You can make our planet more sustainable.

At the Academy of Natural Sciences, we believe that individual actions can truly make a difference. Each month, we’ll guide our community in a conversation about how everyday choices can affect the health of our environment. Follow along with us here, on social media and through email to join the conversation!

March/April 2026: 10 Hikes to Explore Our Watershed

We all live downstream. While the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers provide drinking water for many of the people in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the streams that feed into them are all part of our watershed. Also known as a basin, a watershed is simply the land in which all the water such as rainfall, snowmelt and runoff drains to a nearby river, creek or stream.

Looking to create a deeper connection to your watershed? Get up close and personal with the waterways that connect to our major drinking water supplies with these wonderful walks that explore them:

• Schuylkill River Trail
• Wissahickon Valley Park
• Green Ribbon Trail
• Tacony Creek Park
• Delaware Canal State Park
• Stroud Preserve
• Valley Forge National Historic Park
• Perkiomen Trail
• Pennypack Trail
• Ralph Stover State Park

Another way you can get outside and enjoy nature is by joining the Academy and community members for Nature at Noon, an hourlong, lunchtime outing designed to be an accessible and approachable way to enjoy nature. Nature at Noon is hosted at rotating locations throughout the city on select Thursdays.

January/February 2026: Reuse/Rewear/Repair

It is the new year and time for a lifestyle change. While it’s daunting to contemplate the many issues that we need to tackle to achieve greater social equity and environmental sustainability, small, individual actions can make a difference. Get some inspiration on reusing, repairing and rewearing. Be sure to discover some of these local organizations supporting the purpose, too!

• Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers
• Pennsylvania Fibershed
• Circular Philadelphia
• Green Matters Natural Dye Company
• FABSCRAP
• PA Flax Project
• Trash Academy
• What is the Right to Repair? Via NY Times Wirecutter

November/December 2025: How to Have a Green and Sustainable Holiday Season

It's that time of year to celebrate winter, gather with family, friends and loved ones and think about all the good you’ll do in the new year. If you find yourself wondering how to be more environmentally conscious, then you can start with a few of these simple tips that will help make your holiday season green and sustainable.

Learn more about how to be sustainable for the holidays, from gourds to candles to gifts to the debate on what kind of tree to use. Plus check out these additional resources!

• Wintertime Bird Watching via The Nature Conservancy
• How-to-Make-Paper-Snowflakes via Instructables
• Five Heritage Turkey Farms in PA via PA Eats
• Eco-friendly Candle Guide via Country Townhouse
• Dispose of your Xmas Tree via City of Philly via City of Philly
• Cooking a Sustainable Holiday Meal via Popular Science via Popular Science
• Move More, Sit Less, Get Active This Holiday Season via NPR

September/October 2025: Fall Garden Guide

A little bit of gardening can go a long way in supporting the health of our planet and communities. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or out in the woods, you can support your local neighborhood, grow delicious vegetables, admire beautiful flowers and help biodiversity flourish — all with a few of these simple autumn garden tips.

Check out the resources below and learn how you can make small changes with big environmental impacts this season!

• Find Your Community Garden via Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
• Community‑Based Course Gets Up Close With Philly’s Food Crisis via Drexel News
• Leave the Leaves to Benefit Wildlife via Xerces Society
• PA Harvest Calendar via Pick Your Own
• A Survey of Mulch via Penn State Extension
• Join the Academy Naturalists via iNaturalist
• Heirloom Bulbs via Old House Gardens
• Community Garden Online Guide via PHS Library