A graph of extreme weather and damage costs. For full graph click image. (Mother Jones)A Year for the Books Hurricane season has barely started and the year 2011 has already cost more than a billion dollars in weather disaster damages—the highest recorded amount ever. Mother Jones Clean water means no drilling? EPA has chosen seven

A center piece of land in Emerald Park, an icon of greenery and art in the East Kensington community, is up for sale. This park was created in 1996 by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society to replace burned or condemned homes, creating a glimmer of beauty for East Kensington residents. Today, the park’s wildlife and blossoming greenery draw

Image via companyelectric.comLower your energy bill and support the South Philly Food Co-op (SPFC) by switching your energy provider to the Energy Cooperative. For every new member with a SPFC referral, the Energy Cooperative will give the Food Co-op $20. The member-owned, nonprofit energy supplier was founded by Weaver’s Way in 1979 and provides affordable, sustainable

World’s first entirely plant-based PET bottle PepsiCo Inc. unveiled a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle made of 100-percent plant material, upstaging Coca-Cola and its 30-percent recycled material bottle. The Pepsi bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Pepsi plans to eventually incorporate orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers

Keep your car off the roads surrounding Roxborough Reservoir for the next two weeks, as thousands of toadlets are in the process of crossing the roads to reach their new woodland home. Since the birth of these toadlets, Toad Detour volunteers have reported spotting masses of tiny toads alongside Port Royal Road, and on June

6/22 Architectural Walking Tour: Skyscrapers Old & New
Use your legs and explore Philadelphia’s architectural past, present and future during a guided walking tour with the Preservation Alliance. On Wednesday, June 22 at 6p.m. the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia will take you on a two-hour tour through various sections of the city including: Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square,

Image via fastlane.dot.govBike Super Highway The Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials has approved the first new routes in the national bike system (essentially a country-traversing highway for cyclists) in more than 30 years. Six new routes will be added to the 1980s-born system in Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Alaska. As the

Image via abstractphilly.orgA career in science may not seem like a dream job to most middle school students, but the Academy of Natural Sciences is hoping to change that. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from FMC Corporation, a Philadelphia-based chemical manufacturer, the Academy will hold two career days for Philadelphia public school 6th through 8th

This past Saturday, GRID volunteer Leia Pearl Andrew attended the Kensington South Neighborhood Advisory Council's screening of Gasland. Here Leia reports back on fracking, Iris Bloom, and the make-shift movie theater in a formerly vacant lot.
“Your land, my land, gasland” 

Spearheading a summertime series of progressive documentaries, community members gathered in Kensington last Saturday to celebrate sustainability

Image via transitionvoice.comSuffering From Sushi No longer a hand-crafted delicacy available only in Japan, sushi has spread across the world. But the increase in sushi’s popularity doesn’t come without consequences. Two new documentaries address the environmental and cultural issues of the sushi economy. Green via NY Times National Monument Still Untouched The Grand Canyon will