Grid Magazine August 2019 [#123]

■

■

■

How a clean home affects your whole life

The struggles and strength of black trans women

Why and how to major in sustainability

p. 4

p. 20

p. 12

AUGUST 2019 / ISSUE 123 / GRIDPHILLY.COM

T O W A R D A S U S TA I N A B L E P H I L A D E L P H I A

INVESTING FUTURE in our

•

A North Philly high school teaches teenagers financial literacy

Pebbles Ladriye and Bryant Alvarado are students of the Philly Finance Cooperative at Olney Charter High School.

RE-PURPOSE THE PAST TO SERVE OUR FUTURE MS in Historic Preservation COLLEGE of ARCHITECTURE and the BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Hassrick House 1958, designed by Richard Neutra, located on Jefferson’s East Falls campus

At our new Center for the Preservation of Modernism students develop preservation protocols tailored to the unique character of early and mid-century modern architecture.

Jefferson’s MS Historic Preservation not only prepares graduates to preserve historic buildings and sites, but also to re-envision and re-purpose the past to serve present and future needs. The curriculum foregrounds adaptive reuse of historic structures, as well as historical research and graphic documentation. Philadelphia, the first UNESCO World Heritage City in the US, serves as a living laboratory of architectural styles and periods for our real-world projects and internships.

Learn more and apply today at Jefferson.edu/Grid

Monthly Maker Zack Rachell Philadelphia, PA www.keystone.bike @keystone.bike TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I am a maker, bike mechanic and a worker-owner at Keystone Bicycle Co., a local startup cooperative bicycle shop. Through my work in the metal shop and bike shop, I’m driven to build and educate a self-sustaining bicycling community in Philadelphia and beyond. I’m excited Keystone has the opportunity to join NextFab and other businesses in their new space on 1800 N. American, for the chance to combine my two worlds: the bike shop and the maker space.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? When I first joined NextFab, I knew that after spending years building custom bicycles, the logical next step was to learn how to build my own frames through their metalworking and welding classes.

WHAT ARE YOU GOALS? Ultimately, my goals are to build my own bike frame from steel tubes, to in turn educate the biking community. Or at least on a smaller scale teach them how they can treat a bicycle like a piece of art; an extension of one’s own creativity or desire to make something unique. With Keystone Bicycle Co. and as a NextFab member I want to spread knowledge and get more people inspired about bicycles and technology.

Photo by Daniel McGill

Discover more stories nextfab.com/grid #nextfabmade

NextFab is a network of collaborative makerspaces.

North Philly

South Philly

AUGUST 20 19

Wilmington

G R I DP HILLY.COM

1

EDI TOR ’S NOTES

by

alex mulcahy

The Great Escape

managing editor Alexandra W. Jones associate editor Timothy Mulcahy copy editor David Jack Daniels art director Michael Wohlberg writers Bernard Brown Constance Garcia-Barrio Alexandra Jones Randy LoBasso Claire Marie Porter Meenal Raval Lois Volta photographers Linette Kielinski Milton Lindsay Albert Yee illustrators James Boyle Luke Cloran Sean Rynkewicz advertising Santino Blanco santino@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 112 distribution Alex Yarde alex.yarde@redflagmedia.com 215.625.9850 ext. 107 published by 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

2

GR ID P H I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

M

electricity, and there is no lock on the door.

Okay, they do have a gift shop of sorts.

For one hour twice a week, a makeshift camp store sets up in the library to sell T-shirts, chocolate and essential goods.

Except for those 120 minutes, your money is no good here. Phone, wallet and keys have been rendered unnecessary.

In this month’s issue, we have two stories wrestling with societal crises. Dan LaSalle is hoping to break the cycle of poverty by teaching high school students financial literacy. In universities, higher education is looking at the UN’s sustainable development goals for guidance as the next generation tries to solve a crisis that no longer looms but unfolds in real time before our eyes.

These are noble pursuits because we need to “start where we are” as a society to make change. Attempting to shift a paradigm requires time-intensive work and discipline.

Yet, perhaps because I am immersed in this carefree (and car-free) getaway, I think the sustainable future involves imagination. How about a society that is centered around the well-being of our bodies, minds and souls, where we eat and live intentionally and communally?

I realize that I’m blissed out on vacation, that other people are preparing my food, that what I’m experiencing isn’t a model that we can immediately implement on a national scale. But I do believe that Camp Common Ground provides a blueprint for a powered-down future where community, exercise, creativity and good health are shared goals. Now that I have felt it, I want the freedom of empty pockets.

ALEX MULCAHY Editor-in-Chief alex@gridphilly.com COV E R P HOTO BY L IN ETTE K I ELI NSKI

P O R T R A I T BY J A M E S B O Y L E

publisher Alex Mulcahy

y pockets are empty. I am free. I have, at least briefly, escaped modern life.

It wasn’t easy. I’m on vacation, writing you from Camp Common Ground in Vermont.

It’s a 400-mile trip, an especially long one when made with a 6-year-old and a 3-yearold. There are stops at gas stations, where my children pluck one bag of junk food after another and present them to me in the hopes that I will approve, which I do not.

But I compromise and buy a pack of gum.

We stop to get my wife a sun hat. “This is a mall,” I tell our 6-year-old, as I realize that he hasn’t been in one since he was 2. But he quickly acclimates and asks for a stuffed Pikachu doll and a stained-glass butterfly.

When his requests are again denied, he says he won’t leave the mall unless he gets one of them. He’ll be a good negotiator one day.

I know that if we can navigate the long roads festooned with billboards suggesting that I’m thirsty; hungry; in need of diamonds, whiskey, a nip-tuck surgery or tickets to see Herman’s Hermits, some true freedom awaits.

A little about the camp. The food—all vegetarian, all delicious—is prepared by kitchen staff, and it is served buffet style three times a day. In the morning, parents drop off their kids at Kidville, where youngsters are offered a wide range of activities, including art projects with homemade Play-Doh and nature walks with blueberry picking along the way. Adults can learn how to play the ukulele or take an improv class or, with the help of an artisan, make a glass pendant. There are so many great choices, but I spend the majority of my time playing tennis, trying after a 51-week layoff to remember what lessons I learned last year.

Then I take a yoga class.

On the campus, there’s one place where you can get Wi-Fi, but my cell phone doesn’t work anywhere. The cabin where we stay is only for sleeping. There is no water or

PHILLY FOODWORKS is changing our local f ood ec onomy!

We are an online market and farm share program that is dedicated to creating a sustainable local food system for the Greater Philadelphia region.

Here is how we are changing the local food system: FAIR PRICES AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION ROUTES

Unlike many traditional distributors that demand exclusivity and leverage competition to get the lowest-possible prices, we keep farmers’ well-being at the center of our business model.

We allow our growers and producers to sell to whomever they want and encourage them to do what is best for their businesses.

We also have established a network of aggregation hubs where multiple farmers in certain areas can deliver products to be transported in consolidated deliveries to our warehouse in Philadelphia.

And we cover the cost of trucking! This not only reduces the carbon footprint and allows smaller farmers to access the city market, but it also allows farmers to keep more of their profits to invest back in their business… or hey, maybe even go on vacation!

INVESTMENTS IN PRODUCER OPERATIONS

Another way we support farmers and producers is by helping them make investments in their dayto-day operations. In the past, we have provided financing for seed, greenhouses, coolers, and even a truck for various farms. In 2019, we are in talks to help finance another greenhouse for one of our farmers, which will help us guarantee a steady crop of greens throughout the winter.

CROP PLANNING AND COLLABORATION WITH FARMERS

In 2018, we launched a project aimed at increasing the diversity of our products and locking in seasonal orders far in advance. The result was a giant spreadsheet detailing the specific crops each of our farmers grow, roughly how much they will be planting for upcoming seasons, and the approximate time they plan to harvest.

When he noted overlapping crops among different farms, our produce buyer, Loren, collaborated with the farmers to choose different varieties or later planting times so Philly Foodworks won’t have to turn away any of our farmers’ crops due to excess supply, and so excess crops don’t go to waste in the fields due to lack of demand.

As a bonus, this also means that we’ll have an even wider range of produce in the coming seasons, as well as longer availability of items due to staggered plantings among different farms. For the farmers, it means that they have a guaranteed market for their products and the support (both financial and strategic) to try new varieties—like Black Nebula carrots and Sichuan Red Beauty radishes, for instance.

When you shop Philly Foodworks, you too are helping change our food system! phillyfoodworks.com | 215-221-6245 | info@phillyfoodworks.com AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

3

by

lois volta

DEAR LOIS,

Cleaning feels like a never-ending waste of time that keeps us from doing what we really want to do.

What’s the point?

I

t isn’t easy to accept that our dirt and mess are important. Why would we want to? Many of us feel there are bigger, better and more exciting things to do with our lives than to vacuum and dust the house. In actuality, the mess is a window through which we see the deep, unknown world of inner consciousness calling us to engage with life in a very practical way. The dust on the shelves is us—the dead part of us. The death, the dirt, the unsavory aspects of our tangible reality, they don’t need the negative connotations, and addressing them does not have to be a “chore.”

The house carries, sees and holds it all. It is volatile, alive and subject to change just like the people within it. It hears the fights and registers the neglect; it holds the trauma of depression and illness, all the while striving for restoration and wholeness.

We carry this same structure within our consciousness. Our bodies, living yet dying, are the subjects and objects of care: eating well, personal hygiene and overall wellness are undoubtedly important. How is it, then, that we convince ourselves that caring for our homes is boring and trivial?

Our homes are an extension of ourselves and of the present, and it is counterintuitive to long for bigger, better and more exciting lives when we resent interacting with our homes and lives as they are.

There is a tendency to look outside of the present for a sense of larger purpose and importance. Dirty dishes and grimy bath4

GR ID P H I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

rooms seem pointless and menial when we feel “destined for greatness” somewhere else in the world. But if the present were different, if we were relieved of the drudgery of everyday responsibilities, would we make good on our self-perceived importance or sit right back down in front of the TV? For successful movement out of this existential crisis, we need a paradigm shift.

Unless we are planning to leave the pres-

ent moment in favor of a different one, the mess, clutter and dust we ignore will become an exponentially larger problem in the future. In lieu of personal action, we might throw money at the problem to make it go away or do the mental gymnastics to convince ourselves that we “like” living in the chaos and grime. To each their own. If we cared for our bodies in the same way, we would have to accept that sickness is the norm and that preventative care is not worth our time.

Good form will carry us through the hardest days and most exhausting evenings. If we can truly accept ourselves where we are, on this journey, in this home, with this job, with these people surrounding us, we embrace the true freedom of interacting with our lives as they are. Although I may wish to be “somewhere else,” I am here now, and not in a future that may never materialize. I have high hopes for what I would like to see for myself and our world, but no expectations. I embrace that life comes with maintenance and work. I also embrace relaxation, restoration and the fruit of the seeds I have planted. In looking at the whole, I respect the trivial.

P O R T R A I T BY J A M E S B O Y L E

TH E VO LTA WAY

IL LUSTRATIO N BY LUKE C LORA N

The future depends on a sustained involvement in life as it is right now.

So, I’ve neglected the basement. I’ve thrown things down there, let it become a place where I hide bad habits. I’ve closed the door to ignore it. What does that say? I know that it is just a basement, so who cares if it’s a mess? But it serves as a reminder that I am not appropriately caring for the spaces that I have right now. I can rationalize that the space is inadequate, too small, that it serves as a multifunctioning space that can’t ever possibly be what I want it to be. Or, I can ignore the wish for a different situation and make the time to deal with my mountain of clutter. The experience doesn’t have to be negative—it is an opportunity for self-reflection and self-determination.

When faced with an uphill climb, the tendency is to look for a way out without addressing the habits that brought the mess in the first place. Press a button and the cleaning fairy will make the dust and clutter go away—is this the dream? How lazy and out of touch with reality! It will be no different in a new space. Poor habits follow us wherever we go.

Examining our everyday behaviors, domestic habits and relationship with our tangible reality is essential for the development of self-knowledge and freedom. There is no cure to be bought, no shortcut to be found and no savior from the truth that our dead skin cells become dust.

Cleaning up after ourselves and the ones we love is worth our time. We can transcend the existential dread of trivial work, set a new bar for domestic gender equality and redefine this central issue for our modern times. As a species, we must evolve by looking at where we are now, seeing the mess, the trash and the grime. We must stop and give thought, weight and importance to the habits we will instill in future generations and the impact this will have on the future of this planet. We shouldn’t let the realities of domesticity deter us from action. We can learn through our existence that we are living, breathing creatures worth taking care of, and act accordingly.

MAIN CAMPUS Germantown 31 W. Coulter St. Philadelphia, PA 19144

CENTER CITY The Curtis Center 601 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

INQUIRE TOD AY! 215-951-2345 | admissions@germantownfriends.org W WW. G E RM AN TOWN F RIE N D S . ORG /E C

lois volta is a home consultant, musician and the founder of Volta Naturals. loisvolta.com AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

5

Clean Laundry Clean Planet Clean Slates

EN ERGY

by

meenal raval

Keep Your Cool Without AC Beat the heat and save on electricity using these simple tips

Small Businesses

Save 10% off your first order. Code: GRID10 WashCycleLaundry.com

Farm-to-Table Fresh Organic and Local In conjunction with Frecon Farms,

Cosmic Cidery and Brewery is now open! Sit by the water and sip a refreshing adult beverage.

1 Boathouse Row • 215-978-0900 Open 7 Days a Week • 8 AM to 8 PM

cosmicfoods.com

T

hanks to the climate crisis, we’re guaranteed hotter and wetter weather in the years to come. We’re used to our humid summers in Philly—but hotter and more humid? How are we all going to cope with that? When we cool our indoor spaces with air conditioners, we’re basically pushing the heat and moisture outside, making the outdoors even more uncomfortable. Using AC also means we use more electricity, meaning more greenhouse gases from the power plant.

So, how do we keep our cool? It’s time to think outside the (AC) box.

Fans Fans blow the sweat off your skin, making you feel more comfortable. Whether it’s a folding fan you pull out of your purse at Suburban Station, a table fan, a floor fan or a ceiling fan, they all make you feel less hot—and use a lot less electricity than an AC unit. When you run a fan for an hour, you use about 50 watt-hours. When you run an AC for an hour, you use about 500 watt-hours, 10 times as much. We’re billed for electricity use in kilowatt-hours (kWh), or 1,000 watt-hours. Do the math.

Since fans evaporate moisture and don’t lower a room’s temperature, you only need to keep the fans on when you’re in the room.

Follow (and block) the sun The sun’s radiation heats up our homes.

This is nice in the winter, but not in August.

We need to block the sun from entering our homes as much as possible.

If you don’t already have drapes or blinds on your sunny windows, one quick way is with a tension rod and a quick hem to

any light-colored fabric. In the mornings, I bring in the cool air via my living room windows, keeping the kitchen window and curtains closed to block the sun. In the late afternoon, I’ve got the kitchen window open and the front windows closed and darkened. After dark and on cloudy days, both sides are open, offering a refreshing cross breeze.

If you have a window fan, after dark is when you prop them in open windows and draw in the cooler air. Consider installing window film, or if you own a row house, white coating your roof. These affordable options block the sun and keep you cooler.

Still feeling too hot? Mist your shirt and your head with a little water and sit under a ceiling fan. Again, evaporation at work.

Do something else If your second-floor bedroom feels too hot, camp out on the first floor.

If your first floor feels too hot, find a project in the basement. Or wash dishes with cold water. When I rinse my cereal bowls with cool water, I feel my mind cool a little as well.

As for food, cool meals rich in water content are best. Consider cooking in the cooler, early morning hours and eating more vegetables and fruit salads.

Don’t be stoic And if you must use the AC to keep your cool, I’ve learned that it’s not a case of either AC or a fan. I can keep the AC at a higher temperature (meaning it uses fewer kWh) and spin the fans in the occupied space to remain comfortable.

Give it a try. July was plastic-free month.

Why not make August Freon-free?

meenal raval is a catalyst for the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign and Solarize Southeast PA, to assist people transitioning away from fossil fuels like coal, oil, gas and gasoline.

6

GRID P H I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

P O R T R A I T BY J A M E S B O Y L E

Sustainable Laundry and Linen Solutions for Philly’s Laundry and Linen Residents and Solutions for Businesses

Interested in finding out if you are eligible for one of our HIV prevention research studies?

Who We Need

The Univeristy of Pennsylvania is seeking: • Healthy people • HIV negative • 18 and older • People with an interest in joining a research study to help find ways to prevent HIV infection.

Participation Includes: • Free and confidential HIV counseling and testing • Physical exams • Compensation for your time and travel • The vaccine CANNOT cause HIV infection, but it may not protect you from infection

1-866-HIV-PENN (1-866-448-7366) www.phillyvax.org/outreach facebook.com/phillyvax • @phillyvax

AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

7

bike talk

This Road is Your Road Non-driving households contribute plenty to street maintenance

by

randy lobasso

A

fter i testified at City Council on a Vision Zero issue in the spring, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, where I work, put up a blog post with a bit of context and the transcript of my testimony, which was then shared far and wide on social media, including in the local Fishtown neighborhood group Fishtown is AWESOME OLD/NEW/EVERYONE! That’s when the commentary on cyclists began.

It was your usual mix: stuff about how all bicyclists “break the law”; about how people who ride bikes act entitled; and, in one case, a commenter threatening to run down cyclists with his pickup truck.

That sort of commentary is pretty commonplace, but what made it strange for me was that I had, a few years ago, taken my car to that commenter’s auto garage, and I liked him. His rationale for his rage came from the idea that people who ride bicycles don’t pay for roads and, therefore, shouldn’t be allowed on them.

The idea is that people who ride bikes don’t pay their fair share because they’re not actively paying for gas taxes at the pump or paying road tolls. It’s a popular, and dangerous, misconception.

A report looking at what we all pay for roads was authored in 2015 by Tony Dutzik and Gideon Weissman of the Frontier Group and Phineas Baxandall of U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

“Roads don’t pay for themselves. We, the American people—whether we drive a lot, a little, or not at all—increasingly pay for them through other taxes and uncompensated costs,” the report concluded.

The authors note that, once upon a time, the money for roads actually did come from gas taxes—but that share (more than 70 percent in the 1960s and early 1970s) has decreased over time due to changes in lifestyle, inflation, more fuel-efficient cars and 8

GR ID P H IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

“slower growth” in driving. As the federal government brings in less money for the costs of roads, governments have had to get creative in paying for them.

Today, according to the Build America Transportation Investment Center Institute at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 48.6 percent of highway funding comes from “user charges”—which include fuel taxes, vehicle taxes and fees and tolls—with the rest (51.4 percent) coming from property taxes, “other taxes and fees,” bonds and general fund appropriations.

Dutzik, Weissman and Baxandall also crunched the numbers and figured out how much we’re paying for our streets. On average, U.S. households—whether they’re a “driving household” or not—pay about $1,100 in taxes and other costs imposed by driving, per year. That includes, according to the authors, $597 in general tax reve-

nue for road repair; between $199 and $675 in driving subsidies, like the sales tax exemption for gas purchases and commuter benefits; and $93 to $360 in costs related to “air pollution-induced health damage.”

Unfortunately, of the money bicyclists pay into the system for roads they don’t damage, governments typically spend more “non-user” tax dollars on highways than on transit, walking and passenger rail—combined.

This isn’t to say that our taxes shouldn’t go into roads—they absolutely should.

One look at Philadelphia’s streets shows that not enough money has gone into maintenance and paving. But streets are in bad shape because we, as a society, have chosen not to invest in them.

You can’t hold cyclists responsible for the state of the roads. We are, indeed, paying our fair share.

IL LUSTRATIO N BY S EAN RY NKEWI CZ

FRIENDS CENTER

The Quaker Hub for Peace and Justice in Philadelphia

with Koreen Brennan

SEPTEMBER 15 - 27, 2019

Choose Friends Center for Your Eco-Friendly Event!

Since 1856, Friends Center has been a gathering place for business, community and private events. With our LEED Platinum green renovation, modern video and teleconferencing facilities, we are both historic, up to date and ready for your use.

• • • •

Rooms to accommodate events from 10 to 700 people.

10 unique spaces to fit your specific needs.

Centrally located and easily accessible.

Bike, transit and pedestrian friendly.

Developed by Grow Permaculture™, this intensive 12-day course focuses on tools to create a higher quality regenerative life through the basics of food, shelter, energy, water, health, nature, and community.

URBAN AND RURAL STRATEGIES & TECHNIQUES THEORY • HANDS-ON APPLICATION • GROUP ACTIVITIES

An internationally recognized certificate in Permaculture Design issued upon completion.

For more detailed information visit

www.pendlehill.org

For more information: Shakirah Holloway 215-241-7098 • sholloway@friendscentercorp.org 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

friendscentercorp.org

AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

9

urban naturalist

Squash bees, roughly the size of honeybees, visit a squash blossom in the early morning hours.

The Early Bee This little pollinator gets up before dawn to take a dip in by bernard brown your blooming squash plants

G

ardeners who have taken a peek inside the hand-sized yellow flowers on their squash plants have probably witnessed what looks like a bee dance party.

On smaller flowers, bees perch themselves and deploy their long tongues to suck up the tiny droplets of nectar inside.

By contrast, on winter squash plants (like pumpkins, butternuts or hubbards) and summer squash plants (like zucchini), flowers present bees with a virtual swimming pool of nectar, and they dive right in.

You might spot honeybees and bumblebees wallowing around at the base of the flower during the day, but most squash 10

GR IDPH IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 20 1 9

flowers are pollinated before these insects wake up.

The squash bee, as the name implies, specializes in pollinating squash flowers (members of the genus Cucurbita). So when you’re showing off that zucchini the size of a baseball bat or carving a pumpkin in the fall, you have this insect to thank.

“Even though [the squash plants] are visited for nectar by honeybees and bumblebees, the only ones that actually collect the pollen are squash bees,” explains Margarita López-Uribe, Ph.D., an assistant professor of entomology at Penn State University.

Squash bees “are about honeybee size, but they are a lot hairier,” says López-Uribe,

a physical feature that might help them conserve heat on chilly mornings. Squash flowers open for about six hours starting at dawn. The squash bees are there first, sometimes starting their commute before the sun rises, according to López-Uribe.

Squash bees are single parents, like the vast majority of Pennsylvania’s 450 various bee species.

“If we are talking about the biology of bees, honeybees are very different from most bees. Squash bees better represent the biology of most bees,” says López-Uribe.

P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F U . S . D E PA R T M E N T O F AG R I C U LT U R E , F L I C K R ( TO P ) ; P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F U S GS B E E I N V E N TO R Y A N D M O N I TO R I N G L A B , F L I C K R ( B E LO W )

2019-06_Perks_GridPrint_Burger.pdf 1 2/19/2019 11:51:54 AM

The female squash bee digs a burrow for her offspring, and at the end of it builds a compartment for each larva. She combines the pollen and nectar she’s gathered into a pellet, lays one egg on it and then seals up the chamber. The eggs will hatch and the larvae will grow by eating the pollen and nectar cakes. They will emerge the next summer as adults, just as the squash blossoms begin to bloom.

The squash plants we grow and eat descend from a wild gourd species that originally grew around what is now western Missouri. This means, like the squash plants they depend on, squash bees were once immigrants to the Philadelphia area.

López-Uribe has tracked their movement over centuries by looking at the insects’ genes. In a 2016 study, she and her co-authors found that the squash bees in eastern North America descended from C populations in the Midwest, where one of the squash plant species (Cucurbita pepo, M which includes acorn squash, carving Y pumpkins and most summer squash) was CM domesticated.

MY The bees moved north and east as squash cultivation spread among Indigenous peo- CY CMY ples.

“This means that humans, by moving K crops, have been letting these bees expand their ranges,” says López-Uribe. “We think that the presence of squash bees in this part [of the continent] could be as recent as 500 to 2,000 years.”

Thus, the squash bees that pollinate our pumpkins, butternuts and zucchini today got here thanks to the farming choices of our Indigenous predecessors.

López-Uribe and her team are continuing their research around squash bees. Ph.D. student Laura Jones is investigating how honey and bumblebees might spread diseases to squash bees in commercial farms, and post-doctoral researcher Kristen Brochu is trying to figure out if local squash bees have lost their taste for their original host plants.

You can observe squash bees yourself by setting your alarm for dawn and watching your squash blossoms. If you’re early enough, there should be only one type of bee inside your squash flowers. They’ll be roughly the size of a honeybee but with narrower bands on their abdomen.

...

PSST YOU’ VE GOT PERKS

SEPTA KEY CARDHOLDERS GET DISCOUNTS ON BITES AND BREWS, TOURS AND TIX, GAMES AND GEAR AND MORE ...

I S E P T A P H I L LY. C O M / P E R K S AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

11

black history

Trans and Proud

F

or a black transgender woman, being true to one’s self sometimes exacts a horrific price. One hears little about them unless they make lurid headlines as victims of violence—as did Michelle “Tamika” Washington, shot to death on May 19 in North Philly.

This odd cocktail of sensationalism and silence often breeds stereotypes on the public’s part and frustration for black transgender women who are trying to change the way others see them.

“Sometimes I feel like the work I’m doing is invisible,” says Tatyana Woodard, 31, a black transgender woman and community health engagement coordinator at the Mazzoni Center at 1348 Bainbridge Street, an organization devoted to the health of the LGBTQ community.

“I try to help trans people,” she says.

Besides being pigeonholed, black transgender people face more homelessness, discrimination in employment and higher rates of extreme poverty than non-transgender black people, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States. Black transgender women also suffer the highest levels of fatal violence within the LGBTQ community, notes the Williams Institute, a think tank on gender identity and public policy at UCLA School of Law. “Being a black trans woman, I can’t even explain how hard it is,” says Joniece Greer, 30, the community engagement specialist and facilitator of Mazzoni Center’s Sisterly L.O.V.E. (Leading Others Via Education) 12

GR IDPH I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

program for transgender women.

“There are layers [of difficulty]: racism, transphobia, shunning by your own community,” Greer says. “I’ve been called a faggot, spit on and hit.”

“Sometimes it feels like people’s self-hate gets projected onto you,” Greer adds.

Projection may help explain the violence by men against black transgender women.

“If I’m a man and I find myself attracted to a trans woman with male genitalia, what does that say about me?” says Portia Hunt, Ph.D., a Mount Airy therapist in private practice. “Fear about one’s own identity may underlie the violence.”

Greer, born in Ohio, knew by age 4 or 5 that she was different. “I liked playing with dolls, and I felt more comfortable being around my sisters,” she says. “I will never identify as a man.”

Greer dispels the idea that transgender people can decide to be otherwise.

“It’s not something you choose,” she says. “Most of us don’t want to be trans. You know your life is going to be hard.”

Joniece Greer, community Hunt, too, counters the idea engagement specialist of choice. at the Mazzoni Center, dispels the notion that “Some people don’t have being trans is a choice, a clue that your genitals may and fights for full equality. not reflect your internal sense

P H OTO BY A L B E R T Y E E ( A B OV E ) ; P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F M A Z ZO N I C E N T E R ( B E LO W )

Black trans women overcome adversity to help others by constance garcia-barrio at LGBTQ center

When trans kids leave home or get kicked out at age 13 or 14, they have no life skills, no training, no guidance.

It can lead to the drug scene or sex work.”

— j onie ce greer,

Tatyana Woodard, community health engagement coordinator at the Mazzoni Center, wants to take on more leadership in her community.

of yourself,” she says. “The truth is, we all have masculine and feminine qualities.”

One transgender woman put it this way: “It’s like you’re born into the wrong body.”

At age 8 or 9, Woodard began wearing girls’ clothes privately in her bedroom.

“My mom would find them and throw them out,” she says. Life became harder when Woodard entered high school. She was terrified.

“I felt like there was no place for me,” she says. Then Woodard, whose father had died when she was 5, and her mother had a big argument about the clothes issue.

“I ended up dropping out of school and leaving home,” she says.

Greer, whose parents divorced when she was 10, was raised by her mother. At odds with her mother, she left home at 17.

“When trans kids leave home or get kicked out at age 13 or 14, they have no life skills, no training, no guidance,” Greer says.

“It can lead to the drug scene or sex work.”

Families may feel embarrassed about the young transgender person, especially if family members feel shamed in a closeknit religious community, Hunt noted. Yet shunning a young trans person may come at a high cost.

“It may result [in] suicide,” Greer says.

When Greer left Ohio, she could count on very few people. “My best friends, Will and Lu, and my godmother were my strongest support system,” she says. In time, two of her sisters, a niece and Greer’s father grew close to her.

“Before my father passed away in March of 2016, he said he loved me and apologized for not being there when I needed him,” she says. “It meant a lot, especially coming from a black father. Most of us don’t get that.”

After Woodard left home, she still had the support of a younger brother, an older half-sister and a maternal aunt, she said,

community engagement specialist, Mazzoni Center

noting that she and Greer both work with trans youth and their siblings who want to be allies.

“My aunt—my mom’s older sister—told my mom, ‘If you’re having a hard time, think how Tatyana must feel,’ ” Woodard says.

Woodard’s mother began searching online and consulting different sources for understanding, Woodard recalled. It paid off.

“Our relationship is 20 times better now,” she says. “My mom’s my biggest supporter.”

Both Woodard and Greer would like to go to school, Greer for social work and holistic healing, and Woodard to take on more leadership in her community.

Greer, the recipient of a 2015 pancreas-kidney transplant—“I had end-stage kidney disease by 2014”—must also attend to her health. “I can get lots of sympathy, even pity, when people know my health history, but that annoys me,” she says.

In the meantime, Woodard and Greer will work toward making Philadelphia more welcoming to black transgender women so that they can focus less on survival and more on developing their talents and contributing to the city.

“There need to be panels, discussions and community forums to educate people,” Greer says, affirming the conclusions of Andrew R. Flores, Ph.D., a visiting scholar at UCLA’s Williams Institute who found that more information and images of trans people reduce prejudice against them. However, more than a larger public presence is required.

“Trans people need a job corps, access to housing and culturally competent health care,” Greer says. “In other words, we want the same things as everyone else.”

AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

13

meet your makers

Left: Ryan Ebner chars a whiskey barrel.

Above: He and his father Jeff stand with a finished product. Right: The Ebners fit staves together with hoops made of mild or stainless steel.

Whiskey Business This father-and-son cooperage is small, and may stay that way

R

by

claire marie porter

yan ebner is a construction consultant by day and a cooper by night. In a rented workspace in West Philadelphia, shared with Ice Sculpture Philly, he and his father, Jeff, moonlight amongst smells of smoke and wood.

The father-son duo started Anthony Barrel Company in 2015 as a side hustle. Jeff is a retired Volvo logistics engineer who commutes from Reading. His son Ryan lives in South Philadelphia. With two decades between them, they experiment with old and new methods for barrel-making. Their handiwork is intended for craft whiskey distillers.

For Ryan, whiskey-barrel making is a passion, and the wood brings him to life, as he shapes, chars and toasts.

“When I started working a desk job, there 14

GRIDPH IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 20 1 9

was no real access to hands-on problem solving,” he says, “so this fills that void.”

Ryan read a lot of books and watched a lot of YouTube videos to get started.

There is machinery that can make a whiskey barrel. But there’s nothing like engaging in the centuries-old tradition of woodworking. The 3- to 15-gallon barrels are made in small batches, using various tools and methods.

The intricacies were something Ryan wanted to figure out on his own, he says.

That includes the complex math used to fit a barrel together.

“It’s mostly just the arc of a curve—understanding how staves fit together,” he says.

The wood, mostly white oak, primarily comes from a mill in rural Pennsylvania.

The wood is air-dried for at least a year before it’s transported to the workshop.

Then it becomes either staves, the body of the barrel, or heads, the pieces that fit on either end.

Once the staves and heads are cut and prepared, the Ebners fit them together with hoops made of mild or stainless steel.

This is an assemblage called the “rose,” for its blooming look pre-bending. The barrel rose is then steamed and evenly winched.

Then comes the dramatic part, Ryan’s favorite—the part with the fire.

Toasting is the process of helping the wood to caramelize by gently heating the barrel at temperatures of 300 to 450 Fahrenheit. Caramelization occurs around 320 degrees.

“From there you get more complex flavors,” says Ryan.

The Ebners’ toasting process takes about 45 minutes in total and occurs in a big, insulated barrel that functions like a wood pellet grill.

“Caramel, vanilla, the sweetness of it, P HOTO G RAP HY BY M ILTO N LI NDSAY

We clean with eco-friendly products that we make by hand using only natural non-toxic ingredients (plant and mineral derivatives) and essential oils.

HolisticHomeLLC.com 215 • 421 • 4050

comes from the barrel,” explains Ryan.

In fact, 50 to 80 percent of a whiskey’s flavor comes from the barrel alone, he says.

When charring, a process used more often for darker whiskey and smoother, richer flavors, the barrel is lit on fire using a propane torch.

“Charring is the most satisfying thing— you smell what it’s going to taste like,” he says.

They bag up the leftover white oak chips and take them to Urban Cowboys, the horse collective across the street, where they are used for bedding.

“The horses love it,” says Ryan. “It’s both convenient and sustainable.”

The coopers are toying with the idea of going larger, but the industrial sized 50gallon barrels require bigger machinery and more hands.

“I don’t know if I really want to go there,” Ryan says. “I don’t want to do big cookie-cutter barrels.”

For him, as with most artisans, the satisfaction is in the craft itself.

Learn. Play. Grow. theschoolinrosevalley.org AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

15

Olney Charter teacher Dan LaSalle (center) is the founder of the Philly Finance Cooperative.

The program has helped high school students like Pebbles Ladriye (left) and Bryant Alvarado (right) 16 lifelong GR IDPH IL LY.CO M AUGUSTskills.

201 9 develop money management

A SOUND INVESTMENT

High school course teaches personal finance to Philly youth story by alexandra jones • photography by linette kielinski

T

he teen years are an opportune time to learn smart money habits.

High school students are on the verge of making big decisions— choosing colleges and career paths, opening bank accounts and sometimes getting their first cars and credit cards—that may have long-term effects on their lives.

A few fundamental lessons can set them up for success while avoiding common pitfalls—like overspending and racking up credit card debt.

And yet, they are unlikely to receive those lessons in school.

That’s why Dan LaSalle, a teacher at Olney Charter High School, founded the Philly Finance Cooperative, a course that gives students real-world money-management experience, allowing them to earn money and then choose how to spend, save and invest it.

“I saw so many bright students that had graduated and couldn’t understand how to navigate consumer and economic life—the cost of college, apartments, car insurance,” says LaSalle. “If they had a more privileged upbringing, their parents would have bought them [everything], but these students [are] dealing with pricing, costs and people selling them things they didn’t need to buy.”

Three years ago, he started the cooperative with 25 students and $25,000 in grant funds from the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders.

Getting the program off the ground was

a challenge. To open bank accounts for minors, sign-off from an adult is needed. Some parents didn’t have bank accounts of their own, while others were undocumented.

Others had poor credit; owed money to a collection agency, cell phone company or utility company; or had a negative bank balance—creating an immediate flag from credit bureaus, thus prohibiting them from opening or co-signing on a new account.

During the first year, over two-thirds of the 25 students had an adult other than a parent cosign for their account. (Now LaSalle collaborates with American Heritage Credit Union, which is more accommodating to students opening accounts with unbanked or underbanked parents.)

Those in the program work jobs like managing after-school clubs and activities, funded by private donors to the program, to earn money.

In the 2018-2019 school year, 81 students earned a combined total of $68,000 in wages. Students can also earn and deposit money from outside jobs.

While most teens—and, who are we kidding, most adults—would benefit from a primer on personal finance, LaSalle’s class is addressing a population that is particularly vulnerable. According to data collected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, two-thirds of the high school’s 1,984 students are considered economically disadvantaged. Roughly 62 percent of the school’s students are Hispanic and 32 per-

cent, black. U.S. Census data from 2010 indicates that the median incomes of Hispanic and black households in the Philadelphia area were $39,300 and $38,200, respectively.

For non-Hispanic whites, the average was $75,000—nearly double.

Pebbles Ladriye, a rising senior at Olney, has been a star student in the class for a year and a half. But at home, “how to save and how to budget doesn’t really come up,” Ladriye says.

Ladriye’s family emigrated from the Dominican Republic when she was 9 years old.

Her mother expects that just as she learned to speak English, she will learn money management on her own.

LaSalle says Ladriye now understands personal finance better than most adults.

With $800 in the bank, she’s on track to exceed her goal of saving $1,000 this summer while working as an assistant to her mother, a home health aide. And although Ladriye’s not quite sure what she wants to do when she graduates, she’s considering studying finance.

“Everyone wants to get a job that gives you a lot of money, but you should also get one you actually enjoy doing,” she says.

“I’ve learned so much through this program that it makes me want to do a job I enjoy.”

A wealth of knowledge Though he’s a teacher and administrator with a background in cognitive science and psychology—not a financial planner— AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI LLY.COM

17

True profit

“It changed my perspective on the world, caused me to think more critically about money and life as a whole, planning ahead—all that good stuff.”

—bryant alvarado, LaSalle has been saving well and spending strategically for many years: After comparison shopping, he did his first two years of schooling at Community College of Philadelphia before transferring to a four-year university, with much of his tuition paid for with need- and merit-based scholarships.

Scoping out college costs left a lasting impact on him.

“Price doesn’t equal quality,” he says. “I became a skeptical consumer.”

LaSalle put his philosophy into the program’s textbook, Chasing Benjamins: Mr. LaSalle’s Guaranteed Guide to Becoming a Millionaire. With a cheeky title, engaging language, and Bitmoji illustrations, the book serves as a practical, easy-to-understand guide for teens to set themselves up to live, work and retire with financial freedom.

In other words, to self-actualize.

A wealthy person, according to LaSalle, has money to spend on the things she wants, plus money saved and money invested. The five steps to getting there? First, visualize your retirement and your legacy.

Do you want to quit working at age 50, to 18

GRIDPH IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

rising senior at Olney Charter High School sip piña coladas on the beach, or to leave enough behind so that your grandchildren can go to college debt-free?

Next, find your niche—your way of earning a living and contributing to the world that provides you with the motivation to get up and go to work every day.

Third, live below your means—a nobrainer that’s nonetheless tough for most people to put into practice.

Fourth, don’t forget to pay yourself first— that is, save 10 to 20 percent of your income.

And finally, invest your money wisely in financial products like mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and index funds that will provide you with a dependable, longterm payoff.

LaSalle hopes that foundational lessons and real-life experience with how to earn, think about and manage money to reach long-term life goals could help break students and their families out of the cycle of generational poverty. With sufficient funding, LaSalle would like to make the program available to every student at Olney Charter.

To keep students on the right track, LaSalle has monthly one-on-one meetings to discuss how they’ve been spending and saving. While some are natural savers, others spend every penny they earn, promise to change and then don’t follow through.

The teacher acknowledges that there’s only so much you can do to ensure a student’s financial success.

“Maybe five years from now, it’ll click, maybe not,” he says.

Take rising senior Bryant Alvarado, who saved up $3,000 through the program and an off-campus job to buy a car. Although LaSalle teaches students to eschew credit cards except for emergencies and a few credit-building transactions, Alvarado decided to try one out for himself. Soon, the student had amassed around $1,000 in trivial purchases on his card.

“I learned that a credit card gives you freedom—sometimes a little too much,” Alvarado says. “You have to be responsible, and you can’t use it on everyday expenses because it racks up before you notice it.”

Overall, the class has changed how Alvarado thinks about money.

“Before the class, I just thought money bought you stuff,” he says. “After the class, the same thing—but how you acquire it is different. Making an investment in homes isn’t as effective as the stock market. And having multiple sources of income or securities is a good way to build wealth.”

After graduation, Alvarado is hoping to attend Penn State. He’s also set a savings goal for himself: put away $10,000 to $15,000 in the next few years so that he’ll be in a good position to buy his own place when he strikes out on his own. After that?

His dream is to work on Wall Street.

But first, Alvarado says, he’ll start by studying finance. The student plans to work with individuals and businesses on financial planning—helping folks with money grow their wealth and those without to get on the right path to financial freedom.

All thanks to LaSalle’s class.

“It’s helped me a lot,” he says. “It changed my perspective on the world, caused me to think more critically about money and life as a whole, planning ahead—all that good stuff.”

Plenty of Time to Enjoy Summer!

Open daily 10am-4pm Weekends until 5pm Extended Summer Hours

100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia 19118∙(215)247-5777∙www.morrisarboretum.org

AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

19

CHOOSING A SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM IN AN UNSUSTAINABLE SOCIETY Sustainability is a paradigm, not a tack-on story by claire marie porter

D

id you know that you can major in sustainability? Colleges and universities all across the nation offer programs on the subject. ¶ “A lot of people assume that sustainability is [just] environmentalism. It’s not,” says Rob Fleming, an architect, professor and director in the sustainable design program at Thomas Jefferson University. [Editor’s note: Fleming has previously written for Grid.] ¶ The term “sustainability” has become ubiquitous, and thus vague—it’s often lumped with buzzwords like “eco-friendly” and “green” and thrown around to describe corporate initiatives, food sourcing and hybrid vehicles. While students may learn about some of these concepts in academic programs, there’s much more to the subject of sustainability than what we’re routinely exposed to in the marketplace. ¶ In fact, there are certain hallmarks aspiring sustainability students should keep in mind as they’re deciding on their program—hallmarks that will allow them to suss out which degrees are legit.

20

GR IDPH I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 20 1 9

The first thing to keep in mind: people, planet and profits.

According to the United Nations, the three fundamental pillars of sustainability are social, environmental and economic well-being.

“Sustainability is clearly defined as the triple bottom line,” Fleming explains. “We add the fourth bottom line of place or experience to be more inclusive.”

“Three pillars.” “Triple bottom line.” All the jargon points to the same thing—that

THE UNITED NATIONS’ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

21

sustainability is meeting the present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. It’s about taking care of the world and taking care of people, in perpetuity.

This model is used to establish every subcategory of sustainability. Sustainable design is design that meets the needs of the present within the building design field, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, and so on.

What it means to be sustainable is different than what it means to be eco-friendly or green, because sustainability is about balancing the future with the present.

Local sustainability offerings

• University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Landscape Architecture • Villanova University’s Master of Science in Sustainable Engineering • Drexel University’s Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Sustainability • Temple University’s Master of Science in Environmental Health • West Chester University’s Bachelor of Science in Urban and Environmental Planning and its Master of Urban and Regional Planning • University of the Sciences Environmental Science Major These programs all function within the paradigm of sustainability, but each may emphasize a different aspect of the triple bottom line—people, planet or profit.

Is the program you’re looking at authentic?

Philadelphia’s branch of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) was started in 2005 to provide resources for campus sustainability efforts.

It is a national and virtual organization, says Aurora Winslade, director of sustainability at Swarthmore College, and a criti22

GRIDPH IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 20 1 9

cally important one.

It oversees STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System—a framework that can be used by potential students to vet how seriously a school takes sustainability.

STARS is a point-based tool that provides information for potential students on things like how many sustainability courses are offered at a higher education institution or the amount of faculty engaged in sustainability research.

“It’s been co-created by professionals over the last decade,” says Winslade. It’s data driven, and collaborative (university officials report numbers on behalf of their institutions), but in no way absolute.

“Any system is, by definition, not going to be perfect, but it’s the best benchmark we have,” says Winslade.

Fleming echoes this.

“STARS allows a school to organize its efforts and tell a true story,” he says.

Another important consideration, Winslade says, is what solutions academic programs offer. She suggests looking through Project Drawdown’s list of viable global climate solutions.

“Project Drawdown is a multinational

effort convening hundreds of researchers from all over the world to use peer-reviewed research to quantify and promote solutions to reverse global warming,” says Winslade.

It’s also important to examine how a program is choosing to use sustainability throughout the curriculum. Have they developed a technological and operational plan? Have they funded it?

“How is it integrated into policies, student life, job descriptions?” prompts Winslade.

Likewise, pay attention to the professors you’d be learning from. The personnel is what makes a program serious, says Liesel Schwarz, sustainability manager at Villanova University.

She also notes that a good sustainability program is tailored around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Fleming agrees. When programs incorporate these goals, they’re creating stronger sustainability programs, he says.

The SDGs are a list of 17 objectives that cover earth and human wellness—from zero hunger to gender equality to clean air.

“That framework is becoming accepted in large corporations and government,” says

P H OTO S C O U R T E S Y O F S WA R T H M O R E C O L L E G E ( L E F T ) A N D V I L L A N OVA U N I V E R S I T Y ( R I G H T )

The first higher education sustainability program in the United States was implemented at Arizona State University in 2006.

By 2015, 475 colleges and universities offered degree programs in sustainability.

The first program in Philadelphia was founded 11 years ago at Philadelphia University (now part of Thomas Jefferson).

Soon after, followed:

Far left: Melissa Tier, Sustainability Program Manager (2nd from left) and Aurora Winslade, Director of Sustainability (4th from left) sort compost at Swarthmore College, which composts organic waste in all dorms and office buildings. Left: Rising junior Eliana Uriona and visiting assistant professor of chemistry Vanessa Boschi, Ph.D., conduct soil productivity research in Villanova University’s research garden.

“Because, yes, it’s about ecology, and it’s about the environment, but it’s also about people, and it’s about justice.”

—aurora winslade , director of sustainability at Swarthmore College Fleming, “and trickling down into education.”

Asking how a particular program’s curriculum relates to the SDGs is a good way to vet its authenticity, he says.

And one particularly important SDG to ask about, Fleming says, is poverty.

An effective sustainability program needs to address the global pockets of chronic hunger, unclean water and lack of healthcare. If poverty isn’t solved, we aren’t going to be able to live in a sustainable society.

“We recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development,” states the preamble of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by United Nations member states.

The poor rely heavily on natural resources and are most vulnerable to changes in the environment. Ending extreme poverty will increase environmental sustainability.

“We have to address the social issues— climate change is just a piece,” says Schwarz.

It’s a big part of the solution, she says, but all these things go hand-in-hand if we want

a long-term answer.

And young students pursuing sustainability are emphatic about addressing the problems faced by low-income communities, says Winslade.

“Because, yes, it’s about ecology, and it’s about the environment,” says Winslade.

“But it’s also about people, and it’s about justice.”

Focusing on the future means focusing on climate change As climate change and global warming move more into the public eye, academics in the sustainability field have responded.

A big push happened right after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was released last year. It stated, in no uncertain terms, that we have 12 years left to limit the calamitous effects of climate change. The risks of drought, poverty, extreme heat and floods are increasing and require urgent action to keep the globe from warming to an increase of 1.5 C (2.7 F).

Even half a degree more would have catastrophic effects, says the report.

“It was the first time we started seeing media outlets covering climate change in a big way,” says Winslade. “I started being

more courageous about saying we are in a climate crisis—this is an emergency.”

Many Philadelphia programs are recognizing this urgency, and becoming more data-driven, and more aggressive.

“Traditionally, higher education has been more a neutral thing,” says Winslade.

“I think that is outdated, considering the severity of the crises that we are facing. We need to be ambitious and strategic.”

When it comes to higher education, it’s possible to graduate with a degree and know nothing about sustainability or climate change.

“Our curriculum is very slow to change,” says Winslade, “many students are not prepared for climate change.”

Initiatives that stand out Within a year, Villanova’s sustainability program will be 100 percent based around the SDG framework, says Schwarz.

Some of the goals will be more represented than others, due to the location and the priorities of the individual institution.

The university, located about 12 miles outside of Philadelphia in Radnor Township, also recently created an experimental garden for soil chemistry.

AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

23

Sustainable Design students at Jefferson collaborate across disciplines to develop a masterplan for the Franklin Square District of Philadelphia.

er-level actors tend to be the ones that have the most impact and the least motivation.

“Fundamentally what we need is a radical change in society,” Winslade adds.

It’s essential to recognize sustainability as both a paradigm and worthy academic pursuit, says Winslade.

“I think people can easily misunderstand sustainability to be only about ecology, and miss that it’s about people and economics, as well,” she says.

Fleming concurs, noting that the programs that incorporate all these facets “are really digging deep and getting to authentic change.”

The only way out is through

“Sustainability is a paradigm—it’s a completely different way of thinking.”

—rob fleming,

AIA, LEED AP, Founding Director of the Sustainable Design program at Jefferson “The benefits of this research are endless as concerns escalate over population growth, which leads to more people needing to be fed with food that is becoming less nutrient-rich due to climate change, among other factors,” a press release about the program states.

The team is working to figure out the perfect balance in soil composition, one that will withstand climate change and yield the richest harvest.

At Swarthmore College, carbon pricing is the current effort.

“There’s a social cost of carbon that’s not paid in the marketplace,” says Winslade.

This is the concept of externalities, she explains. That there are real costs and real dollars being expended—some are pretty measurable and others are harder to measure. Carbon pricing is how you account for those costs.

The program has also created a shadow, or proxy price on carbon, which is a life-cycle cost analysis.

“The point is we had better hope a price 24

GRIDPH IL LY.CO M

AUGUST 20 1 9

on carbon is coming,” she says. “To keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

Winslade says she’s also very proud of Swarthmore’s President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship (PSRF). The fellows are making strides in the field and in their contributions to environmental justice, waste-management strategies and sustainability on campus.

Reenvisioning the world According to Fleming, a lot of people look at sustainability programs as padding—a nice complement to whatever else they’re studying.

“You can’t just tack on a sustainability lecture and call it authentic,” says Fleming.

“Sustainability is a paradigm—it’s a completely different way of thinking.”

There are ways society can be sustainable on a small scale—recycling, composting and solar panels to name a few; then there are companies with more environmentally friendly methods; and then there are government regulations and initiatives. The high-

There was a point in 2007 when Winslade stopped asking students, “What does sustainability mean to you?” and started asking more pointed questions. It became a given that everyone was on board. Everyone recognized the state of emergency.

“Science is quite clear that we do not have time,” says Winslade. “Climate change isn’t waiting. Marginalized communities are suffering. How do we grapple with the drastic changes that are underway?”

Mostly by working together in the sustainability field. When students and faculty learn something new or have a breakthrough, they share it.

The transparency of sustainability in academia is unique. All the programs encompassed by it have the same goal: making our world a livable place for future generations.

Despair, hopelessness, guilt, shame and frustration are common emotions for a society responding to climate change and a depletion of natural resources, says Winslade.

There is hope, but it’s “a tenuous and fragile thing,” she says.

Sustainability is not a trend, it’s an ideology. It’s not just about reducing plastic in the oceans, it’s about finding ways to create an equilibrium that will last.

It’s figuring out how to protect our bluegreen floating orb in the vast unknown of black space.

As Winslade puts it: “How do we equip students with the tools to be resilient, adaptable, creative problem solvers in this rapidly changing world?”

Looking to make

the best educational choice for your child?

Choose Pennsylvania’s most experienced, tuition-free, K-12 online public school.

Invites you to join us for

WINGED WONDERS MONARCH BUTTERFLY PROGRAM Free science program for children ages 2 1/2 to 6 and their families

Sunday, September 22 • 10-11:30 am Educating for Excellence Since 1845

Register at friendscentral.org AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

25

EV EN TS

august 2019

August 8

August 21

August 30–S ep tember 1

SustainPHL Awards

The Lifecycle of Plastic Waste

The SustainPHL Awards is an annual celebration for sustainability visionaries and unsung heroes making a difference in Philadelphia. Sample local fare and drinks, hear inspirational stories from Philly changemakers and see the winners announced live on stage. sustainphl.com

The Sustainable Business Network hosts a discussion about the environmental impact of plastic waste, and how reducing, reusing or eliminating plastic waste will affect the environment. sbnphiladelphia.org

41st-Annual Long’s Park Art Festival

WHEN: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. COST: $25 for non-members WHERE: 1901 Vine St.

WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m. COST: $75+ WHERE: 150 N 6th St.

Each Labor Day weekend, hundreds of vendors sell their art and handmade crafts in historic Long’s Park in Lancaster. All proceeds from tickets sold benefit The Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation’s free public Summer Music Series. longspark.org WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (8/30-8/31), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

(9/1) COST: $10-$18 WHERE: Long’s Park, Lancaster

August 24 August 17 History Lab: Disability and the Myth of the Independent Scientist In the lives of those with physical disabilities, things that able-bodied individuals often complete with little forethought or planning often become acts of collaboration with other humans, animals and machines.

This program explores the myth of the able-bodied, “independent scientist.”

Curate Your Life Summit 2019: A Day of Advocacy, Activism & Social Justice Workshops will examine youth incarceration in New Jersey, art as a tool for social justice and reproductive health and rights.

For ages 10 and up. curateyourlife.org WHEN: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m . COST: Free WHERE: 100-134 N Broad St, Trenton

sciencehistory.org

August 24

WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m. COST: Free WHERE: 315 Chestnut St.

Phoenixville VegFest

August 21 Evening Highlights Tour Explore the Scott Arboretum’s plant collections with staff. This tour is geared toward gardeners, from beginners to experts. The tour will begin at the arboretum offices. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled. scottarboretum.org WHEN: 5:30 to 7 p.m. COST: Free WHERE: 500 College Ave., Swarthmore

26

GR IDPH I L LY.CO M

AUGUST 201 9

Head to Phoenixville for the fourth-annual vegan food and street festival, with live music and vendors. This event benefits Peace Advocacy Network, which promotes a peaceful existence through veganism, social justice and respect for the Earth’s inhabitants and resources. phoenixvillevegfest.com WHEN: 12 to 5 p.m. COST: Free WHERE: Reeves Park, Phoenixville

S ep tember 5-6 Reimagining Health in Cities: Challenges & New Directions This two-day urban health symposium will cover the challenges that today’s cities face and offer opportunities to discuss the development of innovative programs and policies that will improve population health. drexel.edu/uhc WHEN: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (9/5), 8 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.

(9/6) COST: $100-$250 WHERE: 3215 Market St.

S ep tember 8 Greenfest Philly Join the Clean Air Council for the 14th-annual Greenfest Philly. This year includes over 100 exhibitors, plant-based cooking demos, hybrid cars, free yoga, kids activities, DIY workshops, edible insects, live music and a bike valet. cleanair.org WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. COST: Free WHERE: Third and Bainbridge Streets

TOP OF MIND local businesses ready to serve

advocacy

fitness

Clean Air Council

Elevate Health and Performance

Philadelphia’s oldest environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to clean air and providing education on dirty energy.

An integrated wellness practice that offers individualized fitness services, including physical therapy, nutrition counseling and massage, with specialized programs like prenatal and geriatric fitness.

cleanair.org

Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia Provides services to educate and connect new and existing businesses with methods that emphasize social and environmental impact as much as profit. sbnphiladelphia.org

biking

Trophy Bikes An independent, Philadelphia-based bike shop, offering the best of commuter, touring and off-road bikes and services. trophybikes.com

crafts

The Clay Studio The Clay Studio is a nonprofit institution deepening the connection between people and clay, focused on community outreach and education in ceramic arts. theclaystudio.org

Made Institute Philadelphia-based independent fashion design and sewing school offers a full curriculum of affordable classes for students of all experiences levels to help them meet their professional goals, or learn sophisticated skills. made-institute.com

Sweet Mabel Store and Studio The store offers art & craft from local and national artists, First Friday art openings and free gift wrap. The studio hosts parties, workshops, camp and open studio using repurposed goods. sweetmabel.com

https://elevate.healthcom

954 Dance Movement Collective Our mission is to get you dancing!

The 954 Dance Movement Collective studio is also available for rehearsals, readings, classes, events, recitals, workshops, photography, video and performances.

954dmc.weebly.com

Little Baby’s Ice Cream Little Baby’s scoops are handmade, Philadelphia Style, with quirky flavors and an idiosyncratic scoop shop vibe. Dairy from grass fed, happy cows and nondairy vegan options abound. littlebabysicecream.com

Philly Homebrew An all-inclusive source for DIY home brewers, fermenters, cheesemakers, beekeepers and more. From hop plants, to foraging knives, Philly Homebrew provides all the materials for enthusiasts to get started, educated or inspired. phillyhomebrew.com

energy

Alligood Energy food

Birchtree Catering Award-winning woman-owned catering business committed to sustainability, local and seasonal ingredients, and relationships with farmers and vendors. birchtreecatering.com

Farm to City A leader in the local food movement, Farm to City works to unite Philadelphians with their farmers, through local farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and buying clubs. farmtocity.org

Gilda’s Biscotti Gilda’s handmade, traditional biscotti are baked to crispy Italian perfection using well-sourced ingredients and traditional flavors. gildasbiscotti.com

Johnny Brenda’s Fishtown’s treasured indie-rock venue, restaurant and bar, is a unique community space with a world-class sound system and curious eats. johnnybrendas.com

Offers sustainable home energy audits with a “whole house approach” to improving your home’s energy efficiency. A short analysis pinpoints your home’s weaknesses and teaches you how to lower its energy impact in the most cost-effective way. alligoodenergy.com

Eldredge Geothermal Solutions Eldredge Geothermal Solutions offers innovative and cost-efficient geothermal ground loop installations, HDPE Fusions, horizontal drilling, and customized sewer, water and drainage solutions. eldredgegeo.com

Solar States Philadelphia-based Solar States offers solar installations and education on “going solar” for residential and commercial clients. solar-states.com

SPS Insulation LLC Insulation contractor in Upper Darby specializing in energy efficient and costreducing insulation methods for both residential and commercial communities. spsinsulation.com

Kimberton Whole Foods A family-owned and operated natural grocery store with six locations in Southeastern PA, selling local, organic and sustainably-grown food for over thirty years. kimbertonwholefoods.com AUGUST 20 19

G R I DP HI L LY.COM

27

Recognizes Our Subscribers and Patrons.

Thank you for your support!

A N D R E W A B B OT T

M A R I SSA CAST RO

JACEK GHOSH

SOHEE KEMPF

MASON NOBLE

C A R R O L L S H E P PA R D

A LO N A B R A M S O N

J O C ATA N Z A R O

LAURA GIBSON

KALLIE KENDLE

K AT H L E E N O ’ M A L L E Y

WILLIAM B SHICK

C H A R L ES A DZ E M A

J E S S I C A M C AVA L I E R E

MARY GILMAN

LAURA KENNEDY

ANNE ODONNELL

V I C TO R S H U G A R T

CARINA AHREN

C H LO E C E R W I N K A

SIOBHAN GLEASON

CLAUDIA KENT

ST E V E O L I V E R

L I S A S H U LO C K

G R E G O R Y A LO I A

HEDY CERWINKA

E D WA R D G O L D E N

KEN KESSLIN

P E N N Y O R D WAY

K L A U D I A S I KO R A

V I C TO R I A A Q U I LO N E

MARY CHEN

R O S I E G R AY B U R N

BILL KING

K AT E O S H E A

L A U R A S I LV E R M A N

CHRIS ARGERAKIS

BLUE CHEVIGNY

C H R I ST I N A G R I F F I N

N A N C Y K L AVA N S

W I L L I A M O S WA L D

HARRY SIMONS

C H R I S T I N A A R LT

ROSE CHIANGO

BRENT GROCE

E VA N K L I N E F E LT E R

A L E X PA L M A

KAREN SINGER

CHARA ARMON

SUSAN CHINNICI

ABBY C GROSSLEIN

J E RO M E K N AST

C H R I S TO P H E R PA P P O

C SKEMA

M A RY A R M ST RO N G

M OY E R

ROBERT GROVES

E M I LY KO VA C H

C A R O L I N E PA R K

BETH SMITH

ALLAN ASH

HE CHUNG

D AV I D H A A S

JENNY KRAFT

S A R A PA S C H

ERICA SMITH

AMANDA ASHMORE

J E R O M E C LO U D

K I M B E R LY H A A S

MONICA C KRAMER

O G N I A N PAV LO V

LAUREN SMITH

DENIS & JUDY ASSELIN

ANN COHEN

LENNY HABERMAN

CYNTHIA KRELLICK

JANE PEPPER

MEGHAN SMITH

AW B U R Y A R B O R E T U M

SARAH COLINS

SUSAN HADDEN

VICKY KRESGE

ELISABETH PEREZ

ANNA SMUKLER

K Y L E B A G E N S TO S E

S U S A N M C O LO W I C K

SUZANNE HAGNER

K R I ST I E L A N D RY

G R E TC H Y N B A I L E Y

JANE COMBRINCK-

KENNETH HAHN

VA L E R I E L A N G

JULIA PERGOLINI

A N N E LY S S A S N Y D E R

HEIDI HAMMEL

L E VA N A L AY E N D E C K E R

M A R Y A N N P E T R I L LO

G A R Y S O B O LO W

DYLAN BAIRD

GRAHAM

LUNA

D AV I D S N E L B A K E R

AMANDA BAKER

KASSANDRA COMBS

CHARLENE HANBURY

JAMIE LEARY

ALLISON PIERSON

LO R Y S O D A

BRIANNA BAKER

A N N L CO N ROY

K E L LY H A N N I G A N

LAURA LECHTENBERG

BOB PIERSON

PETER SODY

SUZANNE BAKEWELL

ANNE COOK

BARBARA HANSEN

MARSHALL LEDGER

SARA PILLING

C H R I S T I N A S PA N G L E R

JEFFREY BALIFF

CHERYL COOK

MARCIA HARP

DON LEEDY

JESS PLUMMER

JACOB SPEIDEL

HENRY BARNES

MARY COOLEY

J O H N H A RTZO G

MINDY LEMOINE

S TA N P O K R A S

R YA N S P I E S

N A N C Y B A R TO N

K E I L A C O R D O VA

DEBRA L HARRIS

ST UA RT L EO N

K R I ST I PO L I N G

LAURA SPINA

E L I S A B AT T L E

CAROL FERN CULHANE

V I C TO R I A H A R R I S

LIZ LEWIS

MARGIE POLITZER

ALLISON SPONIC

D OT T I E B A U M G A R T E N

ELIZABETH CUNICELLI

LEANNE HARVEY

SUZANNE LEWIS

DEBBIE POSMONTIER

L AU R E N ST E E L E

ANNA BEALE

JOANNE DAHME

ROBERT HASSON

E DA N L I C H T E N ST E I N

LISA POWLEY

D I A N A ST E I F

BRENT BEERLEY

S A R A D AV I S

K AT I E H AW K E S

A M Y K AT E LO B E L

LISA PRICE

PA U L S T E I N K E

P. B E H R E N S

MARY DEVILBISS

CJ HAZELL

K AT H L E E N LO P E Z

CONNOR PRITZ

M A RGA R E T ST E P H E N S

J OY A B E RG E Y

PA U L D I F R A N C E S C O

S U S A N L H E C K R OT T E

R O B I N LO W R Y

SARAH PULEO

SA R I ST E U B E R

J OS E P H B E R N ST E I N

R I C H A R D D I L U L LO

W I L L I A M H E N GST

FA C U N D O L U C C I

CARLA M PUPPIN

M A R I O N S TO R E Y

BRUCE BERRYMAN

AURORA DIZEL

ANNA HERMAN

AISHA MACKINS

MAUREEN PURCELL

E R I C S TO W E R S

NINA BERRYMAN

LISA DIGIACOMO

H E AT H E R H E R S H

M E G A N M A L LO Y

SUSAN QUINN

C H R I S T I N E E S U L L I VA N

C H A R LOT T E

GILDA DOGANIERO

DEBORAH M

JOHN MARGERUM

H O L LY Q U I N O N E S

S H AW N S U M M E R S

DEBORAH MARGULIES

ROSEMARY RANCK

C H R I S SW I T KY

B E TA N C O U R T

A M E L I A D U F F Y-T U M A S Z

H E U C K E R OT H

K AT H R Y N B I R S T E R

K R I ST I N A DUGA N

H E AT H E R H I L L

LELAH MARIE

A M E E T R AV I TA L

D O R OTA S Z A R L E J

M I C H E L L E B LO O D W E L L

CAROL DUNCAN

JODY HILL

FRED MARSHALL

G E N I E R AV I TA L

D AV I D TA N I E R

B A R B A R A B LO O M

SUSAN EDENS

JUDY HOFFMAN

W M J M A R S TO N

KIM RAZNOV

A N N E TAY LO R

L I N D A B LY T H E

A M A N D A E D WA R D S

RICHARD HOFFMANN

TED REED

N Y S S A TAY LO R

JAMIE BOGERT

MICHELLE EISENBERG

M A R YA N N H O O K E R

J E N N I F E R M A S TA L E R Z

JENNY REEVERTS

ANNE THOMFORDE

NICOLE BOICE

ROBIN EISMAN

D A N I E L H O WA R D

J O S E P H M ATJ E

M.B. REGAN

H E C TO R B O N E S

HELEN ELKINS

ANDI HUBBARD

L I S A M AT H E W S O N

G I G I R E I TA N O

JACQ U ES -J E A N T I Z I O U

ALEXA BOSSE

S T E P H E N E LW E L L

HARRIETTE HUBBARD

N I C O L E M AT T H E S E N

JENNIFER REZELI

D A N A W. TO B I N

A N N E B OY D

N I C E S P O S I TO

LY N D A H U B B E L L

NEIL MCBRIDE

NICKY RHODES

F R A N K TO R R I S I

CO L L E E N B OY D

M O R G A N E VA N S

M A R YA N N E H U N T E R

R YA N M C C O R M I C K

JOAN RILEY

EST E L L E T RAC Y

JA N E B OY D

E D WA R D FA G A N

A M E Y H U TC H I N S

K AT H L E E N M C C O U R T

JOHANNA RIORDAN

T R A C Y T U M O LO

BRACKEN LEADERSHIP

K AT E FA R Q U H A R

K AT H R Y N I D E L L

JEN MCCREERY

MARK RIVINUS

SUSAN UNVER

HELENE BRENNAN

L I SA F E I N ST E I N

E L L E N I WA M OTO

M A R Y LY L E M C C U E

JULIA RIX

I L A VA S S A L LO

SUSAN BRETZ

ANDREW FELDMAN

KAREN IZZI

PAT R I C K M C D E V I T T

C H R I S TO P H E R

LAUREN VIDAS

LINDSEY BRITT

J A M I E F E R E L LO

TYKEE JAMES

ALLISON MCDONAGH

SO P H I E B RO N ST E I N

JULIA FERNANDEZ

J O N AT H A N J E N S E N

MICHAEL MCGETTIGAN

TERRY ROBERTS

PAT R I C I A WA G N E R

BERNARD BROWN

JO ANN FISHBURN

LO R R A I N E J E W E T T

TO M M C G E T T I G A N

LIZ ROBINSON

L I N D S E Y WA L A S K I

ROBERT BROWN

ANNA FISCHMAN

BRETT JOHN

THADDEUS MCGINESS

JON ROESSER

J O H N WA L B E R

RUTH BROWN

JANET FISHMAN

CRAIG JOHNSON

J A M E S M C G O WA N

G LO R I A R O H L F S

P H O E N I C I A WA L L A C E

WILLIAM BROWN

D O R E E N A F I T Z PAT R I C K

A D A M W. J O N E S

ROBERT MCKENZIE

JOHN ROMANO

D E B B I E WA R D E N

BENJAMIN BRUCKMAN

ALLISON FLANDERS

BRAD JONES

DENNIS MCOWEN

ANDY ROSEN

M A R S H A L L WA R F I E L D

COLE BRUNSON

ROB FLEMING

CAROLE JONES

ST E P H E N M E A D

HAROLD ROSNER

M A R I LY N WA X M A N

ANTHONY A BUCK

SUSAN FLESHMAN

FREDERICK JONES

A N D Y M E H R OTA

MARC ROWELL

LAURA WEBB

DANIELLE BUEHLER

E R I K A F LO R Y

MADELEINE JONES

PA I G E M E N TO N

WILLIAM RUSSELL

H A N N A H W E I N ST E I N

REGAN BUKER

BOB FORMICA

MARTIN JONES

DANIELLE MERCURIO

M I C H A E L RUZ ZO

CAROL WEISL

MARLA BURKHOLDER

P H I L FO RSY T H

YVONNE M JONES

GAIL MERSHON

LO R R A I N E R YA N

LEE WENTZ

MCHELLE BURNS-

DEANA FRANK

IRA JOSEPHS

ELIZABETH MILLER

JENNY SANDLER

K I RST E N W E R N E R

SUSAN FRANK

MONICA KANE-HUGHES

EVE MILLER

B R YA N S ATA L I N O

H O L L I S W E S TO N

PA U L B U T T N E R

LAUREN FRISCO

GRANT D KALSON

JENNINE MILLER

TO N I S AV C H U C K

PA U L W H I T TA K E R

ELAINE CAHILL

JEFFREY FULLER

CHARLES KARL

K AT H Y M I L L E R

MARY SCHOBERT

RACHEL WISE

ANTHONY CAMP

MICHAEL GALE

LY N N K A R O LY

KIM MILLER

REGINA SCHOFIELD

ERICA WOLF

F R A N K LY N C A N TO R

SHEILA GALLAGHER

NANCY KASSAM-

NIESHA MILLER

KEVIN SCOLES

ZACHARY WOLK

M A D E L I N E C A N TO R

TO M G A L L A G H E R

S U S A N M O N TA G U E

SHOSHANNAH

J U D I T H W O LO F F

KYLE CARMONA

C O N S TA N C E G A R C I A -

MCHUGH

K AT E C A S A N O

BARRIO

ADAMS

LEED AP

ROBERTS

THOMAS

LO I S V O LTA

CHARLES D WRIGHT

K AT H L E E N K AT Z

JOHN MOORE

D O N A L D K AVA N A G H

R O G E R M U S TA L I S H

RACHEL SEMIGRAN

ALBERT YEE

S E E F I E L DT

SUSAN CASKEY

G LO R I A G E L L A I

J O S E P H K AVA N A G H

B NAGENDRA

DANIELLE SERVEDIO

JEN YUAN

M A R Y LO U I S E

LO L A G E O R G

MARINA KEC

JEFFREY NEWBURGER

R I C H A R D S E X TO N

HILLEL ZAREMBA

NANCY GERYK

SABRINA KEELER

M I C H E L L E N I C O L E T TO

J I L L S H A S H AT Y

CURTIS ZIMMERMANN

C A S TA L D I

Subscribe online for as little as $2.99 a month, or make a contribution in any amount at gridphilly.com

41ST ANNUAL

L O N G ’ S PA R K A R T F E S T I VA L This Labor Day weekend, discover why we were rated the top East Coast art festival of 2018 by Art Fair Calendar. Connect with artists and artisans from across the nation, and take home beautiful and unique fine art and craft to enjoy for a lifetime.

While you’re here, see what else our city has to offer. Named as a top place to travel in 2019 by Forbes, Lancaster’s galleries, shopping, and diverse food scene have made the city a top destination for art and food lovers alike.

Labor Day Weekend August 30 - September 1, 2019 L a n c a s t e r, P A

longspark.org Featured mixed media work by Benjamin Frey Thank you to our Festival Co-Sponsors, American Art Collector magazine, Giant Food Stores, and Armstrong Flooring.

In the business of sustainability A Penn alumna finds that an environmental career can take you anywhere VIRTUAL CAFÉ Join the MES program director from 12-1 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for an online chat about your interests and goals.

Log in with us.

www.facebook.com/UPennEES @Penn_MES_MSAG

Valerie Preethi Vincent (Master of Environmental Studies ’19) already had an established career when she decided to start a career-changing study of environmental sustainability. “I looked at programs in Europe, in Singapore, and all over the world,” she recalls. “I ultimately decided on Penn’s Master of Environmental Studies (MES) program.” A recipient of the 2019 Excellence in Environmental Studies Award, Valerie found that the MES program gave her the opportunity to enhance her professional experience with in-depth knowledge of corporate sustainability and environmental science.

Valerie conducted her capstone research during her internship at FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company in Philadelphia. As a sustainability analyst for FMC, Valerie researched how the company can measure and regulate its Scope 3 emissions and drew on her project management experience to get her research into the planning phase.

“My fear when pivoting careers was that I’d have to start from square one,” she reflects. “But I’ve realized that there are many skills that I took from my previous experience. Everyone has something in them that will help them succeed in sustainability.”

To learn more about Valerie’s career pivot to environmental sustainability, visit:

WWW.UPENN.EDU/GRID