Back in February, The Griddle covered West Philly's Hybrid X Team, and their mission to raise funds to compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize Competition.
Now, we have an update: The team raised the funds, and the competition is well under way. The field—which began with 111 teams—has dwindled to a mere 28, and Hybrid X

Last Thursday, the House passed the Home Star bill, a $5.7 billion stimulus program that will offer rebates to homeowners for energy efficiency renovations. The bill has been unofficially dubbed "Cash for Caulkers."
Here is a report by the Associated Press on how the program will work:
How the proposed Home Star, or Cash for Caulkers, program

This weekend, I found myself in a random debate. The argument was eventually settled with the old adage, “Besides that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” I found that saying drifting into my mind again this morning when I read this Inquirer story on Chad and Courtney Ludeman’s new energy-efficient Kensington home. The story goes

A new reason to head over to Headhouse Square, even when the famed farmer’s market is not up and running! Bodhi Coffee opened today and, according to City Paper’s Meal Ticket, this place is offering a great cup o’ joe and some sustainable fixings.
The space was assembled using reclaimed materials from a number of local

We’ve been gushing over Sustainable 19125 for quite some time now. The initiative, developed by the Partnership for a Green Community, is on a mission to make 19125 (that’s Fishtown, Olde Richmond and East Kensington) the greenest neighborhood in Philly. As part of that effort, they recently launched of their Walk/Bike/Ride campaign. The no-car transportation

How much do you know about hemp? May 17-23 is Hemp History Week, a joint project of Vote Hemp and the Hemp Industries Association. On May 15, Melissa Miles, Organizer of the Eastern Pennsylvania Permaculture Guild, will be partnering with Kimberton Whole Foods to host a Hemp History Week Town Hall Meeting. The meeting will

On Wednesday, I posted an article from the New York Times on the rise of superweeds. The paper’s website—on their “Room for Debate” blog—has since published short commentaries from some notable experts in the field, including Michael Pollan: What a surprise! Roundup-resistant weeds have shown up in fields that have been doused with Roundup! Shocking!

There seems to be a lot of gardening talk on the Griddle recently—tis the season. Yesterday’s New York Times features a story on vertical gardens, and their increasing appeal to urbanites. If you don’t have time for the story, make sure to check out the slideshow.

If any two things are going to turn Philadelphia into the country’s Green Giant, it’s bicycles and gardening. On Saturday, May 15, they come together for the Growing Green Bike Tour—a bicycle exploration of urban gardens and food systems. The tour, a collaboration between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, City Harvest Growers Alliance (CHGA)

This Walt Whit was almost as smooth as Hamels’ performanceI’d like to start this post with something that simply must be said: Choooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooch! Yes, I was at last night’s Phillies game, a contest that featured a walk-off homerun by Carlos Ruiz, a player my brother deems “our most clutch; no contest.” But enough about baseball—let’s