The Latest

Along for the Ride: Bike Fresh, Bike Local

Step one: Place local food activists, cycling enthusiasts and the rolling hills of Chester County into a pot. Two: Add a cup of glorious weather. Three: Sprinkle spandex to taste. Four: Bike 50 miles; immediately scarf lunch, turn in drink ticket for a Victory brew and voila! Bike Fresh Bike Local leaves you wondering if

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2 mins read

Energy: Foam Party

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling costs account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in a typical American home. In most homes—especially in the older housing stock so prevalent in Philadelphia—inadequate insulation is a leading cause of wasted energy. EnergyStar estimates that you can save up to 20

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2 mins read

Foraging: Pawpaw Paradise

photos and story by Lee StabertI’ve watched enough Survivor to know that building a fire is hard. Or at least it should be. But then I witnessed Casey Spacht start one in less than a minute—a couple quick strokes with a string bow and some delicate blowing was all it took for the carefully prepared

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3 mins read

Recipes: Soup’s On

My mother is a true believer in soup. Her biggest pot comes out at the first hint of fall and remains on the stove until the last wisp of chill leaves the air the following spring. Her specialty is chicken soup (she is a Jewish mother, after all), but she is also fluent in lentils,

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4 mins read

Cheese of the Month: Tomme de Linden Dale

When I stopped by Andrew Mellinger’s stand at the Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market, he was sold out of his goat Tomme. Fortunately he still had toothpick samples, and it was so good that I convinced him to sell me his display wheel.

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1 min read

Tonight: Sustainable Fashion on Sansom Street

Tonight, Sarah Van Aken and Sa Va Fashion host yet another public fashion show. This time, they’re shutting down the street in front of their storefront (17th and Sansom). Click here for details. And for more on Sa Va’s sustainable credentials, check out the cover story from last November’s Grid.  SA VA NATIVE GYPSY Fall

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1 min read

Farm Profile: Taproot Farm

Taproot Farm has only been in business for one year, but farmer George Brittenburg has been growing much longer than that. While attending college in Pittsburgh, he was an impassioned advocate for urban agriculture and community garden projects. “For me, the local food movement became very important,” he says. “This farm was a dream we’d

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1 min read

Dispatch: Pet Smart

Even for cats, Oscar and Stella are offensive creatures. When not plotting how to bat my glasses off the table at the most precise and destructive angle, they are busy sleeping away the day on the darkest pile of clean laundry available or treating flies to the slowest deaths their tiny paws can deliver.

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2 mins read

Zero Sum: San Francisco’s Ambitious Waste Policy

Curbside composting in San FranAs Philadelphia strives towards a 70 percent diversion rate, one U.S. city is pushing the boundaries even further—100 percent. According to Grist.org, San Francisco is aiming to be a zero waste city. They already have curbside composting, and some of the nation’s strictest mandatory recycling laws. It’s a great example of

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1 min read

Heels on Wheels: Bike Fashion

Elizabeth Lippman for The New York TimesI have a bizarre obsession with bogus trend stories. This particular one—from faux trend central, The New York Times—talks about the rise of stylish female cyclists: Roadways are the new runways for these style-obsessed cyclists, their bikes no mere conveyance but a racy adjunct to their look. More than

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1 min read
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