Grid Magazine

#003 April 2009/Community

A Trip Down Girard Avenue

In a city as old and strange as Philly, there’s some history in every 100-plus-year-old brick rowhome and tiny colonial alley. While it’s fun to make up stories about what happened where (I like to think that my block was where Ben Franklin invented freedom soda), it’s also great to know the actual history and

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Green Building

Everyone Deserves a (Green) Home

Permanent housing for the homeless uses green designby Will DeanWhen the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Center City approached Angelo Sgro, executive director of the Bethesda Project, with an empty building to use for their homelessness efforts, he didn’t have to think before answering.

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Energy/Green Building/Politics

Ask Mark

Philadelphia's Director of Sustainability, Mark Alan Hughes, answers our readersQ: I’ve heard rumors that all new construction in the city will be required to be LEED certified or Energy Star rated. I’m sure these are just rumors, but what measures are being taken towards making new construction, including residential, more sustainable? The sustainable strategies include,

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Circular Economy/Environment/Guides/Recycling

Clean Up: Recycling Batteries Safely

Now that Philadelphia has started showing more love to its recycling program, you undoubtedly find yourself thinking, “I know 1s and 2s can go in the blue bucket, but how do I recycle [insert random item]?” Lucky for you, we have the answers, and this month we’ll tell you about batteries.

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Food/GridPhilly

Eat Local: Vrapple

Eight years ago, Sara Cain attempted to turn Philadelphia’s infamous mystery meat concoction into a treat that herbivores could enjoy. A good friend of hers, who had grown up on scrapple, lamented the loss of the local delight since becoming a vegetarian.

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Food/GridPhilly

Eat Local: Oley Valley Mushrooms

Joe Evans was a carpenter by trade until his back went out. With some time off, he and his wife Angela, who shared a love of hunting for wild mushrooms, decided to try growing them. The venture was so successful that Joe quit his job and put his carpentry skills to use building customized, fabric-covered

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Cooking/Food

Recipe: Wild Mushroom Pâté

Wild Mushroom Pâté with toma primavera and arugulaNow that you can no longer use the cold weather as an excuse to be anti-social, why not invite some friends over and make them a fancy appetizer that highlights some local seasonal flavors?

April 1, 2009

2 mins read

#003 April 2009/Art/Culture/GridPhilly

Dumpster Divers

Trashing South StreetFor an entire year, Burnell Yow! went out every trash night, rummaged through people’s garbage and made a collage of what he found. Fifty-Two Collages in Fifty-Two Weeks is the result of that effort, and it’s hanging up in a brand new gallery space on South Street.

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Farming/Food/gardening

From the Editor: Change You Can Grow

Isn’t it inspiring to see Michelle Obama and a class of fifth graders digging up the White House lawn, planting the first garden there since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in 1943? It’s clear that nutrition is going to be a priority for our First Lady, and her interest in it is personal; a few years

April 1, 2009

1 min read

#003 April 2009/Environment/gardening/Guides/Water

How-To: Let It Rain

Saving rainwater for your own usesby Will DeanTo comply with federal regulations governing combined storm water and sewage overflow (where lots of rain can wash sewage into local watersheds), the Philadelphia Water Department is trying something new.

April 1, 2009

1 min read

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