Media & Policy Center: Environment

Our work on the environment has focused on the environmental, social, and public policy issues at work in American cities. Our PBS series, Edens Lost & Found, looked at how city life is impacted and can be enhanced by reclaiming urban parks and gardens that have been left to decay, building educational service programs on the environment into schools, supporting the work of local family farmers, and improving mass transportation opportunities. A new program now in development, Being Creative in Philadelphia, will continue these themes by looking at how artists and entrepeneurs can work together to produce a better urban environment.

an excerpt from Edens Lost & Found

Our first season of Edens looked at four American cities — Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia. We are planning a second season, Edens Lost & Found Overseas, that will highlight best practices from around the world. We are also developing a series of regionally televised Town Hall meetings that examine the issues discussed in Edens from the local perspectives of those regions. The first Edens Lost & Found Town Hall Meeting was held in Philadelphia in February 2008 and was broadcast on WHYY (PBS) in March 2008. This combination of approaches — the merging of global media with local interaction — is a fundamental part of our strategy for being an effective agent of change, and turning the ideas of ourselves and our partners into action.

Being Creative in Philadelphia

The ongoing revival of Philadelphia depends on the energy of its arts and entrepreneurial community. Being Creative in Philadelphia will profile artists and entrepreneurs who, by pursuing their collective passions, are revitalizing the communities in which they live and work.

Edens Lost & Found

Edens Lost & Found tells the stories of individuals who are catalysts for change and committed to restoring their urban neighborhoods, improving public health and re-establishing the art of community through the creation of sustainable urban ecosystems.

Edens Lost & Found Town Hall Meetings

A series of live events, recorded for later broadcast, feature a panel discussion with a diverse group of experts and local residents, and are designed to identify best practices and practical next steps that will bring the Edens vision to the local level.