Grid Magazine

#008 October 2009/Energy/Environment/Green Building/GridPhilly

News: The Price is Right

Urban Eco Electric energizes the Philadelphia solar market with free installation and affordable leasing optionsMany homeowners want solar energy, but far too few can afford the upfront costs. How can this be overcome? One solution is leasing. The most prominent example of a successful leasing company is California-based SolarCity, which was partially funded by Elon

October 1, 2009

1 min read

#008 October 2009/Food

Beer: Drink in the Season

Local brews just in time for the fallby Don RussellFor more than a century, the prototypical autumn beer has been Oktoberfestbier, the amber, slightly sweet lager brewed in the spirit of the world’s biggest festival, Munich’s Oktoberfest.

October 1, 2009

2 mins read

#008 October 2009/Circular Economy/Climate-Change/Environment/Recycling

From the Editor: Change, Great and Small

My dad made a robot costume for me when I was in first grade. I waited until the last minute to make my choice known, leaving him precious little time to convert found paper rolls, cardboard boxes and tinfoil into a robot. Despite my dad’s industriousness, the costume had some engineering flaws.

October 1, 2009

1 min read

#008 October 2009/Cooking/Food/GridPhilly

Book Review: The Urban Vegan

The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes From Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisineby Dynise BalcavageThree Forks/Globe Pequot Press; $16.95What does an urban vegan eat? Food adventurist and urban ethnic food-loving vegan Dynise Balcavage wrote The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes From Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine as a response to this particular

October 1, 2009

1 min read

#008 October 2009/Culture/Food

Back Page: Tricky Treats

A legion of Mr. Hydes await their holidayby Jonathon McGoranAfter all the stories of apples with razorblades and drug-laced cookies he’d heard growing up, Greg was surprised the notion of trick-or-treating had survived for his son Duncan to partake in.

October 1, 2009

2 mins read

#008 October 2009/Cooking/Food/GridPhilly

Book Review: Almost Meatless

Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planetby Jay Manning and Tara Mataraza DesmondTen Speed Press; $22.50Traditionally, there has been a great divide between diehard vegetarians and meat eaters, and it is apparent in most modern-day cookbooks.

October 1, 2009

1 min read

#008 October 2009/Climate-Change/Environment/GridPhilly

Book Review: No Impact Man

No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Processby Colin BevanFarrar, Straus and Giroux; $25
Over the past decade, several eco-superheroes have emerged: Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Redford, and Michael Pollan, among others. In

October 1, 2009

1 min read

#008 October 2009/Cooking/Food

Recipe: Tempeh Tantrum

The other non-meat takes center stageby Bernard Brown
We all know tofu, whether as a food or a punchline, but what about tempeh? Just like tofu, tempeh is a sustainable alternative to animal products. Both are made from soybeans, which are probably the most resource-efficient way to convert sunlight, air and soil into protein, so picking

October 1, 2009

2 mins read

#008 October 2009/Cooking/Food

Recipes: Treat Yourself

Think bigger than Jack O'Lanterns and create these delicious pumpkin recipes

October 1, 2009

2 mins read

#008 October 2009/Cooking/Food

In Season: Pumpkins

by Tara Mataraza DesmondPumpkins are fixtures in the decorative backdrop of the fall season, but their culinary purpose far exceeds their ornamental role. They share a branch of the gourd family tree with their winter squash cousins and can be used in recipes exactly as squash are.

October 1, 2009

1 min read