Grid Magazine

#004 May 2009/Energy/Green Building

Sun Grab

State rebates create opportunities for solar installations--finally!by Natasha ChartThinking about installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on your home or commercial building this year? “There will never be a better time to do it,” says Andrew Kleeman, the managing partner at Eos Energy Solutions.

May 1, 2009

2 mins read

#004 May 2009/Environment/Politics

Mo’ Paper Mo’ Problems

Can paperless government work in Philly?by Brian James KirkLong lines and mountains of paperwork await citizens seeking licenses and grants, trying to establish businesses or hoping to renovate their homes. City workers tap away at keyboards full-time, entering the requests into computers. The paperwork is then shipped to storage facilities to gather dust.

May 1, 2009

2 mins read

#004 May 2009/Cooking/Farming/Food/gardening

From the Editor: Empowering Food

What brings you to the food issue? Are you trying to find that tiny restaurant for a transcendent dining experience? Is it a recipe you need that will unlock your creativity and wow your friends and family? After all, what is more pleasurable than eating or preparing a delicious meal? (Please don’t say your answers

May 1, 2009

1 min read

#004 May 2009/Circular Economy/Recycling

Back Page: Envelopes & Noodles

What we can take from those who make doby Dee Dee Risher I leave my friend by the library copy machine while I track down a book. I come back to find her carefully stuffing an inch-thick wad of white bond paper into her tiny bag. She turns to me incredulously. “Someone threw this away.”

May 1, 2009

2 mins read

#004 May 2009/Cooking/Food

Feature: Healthy Food in Hard Times

How to eat well when your cupboard is bareby Sarah GrayIn these recession times, as jobs grow scarce and the city slashes its budget, food prices are also on the rise: In 2007 and 2008, the US saw its worst rise in food prices in 17 years.

May 1, 2009

4 mins read

#004 May 2009/Circular Economy/Fashion/Recycling

Book Review: Sewing Green

Sewing Green: 25 Projects made with Repurposed & Organic Materialsby Betz WhiteSTC Craft, A Melanie Falick Book, 2009, $24.95The stitch ‘n bitch scene has been making your grandma’s favorite hobby hipper over the years. But in this latest DIY guide to needle and threading, author Betz White showcases how crafty designers can rethink wardrobes and

May 1, 2009

1 min read

#004 May 2009/Circular Economy/Recycling

Book Review: The Scavenger’s Manifesto

The Scavenger's Manifestoby Anneli Rufus and Kristan LawsonPenguin, 2009 $14.95Freeganism gets a stylish upgrade in this latest guide to reusing, salvaging and swapping materials at a time when saving money, and the earth, go hand in hand.

May 1, 2009

1 min read

#004 May 2009/Farming/Food/GridPhilly

Book Review: the Omnivore’s Dilemma

The Omnivore's Dilemmaby Michael PollanPenguin, 2006 $26.95When The Omnivore’s Dilemma came out in ’06, it was not the first book to take a look at our industrial food system with a critical eye, but it quickly became one of the most well-known. Part of that is due to the interesting structure of the book, where

May 1, 2009

1 min read

#004 May 2009/Farming/Food

Feature: Food Power

A Lancaster County Farmers group show how local, organic food makes strong farms and healthy foodby Will DeanLancaster County is full of rolling hills, plowed fields and the occasional tall, silver silo; to the average observer, it can all seem the same. With a closer look, though, one plot of turned soil can be radically

May 1, 2009

8 mins read

#004 May 2009/Community/Food/Race and Equity

Feature: Food Desert

North Philly still lacks fresh food accessby Tenaya DarlingtonKensington, one of Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods, has undergone significant revitalization over the last few years, especially along the southern corridor that borders Northern Liberties. You’ll now find a coffee shop, a Spanish imports store and even a sustainable fish merchant amid the tattoo parlors and check cashing

May 1, 2009

5 mins read

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