Grid Magazine

#010 December 2009/Circular Economy

From the Editor: A Hands-On Holiday

When I was a kid, the holiday season was all about the gifts. I remember them well: baseball gloves, bikes, electronic games. As the publisher of Grid, I wish I could tell you that all of that stuff didn’t make me happy—but that would be a big fat lie. Each year, my favorite gift and

December 1, 2009

1 min read

#009 November 2009/Cooking/Food

Back Page: The Joy of a Local Living Economy

by Judy WicksI had just turned six when my family moved to the small town where I grew up in western Pennsylvania. On the first day in my new community, I collected all the extension cords I could find and connected them down the driveway, where I set up my child-size dining table with two

November 2, 2009

2 mins read

#009 November 2009/Circular Economy/Culture

Book Review: Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money

Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Moneyby Woody TaschChelsea Green Publishing; $21.95
Our world economy revolves around capitalism and is in a state of constant expansion. Having doubled two times since 1960, it is expected to quadruple again by the middle of this century. Many fear a collision between profit and growth and the welfare of

November 2, 2009

1 min read

#009 November 2009/Climate-Change/Energy

Book Review: Power Trip

Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells--Our Ride to the Renewable Futureby Amanda LittleHarper, $25.99
Cycling into work on the Brooklyn Bridge on September 11, 2001, Amanda Little witnessed the horrific attack on the World Trade Center. Two years later, on August 14, 2003, Little was in her Manhattan office when the Northeast Blackout left

November 2, 2009

1 min read

#009 November 2009/Cooking/Food

Recipes: Squash Your Hunger

Barley Pilaf Stuffed Squash recipe by Tara Mataraza Desmond(serves four) Barley is a common ingredient in hearty dishes like soup, stew and stuffing. Here, the grain is the base of a pilaf-like filling for soft roasted butternut squash.

November 2, 2009

2 mins read

#009 November 2009/Cooking/Food/Guides

In Season: Brussels Sprouts

On reality tv cooking competitions, producers often can’t resist the urge to structure a challenge around making traditionally maligned foods palatable for kids. Bring on the brussels sprouts! Every time they hand a bushel of these little green balls of goodness to a reticent cheftestant, I get a touch worked up. What did these verdant

November 1, 2009

2 mins read

#009 November 2009/Bicycling/Farming/Food/gardening

Feature: A Bike with Petals

On a roof or in a yard, Grace Wicks grows gardenersby Char VandermeerIt was easy to pick Grace Wicks, sole proprietor of Graceful Gardens, out of the horde of stern-faced suits bustling by the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City. She was the one wearing a great big grin and carrying a giant green gardening

November 1, 2009

2 mins read

#009 November 2009/Community/Farming/Food/gardening

Feature: A Fresh Start

Prisoners and community gardeners help feed Philadelphia's hungry by Natalie Hope McDonald
Adjacent to a soccer field in fairmount park, in view of what’s left of the Delaware River’s wetlands, the Philadelphia Prison System operates eight correctional facilities for men and women along State Road.

November 1, 2009

6 mins read

#009 November 2009/GridPhilly

Philadelphia, The Once and Future Workshop of the World?

Once known as the Workshop of the World, Philadelphia lost 400,000 manufacturing jobs over the last four decades. But according to the Emerging Industries Project (a report presented by the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia’s Green Economy Task Force), there is potential to redevelop local manufacturing in a more sustainable way.

November 1, 2009

1 min read

#009 November 2009/Culture/Fashion

Cover Story: Upstairs Downstairs

Sa Va Fashion Brings buying local to a new levelby Lee Stabert
Upstairs from a posh center city boutique is a small garment factory. There is a hefty metal cutting table along the right wall and a couple rows of sewing machines. There is a machine that folds collars, and one that attaches clasps to pants.

November 1, 2009

5 mins read

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