Nature Network) announced a national strategic partnership called "Outdoors Alliance for Kids." This partnership addresses the growing divide between children and the natural world. Studies suggest spending time outdoors in green spaces can improve the mental and physical health of children.

President Barack Obama proclaimed June "Great Outdoors Month" and July will be celebrated as "Park and Recreation Month."

As we were saying...

Fairmount Park Guide for College Students

Here's our site!
https://sites.google.com/site/fairmountparkforcollegestudent/

"Why, if people start thinking they can regenerate nature in cities, they'll use that as an excuse for suburban sprawl." -Louv

Man made carving, but fits so well into nature. It also shows such an integral part of the area's history. It is good to know that the family that had this statue carved still has some kind of tie to nature and appreciated it enough to have such a massive figure there.

Growing

The first picture was taken shortly after the planting in the first week of April in the Summer Winter Community Garden.



The second was this past weekend.



Looks like it's going to be a great season!

Two Great Exhibits at The Franklin Institute!!

There are two relatively new exhibits at The Franklin Institute that are both related to nature and the environment that we all live in. One is called "Electricity" and the other exhibit is titled "Changing Earth." Both of the exhibits are opened to the public for viewing at no additional cost. As long as you purchase the Sci-Pass, you are free to roam and play with all the interactives in the exhibit as you please.

"Electricity" is a great exhibit to learn more about electricity and how it works. Part of the exhibit explores how circuits work and how electricity is transferred into your outlets at home. The other part of the exhibit has to do with electricity and its impact on the environment. There are two interactives that I am personally fond of---"Balance of Power" and "Compromising Choices." In "Balance of Power," the goal of the player is to choose different resources (ex. coal, solar, nuclear) to produce enough power for his/her city without costing the consumers a bundle and without producing a lot of waste. "Compromising Choices" is a similar interactive with pretty much the same goal, except your population increases each game round which in turn increases your city's demand for electricity.

"Changing Earth" is an amazing exhibit. It's broken down into 3 parts---Air, Water and Land. There are so many different interactives there that acts as a learning tool to teach visitors about nature and their impact on it. There is an interactive that lets you calculate your carbon footprint, another that shows you what would happen if Antarctica or Greenland melted, and one that lets you experience the event of the shifting of tectonic plates. In this exhibit, there is one interactive that is very similar to the two I described in the "Electricity" exhibit. This one is called "Personal, National, Global Change." The visitor is supposed to choose what methods he/she would use for transportation, housing/buildings, electricity, and heating and cooling in order to cut down the carbon dioxide in the air. Afterwards, the program will show the visitor what would happen to Earth and our lifestyles if his/her choices had occurred.

I encourage everyone to take some time out of their schedule to check out these two great exhibits at The Franklin Institute. It's not only educational, but it's also very fun to play with these interactives because they are all uniquely programmed and have the latest technology installed (ex. touchscreens).

Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso)

Here are some photos I took during our class visit to the Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso) in Fairmount Park.

For more information on Horticultural Center, please visit: http://www.fairmountpark.org/hortcenter.asp

For more information on the Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso), please visit: http://www.shofuso.com/

Photos taken: May 27, 2010

Location: Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso)

Longwood Gardensl

• This past week, I went to Longwood Gardens for my product analysis class. It was raining, sadly, so we spent most of our time inside the conservatory. It was so amazing to see species of plants from all over the world that couldn't grow in our fickle Pennsylvania climate. My class went there primarily to see the exhibit on perfume. However girly I may be, I am not an avid user of perfume. The whole process just never worked out for me. There are too many little similar bottles and without coffee beans to smell, my nose can't handle the amount of smells. It was really fascinating to see it all though. There are so many different natural smells out there that I have never known existed. There were these little spray machines that you could use to smell different scents that were made synthetically, and as you went through the conservatory, different plants were labeled that had good smells. Overall, scents and perfumes were always something I never payed much attention to. But they are really a beautiful part of nature. I feel like I have gained a whole new perspective since i've been there.

Diversified Community Services

If anyone is going to be in Philadelphia for the summer and is looking for a full/part time job, this one seems really interesting. The type of work goes right along with what we learned about community development during our trip to Cobbs Creek Nature Center.

Hi Folks,

I am reaching out to you in the gardening/environmental world in the hope that you could refer two college students for a summer project. Specifically, DCS will have 25 high-school aged students engaged in a gardening project for 6 weeks. Our plan is to provide some TLC to existing gardens – clean them up, do some planting and nominal design work, given budget constraints.

The college students would serve as monitors/supervisors, earning $10 per hour along with transportation, 30 hours per week, for 8 weeks. Monitors will oversee outdoor gardening work and help students with their workforce portfolios.

If you know of someone, please have them contact me at cweiss@dcsphila.org

Thank you very much.

Cheryl

Cheryl Weiss

Executive Director

Diversified Communtiy Services

1529 S. 22nd Street

Philadelphia, PA 19146

215-336-5505 ext. 342

215-336-5527 FAX

visit our website: www.dcsphila.org

Drexel Honor's Community Garden

The other week I received an email from an honors college representative saying that the honors college has reserved a plot of land in the garden at 33rd and Race St. From my understanding, this plot is open to any honors students who want to plant something and take care of it over the summer. This seems like a terrific way to get students involved with their local community and urban nature.

If anyone is interested in helping out with the garden, here was the contact information I was provided:

All specific questions about the plot should be directed to Joe Revlock at joseph.revlock@verizon.net.

Sheena Pradham (sheenampradhan@gmail.com) is our student representative.

Uncle Jamie

My uncle is a professional painter. Most of his paintings are of Philadelphia landscapes--here's one of Boathouse Row with fall foliage in the background. Click through for more of his work. #shamelessplug

Spring Thing 2010

This weekend is the Philadelphia Folksong Society's 35th annual Spring Thing--"a magical get-away weekend filled with song, dance, crafts and fun." From this website it looks like their are dozens of activities planned, including sports, juggling, boating and a ton of music-related things (instrument making?!) The event is being held at Camp Canadensis in the Poconos. Tickets are relatively expensive--$185 for adults--but seems like it could be worth if if you're into folky stuff.

I've always felt there was a strong connection between nature and folk music. If you like folk but aren't interested in this Spring Thing, you should still check out the Philadelphia Folk Festival which will be in late August.

PARTY!

I think I saw the coolest thing ever Saturday night. A lot of people look at the trails of Fairmount park and think "oh, that'd be a cool spot to walk in the daylight" or "wow, we should play frisbee there." However last saturday around one in the morning there was a massive party in the middle of the trail, half a mile past boat house row. They had a barbecue, music, dancing, and about twenty people. Not only did it look very fun, but I now view Fairmount park in a whole new light on what you can do with the facility!

Running

The runners at Fairmont park are vicious. Not only are they.. well.. running.. but they will yell at anyone in front of them. Today I witnessed an elderly woman with a walker, slowly making her way on the trail by the Schuykill, while a teenager behind her not only ran very close to her but had the nerve to yell "excuse me!" I think that the majority of runners forget that they are not on roller blades or skateboards.... THEY CAN RUN ON GRASS!

The Mann Center

I just found out about another wonderful resource in Fairmount Park-- The Mann Center!

The Mann Center is an outdoor cultural arts center that is hosting dozens of live performances over the summer. There is a lot of orchestral music but there are a few bands that are aimed at a younger audience including: Passion Pit, Rufus Wainwright, Ingrid Michaelson, MGMT, and CAKE. If I were here this summer, I would definitely check this out. What a great way to support the park.

It is located near 52nd and Parkside in Fairmount Park.

Green Schools

So while at work (Trader Joe's) a few days ago I was ringing a nice lady out. I was asking her about her day at work and we ended up discussing the fact that she teaches kindergarten at a 'green' elementary school in Downingtown.

I began asking her questions: How exactly do you teach kindergarteners green principles before they even know how to count? Do they only learn how to spell words that relate to the environment? Are they allowed to have textbooks? I was somewhat joking around but somewhat serious. It just seemed like a lot of money to go into a private school for such young children who don't even understand basic principles yet. She explained that the cafeteria serves healthier and organic food and that most lessons must pertain to the environment or the green movement in some way.

So I finally came around to researching the Green Schools initiative. The best introduction can be found here: http://www.greenschools.net/section.php?id=11

After investigating the site a bit further, I realized that this idea for a school is actually a very good idea. It is somewhat a place rich mommies can send their rich babies, but these schools also have a lot to teach the average public school. There is no reason why all schools shouldn't serve less junk or fast food and no soda; in my high school they began removing these items my senior year. Schools should always recycle, include environmental education, and promote green playgrounds. Overall, I think these 'green schools' are just doing what every school already should, or maybe are trying to do. These schools are just making a greater attemple and have more money in order to succeed in these specific aspects.

Does anyone know anything else about these schools?

1876 Centennial Exhibition

As part of my contribution to my group's final project, I have been researching the 1876 Centennial Exhibition that took place in Philadelphia. Since we will be visiting the Exhibition grounds during Thursday's class, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my general findings. The 1876 Centennial Exhibition celebrated America's 100th birthday. Held along the Schuylkill River, on 285 acres of Fairmount Park, the celebration was attended by over 9 million people. 37 nations from around the world participated in the event, officially known as the International Exhibition of Art, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine. Philadelphia was the chosen location for the Exhibition because at the time it was the center of industry and culture. The Exhibition showed the world how much America had grown in the past 100 years.

Above is an image of the original Horticultural Hall that stood on the Exhibition grounds. During it's time, the structure was used to display exotic plants brought from visiting nations.

Many of you may recognize this structure, known as Memorial Hall, as the home of Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum. However, during the Centennial Exhibition, this building served as a temporary art museum, where people from all over the globe displayed their artwork.

France designed Liberty Englightening the World, known as the Statue of Liberty, as a gift for America's 100th birthday. At the Centennial Exhibition, France displayed the arm and torch of the statue. The Exhibition raised money to finish the statue by charging visitors 50 cents to climb to the balcony.

Pepsi Refresh Project

I'm sure everyone has seen those commercials on TV by Pepsi about their new project. I never really knew where this idea came from, or where all the money Pepsi is giving away came from. Pepsi decided that it was a better idea to spend the $20 million that they normally spend on their Super Bowl Ads and instead give the money away to people with good ideas. One such idea was submitted by two friends from Passyunk who want to turn the area at the busy intersection of 12th street and Morris Street, one of the city's most famous diagnoal intersections, into a little people watching area. They want to put cafe tables, sailcloth umbrellas and planters in the area to make it more welcoming and relaxing and it'll also allow people to stop and take a break, enjoy a nice refreshing drink or read the newspaper, and just people watch. If they win their category they will recieve $50,000 from Pepsi to help them make this into a reality, and maybe also start to create more in other areas of the city. Their idea is modeled off of the street plazas that New York created. People were hesitant at first, because they closed off a lane of traffic to create the street plazas, but they are actually a great success. People were afraid that the Broadway plazas would create gridlock throughout Manhattan, but instead they have had miraculous traffic-calming and civilizing effects. I personally think this is a great idea, it's a better way to use a boring chunk of asphalt and it will beautify the neighborhood.

here's the article from philly.com
http://www.philly.com/philly/living/green/20100524_Local_planner_needs_votes_on_Pepsi_website.html

and here's their Pepsi Refresh page
http://www.refresheverything.com/reclaimconcrete

I'm posting my comment to Alyssa's last post so more of you see this message. I agree, it's a shame that Fairmount Park doesn't get enough funding. One thing that helps a unit get more funding is when the people ask for it. The squeaky wheel does get the grease. The Fairmount Parks Alliance, http://www.philaparks.org/ regularly sends out emails to try to get people to speak up for Fairmount and get more funding. I encourage you to sign up and add your voice to the call for more funding for Fairmount Park. There is a call for support right now. Go to the site and squeak.

Fairmount Park Funds

Throughout our numerous ventures into Fairmount Park this term, a few of the volunteers we met mentioned the Park's shortage of funds. Originally, this statement wasn't particularly surprising. After all, almost everyone in the United States has been suffering from the economic downturn this past year. However, after reading this article I became particularly concerned. Turns out the city of Philadelphia spends the least amount of money on it's park system, compared to other big cities around the nation. In fact, Rittenhouse Square is funded almost completely by an independent organization known as the Friends of Rittenhouse Square. Unfortunately, even this group is struggling to find the funds to keep Rittenhouse alive. The Friends of Rittenhouse Square rely primarily on member donations. With the downturn in the economy, these donations have become increasingly scarce. The organization is now trying to find a way to keep Rittenhouse as a prosperous park. They are even considering allowing food concessions into the park. After reading this article, I became very upset with the small budget the city provides for Fairmount Park. What do you think?

The Future

Now, more than ever, it is evident to me that if we want our kids to have a childhood filled with nature, then we need to do something about it. We are the next generation, and we have the ability to change the world that our children will grow up in. I always wanted to be a teacher, at first I think it was because all my teachers I had in elementary school were great, but now it's because teachers' have the ability to influence children. Teachers not only help students learn their ABC's and 123's, they also influence how they look at the world, it might be little hints at things, but teachers' have a lot of impact on children. I think that being a teacher will be such a rewarding job, to see how much the students grow throughout the year, physically and mentally. Also, watching them progress through their education and become adults. I think that teaching in a city may have an added challenge, because the environment is different, the students don't have fields to run around on at recess and they can't go catch frogs at the creek behind the school. But because of this class, I hope to be able to incorporate the environment into my teaching, no matter where I teach. Whether it's here in Philadelphia, back home in Illinois, or maybe even overseas in some foreign country.

Urban Changes

Though David Brooks's New York Times op-ed column, commenting on the changing perceptions of urban safety and crime among Baby Boomers raised in 1960's and 1970's, focuses mainly on New York's Upper West Side his idea is applicable to Philadelphia as well. Brooks discusses the crime waves along 84th street and the impacts on the generation raised during this civic turmoil. As this generation grew older, they left the city for the suburbs with no plans of return. Today the Upper West Side is a thriving and safe community as the younger generation chooses to remain and raise their families in the city. The same is true in various neighborhoods in Philadelphia, eg. Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Powelton Village, etc. While crime and poverty still dominate areas in the north and west, there is constant improvement. Similar to the Upper West Side, young professionals, artists, musicians, etc. are staying in the city instead of establishing in the suburbs. Throughout Philadelphia it is apparent that these residents along with more young kids leaving the suburbs, are revitalizing communities and culture, making the city better for everyone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/opinion/18brooks.html?ref=opinion

Philadelphia's Colorful Recycling Trucks

So, lately I've been noticing a few colorful garage trucks around Philadelphia. Except, they weren't garage trucks, but instead, they were recycling trucks! On each truck, it says in a corner: "Mural Arts Program." So, I decided to look it up! Apparently the trucks decorations were designed by young people in the Mural Arts Program in 2009 with the help of Desiree Bender, a graduate student from Moore College of Art. The design on the trucks are flowers, leaves, plants, and anything nature related.

Here are a sample of how they look like:

iPhone/iTouch App

I was just thinking about how great it would be to develop an App for the iPhone that you could download and learn about the highlights of Fairmount park and where to visit/how to get there. If i knew how to do this, I would.. sadly, I have no experience or interest in programming. It would be a great advantage of the technology we use on a daily basis to be integrated for greater knowledge of our local resource.

Just a thought, or possible project. There is a downloadable app for some national parks but they cost $5, so I won't be downloading it.

Squirrel!

I took this picture of this squirrel relaxing and just hanging out by Matheson Hall because I thought it would be something cool to show everyone. It's not everyday that you see a squirrel like this! I wouldn't blame it laying down like that. The day was humid and sticky feeling---I would've done the same!

Photo taken: May 14, 2010
Location: Outside of Matheson Hall on Drexel University's Main Campus

Philadelphia Orchard Project

Okay so remember how awesome picking and eating a few fresh strawberries was? Can you imagine walking home from class, school, work, etc and stopping to pick a few blueberries or almonds right in your neighborhood? That's a plan of the Philadelphia Orchard Project. You can check out a google-mapped view of what has been planted right here. There are a lot more apricot trees (which are in season!) in Philadelphia than I thought.

Right now I am imagining biking along the Schuykill River Trail to the Great Apple Tree , blanket under arm, and having a picnic of FFF (Fresh Free Fruit).

Greenworks Philadelphia

This article on philly.com kind of goes along with my other post. It's about a sustainability plan that Philadelphia launched over a year ago and how it is getting a national honor for it. The plan has goals that need to be reached and different steps that should be taken to get there. Among the changes that Philadelphia wants to enact is replacing over 85,000 traffic lights with LED lights and adding a 250-kilowatt solar project at the Southeast Water Pollution Control plant. Philadelphia is well on it's way to becoming a very sustainable and green city, and the Greenworks Philadelphia project is helping make sure that we Philadelphia achieves this goal.

here's the article if you want to read it yourself.

Green Cities

When we're in Fairmount Park, I always think about Chicago and how little green space it seems to have, but after reading section 19, "Cities Gone Wild", I had to reconsider my thinking. Fairmount Park is every where, and hiking through the Wissahickon just seemed so strange. It's interesting to see how much green space is in Philadelphia, even though more is necessary. According to Louv, Chicago is one of the best examples of what the future could hold. Mayor Daley is going back to the old Chicago motto "City in a Garden." He is doing this by creating more green space and also re-creating wildlife habitat, greenways, stream corridors, and other natural land. This would be adding on to the 7300 acres of parkland that already exist. Daley's goal is to make Chicago the greenest city in the nation. One thing that surprised me was that Daley insisted on making the new roof of city hall, which is 30,000 square feet, a green roof. He wants to create a rooftop garden that will absorb the heat in the summer and keep the heat in during the winter. It will also absorb excess storm water, prevent sewer flooding and act as an air purifier. The roof houses over 150 different species of plants and it also has two beehives with 4000 non-aggressive honey bees. Some other accomplishments that I was not aware of is that the city has planted some 300,000 trees since 1989 and it has restored 28 miles of boulevard gardens and the city has turned 21 acres of underused city land into pocket parks and 72 community gardens. All of this information is news to me, and I grew up 45 minutes outside of the city. Some of this things take place on the outskirts of the city, like the Calumet Open Space Reserve, which is on the Southeast Side of the city. This reserve has 4000 acres, which include wetlands, forests, and prairies. Another aspect of the greenness of the city, that I never really thought of are the bike paths that connect neighborhoods, parks and business districts and the mass transit system, which makes owning a car in the city pretty pointless. One can get anywhere by either a bus, subway, or the El. After reading that section, it made me stop and think about Chicago, and try and look at it in a new way, the only parks I ever knew of in the city are Grant Park and Millennium Park, which are both very nice, but they don't have that much land. It's strange to be learning things about Chicago, while in a class about Philadelphia.

Differences

Over the past few months, my life has changed a lot. Now with that opening line I could probably talk about anything, but I would like to observe the difference in how I use nature, now that it isn't (to some extent) right outside my door. Since i've been in the city, I've noticed it is more difficult to get to a park, so just going outside requires more energy and motivation than it would at my house. Also bike rides are not as simple as they used to be because I do not have a garage and have to lock my bike up, then unlock it, then get inside with the bike while swiping my dragon id. This has made my bike rides less often and much longer! Also where at home I would always be hanging out with someone outside, here it is slightly more difficult. People have classes and a lot of people just don't go far enough to get to the park. This type of laziness barely existed before. I guess i'm going to conclude that it is definitely different. Although I painted somewhat of a negative portrait, one can't forget I don't have the city and rich culture of Philadelphia outside my back door.

Butterflies

I was recently home over the weekend and noticed quite a few butterflies. Now, I don't really know much about their classification other than I saw what appeared to be quite a few monarchs. This left me pondering, and I realized that there is milkweed in our yard, which is the sole food of monarch larvae. I have not however noticed any butterflies in Philadelphia. This could be because of the different habitat between my yard and Fairmount Park, or perhaps they just need more milkweed planted. I think I will continue observing and maybe planting!!

Bike to Work Tax Credit

I saw an ad for this $20 credit for biking to work in a bike store and decided to look it up. Here is a link to the Representative who pushed for the bill, which has all the details of the plan:
http://blumenauer.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=817&Itemid=167

It appears that the program is meant for employees who commute to work regularly on a bike. These employees are eligible for a $20 a month credit to spend on bicycle repair and maintenance.
Since a lot of Drexel students end up Co-Oping or eventually working in Philadlephia, this may be the incentive they need to start riding their bikes to work instead of driving.

Environmental Awareness through Satire

The Onion, a satirical American news organization, has several articles on its web site poking fun at some of the current environmental issues our society is facing. While all the articles are very over the top and humerus, they also usually point out something true or say what everyone is thinking.

Here are some links to a few articles:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/environmental-awareness,16770/#1
http://www.theonion.com/articles/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out-of-rocks,17341/
http://www.theonion.com/articles/epa-stubborn-environment-refusing-to-meet-civiliza,17418/

Mr. Rogers

Louv goes off on a big religious tangent in our reading section for the week. Residing somewhere in the agnostic zone, I was not very into this section. I understood the issues he discussed and am sure they helped to get through to a lot of people who don't see the correlation between religion and nature. But it is so much more than that.

To me, nature comes before religion in your natural perception. You have to observe nature before you even begin to understand principles of religion. Nature is here and now. Nature can be touched and smelled and heard. Without the building blocks of natural reality, humans don't begin to ponder faith.

For me, nature is my religion. Nature is my here and my now. When I feel the wind sweep through my hair or look up into the sky, I feel that something bigger. I don't really understand how anyone could possibly not feel greatness from the power of nature, whether devoutly religious or not.


Regardless, the part about Mr. Rogers and the little boy was perfect and made me smile. Humans (children) are curious about nature from the beginning. Our culture must allow children to explore this curiousity fully.

Snow City II

Cars covered in snow in a parking lot in Fairmount

Mark di Suvero's Iroquois sculpture after snowfall

Photos taken 2/6/10

Snow City

Didn't get outside to shoot at all this week, so I was looking through my old pictures for something to post. I found a bunch from this past February when we had a pretty big snow storm. I was thinking about how a snowfall like that transformed the city. It slowed everybody down, covered streets and cars. Snow blanketed everything and Philadelphia quieted some. It was peaceful--the snow sort of made being in the city feel more like being in nature.

Photo taken 2/9/10 - View from my bedroom window after snow

Local Food

While visiting a coffee shop downtown, I was handed a copy of the local magazine 'Grid'. Though I generally refuse such freebies from strangers, this magazine particularly caught my attention. The purpose of 'Grid' is to promote a sustainable Philadelphia, and the magazine is thus filled with local information and stories. The articles inside discuss community agriculture groups, local composting companies, bike culture, energy-saving housing tips, and more. The June issue of 'Grid' even includes a local food guide, which provides a listing of restaurants in the area committed to sourcing locally and sustainably. I really enjoyed this article because it also included a map of the city's farmers' markets. Many of these locations are easily accessible to Drexel's campus including:

University Square Farmers' Market
36th & Walnut Sts.
Wed: 10am-3pm (Until Thanksgiving)

Schuylkill River Park Farmers' Market
25th & Spruce Sts.
Wed: 3-7pm (Opens May 19)

Fitler Square Farmers' Market
23rd & Pine Sts.
Sat: 9am-1pm (Year Round)

Fairmount Farmers' Market
22nd & Fairmount Ave
Thurs: 3pm-7pm (Opens May 6)

Suburban Station Farmers' Market
16th St. Concourse
Thurs: 2:30-6:30pm (Year Round)

Rittenhouse Market
18th & Walnut Sts.
Tues: 10am-1pm (Until Thanksgiving)
Sat: 9:30-3pm (May-Nov)

Broad & South Farmers' Market
Broad & South Sts.
Wed: 2-7pm (Opens May 26)

Love Park Farmers' Market
15th & JFK Blvd.
Wed: 11am-3pm (June-October)

Jefferson Farmers' Market
Chestnut, East of 10th St.
Thurs: 11am-3pm (Until October)

The Pita Pit

Driving to Cobb’s Creek last Thursday, many of us began discussing delicious restaurants in the Philadelphia area. While this conversation caused extreme hunger, it also made me curious as to how environmentally friendly such restaurants were. Questioning this, I came across The Pita Pit, located at 1601 Sansom Street. In July of 2008, The Pita Pit was awarded as a Certified Green Restaurant. In order to meet the certification requirements, this delightful eatery began an extensive recycling program, implemented technology to limit water consumption, and purchased bio-degradable materials (such as cutlery, cups, and lids). The Pita Pit, meeting certification requirements, also took the extra step to install florescent lighting, utilize non-toxic cleaning supplies, and purchase local produce. They even offer sustainable food options, providing vegetarian and vegan food options.

The Pita Pit menu can be viewed on their website. Though I’ve never been to the restaurant, the food options look absolutely delicious! I definitely plan on visiting The Pita Pit soon. Anyone interested?

Sustainable Fashion

It dawned on me last week at Cobbs Creek when our leader was trying to incorporate our majors that I have never blogged about sustainable fashion. I don't have any upcoming Philly happenings to add into this, but here is an example of a great past event we had here: http://www.greenfestphilly.org/. If you are still confused on what sustainable or 'green' fashion is, a quick google search brings up a bunch of definitions to help introduce you.

The idea really is a bit hypocritical-- to deem one of the quickest changing things in the world as sustainable. However, the fashion world has been exploring ways to join the green movement. They have attempted to make garments from found materials, (that is, materials that are typically not used to make clothes like newspaper and plastic) are exploring materials such as hemp and bamboo, reusing old garments, and using organic textiles.

I think the ultimate way for fashion to become 'green' is for people stop buying so many new items and starting shopping at thrift stores. Certainly, this approach is overly ambitious and would take away lots of future jobs I would like to have. I also find the push for organic textiles to be unnecessary. An attainable push would be towards wearing natural fibers over synthetic. (A lot of your clothing is synthetic!) This could greatly help to manage our footprint. I do also support new natural textiles such as bamboo. However, I can't imagine all new garments being chopped up and rebuilt from old ones. I'll resist the urge to tangentially discuss the need to preserve historic costume and therefore, not reuse lots of great old clothing.


What do you think? Does 'green' or sustainable fashion play a role in your life? Do you think this is a lasting approach or just merely a trend?

Google Bike Route's

I was using Google Map's over the weekend and discovered that you can now search for bicycle directions. The maps include both "bike only trails" and "bike lanes" through the city and surrounding areas. I know you can access maps through the Philadelphia Bike Coalition, but Google Maps is much more widely used and this could target a new audience that may have been unsure about where they could/should bike in Philly. The bike routes almost always end up in some park in Philadelphia.

Excellent! here is the article

Urban Blazers

Just a reminder that the Urban Blazer's volunteer orientation is tonight, 6PM on the 27th floor of the Cira Center on Market and 30th. They are looking for young, motivated individuals to go on outdoor adventures with inner-city youth. They also have a Facebook page with photo's of a hike through the Wissahickon, just like we did! The commitment is one Saturday a month, unless you want/can give more time.

I will be there tonight and if anyone wants to go but cannot make it, I'll report information during Thursday's class.

Feel free to check out their website.....Urban Blazers

Recess coaches---what are they?

I recently read a article on Philly.com about a school in North Philadelphia who hired a recess coach to teach the students how to play during recess. Apparently, children these days are too attracted to their game consoles inside the house and don't care for the outdoors anymore. They want these recess coaches to help children play and learn. Also, they're aiming to get them back in shape (57% of the children were either obese or overweight).

I was completely shocked about how children nowadays need to be taught how to play during recess! When I was younger, we were so happy when it was time for recess. We would go outside and let our imaginations run wild! We would play tag, freeze tag, Simon says, Leprechaun, and whatever other game we could think of that day. Even though we weren't given materials (basketball, soccer ball, etc) to enhance our recess experience, we were completely fine. But after reading this article, I think it's insane how kids these days don't know how to play! The recess coach actually teaches them how to play dodgeball and the rules that follow it. Back in my elementary days, we were taught how to play dodgeball in gym class----so this article really makes me wonder. Don't these kids have a gym class where they exercise and learn how to play various sports?

But I'm glad that the schools in Philadelphia are starting to try to get their students back into playing outside and away from always staying inside with their virtual life.

Please check out this article here.

Day of Service at Cobbs Creek

This one's for you, Chris, destroyer of garlic mustard. Click on the following links to find some delicious ways to use that garlic mustard.
http://www.fosc.org/GM-Recipe.htm
http://www.ma-eppc.org/morerecipes.html

Urban Gardening

Now that Spring is here, it is nice to see people's gardens starting to sprout in the city. In my neighborhood, there are several gardens that take up one to three house lots and are managed by members of the community. I think keeping urban gardens is a good idea for cities with vacant lots or other abandoned lands. Vacant lots always seem to accumulate litter and make the neighborhood look terrible. Once someone’s own neighborhood looks terrible, it is hard to keep a sense of pride for where you are from and people stop caring about their community.

Gardens keep people in touch with their environment through several of senses. They get to feel the earth, taste what they grow, smell the flowers...

A problem on the minds of many parents in my community is finding jobs for their teenage sons and daughters for over the summer to keep them out of trouble. If Philadelphia keeps moving forward with their mission to expand Fairmount Park, it seems like it would be a good idea to add local gardens to each neighborhood and employ the local youth to take care of the crops.

Fairmount Park's Image

When the park ranger from last week spoke about renewing Fairmount Park's national and global image, I did not understand at first. It seemed like anyone who wanted to travel to see a park or nature preserve would go to somewhere that is exactly that, like Yellowstone or Yosemite. And people who want to travel to a city, would be traveling there to experience an urban environment. Then the more I thought about it, the more counter examples I could think of to this argument, but I still am not sure if most people travel to New York City because they want to see Broadway or their park.

The people that the park mainly benefits is the residents of the surrounding area. Now it is clearer to me how privileged we are to live in Philadelphia, a city with such a diverse park system. If Farimount Park was promoted nationally, it would help residents of Philadelphia realize what a gem they have and I think Philadelphia would have a new sense of pride. It is that kind of pride that would encourage people to move back to the city, which I would not be surprised if that is another motive for promoting the park.

Cell Phones

In The Last Child in the Woods Louv says that all children should have cell phones, so that when they are outside you can get a hold of them. I always thought that cell phones weren't necessary for children, and thought that middle school or high school would be the appropriate time to get a cell phone for a child. His reasoning for getting the cell phone makes sense, because he wants children to be able to explore nature freely without the restrictions and limitations of having parents with them. I feel that children don't need their own cell phones though, I guess I'm one of those people who wouldn't really want their kid wandering around all over the place without an adult. Maybe when I get to that point in my life I'll have changed my mind, but for now I feel that cell phones for young children (under the age or 12) are not necessary.

Neighborhood Games

I always think it is awesome when a group of people devises a way to have fun without bringing in our consumeristic society AKA not spending money. Naturally I was pleasantly surprised to be walking around center city one night and find a massive game of four square at Rittenhouse square. It is very refreshing simply because the majority of people in the city probably do not have room to exercise unless they walk around or join a gym. These options leave out other fun ones that many people who did not grow up in a city choose; kickball, baseball, etc. Therefore while Fairmount Park is a great resource, if you are not very close to a section of the park or do not have the equipment, games such as four square are amazingly simple yet convenient. Here in the city I think something like a game of four square is a great idea. All you need is a ball and some chalk at the beginning and boom! You have a game that many people can play, and you can even draw a second board. In the future I plan on starting a game if one isn't already in progress!!!

Ducks!!

They're adorable!! Also, I know they are called Mallards. That is a terrible name! Ducks!

Rainy Day

How often do you see pictures of rainy or foggy days? It is rare for people to take direct pictures of these days or even pull out a camera at all. I can understand the perfect lighting sunshine can provide for taking pictures. However, I think we need to embrace all types of weather. It is so beautiful how the fog can hide the familiar tips of the Philadelphia skyline. I love the way the ominous white sky can change the entire landscape of the earth. The sky seems so much closer on a day like today. With the translucent fog cascading from the pure white haze above, it is as if I can reach up and touch the sky.

Football in the Park

In the spring and fall the Philadelphia Sport and Social Club have a coed touch football league that plays in Fairmount Park, up by the Please Touch Museum. I was on a team this spring, and we had a game every Saturday starting the first Saturday of spring break. Unfortunately we weren't very good. We could never seem to get our offense and defense together in the same game, we either had a good offense or good defense, or sometimes neither. But it was still a lot of fun. It was a great way to spend a Saturday, playing football in the park with friends. The playoffs started this past weekend, and unfortunately if you lose, you're done... and we lost, but we played a good game and we had fun and that's all that really matters. here's a picture of my team, it was really sunny and windy that day.

Explore the city with a younger Philadelphian

Louv falls short in address the barriers to inner-city children from accessing nature. If Fairmount Park is within walking distance from many of Philadelphia's children, why aren't they using it? Perhaps there have not been any good examples set on how to use the park, or they feel that it could be unsafe. I know that in elementary school and middle school, I really enjoyed white water rafting and hiking with my girl scout troop. These are things I would never have done on my own, with friends outside of girl scouts, or with my family. The most important aspect of Girl Scouts were knowledgeable and caring Group Leaders. There are several other organizations that are helping children explore nature and leave the city limits for the first time.

A few posts ago I mentioned the poverty seen along 33rd in Lower North Philadelphia. The image that remains in my mind is the school bus dropping off young children into run-down homes surrounded with the ailments of inner-city poverty: drugs, teen pregnancies, poverty, 50% high school graduation rate. Children growing up in this environment are disadvantaged in many ways. I alone cannot solve poverty or increase graduation rates to 100%, but I am able to set positive examples and encourage others to be an active part of their community.

Two organizations that I have learned about either from Dr. Stein or on my own is the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings in Philadelphia and Urban Blazers--a non-profit that partners with schools and other programs to allow children 6-18 to experience nature firsthand.

Urban Blazer's is having an open orientation next Monday, the 17th at 6PM in the Cira Center (the all-glass building behind the Amtrak Station). If you are interested in going, you need to send an RSVP to info@urbanblazers.org and we can go together.

Feel free to check out the links...

Sierra Club Inner City Outings--Philadelphia

Urban Blazers--Philadelphia

Politics, Policies, Laws, statues, and other barriers

Louv gets down to the point that laws and policies meant to protect people from being sued are damaging relationships with nature and the outdoors. I was most shocked by the "no running" sings put up in 137 South Florida elementary schools (241). Instantly, that cuts out all of the childhood games like Tag, Red Rover, Touch football, Soccer, Baseball.... the list goes on.

As a kid, I did not exactly enjoy running, but it was a staple to my childhood and essential for healthy bone and muscle growth. Take away running from schools and you will welcome health problems much more long-term than a twisted ankle.

I admit the economics of insurance and healthcare can be a bit annoying to read, but it is important to understand how they are limiting children's (and parents) access to play. A lot of children will go out and explore without their parents. Some children may need to be encouraged by their parents to go out and run to the park. Those that need to be encouraged may not have parent that are willing to take them. Health coverage is expensive. Depending on the parent's coverage, a broken arm can cost a few hundred to a thousand dollars between doctors visits and care of the arm. Parents who cannot afford this expense will be more prone to keep their child at home where they will not run the risk of a broken arm. Again, the long-term disadvantages can be obesity, difficulty in making friends, anger or resentment towards the parents, and many other issues...

Louv: Part VI: Section 19: Cities Gone Wild

In a section of Part 6 of Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks about greener cities. He discusses the idea of restoring cities back to their natural states and conserving the nature within them. He brings up some ideas for cities in the United States, but not Philadelphia. After visiting many places within Fairmount Park these few weeks, I think Philly is doing okay as a city. However, I think Center City specifically can still be more transformed into what Louv calls "Green Urbanism." We can make sure all of the species of flora in our city are native and not exotic invasives. Guidelines can be set so that within so many feet or miles of land, there is a required amount of natural area. For example, within every 15 square blocks, one full block would have to be an area of nature. These areas would have to be lush, not just huge patches of [exotic] grass. This would allow a place for kids to learn and play, create cleaner air, and would bring the natural world back to the city.

In the same section, however, Louv discusses the idea of a Zoopolis. After watching a sad baby squirrel almost get hit by a car near Rittenhouse Park this weekend, I do not think Philly needs to be stocked with any animals. If the animals that would have naturally been in this area weren't pushed out while the city was being built up, they would have all died by now. Deer could not survive anywhere in Center City, even with a bit more blocks of 'nature' and less exotic species of plants. With how many cars are always on the roads, deer can hardly survive in the suburbs. Deer serve as just one simple example. Small squirrels have trouble and rats only make it because they live mostly underground. The point is that without completely taking down the entire city, there is no way for animals that would have typically lived in this area to thrive. Fortunately, in beautiful areas like the Wissahickon, we can make up for our inability to house any large wildlife within the [center] city, creating a balance and helping to restore the damage made by humans.

Priorities

Numerous times throughout his book, Louv discusses “healing the broken bond between children and nature”. Though he admits it is “an overwhelming, even impossible, task”, it is apparent that Louv has optimistic views towards the future (309). I, however, find myself more questionable of the potential relationship between people and nature. I would like to acknowledge that I do not purposefully mean to be pessimistic, for I am truly hoping such a relationship is rekindled. Nonetheless, our recent past leaves me uncertain. For many decades, humans have relied heavily upon technology. The synthetic lifestyle that spawns from this has consumed us, rearranging priorities that once focused on preserving nature. As a political science major, I am particularly disturbed by the world’s most powerful nations’ neglection to participate in international policies that could refocus priorities. The Kyoto Protocol, for instance, was not ratified by the United States because it would terminate multiple US businesses due to their polluting technologies, significantly raising energy prices. But why is this inherently bad? An increase in energy prices would discourage citizens from using such harmful technologies, supporting an alternative that is more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, this outlook is only acknowledged by a select few. Skewed priorities prohibit many to see this option, forbidding them to put nature first. I truly believe that change cannot be achieved until humans learn to adjust their way of thinking. We must begin to put nature first.

Wissahickon Environmental Center

Here are the photos from yesterday's trip to the Wissahickon Environmental Center. Click on the photo to see slide show. Sorry for the blurriness of the last picture.

Here are our pictures from the statue to statue ecology hike in Fairmount Park on 4-22-10. Click the photo to see slide show.

Philadelphia's Past

A few weeks ago, I published a post about abandoned staircases and broken infrastructure found in the woods off of Brewery Hill Road. The past few weeks, I’ve found myself obsessed with revealing the unknown. Almost completely covered in vegetation, it is still apparent that some sort of structure stood at the site before our time. While searching the Free Library of Philadelphia’s database, I came across this website, enriched with various maps of Philadelphia dating back to the 19th century. Looking at these maps for countless hours, I finally discovered what I’ve been looking for. The location found in the woods was once home to the Spring Garden Waterworks. Appearing on all maps before the 1900’s, it seems as if the Spring Garden Waterworks closed once Fairmount Waterworks opened in the early 20th century.

I strongly encourage you to take the time to look at these maps. I found it very interesting, and quite thrilling, to observe how Philadelphia (including both Fairmount Park and Drexel’s campus) has changed throughout the years.

Sit down and enjoy the sounds of nature...

This little campfire place was taken today on our trip to the Wissachickon Environmental Center. It's located right outside the center, about 5 minutes away. I noticed there were a few other places similar to this where people can just sit down and enjoy the sound of nature. This one is especially nice because it seems like you can have a little campfire at night. With maybe even some marshmallow or smores!

Photo taken: May 6, 2010
Location: Wissahickon Valley Park, at the Wissahickon Environmental Center (Tree House)

Dandelions!

Remember when you were younger outside picking weeds off the ground? Do you remember the dandelions? They were these attractive little white fluffy balls that you just couldn't resist picking up and blowing them. I use to see them quite often in the neighborhood I live in, but now not so much anymore. So, it was quite a surprised today to see them on our visit to the Wissahickon Environmental Center. 

Photo taken: May 6, 2010

Location: Wissahickon Valley Park, near the Wissahickon Environmental Center (Tree House) 

Trees and Lens Flare

From our last trip to Wissahickon Valley :[

Taken today.

Wissahickon Horse

Taken today at the Wissahickon Environmental Center.

Schuylkill River Trail

Lately, I have been going for bike rides or runs along the Schuylkill River Trail. It has been nice to see so many other people out enjoying the path. I think the path's popularity is due to its proximity to center city and university city. I would imagine that most of the people who work in the tall buildings in center city get a pretty good view of the river and are inspired to take a walk or sit on a bench during their lunch break. Areas such as Rittenhouse Park and Washington Park seem to have the same appeal. Other parts of Fairmount Park, in comparison, seem so much more isolated and distant. There is almost no way someone in center city could commute to the main sections of Fairmount park during a break from work.

Since most people seem to only want to experience nature in small doses, maybe a key to incraseing Fairmount Parks benefit to the community would be to improve or advertise the accessibility of the Park.

LOVE Your Park

This Saturday 94 parks around Philadelphia will receive "tender loving care" from volunteers, because of the LOVE Your Park event. One park in particular, Liberty Lands, on 3rd street in Northern Liberties is featured in the article. This park used to be the site of a tannery and the land had to go through an intense cleaning process to be deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, over 20 years ago. The space was originally going to be developed, but that failed so it was turned into a park instead. The park has a butterfly garden, a Native American herb garden, two murals picnic tables and benches and over 180 trees. One eco-friendly aspect of the park is the sustainable storm water management system. This system keeps the rain water from overflowing the city sewers. The rain water is funneled into a rain garden where it then drains into an underground cistern that gardeners can use to water their plots in the community garden.

This sounds like an interesting event, and this park sounds like a neat park to go look at if you have the time.

Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance

The Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance (PADA) is a local league that organizes ultimate frisbee games during all seasons of the year. Besides for their winter league, which is played indoors, all the games are held at various locations in Fairmount Park. On May 23, PADA will be hosting a party for their 25th anniversary. Food, drinks and beer is going to be provided by PADA as well as a skills clinic to prepare new players for the upcoming summer league.

Participating in PADA's summer league is probably one of my favorite activities that I associate with Farimount Park. If anyone wants to learn more, there is league and contact information on the following website: www.pada.org

Centralia, PA

Over this past weekend I took a trip to Centralia, PA. It is located about two hours north of Philadelphia, but I thought it could be relevant to this blog since it's a unique natural landscape within driving distance of the city. Centralia was once a thriving borough until an underground coal mine fire began burning in 1962. Now there are virtually no residents and the few buildings left standing are condemned. I took this photo of smoke and steam emerging from a seam in the earth; the ground here was very hot.

Nature Combats the Stresses of School

In my sophomore year of college, the routine had begun to wear on me. After my first co-op I was experiencing doubts and worry over my major. How the hell was 18 year-old me supposed to make a decision that would define the rest of his (my) life? I was interested in computers, of course (I'm a compsci major), but I had other interests as well. If my commitment to this one was shaken by something as small as a monotonous co-op, I wondered if any of my interests were significant enough that they could persist well into adulthood. And worse--at the risk of sounding existential--was it even worth it? It seemed absurd, to worry about something as relatively meaningless as exams or college. A long enough history wouldn't know I was even here let alone whether or not I had a degree.

Every week was a stamp of the last, and each term was more of the same. As soon as an assignment was finished there was another slightly harder one. After every exam there was another chapter to start reading. There was no end in sight, and there still isn't.

In Part V of Last Child, Louv stresses the benefits that students can gain from having a regular connection with nature--a connection that is part of their curriculum. Had I read this before our Fairmount Park class I would have been more skeptical, but now I completely agree with his viewpoint. The gnawing dissatisfaction I experienced last year was marked by the grind of routine and the seeming endlessness of it all, to be sure, but I am now discovering that it was also considerably a matter of environment. Some time away from the roar of traffic and voices relieves a lot of stress.

Even our few hours in the woods each week as part of this class was enough to refresh my desire to learn, not just about nature or computers, but about everything. It's difficult to articulate, since I'm not really sure why some time in the wild every once in a while is inspiration to keep afloat. I will chance that it is simply therapeutic. Hearing birds and streams and learning about the city's history under a green canopy is a miraculous break from the ennui of the city itself. It's a reminder that we're part of something larger. Millennia-old sedimentary rocks and a mind-bogglingly interconnected ecosystem, instead of eliciting questions about the cosmic importance of our endeavors, help us realize that our problems are small.

Tastykake is the largest green bakery in the WORLD!

And it's right here in PHILLY!

I was watching the FOX news a morning or two ago, and it started to talk about the Tastykake factory in Philadelphia. Apparently it moved from their old factory in Hunting Park to the new and green factory in the Navy Yard.



So, how's the factory the largest green bakery in the world?

Well! According to Rick Nichols, the Philadelphia Inquirer Food Columnist:

"Tasty Baking's "greenest bakery" claim in based on several factors, including energy-efficient heating and cooling, water conservation, the use of recycled building materials, "daylight harvesting," and other environmental efficiencies."

To read his whole article on the new factory and how green it is, please go here:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20100505_Oohs_and_aahs_as_Tastykake_plant_opens_at_Navy_Yard.html

Here's a link to a video that shows you how the new factory looks like:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/video/Runaround_Sue_Tastycake_Bakery_05_04_10

If you have no idea what Tastykakes are, then you're missing out! Check out their website to learn more about what they offer: http://www.tastykake.com/history.aspx

Louv Part V

In Part Five, Louv talks a lot about bringing the classroom outside. I thought about days in Biology class where we'd go stomp around outside in the woods around my school in the Poconos. Now living in Philly and thinking more about the Philadelphia School District, I realize that this ability was a great advantage. Even the fact that we had tons of buses and could bus students to places like the cranberry bog is something that I took for granted. But these field trips only happened in Honors-type courses. At a school that is not doing so well academically, average classes are pelted with state testing preparation and try not to deviate from the basic curriculum.

In the Philadelphia school system, I doubt students take many 'natural' field trips and probably have to walk quite far to access any woods. I think the schools can find a way to take a busload of students into Fairmount Park to learn about the surroundings once in a while. One day a semester will not set students back. Even if it has to serve as a reward for upper level classes, they need to begin somewhere. Louv discusses groups such as the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, the Association for Experiential Education, and Foxfire. These groups could help Philadelphia teachers organize these programs. Even other schools listed in the book or local Sierra Clubs could give some advice on how to begin. Hopefully the lesson plans we are working on for class can also serve as a tool. In our class this term, we have seen how grateful the Fairmount Park is to have students. There is really no reason why nature can not be integrated more into the Philadelphia School System and I hope that with time, there is a push for the nature-based education we hear about from Louv.

Ignoring

This week, I was thinking a lot about sensory deprivation living in Philly. I often find myself "tuning out" when there are people yelling, cars honking, cars driving past, assorted construction noises, and other unenjoyable noises. Louv believes this selective type of hearing is reducing my ability to use my senses.

I believe this to be true. Instead of using my sense of hearing, sight, and smell to enjoy my surroundings, I must fight to tune out the chaos.

Childhood

When reading the book for class, I find myself thinking of my childhood and comparing it to the way kids play now. When I was a kid, I would play outside all the time, whether it was outside on our swing set or across the street at the park, or just hanging out somewhere in the neighborhood, I was outside. On the weekends my dad would take my brother, my sister, and me on little adventures in the woods across the street and we would explore the wilderness and just listen to the animals and try to find dear. We also would try and take trips to different state parks in Illinois, and surrounding states. One big place we would go was Starved Rock, which is gorgeous and it's so relaxing and peaceful there, it's out in the middle of nowhere, no big cities or 8 lane highways nearby. We also went to my aunt and uncle's log cabin a lot, which was so fun. We would just explore the area, go hiking in the woods, or go swimming in the lake. Now, kids are too busy sitting inside on their computers or playing video games to even acknowledge the outdoors. Computers were new to us, and there wasn't as many video game systems around back then. Life seemed simpler, hanging out outside, playing kick the can and ghost in the graveyard, catching fireflies in the summer time. I feel like our generation was the last generation that enjoyed the outdoors and being in nature, there are still some kids who surprise you today, who want to be outside and go on hikes and what not, but most of them seem perfectly content sitting on their couch playing their PS3. I never really thought about the problem Louv talks about in Last Child in the Woods. I notice the differences between my parent's childhood and mine, and now mine and my neighbors, but it never really hit me until I was reading this book and seeing all the differences and changes that have taken place across the country in the last 50 or so years. Nature is shrinking to make room for us, and we are losing green space, places for kids to just hangout. Plus, the world doesn't seem as safe anymore, so parents don't let their kids go too far from the house without fearing something terrible is going to happen to them. A lot has changed, and I fear that it's going to keep changing and our kids will have even less nature to explore than we did.

Painted Leaves

I saw these leaves earlier this week while I was walking down by the river along the pathway. Many of my pictures come from here because I go on a lot walks. I don't always expect to spot something new every time since I usually walk the exact same way. However, I usually find something to look at. Within a bush I saw some leaves that were (painted?) blue. I'm not sure how else they would achieve such pigmentation without paint. However, the color didn't seem glopped on like paint would. Either way, even a small color change in a leaf makes you wonder about the life of nature. Who else was in this spot? Why are these leaves blue? Were they painting? What were they painting? (There was nothing obviously blue around.) Maybe someone had stopped in this spot with their canvas to paint the river the day before. I'm not sure really. But we all share in these leaves as a community and we are all affected by how others interact with the natural world around us.

Defiance, Ohio

The song "Oh, Susquehanna" by Defiance, Ohio, is much more articulate than my thoughts about Louv's observations, so I decided to share their song. The link will take you to youtube to listen, and I also included the lyrics to my favorite verse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTmSmK5GzI

And I miss that place behind my house

Where I hiked and climbed and played

Where I ditched this noisy century and just hid out from the decade

My home thought it could stand to be updated

Forced it all into a grid until it looked like the funny pages

With every trace of life, it seems, confined within a frame

The faces move from day to day but the strips all look the same

And the punch lines are resoundingly unfunny

For those trapped in this architecture of easy money.

And I feel like this could all come to no good

The kids who populate these cul-de-sacs will never know what stood

Beneath those cookie cutter houses: fields and streams and woods

They'll sit in cars and wait for mom to drive them

Out of this boring neighborhood!!!

May Day

Over the weekend, I attended a May Day festival/party in Germantown where adults, students, children all celebrated the arrival of spring by enjoying a meal, music, fireworks, and nature. Fittingly there was a maypole.

Gettin' Dirty

Today's post is on everyone's favorite topic: public indecency. Okay, maybe not, but it always brings up a pretty funny memory.

I was riding on the Schuylkill path and suddenly a few younger women started taking off their clothes! Today's weather was sunny enough that a lot of people, including myself were wearing shorts and a tank top, but I wasn't at the level where I wanted to undress. After staring at them, I realized they had bathing suits on and were going to sun-bathe. It seems strange to me that just because she is wearing a bathing suit it's okay to lay in the sun with hundreds of commuters and families passing by. Perhaps I'm just a bit too shy for these situations.

The second incident was a little more awkward. A gentleman must have had a little bit too much water to drink and had to use the restroom. At Columbia Bridge, you are very far from an accessible bathroom. So he resorted to a more au-naturel approach and wizzed in the woods. Well, I was lucky enough to pass by for this exposure. I just smiled and peddled faster.

This leads me to my question, do you remember your first pee outside? I hope it won't be your last... it can be quite freeing!

Baby Geese!!

The picture is a little blurry, but I assure you that trying to get a picture of the little ones without the mother attacking you is very difficult!!

Play Reservations

Lately, I’ve found myself relating many of the topics discussed by Louv to my experiences here in Philadelphia. The first section of this week’s reading, discussing reforms and remedies to allow children to become more active in the environment, particularly captured my attention. Being an urban center, Philadelphia offers very limited amounts of land for the public to utilize. As a result, such limited spaces are experiencing an overflow of public enjoyment, which leads to higher liability risks. “As long as cities continue to overdevelop housing tracts and under develop parks and other sites for natural play, our regional parks and beaches will be crushed by demand, necessitating even more stringent enforcement. The ultimate remedies aren’t to lift the restrictions on endangered habit, but to create or preserve more natural places to play – including vacant lots and ravines and backyards of our own neighborhoods – and to reduce private vulnerability to lawsuits and fines” (240). Considering this, I thought of multiple places in Philadelphia in which the city could open up for public use. Perhaps the city should consider evenly distributing “play reservations”, as Louv names them, throughout the city. These plots of land would give children directed places to play, an alternative to finding places where they can potentially damage the existing ecosystem. By better distributing the amount of useable land, less people would be utilizing a specific space at one time, decreasing liability risks that many fear.

Unknown Environmental Hazards

In the beginning of the term, Chris posted on our blog commenting about how strange it was to see Philadelphia residents mowing their small yards (if you consider that tiny patch of land a yard). Initially, I felt positively about this, viewing the act as people caring about the environment in which they live. After reading this article, my opinion was drastically altered. To my disbelief, gasoline-powered lawn mowers produce the same amount of polluting hydrocarbons in one hour as driving a car 200 miles! Calling these mowers “the smokestacks of garden equipment”, the article encourages people to invest in electric mowers, specifically ones that are zero-emission. Reading this eye-opening article made me realize that we often neglect to question the environmental hazards that come from items we use on a regular basis. Shocked by the harm lawn-mowers cause, I am beginning to think more about the materials I use in my daily routine.

Meadow Lake at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park

It was a beautiful day today! 

The sky was blue, and the wind was blowing! You can see the tree in the second picture tilting to the side due to the wind's breeze.

Photo taken: April 29, 2010

Location: Meadow Lake at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park

Mr. Spider

I was walking with a few friends towards Nesbitt Hall today at noon. As we walked up the steps, I noticed a black dot on the floor moving. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. But as I bend down to take a closer look---it was a little spider! I quickly took out my camera and took quite a few pictures. This was the only one that turned out well. It wasn't easy trying to snap pictures of a small moving spider.

Photo taken: April 29, 2010

Location: Steps to Nesbitt Hall at Drexel University