GridPhilly

The Wall Street Journal recently tackled the issue of “greenwashing”: According to a study due out Tuesday, more than 95% of consumer products examined committed at least one offense of “greenwashing,” a term used to describe unproven environmental claims, according TerraChoice, a North American environmental-marketing company that issued the report. It’s yet another reminder that

Good news on the Marcellus Shale front—Governor Rendell has signed an order halting drilling on state forest land. Talks broke down over a proposed tax; Republicans wanted little to no taxes on the proposed drilling. Try to contain your surprise. Unfortunately, Rendell only has three months left in office, and the order could be reversed

When it comes to food, I can be a bit of an old lady. I love brussels sprouts and chicken liver mousse, and I especially love cabbage. Boil it, saute it, shave it in a slaw, and I’ll gobble it up. On Monday, I picked up a sad discount Savoy cabbage from the Fair Food

This Sunday, the Wyck Association will host a talk by historian and archivist, Adam Levine (not to be confused with Adam Lavine). The discussion will bring guests back to the founding of Philadelphia in 1682, when the landscape of the city was drastically different: As you walk on many of Philadelphia’s sidewalks, beneath your feet

  Walking across Spruce Street this morning, I was filled with the joy of a thousand chocolate-eating toddlers. Paved! So smooth. So beautiful. And, as you can see in the right shot, the bike lanes have been sketched onto the pothole-less surface. 

Capogiro’s “Boo Box” has arrived, rife with Halloween-themed treats. (I have an addiction to pumpkin ice cream/gelato/frozen yogurt, so this is exciting news.) Here are the included flavors: Jack-O-Lantern – Earthy Lancaster County neck pumpkins. SINamon – Vietnamese cinnamon. Our new favorite cinnamon. We have left Saigon, my friends. And it is sinfully good. Pagan Pear with

Halloween brings many things—costumes, candy, scary ghost stories—but this year it also heralds the grand opening of Mugshots Coffeehouse & Cafe‘s brand new location in Brewerytown. The space has spurred buzz since February, when philly.com blogged about the plans. In April, Brownstoner shared further tidbits of information. Now the waiting game is over—Mugshots’ newsletter announced the impending opening this

Grist recently addressed the lack of recognition for prominent women in the contemporary food movement: The public acknowledgment of women’s role in the movement has fallen short, argues Jennifer Cognard-Black in the cover story of the current (summer 2010) issue of Ms. magazine (not online, sadly). Cognard-Black demonstrates the centrality of women in the ongoing effort to

Fabrizio Costantini for The New York TimesIt seems people are re-remembering the amazing power food has to build community. The New York Times has a story about struggling-but-occasionally-resurgent Detroit, and Phillip Cooley’s nascent food empire. It all started with Slows, a barbecue joint turned destination dining frenzy: To make sure the positive change takes hold,

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine spent a weekend in Nashville. I enjoyed that city's spoils for almost four years during my tenure at the Nashville Scene, so I was giddy with suggestions. I not only gave him a full program of must-visit restaurants, but also told him exactly what to order. I