Did you think we could get through an entire issue of Grid without mentioning Michael Pollan in our media section? Maybe next month. Best-known for his work on food politics, Michael Pollan’s second book, A Place of My Own (1998, reissued in 2008), focuses on architecture and building, documenting his efforts to construct the titular
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It’s time to celebrate, Grid is turning one! In honor of this occasion, we’re throwing a party at Yards Brewing Company on Saturday, April 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. (see inside back cover for details). We would love if you stopped by, had a beer and said hello.
I suppose this is a time
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Wendell Berry understands technology’s lure to farmers. In 1950, when he was 16, his father bought a tractor, and suddenly he found he was impatient with his mules. But what does a tireless machine do to a farmer’s relationship to the land? Land becomes something to overcome—a perspective shared by a traveler on an interstate
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One of my favorite things about being a member of the Sustainable Business Network is that, at the annual meeting, they offer a public forum for declaring your New Year’s resolutions. There’s nothing like making an announcement in front of a roomful of people—many of whom you’ll see the following year—to motivate you to keep
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When I was a kid, the holiday season was all about the gifts. I remember them well: baseball gloves, bikes, electronic games. As the publisher of Grid, I wish I could tell you that all of that stuff didn’t make me happy—but that would be a big fat lie. Each year, my favorite gift and
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Regardless of how this World Series turns out, watching the Phillies, and the city’s transformation, has been magical. Bitter and pessimistic fans have become believers; the team itself is fearless. Anyone who doubts that people can change—or that mindsets can shift—should look no further than our beloved Fightin’ Phils.The quest for sustainability isn’t quite as
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A maverick CEO makes the case for sustainabilityby Alex Mulcahy
In 1994, Ray Anderson, the CEO of an industrial carpet manufacturing company, faced a task he dreaded: delivering a speech to his workers about his company’s environmental policy. The problem was that his company, Interface Inc., didn’t have an environmental policy. They weren’t breaking any laws;
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My dad made a robot costume for me when I was in first grade. I waited until the last minute to make my choice known, leaving him precious little time to convert found paper rolls, cardboard boxes and tinfoil into a robot. Despite my dad’s industriousness, the costume had some engineering flaws.
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It’s August and the full splendor of the CSA is upon us. For the uninitiated, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. (This acronym is somewhat obtuse. I would suggest replacing it with BFF, Buying From a Farmer.) The way it works is you sign up before the farmers’ harvest, usually in the late winter or
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A friend of mine owned an independent bookstore for a number of years, and during that time he claimed to have the best job in the world. All day long, he said, intelligent, engaging people come through the door and talk about the subjects that they're most passionate about.
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