There’s still time to sign up to speak at the upcoming hearing on August 30th in Philadelphia to let EPA know that Pennsylvanians want the strongest possible ozone standards. If you have asthma, know someone who has asthma, or simply want cleaner air, then we want EPA to hear from you! We can supply […]

Over the past 18 months RecycleNOW Philadelphia has been hard at work collecting over 12,000 signatures, lobbying for public hearings, and making sure our next mayor will implement a dependable weekly curbside recycling program for everyone in the city. Now we need your help…
Come out for an afternoon of Philly’s best local bands playing to […]

I’ve complained before that articles on possible environmental links to breast (and other) cancers are relatively few and far between, and those that appear have no “legs.” So I was excited to hear about “No Family History,” an upcoming documentary investigating the links between breast cancer and the environment. Now in post-production, this independent film needs our support (donations are tax-exempt).

According to filmmaker Sabrina McCormick, an assistant professor of environmental science and policy at Michigan State University, she and her collaborators interviewed scientists, advocates, and survivors to (in the words of the promotional postcard) “move beyond ‘pink ribbon’ awareness to look at how we can prevent the illness.” The film addresses these issues through the story of one woman’s grueling story of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Read the rest of this post at WIMN’s Voices.

“Philadelphia is the second most challenging place to live with asthma.”
-Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 2007

LET US HELP!

Free Asthma Fair

Saturday, August 18, 2007

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

United Communities Houston Center

8 St. & Snyder Ave.

Watershed health, especially in very populous areas, is greatly impacted by the manner in which we manage stormwater runoff. As you will hear and see in this video podcast, it’s not the rain that’s the problem. It’s what happens to it once it hits the roofs, parking lots, and myriad other impermeable surfaces we’ve done such a thorough job of proliferating.

In this podcast, we join Jeff Bergman and Tim Converse of Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run Watershed Association as they demonstrate proper rain barrel installation on residences in the area as part of the organization’s Rain Barrel Initiative.

Rain barrels come in different sizes, colors, and specifications, but the basic principles remain the same: capture and store water from a roof, and then use the water for such applications as gardening or watering your lawn. In doing so, you’ve kept stormwater out of the storm sewer system, which in many urban areas in Pennsylvania and beyond, is horribly overtaxed as-is. Plus you’re saving money on water usage.

Stormwater overflows are more and more commonplace, as sewer infrastructure is stretched far beyond capacity, and as the systems designed and installed many decades ago fail and decay. Helping to stem the tide in watersheds like Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run dramatically help to improve water quality in the streams, benefiting everyone in the community– humans and wildlife alike.

Of course, Pittsburgh isn’t the only place where you’ll find rain barrels popping up all over the place! Throughout the state, there are programs and initiatives underway. And many people simply make their own rain barrels, and have done so for ages. In arid states, capturing stormwater runoff is even required to help save water. Give it a try!

To learn more about how PennFuture is working around the state to improve water quality, visit our Web site. There you can make a tax-deductible contribution to support our work. As always, we welcome your comments. Just e-mail us at podcast (at) pennfuture (dot) org, or click on "Comments" below.

A group of 16 teachers sharpened their science skills last week when they toured various sites throughout Bucks County during the 11th annual Delaware Estuary Watershed Workshop for Teachers.  Since 1997, this weeklong training session organized by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has helped more than 150 educators in the region gain professional instruction […]

from the associated press:
SOUDERTON, Pa. - A spill of ammonia-laced wastewater from a rendering plant killed 10,000 fish in a mile-long stretch of Skippack Creek from the plant in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, to the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
A motor burned out in a pump station that handles plant wastewater, causing a wastewater […]

Greetings! The Green Goddess is back, after a summer long on elder care and short on time to blog. But, dear readers, somehow more than a thousand of you visited just the same from as far away as Greenland, South Africa, and India. Thanks!

Greener Glossies
I see that the glossy women’s fashion magazines – despite (or perhaps because of ) their focus on exhorting consumption – are increasingly covering environmental issues, albeit from a “lifestyle” perspective. For example, Marie Claire has a piece that helps readers more closely parse their environmental “footprint.” The tagline:

Who’s Carbon Footprint Is The Smallest? Guess who is earth-friendly and whose carbon footprint is to blame for drowning polar bears and worse: Is it the mountain maven, the globe-trotter, or the urban hipster? It’s not who you think….

do it!
A Seminar in Socially and Environmentally Responsible Investing
Now at four locations!
• On Tuesday, August 14th at 6:30 PM the seminar will be held in Philadelphia at Kaffa Crossing located at 4423 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, PA 19104.
• On Friday, August 17th at 7 PM the seminar will be held in Lionville/Exton at the Lionville […]

Though I’d share the environmental episode of the issues forum from the next mayor. i appreciate the fact that these are short and snappy, but i think it would be cool if they posted longer versions as well.
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