The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dreamby John F. WasikBloomberg, $24.95Financial analysts, like the author of this book, have picked out the housing market as the trigger for the current economic downturn. In The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome, John Wasik, a personal finance columnist for Bloomberg News, agrees with that assertion, but says that our
MoreExposed: the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Powerby Mark SchapiroChelsea Green, $16.95There has never been a shortage of books critiquing American government policy or society, but with the current economic crisis, such books now have a lot more cachet. Exposed, by Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Lifeby Barbara KingsolverHarper Collins, 2007; $26.95Animal, Vegetable, Miracle will not rest on your bookshelves with Barbara Kingsolver’s fiction; this book demands permanent residence in your kitchen. Filled with delicious, seasonal recipes and tips from growing to canning, this stellar book chronicles the Kingsolvers’ move from Arizona to a
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Philadelphia struggles with bike parkingby Sarah Clark StuartThe lack of bicycle parking racks is obvious around much of Philadelphia; not only in front of commercial storefronts, but inside office buildings as well. This bike parking shortage makes biking to work or other destinations difficult, but additionally, it leads to more bike theft. In 2008, when
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Conscious consumers are spending wisely, and don't compromise on qualityby Stephanie SingerThe quest began two months before my sister’s wedding. I wanted to buy her the perfect gift, but unfortunately I was in a personal recession, between jobs and with shrinking funds. I decided to try my luck finding something used. Every weekend I scavenged
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Bike parts normally go on bikes, as nature intended, but occasionally they can find other homes, like on your walls. At the Bike Part Art Show, local artists have sifted through the unusable parts left over from Neighborhood Bike Works’ (NBW) community and youth cycling programs and created pieces of sculpture that entrance the eye
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Dig your toes in the sand at the Jersey shorePicture waves crashing, the smell of salt in the air and vitamin D nourishing your skin. Pack your beach bag for a day trip down the shore.
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Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About Itby Robert GlennonIsland Press, $27.95Unquenchable begins with the story of one of the most obvious and ostentatious wastes of water in America: Las Vegas. A gleaming, neon-bedecked homage to decadence in the middle of the desert, Vegas is a testament to our ability to build what
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Wild Fermentationby Sandor Elix KatzChelsea Green, 2003; $25I’ve lost count of the number of times this book has been recommended or mentioned to me, and it deserves every one. Katz explores the world of fermentable foods, which includes some of the earliest prepared foods humans ate, not only to give you something great to eat,
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Philadelphia's Director of Sustainability, Mark Alan Hughes, answers our readersThis month's column is my last as Director of Sustainability and my question comes from the editors of GridQ: What is the most important or surprising lesson you’ve learned during your time as Director of Sustainability?
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