Friday, August 20, 2010 at 1:29PM 
by Bernard Brown
I waded in from a rocky bank in the mountains of Schuylkill County and quickly forgot what I was looking for. My plan on that hot afternoon had been to snorkel for turtles, a pursuit that involves actively investigating underwater boulders and snags. Instead, I watched the fish and rocks on the bottom scroll by like some angelic dream of flying, the sounds of the world cozily muffled by cool water.
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 2:37PM 
essay and illustration by Jacob Lambert
Environmentally speaking, there are a few things i’d like to experience before I die. Hopefully, the coming decades will bring a collective snubbing of our oil-centric exurban lifestyle. A move towards energy creation that doesn’t involve strip mines and cluster bombs would be also encouraging, as would genuine mainstream interest in nature.
back page essay Monday, June 7, 2010 at 11:19AM 
The Adam and Eve debacle notwithstanding, I never thought that eating fresh local fruit could be so controversial. I also assumed that, with seasonal farmers’ markets sprouting up all over Philadelphia, it couldn’t be that much work to bring one to my suburban neighborhood.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 1:43PM 
Some people geek out over wine. Others, old vinyl. For me, it’s cheese. The stinky stuff. Stilton. Fontina. Époisses. When I meet a strong cheese, it stops me cold, the way hearing a new song on the radio can make you pull over the car, motivated by a desire to really listen. You don’t forget those moments: the first time you heard Led Zeppelin or the night a neighbor let you borrow the Kinks.
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 11:11AM 
by Ann Cohen
With tax abatements and breaks galore, 2010 is a great year to move into an energy-efficient home. It was a little bit different 30 years ago, when I built the first passive solar house in Philadelphia.
back page essay, solar, solar homes Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:13AM 
My neighbor is standing at my back fence, looking at my ripening tomatoes. “I wanted to ask you something,” he says. “Every year, you work so hard to grow them. So why don’t you ever pick them?”
Hmmm… I was hoping nobody had noticed.
I could tell him I’d been too busy. I could tell him it’s my way of tithing. I could tell him I believe in leaving something for the squirrels and birds.
But the truth is, I just don’t like to harvest.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 4:33PM 
by Dee Dee Risher
Even though I’m not a big consumer, from mid-November well into January, I feel like a recovering alcoholic stocking a liquor store. I’ve painstakingly retrained my U.S. consumer brain to evaluate my needs and wants.
back page essay Monday, November 2, 2009 at 4:48PM 
by Judy Wicks
I had just turned six when my family moved to the small town where I grew up in western Pennsylvania. On the first day in my new community, I collected all the extension cords I could find and connected them down the driveway, where I set up my child-size dining table with two chairs, and plugged in a toy record player.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 2:00PM 
A legion of Mr. Hydes await their holiday
by Jonathon McGoran
After all the stories of apples with razorblades and drug-laced cookies he’d heard growing up, Greg was surprised the notion of trick-or-treating had survived for his son Duncan to partake in.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 1:19PM 
NESTS could become the education model of the future
by Paul Glover
Despite dedicated teachers, many Philadelphia public schools are so irrelevant to students’ lives that most enrollees (up to 88 percent) drop out. State curricula and testing serve bureaucracy only. To fix this mess, a green school system that relies on neighbors to teach and the larger community to donate resources is now beginning.
NESTS, back page essay 
