Grid Magazine

#002 March 2009/Community/Public Health

Environmental Effects

Patients as Person, City as Healer?by Nathaniel PopkinIn the earliest days of the Center for Community Partnerships at Penn, a project I was a part of for a few years in the mid-’90s, we considered (but never executed) a “misery/happiness index” for West Philadelphia. The index was an idea of the historian Lee Benson, the

March 1, 2009

3 mins read

#002 March 2009/Food

A Simpler Time

Southwark offers a connection to local foodby Will Dean and Ashley JeromeWhen you walk in the front door of Southwark, it feels a little like you’re going back in time, which makes sense. Southwark got its name from an 18th century district of the city and it fits because preserving history, including a tangible connection

March 1, 2009

2 mins read

#002 March 2009/Circular Economy

Book Review: the Ecology of Commerce

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainabilityby Paul HawkenHarper Collins, 1993, $19.96Paul Hawken, author, entrepreneur and activist, debunks the tired notion that business and the environment are somehow at odds. “Common wisdom holds that ecologists worry about nature while economists are concerned with human beings,” Hawken explains. “But economists are in fact taking care

March 1, 2009

1 min read

#002 March 2009/Community

Free Flow

An abandoned building becomes a hub for social activism in West Philadelphiaby Natalie Hope McDonaldJust off the Number 10 Green Line, west of the sprawling Penn and Drexel campuses and trendy restaurants, past the tiny street corner bodegas and dimly lit bars, a group of aspiring social activists saw something special in an abandoned building

March 1, 2009

2 mins read

#002 March 2009/Food

Beer Us

Philly returns to its beer making pastby Will Dean When Schmidt’s brewery closed in June 1987 after being bought by Wisconsin brewer G. Heileman, Philly officially switched from a beer-producing to merely a beer-drinking city. Although Schmidt’s wasn’t a taste explosion (my dad used to refer to it by a similar sounding expletive), the demise

March 1, 2009

4 mins read

#002 March 2009/Community/Green Building

Transitioning Town

North Philly changes before our eyes by Will Dean with additional reporting by Dana Henry When you think about a sustainable city, what does it look like? Whether it’s a futuristic, shiny sci-fi wonderland or a green treehouse-like Ewok village, you probably don’t think of North Philly. With it’s abandoned industrial buildings and bad

March 1, 2009

11 mins read

#002 March 2009/education/Green Building

Style and Substance

Philly U students learn the art and science of sustainable designby Judy WeightmanSometimes a random conversation with the person standing next to you in line leads to a new chapter in your life. That’s what happened to Rob Fleming and Chris Pastore, faculty members at Philadelphia University. “We were waiting to get our ID cards

March 1, 2009

3 mins read

#002 March 2009/Guides

Spring Forward

A guide to get you psyched for spring in Philly by Reesha GrossoThe best treatment for your Seasonal Affective Disorder is increased solar exposure, so leave those pajamas behind! Acclimate yourself to springtime’s greenery, partake in a bit of sunshine and prepare yourself for the inevitable onslaught of insects with this whirlwind tour of Philadelphia’s

March 1, 2009

2 mins read

#002 March 2009/Art/Culture/GridPhilly

Gimme Shelter

Unlike the rock ‘n’ roll documentary of the same name that marked the end of the innocent ’60s, this Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) design experiment is all about hope for the future. SCEE challenged local artists and designers to come up with innovative and sustainable shelter designs that connect the abstract ideas of

March 1, 2009

1 min read

#002 March 2009/Cooking/Food

Revolution Brewing

How to make an old-time Philly brewby Will Dean
Winter might seem like a time for shutting down and hibernating, but it’s also a perfect time for making a little something to help pass the cold months more easily. Here’s a simple recipe for a porter—a dark, malty beer that has a long tradition in Philly

March 1, 2009

1 min read

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