Siani Colón

Oct 4, 2024 | gridphilly.com | Siani Colón

On yet another wet weekend, a group of ten braced a downpour to walk along the trails of Strawberry Mansion’s Discovery Center for a wild plant tour. Their journey began at the trail entrance, where an innocuous weed was growing. Tour guide Lady Danni Morinich, a local herbalist and forager, identified the plant as yellow dock and shared that it was also edible. Foragers passed around a bit of the leaf to munch on, a daring start to the rest of the morning.

Jul 1, 2024 | gridphilly.com | Kyle Bagenstose |Siani Colón

For three days last summer, smoke drifted down from forest fires in the Canadian taiga, some of it shrouding 1800 North American Street, where volunteers were working on a climate justice mural. Mirroring the dramatic depiction of oil spills, deforestation and smog being painted on the 300-foot long wall, the very real smoky orange haze and scorching temperatures caused the group to pause work for the health and safety of volunteers. It wasn’t the only climate-related roadblock the project faced.

Apr 1, 2024 | gridphilly.com | Siani Colón

Gardening was woven into Victor Young’s life at an early age. His mother and aunt introduced him to the concept of growing your own food as he helped them in their gardens as a kid. The West Philly resident tried to carry these lessons into adulthood — but not without hitting some obstacles. “I was going to start growing things in my backyard and I did try, but I had groundhogs that would eat up my vegetables,” Young recalls with a laugh.

Feb 12, 2024 | nextcity.org | Siani Colón

This story was originally published by Kensington Voice. Sign up for their newsletters here. Twenty years ago, Julius Rivera and his neighbors were organizing to improve the conditions on their block in East Kensington. But they soon realized the playground was a barrier to their efforts. “If there was drama in the playground, there was drama in our community,” Rivera says.

Nov 13, 2023 | kensingtonvoice.com | Jill Bauer-Reese |Carly Sitrin |Ryan Moser |Siani Colón

Kensington’s quality-of-life issues are often the center of local, national, and international news coverage about the neighborhood. While highlighting Kensington’s challenges is critical to democracy, many stories often overshadow news and information about organizations and groups working to improve the quality of life for people in and around the neighborhood.