We’ve all had the frustrating experience of seeing a plastic bag caught in a tree or a plastic bottle lying in the gutter. We’ve seen the jarring images of seabirds caught in six-pack rings or turtles with straws up their noses. Sadly, these images shouldn’t be surprising. Over 35 million tons of plastic waste is
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Grid is a monthly magazine, so we are not equipped to report news. Sure, we occasionally cover some stories as they happen, but mostly we stay away from breaking stories — especially national news. However, the dramatic changes at the federal level deserve at least some commentary. I think just about every Trump-related story can
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What became “The Year of the Cake” started innocently enough. In October 2023, Sandi Pierantozzi and her husband, Neil Patterson, ordered a slice of pistachio torte from a bakery in Sicily. It was love at first bite. The couple returned to the shop each of the five days they spent in Taormina, always savoring the
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I started Bennett Compost 16 years ago with the goal of making composting easy and accessible for Philadelphians. From the moment we started, people asked, “When do you think Philly will offer composting to every household like trash and recycling?” I used to say, “Ten years at the earliest.” Sixteen years later, my answer hasn’t
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Are we in drive or reverse? The truth is that sustainable technologies are nothing new. The chain-driven safety bicycle (safer than the precarious penny-farthing) grew popular in the late 1800s. Electric cars date back to the mid-1800s, and Philadelphia entered the EV history books towards the end of that century, when locals Henry G. Morris
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As climate change caused flooding and extreme heat in the region and elsewhere, Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration set its sights on reducing Philly’s emissions. Before the pandemic, the City of Philadelphia operated a fleet of approximately 5,500 vehicles — everything from sedans and SUVs to street sweepers and garbage trucks. These spewed over 50,000 metric
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Expanding electric vehicle infrastructure isn’t the only Philadelphia initiative that’s taking a hit from the Trump administration’s halt to federal funding, the ultimate ramifications of which are being worked out in courts across the nation. Key projects tackling climate change, public health and even the City’s program to eliminate traffic deaths are now in limbo,
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There aren’t as many American bumble bees (Bombus pensylvanicus) as there used to be in the state the insect is named after. The big black and yellow bees are in decline, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature rating the species as vulnerable. Although the American bumble bee might need protection in Pennsylvania, there
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A half dozen three- and fouryear- olds wave “adios!” to their moms and younger siblings, then pile into the little bus, “el Busesito,” parked on a street corner in Frankford. Inside the 24-foot van, repurposed as a mobile preschool classroom, the Spanish-speaking children grab puzzles, blocks, stuffed animals, papers and crayons and settle on a
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For Philadelphia startup Coblr, reducing consumption is more than just the latest social media trend: empowering consumers to repair rather than buy new is their entire mission. Cofounded by Emily Watts and Leslie Bateman in 2023, Coblr’s online store offers mail-in repair services for a variety of footwear and leather goods. Watts and Bateman, who
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