Green Day

Get down to Earth

by Amy Strauss

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Earth to Philly — anybody home? Mother Nature's knocking at your door, and since her big day's approaching, why not shower the old gal with a li'l Earth Day love? Heaven knows we could use the brownie points.

Chances are, you're spending way too much money on your designer jeans. Take a cue from Philly's many DIY-ers, or from Jack Thompson, a 3D design professor at Moore College, who offers this pro-recycling alternative: He's persuaded his Basic Design class to craft entire wardrobes without spending a penny. Students constructed their clothing using fishing line, glue guns, tin cans, used garage bags, bubble wrap and second-hand shoes. The trash-pickin' fashion designers will present their re-envisioned threads, runway-style. Sun., April 22, 1 p.m., free, Moore College of Art & Design, Great Hall, 20th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-568-4515.

In the name of fresh air and community unity, the Clean Air Council hosts a 5K run that'll breeze through the Art Museum area and along the Schuylkill River, culminating with a free picnic, massages, music and table displays from enviro-friendly groups. A noontime Earth Day benefit concert will follow at World Café Live. Sat., April 21, 9 a.m., $20-$125, Martin Luther King Drive, www.cleanair.org/5k2007.

UC Green, a cooperative community greening program, promises to transform the 4100-4200 block of Market Street into a shady paradise; they're just asking for help planting 45 trees, including large canopies, small understories, red maples, saw-tooth oaks and elms. "Trees are traffic-calming," says UC Green executive director Amanda Benner, citing recent studies showing that people tend to drive slower when surrounded by tall, leafy greens. The group will supply tools; volunteers need only show up ready to plant. Registration required. Sat., April 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., free, Elwyn Parking Lot, 4100 Market St., 215-573-4684, www.ucgreen.org.

The idea behind the Academy of Natural Sciences' "Town Square" series is to get folks chatting about human beings' increasingly rocky relationship with nature. This month's forum, "Sustainable Health: Human Ecology and the Urban Environment," brings together the National Center for Environmental Health's Howard Frumkin and Women's Health and Environment Network's Julie Becker. The duo will expose close-to-home topics such as how the release of contaminants within the environment will affect our health; and how the development of neighborhoods may negatively impact our natural surroundings. Thu., April 19, 6:30-9:30 p.m., free, Academy of Natural Sciences, 19th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1108, www.ansp.org.

Small spaces are just one of the negative aspects of city living and gardening. Pick up practical tips from local environmental enthusiasts, who'll share their thoughts on water conservation, solar design and composting during White Dog Café's community tour. Bikers will visit environmentally sound West Philly homes, some of whose green-thumbed residents will meet up for a picnic lunch along the way. Sat., April 21, 10 a.m., $20, White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom St., 215-386-9224, www.whitedog.com.