Category Archives: Sustainability

PennEnvironment

Updated 10/9/19

Mission:

PennEnvironment is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization focused on issues of special importance to the state of Pennsylvania. A constituent of the national organization Environment America, PennEnvironment works to better the environment through a number of approaches, including the protection of the natural heritage and health of residents, and promotion of sustainable resource exploitation. These goals are accomplished through activism and advocacy, by recruiting citizens,  interacting with the press, and lobbying government at the local, state, and federal level.

Programs/Services Offered:

Current initiatives include the protection of state parks and forests, the conversion of Philadelphia’s Reading Viaduct into an elevated park, and fighting the activities of coal and natural gas corporations in the state. For a complete list and detailed descriptions, see http://www.pennenvironment.org/issues.

Student Opportunities:

Students can get involved with PennEnvironment during both their time at Bryn Mawr and after graduation.

Internships are offered each semester and over the summer. These internships have been structured into Praxis III courses in the past – contact CEO Praxis Coordinator Nell Anderson (nanderso@brynmawr.edu) if interested. For more information and application instructions, visit http://jobs.environmentamerica.org/internship.html.

Fellowships are available to recent college graduates interested in making a two year commitment to environmental advocacy in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., or 29 other states. Check out http://jobs.environmentamerica.org/fellowship.html for details. If you’re interested in talking with past PennEnvironment fellows, email Nell as well.

PennEnvironment
Philadelphia Office:
1420 Walnut Street, Suite 650
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 732-5897

Weavers Way Cooperative Association

weavers-way-coop

Updated 10/9/19

Mission:

Weavers Way Cooperative Association is a member-owned, cooperative grocery store with locations in Ambler, West Mt. Airy, and Chestnut Hill. The association’s mission is to operate a grocery-based consumer organization that is owned and governed by its members, and to build community, both within its membership and in the Northwest Philadelphia area. The initiative to enrich communities through locally based, sustainable practices is extended beyond co-op members and shoppers through Weavers Way Farms and Weavers Way Community Programs.

Services/Programs Offered:

Weavers Way stores sell products that are local, sustainably made, organic, and fairly traded. In addition, the association manages  farms at Awbury Arboretum and Walter Biddle Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences that produce food shared through community supported agriculture (CSA) programs  and sold in Weavers Way stores.  Through the Weavers Way Community Programs nonprofit, farm education is offered to a diverse array of learners including residents of the Stenton Family Manor emergency shelter for homeless families. Learn more at  http://www.weaversway.coop/pages/our-nonprofit.

Student Opportunities:

By joining the cooperative as a member, students can get involved with all aspects of the association’s operations. Members are encouraged to attend board meetings and to work at the stores, on the farms, and with the community programs to earn a retail discount while promoting sustainability in the greater Philadelphia region.  For more information on memberships, visit http://www.weaversway.coop/pages/membership.

Website: http://www.weaversway.coop

Email: feedback@weaversway.coop

Weavers Way Mt. Airy

Address: 559 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119

Phone: 215-843-2350

Weavers Way Chestnut Hill

Address: 8424 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19119

Phone: 215-866-9150

*This site is accessible via public transportation from the Bryn Mawr campus. Please see transportation reimbursement policy.

Weavers Way Ambler

Address: 217 E Butler Ave, Ambler, PA 19002

Phone: 215-302-5550

 

 

 

 

Center for Environmental Transformation

cfetUpdated 10/9/19

Mission:

Founded by a Roman Catholic community, the Center for Environmental Transformation directs its efforts to all people, particularly those who live in the neighborhood of Waterfront South and the City of Camden, NJ.  The mission of the CFET is to educate people into a more environmentally responsible way of living. They seek to engage in sustainable modes of food production, storm water management, and waste recycling for the benefit of the people of the neighborhood and the residents of the entire city.

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Services/Programs Offered:

CFET manages urban farms, education and internship programs for grade- and high school children, environmental retreats, and a farmers’ market.
Learn more at: http://www.cfet.org/programs/

Student Opportunities:

On the first Saturday of every month from 9:00 am until noon, volunteers are invited to help out in the CFET’s gardens. Other opportunities include advocacy work, story-telling, cooking, teaching, and a variety of other projects
For more info, visit: http://www.cfet.org/get-involved/

Website: http://www.cfet.org/

Email: info@cfet.org

Address:  1729 Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104

Phone: (856) 365-8111

 

United By Blue

Updated 10/9/19

Mission:

United By Blue is a unique outdoor apparel store/coffee shop located in Old City Philadelphia that is driven by the idea of associating the sale of each product with a concrete environmental action. For every product sold, UBB removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways through company organized and hosted cleanups.

Programs/Service Offered:

By collaborating with suppliers who use sustainable practices and organizing waterway cleanups around the country, United By Blue works to affect meaningful environmental change through a for-profit business model.

Student Opportunities:

Students can sign up to volunteer at one of United By Blue’s cleanups. For locations and more info, visit http://unitedbyblue.com/collections/cleanups.

Job and internships opportunities are sometimes available. Check http://unitedbyblue.com/pages/jobs-and-internships for current listings.

Website: http://unitedbyblue.com/

350.org

Updated 10/9/19

350.org is building a global climate movement. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are coordinated by a global network active in over 188 countries. 350.org works in almost every country in the world on campaigns like fighting coal power plants in India, stopping the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S, and divesting public institutions everywhere from fossil fuels. All of our work leverages people power to dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry, and to develop people-centric solutions to the climate crisis.

Are you stressed out over climate change? Fed up with inequities within our economic system? Tired of money in politics stifling your voice? Are you enraged by social injustice, police brutality, and the lack of public funding for education and healthcare?

350Philly’s monthly meetings are an amazing hub for you to plug in to change-making.

Join us to learn how solutions to the climate crisis are actually humanity’s opportunity to right the wrongs of racism, poverty, and inequity. Come to learn about the work of the coalitions we support and get involved with an active committee where you’ll help foster the change you want to see in your city.

Check our Facebook page for more information on meetings, and email us to get involved!

Website: http://350.org
http://www.350philadelphia.org

Email: 350Philadelphia@gmail.com

Phone: (267) 338-3459

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/350Philadelphia

Twitter: @350philly

Instagram: @350philly

Greenstreet Coffee Roasters

greenstreet

Updated 10/9/19

Greenstreet Coffee Roasters is a local business which roasts specialty organic and fair trade coffees. Volunteer opportunities are available for students interested in sustainability and entrepreneurship.

Website: http://greenstreetcoffee.com/

Email: greenstreetroasters@gmail.com

Address: 1101 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

*This site is accessible via public transportation from the Bryn Mawr campus.

Please see transportation reimbursement policy.

Radnor Middle School Watershed Program

Updated 10/14/19

Mission:

Watershed is an Integrated Learning Program for Seventh Graders at the Radnor Middle School in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The nationally and internationally recognized Watershed Program was founded  in 1987, and for twenty- four years, Watershed has been a yearlong full day program, which has replaced the traditional 7th grade curriculum. Skills and concepts are integrated around the comprehensive study of a local watershed through a combination of classroom activities and site visits.  A heterogeneous mix of twenty boys and twenty girls are admitted each year through a lottery process. Students are encouraged to gather, retain, interrelate, apply and communicate first hand information about watersheds with special emphasis on what it means to live sustainably in the 21st century.

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Student Opportunities:

Bryn Mawr students have partnered with the Radnor Middle School Watershed Program on Praxis III courses in the past. Contact the Bryn Mawr Civic Engagement Office for more information, or contact Watershed program coordinators Jon Savitch (jon.savitch@rtsd.org) and Doug Pittman (douglas.pittman@rtsd.org).

Phone: 610-386-6300 x7210

Website: http://www.rtsd.org/Page/4725

Email:  Jon Savitch (jon.savitch@rtsd.org) and Doug Pittman (douglas.pittman@rtsd.org).

 

Elmwood Park Zoo

Updated 10/14/19
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The Elmwood Park Zoo’s mission is to foster an appreciation of wildlife and their habitat that will inspire active participation in conservation. As one of only 225 zoos in North America to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Elmwood Park Zoo strives to be a leader in conservation efforts.

The Volunteer Program is a very important part of the zoo’s continued success. Each year, dedicated volunteers donate thousands of hours to help the Elmwood Park Zoo be the best it can be. They support EPZ’s mission of conservation and education throughout the zoo and in a variety of ways. Depending on their interests and background, individuals can apply for Education, Marketing, and Maintenance volunteer positions, just to name a few. For more information, as well as a link to our online application, please visit http://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/volunteer.php.

Website: http://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/

Location: 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown, Pennsylvania 19401

 

Greensgrow Farms

Updated 10/14/19

Mission:

Founded in 1998, Greensgrow Farms works to “revitalize livable communities through the practice of sustainable entrepreneurial urban agriculture.” Greensgrow Farms operates under the non-profit parent organization Greensgrow Philadelphia Project, taking a multifaceted approach to integrating agriculture into an urban environment.

Services/Programs Offered:

Greensgrow runs a nursery, community-supported agriculture program (CSA), farm stands and various non-profit projects such as food-truck markets in West Philadelphia, a community kitchen that serves as an entrepreneurial incubator for the local food maker industry, and a SNAP specific community supported CSA for 3 months in peak season. Greensgrow adds to its diverse repertoire through short-term projects as well, such as a pop-up garden center in West Philadelphia.

Student Opportunities:

Volunteer opportunities are available sporadically according to the varying needs of Greensgrow’s projects. Follow this link (http://www.greensgrow.org/get-involved/) to view the events calendar, find info about subscribing to the newsletter, or follow Greensgrow on Facebook to hear about opportunities as they arise.

Internships are also offered. Past opportunities have been available in marketing, social media development, and nursery management: http://www.greensgrow.org/get-involved/jobs/.

Greensgrow Farms
2501 E. Cumberland Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125

 

Website: https://www.greensgrow.org/

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Updated 10/14/19

Mission:

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1827. PHS provides events, activities, and publications for gardeners of all levels and interests, with the aim of improving quality of life and creating a  sense of community through horticulture.

Programs/Services Offered:

Though The Philadelphia International Flower Show is the  Society’s most well known project, PHS also manages a variety of programs committed to the greening of Philadelphia for all residents, including:

  • City Harvest, which connects urban farmers and under-served communities,
  • Garden Tenders, a training course for individuals and groups interested in starting urban gardens in Philadelphia,
  • the LandCare Program, a comprehensive approach to managing abandoned urban spaces by creating parks and gardens,
  • Roots to Re-entry, which facilitates the re-entry process of inmates from the Philadelphia Prison System through participation in City Harvest, where individuals obtain  job-skills training and placement assistance,
  • and many more really awesome programs. Explore them all in further detail at https://phsonline.org/programs/.

Student Opportunities:

Students can get involved with PHS in a number of ways.

Volunteers can help out during the annual International Flower Show and other events, plant and maintain trees and gardens, preform administrative tasks, and contribute to outreach efforts. Opportunities are also offered at Meadowbrook Farm, an estate run by PHS, including garden maintenance and guiding tour groups. Visit https://phsonline.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/ for up to date listings and registration.

PHS offers year-round internships with many of its programs. Available position descriptions can be found at https://phsonline.org/about/careers-at-phs/

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street – 5th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Telephone: 215-988-8800