News
New York Times: Toxic Waters
The New York Times has a great new series on water pollution. One article, “Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering,” has some startling statistics: The Times’s research also shows that last year, 40 percent of the nation’s community water systems violated the Safe Drinking Water Act at least once, according to…
Green City, Clean Waters
The Philadelphia Water Department’s “Green City, Clean Waters” plan is now available online at www.phillywatersheds.org/ltcpu/! The vision behind the Green City, Clean Waters Plan is to unite the City of Philadelphia with its water environment, creating a green legacy for future generations while incorporating a balance between ecology, economics and equity. The $1.6 billion plan…
Job Opening at the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association is looking for an Executive Director. The deadline for applications is October 1, 2009, and more details are available here [.pdf].
Mexico City Bans Plastic Bags
From the article: Mexico City becomes the second large metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the bags. San Francisco in March 2007 enacted an ordinance that gave supermarkets six months and large chain pharmacies about a year to phase out the bags. Los Angeles is set to impose a ban if the state…
E-waste News from PennFuture
Check out all this cool e-waste news from the most recent PennFuture newsletter: Podcast of the Week: Your computer’s dead. Now what? In this week’s podcast, PennFuture’s western Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator Joylette Portlock takes you on an audio tour of eLoop LLC, an ethical electronics recycling firm in Plum Borough, just outside of Pittsburgh. You’ll…
E-waste Article in the New York Times
Here’s an interesting e-waste article from the New York Times. This one focuses mostly on the confusing patchwork of state laws regarding e-waste. Exactly whose responsibility is it? State governments? The federal government? Electronics manufacturers? Electronics consumers? From the article: The E.P.A. estimates that 2.6 million tons of electronic waste were dropped into landfills in…
Should Nature Be Able to Take You to Court?
We just came across this really interesting article from the Boston Globe. An excerpt: Last February, the town of Shapleigh, Maine, population 2,326, passed an unusual ordinance. Like nearby towns, Shapleigh sought to protect its aquifers from the Nestle Corporation, which draws heavily on the region for its Poland Spring bottled water. Some Maine towns…
Message from Penn Future
Here’s a message we received from Heather Sage, Vice President of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, regarding upcoming legislation: Don’t let coal companies trash our streams We need your help. Our streams are at risk from the coal industry again. Ask your state representative to oppose House Bill 1847 and your senator to oppose Senate Bill…
Teens Go Green!
Our friend Khiet Luong from the Darby-Cobbs Watershed Partnership sent usa philly.com article from a few weeks ago. It’s all about Teens Go Green, an awesome new initiative from the Urban Tree Connection, Foundations, Inc. and MLK High School. This program has dual purposes: neighborhood teenagers learn new skills in the landscaping business and beautify…
Australian Town Bans Bottled Water Sales
While Philadelphia is still struggling with the issue of plastic bags, the Australian town of Bundanoon recently took the bold environmental stance of banning the sale of bottled water(article no longer available). The most interesting tidbit from the article: The measure will not impose penalties on those who don’t comply when it goes into effect…
Colorado Legalizes Rainwater Harvesting
While we deal with the issue of having too much stormwater here in Pennsylvania, other parts of the country are struggling with having too little. Kirk Johnson’s article in today’s New York Times, “It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado,” explains that due to (often antiquated) ownership laws, it is illegal to harvest…
Must-Read Articles in Grid Magazine
I’m a little late in posting this, as June is about to be officially over, but I wanted to make sure to note that June’s Grid (Philly’s awesome, free sustainability magazine) has two really interesting stormwater-related articles. One is a profile of Alden Zove’s Cedar Run Landscapes, which has a created a sophisticated rainwater-harvesting landscaping…
More Reasons to Recycle Electronics Ethically
FRONTLINE/World had a great special on electronics recycling the other night. It describes the terrifying world of the global e-waste trade and traces what happens to American electronics once they are shipped to developing countries where people — including young children — incinerate them and rummage through them for parts. The program’s website has some…
Announcement: Job Opening at TTF!
We are excited to announce that we are currently accepting applications for a new position at TTF. Through the VISTA program, we will be hiring a Model Neighborhood Liaison for the Germantown/East Mt.Airy section of the watershed. Read on for more information. Job Title: Model Neighborhood Liaison Job Description: Seeking a full-time AmeriCorpsVISTA* for the…
Registrations still being accepted for Delaware Estuary Watershed Teacher Workshop
13th Annual Delaware Estuary Watershed Teacher Workshop July 20th-24th, 2009 This week-long workshop is designed to give participants a greater understanding of the wide variety of issues within the watershed and the interconnections between human actions and the river’s ecosystem. Begin the week at the upper portions of the estuary and literally travel down to…
Green-collar Jobs at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Here’s some news from our friends at The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary: The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is pleased to announce the following job vacancies: Schuylkill Action Network (SAN) Coordinator Responsibilities include: providing staff support to the SAN’s Planning Committee organizing and attending the SAN’s events and activities working with the SAN’s workgroups…
Delaware Estuary Watershed Teacher Workshop July 20th-24th, 2009
We just heard about this week-long workshop that is designed to give participants a greater understanding of the wide variety of issues within the watershed and the interconnections between human actions and the river’s ecosystem. Participants begin the week at the upper portions of the estuary and literally travel down to the mouth of the…
Out-n-About Summer Camps
While they are not in the TTF Watershed, there are some really great opportunities for kids aged 11-14 to participate in “Water Wonder Week” at local Out-n-About camps this summer. See the attached flyers for the Wissahickon Environmental Center [.pdf] and and the Pennypack Environmental Center [.pdf] for more info.