The fact that local agriculture could better fuel their local economies attracted the attention of many Italian municipalities. And so out of the Slow Food movement came the Slow City movement, which shares the same philosophy of keeping it local, small and environmentally sound.

This is the first time I'm going abroad and bringing the nagging baggage that perhaps I shouldn't return. Maybe it's time for me — like several of my friends — to move on, and out.

At last, Philadelphia is doing what the RAC — the city's official nongovernment experts — have long asked for. And what the Recycling Alliance — a coalition of advocacy groups, armed with 10,000 signatures — has demanded.

Mary Tracy, renowned billboard battler, is confused. She finally has a mayor she really likes. So how come, she wonders, is she still fighting City Hall?

Be sweet to bees, and they'll be good to you. And especially be careful when you're playing in their cribs — which we recently did, with some thriving hives in West Philly.

Here is my school cheer for an odd alma mater, through whose doors have passed some of the city's toughest kids. Angry, hurt and almost always abused — together in class they learn about justice, respect and civility.

You don't need to be poor to get groceries from SHARE. Just giving. And, yes, taking your grandmother to the park serves the common good.

With airlines being decimated by oil prices, why would anyone want to hitch their wagon to a staggering business? It's true that as airlines disappear, so will some airports. But not here.

A trophy case contains ample evidence that the Horatio B. Hackett School once had a garden — and a big one, too. "So, where's the garden?" Cidney Alexander would ask herself, looking around the schoolyard and seeing mostly grass.

As I bicycle down country roads in red, rural Delaware, I noticed that motorists there have become kinder to pedal-powered vehicles.