jan 2012 / issue 34 gridphilly.com

SuStainable philadelphia

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4 gridphilly.com january 2012

publisherAlex Mulcahy

215.625.9850 ext. 102 alex@gridphilly.com

managing editorLiz Pacheco

liz.pacheco@redflagmedia.com

art directorJamie Leary

jamie@gridphilly.com

designerMelissa McFeeters

melissa@gridphilly.com

distributionClaire Connelly

215.625.9850 ext. 100 claire@gridphilly.com

copy editorAndrew Bonazelli

production artistLucas Hardison

writersRon Bishop

Bernard Brown Julie Lorch

G.W. Miller III Alaina Mabaso Katie Winkler

Samantha Wittchen

photographersLucas Hardison

Albert Yee

illustratorsDaniel Hughes

Melissa McFeeters

internsAnna Louise Neiger

Elena Rivera Marisa Steinberg

ad salesAlex Mulcahy

215.625.9850 ext. 102 alex@gridphilly.com

bookkeeperAlicia McClung

published byRed Flag Media

1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107

215.625.9850

g r i d p h i l ly . c o m

the holidays are, ideally, a time to reflect. We begin with a feast of gratitude, move to prayers for spiritual renewal, and then we celebrate the passing of one year and the blank slate of the next. But finding the time to mark these occa-sions thoughtfully is hard to come by, isn’t it?

I know it is for me. Though I love it, the pub-lishing treadmill is relentless. Three years ago, we started GRID. At the time, thinking beyond the first issue was more than I could imagine. It’s a little bit like what they say in the music indus-try: You have your whole life to write your first album, and then six months to write the next.

Actually, it wasn’t at all like a songwriter with writer’s block. The story ideas came pouring in, and our challenge was more one of curation. How do we squeeze so many fascinating and important stories into a finite number of pages, and present them in a way that educates, inspires and creates community? And is there more that we can do to advance these ideas?

I’m excited to tell you that in 2012 we’ll be tak-ing GRID a step closer to that goal. Beginning in March, we’ll be presenting a series of salons where the people we admire and the concepts we promote will take center stage. Expect more details soon, but know that our goal is to provide another opportunity to deepen your ties to the sustainability community.

Our first event will be a co-sponsored showing of The Economics of Happiness. We’ve partnered with Judy Wicks, Sustainable 19103 and The Of-fice of Sustainability to show the movie on Janu-ary 12, at Trinity Church (2212 Spruce St.) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. I’ve seen the movie, and it ties in perfectly with the underlying message of our gift guide: buy local. We may be selling tickets online; check out our website (gridphilly.com) for updates.

In the spirit of reflection, and in the interest of gearing up for what will be our best year yet, we’re going to give GRID next month off. We’ll be setting up our editorial calendar and developing our live programming, and I’m finally going to clean my of-fice. Seriously, I’m going to clean it.

A few quick shout-outs before we go black for a month. Thanks to Katie Winkler for working tirelessly to put the gift guide together. This was an enormous undertaking, and she pulled it off. Thanks to Lu-cas Hardison and Melissa McFeeters for mak-ing the gift guide look good (and on a shoestring budget). And thanks to the rest of the GRID team: Andrew Bonazelli, Claire Connelly, Jamie Leary, Alicia McClung and Liz Pacheco. Thanks everybody for 2011, and I can’t wait to get work-ing on next year!

Home for the Holidays

alex j. mulcahy, Publisheralex@gridphilly.com

kneeling (l to r)Claire Connelly, Melissa McFeeters; Standing (l to r) andrew Bonazelli, Lucas Hardison, alex Mulcahy, jamie Leary, alicia McClung; not pictured Liz Pacheco, Katie Winkler.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 5

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Hunting park, which sits among North Philadelphia’s Hunting Park, Nicetown/Tioga and Logan areas, was one of the first neigh-borhood parks to join the Fairmount Park system, but for decades

the 87-acre green space has been better known for crime than community.

Small Appliances

fact The average lifespan for a curling iron is one to two years.

problemMany small appliances we use in our homes—toasters, hair dryers, irons, vacuum

cleaners, fans and countless other devices—have short lifespans when compared to ma-jor appliances like refrigerators and washing machines. While many of these smaller con-sumer products are often encased in plastic, they’re also comprised of metal, which is re-cyclable and valuable. However, these devices aren’t collected for recycling curbside, and they often aren’t accepted at electronic waste (e-waste) recycling events.

solutionIf you no longer need a working appliance, con-sider donating it to a charity

for resale. Good bets are the newly-opened Habitat for Humanity ReStore (2930 Jasper St., 215-739-9300, habitatphiladelphia.org/habitat-philadelphia-restore) and mainstays like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

If your appliance is useless, Best Buy of-fers free recycling for some small appliances. For example, they’ll take a broken vacuum cleaner, but you’re on your own with the toaster. For a full list of what they’ll accept, visit their website (bestbuy.com/recycling).

If you’re like me and have a small arsenal of defunct hair dryers on your hands, consider taking them to a scrap metal processor. Sul-livan’s Scrap Metals (2710 E. Westmoreland St., 215-426-3852, tmsullivan.com) will accept small appliances, but they’ll ask you to remove the plastic casing. Otherwise, they may not be able to accept all of your spent items.

by samantha wittchen

community

Play BallA community garden and a revitalized baseball field transform hunting park by julie lorch

“Hunting Park has long been considered a liability instead of an asset for the community,” says Kathryn Ott Lovell, executive director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy. “There is a critical need to offer residents safe and af-fordable opportunities for healthy living and active living.”

In October 2009, the Fairmount Park Con-servancy proposed the Hunting Park Revi-talization Plan. The proposition was made in partnership with a range of community leaders, including government representa-tives, a local school, community programs and faith-based groups, as well as Hunting Park’s Stakeholders group and Civic Asso-ciation. The $20 million master plan is the first big neighborhood-based capital project for the Conservancy, whose previous work included relighting Boathouse Row and the Waterworks restorations.

In October 2009, the Fairmount Park Con-servancy, in partnership with community lead-ers, proposed the Hunting Park Revitalization Plan. These leaders included state representa-tives, council people, the local Catholic school, a community center, youth programs, faith-based groups and neighborhood nonprofits, as well as Hunting Park’s Stakeholders group and Civic Association. So far, more than $3.7 million has been raised for phase one, which is underway. The park now has a weekly farmers market and two new playgrounds; an 11,000-

square-foot, 60-plot community garden is be-ing completed as well.

The garden, dedicated this October, will have its own governance structure run by Hunting Park residents. And the Philadelphia Horticul-tural Society and SHARE, an affordable food program that offers groceries in exchange for volunteer work, have offered gardening classes to the Hunting Park Gardening Club.

Thanks to a significant donation by the Ryan Howard Family Foundation, the baseball field underwent major renovations too. The number of kids playing Little League there has rocketed from 30 to 140.

“This park and the changes we’re mak-ing can be a catalyst for other changes in this neighborhood,” says Ott Lovell. “It doesn’t stop at the park. It changes and uplifts the community.”

Hunting Park United, a community stew-ardship group that evolved from the master planning process in 2009, has grown to more than 150 members, including residents, neigh-borhood organizations and faith-based groups. The group works closely with the Conservan-cy and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation on revitalization efforts, and leads volunteer days throughout the year.

“In three years, we believe we’ll see higher property values and lower crime rates. That’s the power of the parks,” says Ott Lovell. “And, it’s replicable.”

Thanks to a significant donation by the ryan Howard Family

Foundation, the baseball field underwent major renovations.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 7

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Urban farmers do more than simply grow food, explains attorney Amy Laura Cahn. “These people are building community. They are providing resources for their communities in terms of food, but also

in terms of value of property,” she says. “They’re creating community spaces and creating opportunities for education and cross-culture, cross-generational communication.” Urban farmers are investing in their neighborhoods.

community

The Law of the Land

But establishing community gardens and ur-ban farms often isn’t easy. There are numerous hoops to jump through—from gaining the right to use vacant property to declaring nonprofit sta-tus and building governing bodies. All of these steps require legal assistance that many urban communities cannot afford.

This fall, Cahn and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCoP) launched the Garden Justice Legal Initiative to provide pro

bono legal support to community gardeners and urban farmers in historically disinvested sections of the city.

“There really wasn’t any place to go here,” says Cahn. “Some places will help you incorpo-rate as nonprofits. There are some places that offer pro bono support for nonprofit businesses. You might be able to get an attorney who might be able to help with complications on zoning issues, or others who offer some guidance. But

there was nowhere that was comprehensive.”Cahn’s services will range from assisting indi-

viduals and groups trying to secure land use, to advocating for community gardeners as public policy is drafted.

There are more than 40,000 vacant plots in Philadelphia, many of which become eyesores that invite crime. Around 25 percent of those properties belong to the city and its various agencies, says Cahn.

“Securing land rights is a huge issue,” she acknowledges. “Dealing with the city is very complicated.”

A Worcester, Mass. native, Cahn received her law degree from the University of Pennsyl-vania in 2009. She has worked on environmen-tal justice issues in New Orleans and Brooklyn and witnessed the impact of disinvestment and displacement in urban communities. She then received a Skadden Fellowship, which provides two years of employment and benefits to lawyers focused on public interest work.

Cahn was a natural fit for PILCoP, which has been assisting residents in the Hunting Park sec-tion of Philadelphia since 2008.

At the height of Philadelphia’s industrial prowess, the Hunting Park neighborhood was home to a large population of factory workers.

some places will help you incorporate as nonprofits. some offer pro bono support for nonprofit businesses. you might be able to get an attorney who might be able to help with complications on zoning issues, or others who offer some guidance. but there was nowhere that was comprehensive. —Amy lAurA cAhn

A recently launched initiative offers urban gardeners free legal support by g.w. miller iii

Seed moneyAdam Cutler (left) and and

Amy Laura Cahn (right) are helping Catalina Hunter (center)

establish multiple community gardens in Hunting Park.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 9

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as part of their effort to provide legal support to community gardeners and urban farmers, the garden justice legal initiative is working with philadelphia’s Food

organizing Collaborative (ForC). ForC organizes food growers, workers and eaters to reclaim control of the food system and build food sovereignty. The garden justice and ForC partnership is bringing together gardeners through a series of community meetings on issues of land access and land tenure. The next meeting will be held on december 14 from 6-8 p.m. at FinanTa (1301 n. second st.). space is limited, so please rsVp to phillyforc@gmail.com or 267-546-1306. For more information about ForC, visit phillyforc.wordpress.com.

As the industry jobs dissipated, many left the neighborhood. While more people moved in and gave the area new life, many homes were simply left to deteriorate.

“There are so many vacant lots in this com-munity,” says attorney Adam Cutler, the director of PILCoP’s Public Health and Environmental Justice Clinic. “There are a lot of homeowners in the neighborhood and they take care of their properties. It’s that constant struggle. The long-time residents want to keep their properties nice and their streets safe and clean.”

Cutler helped neighbors secure a lot at Third and Wingohocking Streets that is now a com-munity garden with six raised beds producing copious amounts of vegetables.

“When Adam came, it was like meeting an an-gel,” says, a Hunting Park resident who works with the community garden. “We’re a nonprofit. We don’t have money to do anything.”

The PILCoP team, including Cahn, is now working with the Hunting Park residents to se-cure four additional properties.

“I’m hoping I can be sort of a clearinghouse for community garden groups in the city,” says Cahn. “I’m hoping to represent some and then provide resources to facilitate people in repre-senting themselves.”

by alaina mabaso

ment known as “snout-to-tail,” which promotes humane farming as well as the purchase and use of the whole animal, instead of a few popular cuts. While use of the whole animal is centuries old, the rise of industrial agriculture pushed the practice out of popularity. In Philadelphia, the snout-to-tail movement has made a resurgence largely due to the efforts of Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Cafe.

Wicks calls her 2003 decision to begin pur-chasing whole pigs from a local organic farm for the White Dog, and to encourage other busi-nesses to do the same, as “the turning point in my whole life.” Initially, Wicks hoped to capitalize on responsible use of humanely raised meat as an incentive for customers (a unique offering among Philadelphia restaurants at the time). What she realized is that humane and environmentally sound food practices shouldn’t be trade secrets, but “systematically available,” shared among many homes and businesses.

Fair Food, which was founded in 2001, is one of the outgrowths of Wicks’ activism. In addition to their farmstand in the Reading Terminal, Fair Food acts as an aid to restaurants who want to

buy directly from farms. In October, I joined Fair Food and a lucky group of city-dwellers (includ-ing special guest Wicks) on a Snout-to-Tail Tour. The day included a trip to Smucker’s as well as a visit to Sweet Stem Farm in Lititz, Pa. and a pork dinner at Green Meadow Farm in eastern Lancaster County.

A married couple who have worked together full time since 2005, Sweet Stem Farm owners Philip and Dee Horst-Landis raise sheep, pigs and cows on 60 acres of land. Sweet Stem adjoins Meadow Run Farm, where Dee’s brother raises poultry—our arrival is welcomed with a high-pitched chuckling of turkeys, bickering, nibbling and huddling together on an open pasture.

Leading us to a pen of 40 boisterous pigs, Philip explains the balancing act of economics and ani-mal welfare when running a small-scale, organic operation. “How much are we going to strive for efficiency?” he asks. “We don’t want to lose touch with the sense that we know all the animals.”

Sweet Stem Farm sells 1,500 pigs a year (rais-ing up to 800 at a time) to markets like Whole Foods, the Fair Food Farmstand and local co-operative food markets. In about 100 days on

the farm, piglets grow from 60 pounds to 260. Philip and Dee also raise grass-fed beef and sell 250 lambs annually from their 150 ewes.

Though raising more animals would increase profits, Philip and Dee have purposely kept the populations small. “We want to be able to see all the animals, twice every day,” says Philip. “That’s the size of the farm.”

What Philip and Dee call “high-touch farming” gets expensive, including the use of hard-to-find or-ganic, non-genetically modified corn and soy feed. They also ensure veterinary care to any animal in need, regardless of overall cost-effectiveness.

At Sweet Stem, it’s important that the animals be allowed to express their natural behaviors. The barn floor is covered with hay, which pigs love to root through with their snouts, and the pen is roomy enough for the pigs to break into a run. Phil-ip fondly indicates a pig splayed on its side, nudging the hay with its snout: “That’s a happy pig.”

tanding next to meat hooks and the cage where bison, cows and pigs are fatally stunned in the first step of meat processing, Jay Smucker talks about his work. “We really enjoy what we do,” says the manager of the family-owned Smucker’s Meats, a slaughterhouse in Mount Joy,

Pa. Smucker isn’t referring to the slaughter, but rather to the en-joyment of operating a small-scale, USDA-inspected facility that handles only seven animals per hour (big meat plants typically process around 1,000 pigs an hour). Smucker takes pride in pro-viding a crucial service to link farmers and their consumers and, as he explains, “being good stewards of what we’ve been given.”

Stewardship and respect are key concepts in the burgeoning agricultural and culinary move-

One happy pig at Meadow Run Farm

photos by albert yee10 gridphilly.com january 2012

But even the happy pigs have to meet their end. And it’s an important step for the meat consumer to learn about as well.

At a recent snout-to-tail discussion panel, “This Little Piggy Went to Market,” hosted by Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences, Bruce Arndt, slaughterhouse proprietor and president of Stoney Point Farm Market in Littlestown, Pa., touted the benefits of humane farming and slaughter. When animals arrive at his facility they’re healthy and so calm that his cattle prod is rusted with disuse. Arndt expressed a gratitude that balances the often grisly nature of his work. He calls the livestock holding room the “transition room,” not simply for the transition from life to death but “from living to life-giving.”

At his facility, Smucker makes a point to be present when animals are dropped off. Each animal is individually tracked, allowing the farmers to directly market their own animals. Bison and beef hang for two weeks, and his facility slices and packages myriad cuts in addition to curing ham and bacon and performing specialty processing like jerky. During a tour of the slaughterhouse, Smucker likens the work of the killing floor to an expert dance, everyone playing a different part. “It’s hard work,” he says, “but it’s good work.”

Slaughterhouse proprietors are the “unsung heroes of the food supply

If the snout-to-tail movement sounds more like an ideal than a realistic approach to cooking, jessica Moore, founder of philly Cowshare (pCs), wants to help. pCs sells 100 percent local, grass-fed, dry-aged beef to both retail and individual customers. the cows, guaranteed free of growth hormones and antibiotics, come from local farms in lancaster, Chester, Delaware, and Mercer counties. but it’s not just the product that makes pCs unique, it’s how you buy it—in eighth, quarter, half, or whole shares. “our business model revolves around the concept of moving whole animals,” explains Moore. the Cowshares are designed to accommodate different sized families, and provide a variety of cuts for easy incorporation into meal planning.

Customers have two options when buying from pCs: buy a fraction of a cow as a single purchase, or organize a group to split a whole cow, conveniently packaged into individual shares. Groups receive a discount, dropping the cost per pound lower than what you might find at an average natural foods market.

pCs purchases cows from the farm as whole units, not just the most popular cuts. In doing so, they pay farmers based on the cost of production, not commodity pricing. “We’re paying the farmer more than what they would get at auction,” says Moore. “our goal is to al-low farmers to continue farming. that means we have to change the economic equation.”

philly Cowshare currently sells cows (naturally), but if beef isn’t your thing, stay tuned: Moore plans to start selling pigs in 2012.

Join in the snout-to-tail revolution at www.phillycowshare.com/order.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 11

chain,” says Marilyn Anthony, Eastern Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sus-tainable Agriculture and a former professional chef who champions snout-to-tail purchasing and cooking. She recalls times in Philadelphia’s past when small-scale butcher shops were a common sight and an integral part of the com-munity. Anthony also has plenty to say about the benefits of snout-to-tail purchasing for modern-day consumers.

“Farmers struggle for a way to get value from that vast landscape of the animal’s body,” she says, noting that the most popular cuts often make up only about 30 percent of the animal. If consumers always choose New York Strip and tenderloins, instead of roasts and briskets—or pâtés, belly, cheeks, organ meats and trotters, popular in cuisine outside the U.S.—the waste piles up and farmers’ profits go down.

But consumers who want to eat more sustain-ably face a perceived obstacle: price. “We want to support humanely raised meats,” says Anthony, “but we think it’s too expensive.”

Shoppers dismayed at the price of pastured bacon, pork chops and steak should realize that not all cuts of meat—even organic, humanely raised ones—are expensive. For easy, affordable dinners, Anthony urges consumers to break out the slow cooker. This cooking method, which has

seen a resurgence in popularity, offers a way to use cuts that are less in vogue.

As a chef, Anthony also calls ignoring lesser-used cuts “criminal” from a flavor standpoint. She particularly enjoys liver and sausage—an especially good snout-to-tail choice, as the trim that comprises sausage makes up a large percent-age of the animal. “I couldn’t care less if I never ate another steak in my life,” she says.

Farm tour participants discovered this for themselves at the concluding Snout-to-Tail Tour dinner. Even the headcheese, a gelatinous, briny, savory meat concoction that included pigs’ feet,

was a favorite. Of course, some feel that only vegetarian-

ism makes for a humane menu. But for many others—from farmers and butchers to chefs and consumers—the snout-to-tail approach restores sustainability, gratitude and pride to the practice of raising and eating meat.

“We should honor every step along the way for the meat we eat,” Anthony says, “and be grateful for every part of that process.”

Find out more about Fair Food and their farm tour series at fairfoodphilly.org.

A look at the processing floor of Smucker’s Meatsin Lancaster

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This recipe is from Long Way on a Little: An Earth Lovers’ Companion for Enjoying Meat, Pinch-ing Pennies and Living Deliciously, by Shannon Hayes (Left to Write Press, September 2012, grass-fedcooking.com).

The secret to this recipe is a good sear, followed by time in the slow cooker with very little liquid, result-ing in concentrated beef flavor, and intensely flavored sauce. serves 4-10

1 (3-5 lbs) beef pot roast, bone-in or bone-less (chuck roasts or brisket are ideal)

2 tbsp coarse unrefined sea salt1 tbsp ground black pepper2 tbsp lard, butter or tallow1 cup meat broth1 large yellow or white onion, sliced in rings

Wipe the roast well with paper towels ��and rub the salt and pepper into all sides of the meat. - Heat a skillet over a medium-high flame, add the fat and swirl to coat.

Sear the meat 3 to 4 minutes per side. Put it ��in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Add the broth to the pan and simmer about ��5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits and in- corporating them into the juices. When the broth is reduced by about one third, add it to the slow cooker.

Layer the onion on top of the meat, cover ��and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until tender.

Serve the meat with the juice spooned over ��the top.

This recipe comes from Dee Horst-Landis, owner and manager of Sweet Stem Farm. She recommends the use of sausage because it’s affordable, and a good choice for sustainable eating since the trim used to make sausage accounts for about 35 percent of the whole pig.

1 lb sweet stem Farm smoked sausage cut into 2 in. lengths

3 cooking apples, thickly sliced head of red cabbage, shredded

1 onion, sliced cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt tsp black pepper cup apple juice

Layer the sausage, apples, cabbage and on-��ion (in this order) in a slow cooker. Sprinkle the brown sugar, salt and black pepper on top.

Pour the apple juice over all the other ingredi-��ents—do not stir. Cover.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 ��to 4 hours.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 13

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When compiling our gift guide, we asked four questions of every item:

1 Is it locally made?

2 Is it made from sustainable materials?

3 Can it be purchased from a locally-owned business?

4 Is it awesome?

If the answer was “yes” to question four, and at least one other, it had a chance to make the cut.

We organized the guide by personality type: The Foodie, Bookworm, Nester, Pipsqueak, Fair Lady, Chic Geek and Gardener.

The list is by no means comprehen-sive. There are oodles of things we would have loved to include if we had infinite space. But we hope the guide gives you the spark to take to the streets, enjoy where you live and find your holiday treasures.

gift guide

How lucky we are to live and shop in Philadelphia. We can bypass box stores and their buffet of bland and cheaply made goods and instead, we can choose thought-ful gifts, sold to us by our neighbors. When we give our gifts, we’ll know our family and friends will recognize the thought and care taken in our selections. And the best part—the whole time we will be stirring the local economy.

written & curated by Katie WinKler • photos by lucas Hardison & Melissa McFeeters

january 2012 gridphilly.com 15

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2 NAPkIN RINGs Designed by Pennsyl-vania makers Jonathan and Julia Spoons, these cherry wood napkin rings feature decorative carvings and flame-blackened edges. $18 at Center for Art in Wood

3 VINTAGe WINd uP ALARm CLoCk A fun houseware (and great gift) from an online Philadelphia antique shop. $28 at Hoof and Antler on Etsy

4 mIo CuLTuRe GRId WALLPoCkeT A great way to keep those office necessities close to your desk. Made from recycled felt. $70 at AIA Bookstore

5 CANdLe HoLdeR Recycled glass mosaic candleholder made by artisans working with Noah’s Ark in Moradabad, India, an organization that provides education and medical treatment for artisans and their families. $16 at Ten Thousand Villages

6 Red BooTs desIGN WALL-mouNTed BoTTLe oPeNeR Handmade from sal-vaged wood and screen-printed in fun col-ors and designs. $28-$32 at Nice Things Handmade or Red Boots Design on Etsy

7 VINTAGe GeNeRAL eLeCTRIC sCHooL-Room WALL CLoCk Reminds us of count-ing the seconds until the end of class, but would be a great addition to a workshop or home. $45 at Hoof and Antler on Etsy

8 CRATes Sturdy vintage wooden crates that make great rustic display pieces and fun forms of storage. $30 at Hoof and Antler on Etsy

9 PHILAdeLPHIA mAP Hand-drawn, screen-printed posters, maps, charts and diagrams by Peaceful Traveler/Wicked Wanderer. $26 at Fabric Horse or peace-fultraveler.org

10 GLAss CoNTAINeRs Vintage-inspired glass apothecary jars with aged metal lids. $18-$20 at Three Potato Four

11 TAke A seAT CoAsTeRs Wooden coast-ers, hand-rubbed with tung oil. Hand drawn chairs have been etched on the cherry wood and tiny pieces have been cut away. Set of four. $28 at Art Star Boutique

12 WILsoN’s soAPs A failed attempt to open a biodiesel plant in Philadelphia led to making soap the old fashioned way—with soybean oil, coconut oil and natural plant-based essential oils. $4 at VIX Emporium or wilsonssoap.com

13 GReeN moss oRNAmeNT Vibrant green reindeer moss encased in a three-inch round glass ball ornament made by Square Pin (also available in red). $8 at Square Peg Artery & Salvage

14 “BRAIN CoLumN” BoWL Daniel Teran’s etched pottery reminds you to slow down and enjoy life. $45 at The Clay Studio

15 LeTTeRPRess LeTTeRs Vintage wooden letterpress type blocks, wonder-fully weathered and perfect for a home or office. About $4 per letter at Hoof and Antler on Etsy

NesterIkea gift certificate? C’mon, you can do better than that. once the tinsel comes down that special homebody on your list will be thankful to have new (or old) curios and oddities to deck the halls. making use of antiques is a great way to lessen your impact this gifting season, and classy!

1 BIRd ANd BLossom PILLoW Women in the rural Kathmandu Valley of Nepal sew recycled fabric into lovely pillow covers with help from the Association for Craft Producers, which provides design and marketing services to low-income arti-sans. $38 at Ten Thousand Villages

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3 uRBAN APIARIes HoNey Made by city-dwelling honeybees, this honey is labeled by zip code. $5-$10 at Milk & Honey Market, Green Aisle Grocery, Fair Food Farmstand

4 oRGANIC FAIR TRAde TeAs These loose leaf teas from Cook come in blends like Earl Grey and Chamomile Medley. Bonus: The tins are reusable. $8 at Cook

5 FABRIC HoRse BAG This handmade backpack pairs old-school class with a du-rable and water-resistant waxed canvas and cordura fabrics. Allow three weeks for custom orders. $78 at Fabric Horse (other Fabric Horse products found at Bicycle Revolutions, Firehouse Bicycles and Bell’s Bike Shop)

6 BLANkeT Woven from alpaca wool fibers by families in the tiny village of Katakora, Bolivia. Ten Thousand Villages sells the villagers’ work and offers product design assistance. $195 at Ten Thousand Villages

7 CoFFee muG Ceramic mug by Ken Beiler, a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen-Haverford Chapter. Microwave-able and oven-safe. $16 at VIX Emporium

8 mooNsPooN Cherry wood honey spoon with decorative carvings and flame-blackened edges designed by Pennsylvania makers Jonathan and Julie Spoons. $18 at Pennsylvania General Store in Reading Terminal Market

9 WoodeN BookmARks Crafted from high-quality scrap hardwood, these book-marks by Beacon Bookmarks (Beacon, N.Y.) feature original drawings and prints from vintage rubber letter stamps. $7 at Art Star Boutique

10 LITTLe oTsu WeekLy PLANNeR No ordinary planner, each weekly spread features a different drawing to inspire organization. $18 at Art Star Boutique

11 No CLICk meCHANICAL PeNCILs Lead drops automatically during writing. Made from recycled paper and recycled rubber. $4.99 at Big Green Earth Store

12 GLAsses CAse Keep your glasses cozy and protected in one of these Philly-made cases hand-sewn from recycled materials. $12 at Samantha Moore on Etsy

13 PeG ANd AWL BookeNds Made of oak reclaimed from old shipping crates, painted with milk paint and finished with tung oil. Silhouettes come from profile shots of infamous female criminals. $60-$75 at Peg and Awl on Etsy

14 LIBRARy Book NoTeBooks Overdue Industries takes cast-off books and gives them new life as journals filled with re-cycled paper and bound by recycled steel. $18 at VIX Emporium

15 dAVId CoPPeRFIeLd Find your favorite bookworm a special read at one of Phila-delphia’s fine used bookstores. Wooden Shoe, Brickbat Books, Bookspace, Book Trader

16 seeds oF dIsCeNT A novel about rebuilding cities greenward in the face of America’s failing economy. Written by Nic Esposito, a Philadelphia urban farmer. $20 at seedsofdiscent.com

17 THe meoWmoRPHosIs The latest in the remixed classics series from Old City’s Quirk Books, The Meowmorphosis features Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, but with a man-sized kitten. $12.95 at Head-house Books

Bookworm

What do you do for the literati on your list? you gave them all snuggies® last year. Well, Philadelphia has no short-age of cozy bookstores to spend a little quiet time on your shopping spree. Complete the scene with a blanket and cup of tea and you’ve just made winter somebody’s favorite season.

1 LeVeRAGe: sTReNGTHeNING NeIGH-BoRHoods THRouGH desIGN The Com-munity Design Collaborative highlights 20 of their 600 projects from the past two decades to show how design is bringing positive change to Philadelphia neighbor-hoods. $24.99 at AIA Bookstore

2 RIsHI Loose LeAF TeA BAGs Easy to fill, chemical-free, fully biodegradable natural tea filters made with cellulose and manila hemp. $5 at Cook

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foodiestuff that stocking with delectables and equip your favorite foodie with the finest kitchenware Philly has to offer. or, if you’re looking to keep those gas-trophiles busy this winter, set them up with a canning system… or even better, a homebrewing kit. Festive!

1 PReseRVING seT The Ball Utensil Set helps you safely and easily handle hot jars and lids, measure headspace and remove air bubbles (jars sold separately). $17.50 at Greensgrow Farms, Rittenhouse Hard-ware, 10th St. Hardware and Fantes.

2 sTARGAzeRs TRAdITIoNAL BRuT Star-gazers Vineyard in Coatesville, Pa. uses sustainable practices to grow their grapes, and solar power provides electricity for the winery and their home. The Tradition-al Brut is a blend of Pinot and Chardon-nay. $21 at Stargazers Vineyard

3 ReANImAToR CoFFee Fishtown’s Re-Animator Coffee provides freshly roasted, sustainable, single-origin coffee delivered by bike. $15 at Green Aisle Grocery, Quince Fine Foods, Sue’s Produce Mar-ket, One Shot Coffee, Grindcore House and Whipped Bakeshop

4 JIN-JA This all-natural, herbal tonic is a blend of ginger, cayenne, lemon, mint, green tea and sugar. The creation of Philadelphia lawyer Reuben Canada, Jin-Ja claims to increase metabolism, improve digestion and reduce arthritic inflammation. $15 at Green Aisle Grocery and Pumpkin Market

5 CeLeBRATe VeGAN Dynise Balcav-age makes vegan cooking for traditional celebrations more enjoyable with this collection of recipes from holidays across the globe. $17.95 at Joseph Fox Bookshop

6 ALmosT meATLess Not interested in going vegetarian? Here’s some recipe inspiration for a more modest intake of meat. By Philadelphia’s Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond. $22.50 at Cook

7 RHuBy In 1771, Ben Franklin sent John Bartram America’s first rhubarb seeds. Bartram brewed a garden tea from the seeds. This year, Art in the Age took Bartram’s recipe and created a unique certified-organic spirit. $30+ in most liquor stores.

8 WHIskey sToNes Made from natural soapstone by Vermont craftsmen, these stones put a slight chill in your whiskey without diluting it or adding unwanted flavors. $19.95 at Art In The Age

9 ToWeL Flour sack kitchen towels by the Philadelphia-based designer Girls Can Tell feature ingenious diagrams of every-day technologies, foods and places. $14 at VIX Emporium, Nice Things Handmade, Girls Can Tell Shop

10 HomeBReW BeGINNeR’s equIPmeNT kIT Pick up a new hobby and create a fresh brew with this beginner’s setup. The kit and ingredient package provide almost everything you need to start brewing (bottles not included). $69.95 at Home Sweet Homebrew

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11 Wood BuRNed sPooNs Fun and quirky designs burned into wooden spoons by Philadelphia’s Lorraine Daliessio. $18 at VIX Emporium

12 CuTTING BoARd Made from the beams of demolished local factories, these Philly-crafted cutting boards by Bolle De-signs have amazing character. $30-$200 at Art In The Age

13 GINGeR PeAR PReseRVes Preserves from La Copine made with Bosc pears from Three Springs Fruit Farm in Wenks-ville, Pa. $10 at Green Aisle Grocery

14 sTRAWBeRRy VANILLA syRuP Local fruit syrup made by the La Copine brunch truck. A great addition to holiday morning pancakes. $10 at Green Aisle Grocery

15 LAmB RAGu Green Aisle Grocery part-ners with area restaurants to carry some of their specialty products, like LeVirtu’s Lamb Ragu, made from Lancaster County lamb shoulder. $13 at Green Aisle Grocery

16 CoRe BAmBoo BoWL Crafted from 100% organically-grown bamboo this bucket bowl is chic, practical and great for salads and snacks. Small $28, Large $45 at Center For Art In Wood

17 PHILAdeLPHIA CHoCoLATe CoLLeC-TIoN Philadelphia has seen hundreds of confectioners, and this box of chocolates represents some of the best still in op-eration today. $25.99 at Pennsylvania General Store

18 JoHN & kIRAs CHoCoLATe Bees Salted caramel chocolate bees made with fra-grant basswood honey from Draper Fam-ily Apiaries in Millerton, Pa. $25 at Cook, Weaver’s Way, Di Bruno Brothers and the Fair Food Farmstand

19 mARCIe BLANe CHoCoLATes Philly inspired chocolates, including the Sky-line, Liberty Bells, Love Park and Pretzel designs. Made with Lancaster County organic cream and butter. 9 Box $17.95 at Verde

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originally designed for sailors at sea. $160-$190 at Art In The Age or Peg and Awl on Etsy

3 PReLoVed mITTeNs Cozy mittens made from sweater remnants and felted for maximum warmth. $26 at Arcadia Boutique

4 LeATHeR WINGsPAN sHouLdeR dusT-eRs Handmade in Philly from recycled leather by Canoe Crafts. $44 at Arcadia Boutiqe or Canoe Crafts on Etsy

5 mooN & ARRoW PoNCHo Handmade using high quality vintage dead-stock wools sourced locally by Chelsea Pearce, owner of Moon & Arrow. $78 at Moon & Arrow.

6 kNIT HAT Hand-knit hat by Elissa Kara owner of Nice Things Handmade. $20 at Nice Things Handmade

7 BIG BuddHA moCCAsINs Moccasins with faux-fur lining. Big Buddha products are made with eco-friendly materials and practices in mind. $42 at Adorn Boutique

8 JAde yoGA mAT The first “green” yoga mat. Made in Conshohocken with no PVCs and from natural rubber. $57.99-$69.99 at Essene Market, Fountain of Yoga Stu-dio & Wellness Center and Studio 34

9 HydRos BoTTLe Gives easy access to filtered water even on the go. A dollar from every bottle goes to building clean water infrastructure in villages around the world. $22.99 at Save Some Green

10 IN2GReeN soCks Made from sustain-able recycled cotton in the USA and Central America, sweatshop-free. A por-tion of proceeds support environmental organizations like Leave No Trace. $17.99 at The Big Green Earth Store.

11 ANN FoRsemAN sCARF Delicate hand-dyed and painted scarves by Philadel-phian Anne Foresman. $55 at The Craft Foundry

12 TRee & kImBALL LACe NeCkLACe Hand-dyed vintage lace jewelry — antique charm with a modern edge. $30 VIX Emporium or Tree & Kimball on Etsy

13 eVIAmA LIFe sPA GIFT CeRTIFICATe Eviama takes a “whole picture” approach to the spa experience, providing a range of body and mind services in their sustain-ably designed and energy-efficient spa. Gift Certificates available at Eviama

14 u-Bee-WeLL LIP BALms Bliss for your lips! Made by Philadelphian Barbara Gettes, these balms are olive oil infused with lavender and calendula from her garden, and local beeswax and raw honey. $5.50 at Milk & Honey Market

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fair Ladyquality never goes out of style, and nothing says quality like handcrafted garments from your local neighborhood artisans. do yourself a favor and visit Philly’s charming boutiques instead of clawing your way through the big department store crowds. And the best part? you’ll find better gifts! you know she deserves it.

1 Book JeWeLRy Handmade necklace with a tiny leather-bound book. By Minna Aaparyti, owner of The Craft Foundry in Kensington. Craft classes also available. $58 at The Craft Foundry

2 PeG ANd AWL ToTe Sturdy and styl-ish, this tote, made with antique leather, vintage fabrics and waxed canvas, was

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consumer recycled materials, and use water-based adhesives and non-toxic dyes. $89.95 at Philadelphia Runner

3 FINGeRLess GLoVes Party In My Pock-et’s gloves use wool from WWII-era wrist warmers and deerskin on the palm. Super warm and stretchy. Choose your own wool at pimpgloves.com. $65 at Art in the Age

4 ReLoAd FLIGHT PACk This heavy duty, waterproof backpack has a plush, light-weight and waterproof liner inside and waxed brown canvas outside. $215 at Reload Bags, Bicycle Revolutions, Bicycle Therapy and Firehouse Bicycles

5 eNdLess HATs Made by Emily Weisger-ber of Bloomsburg, Pa., these handcrafted hats are a great addition to anyone’s win-ter wardrobe. $45 at Bicycle Revolutions

6 WooLRICH soCks Durable socks with a lifetime guarantee. The Pine Creek

two-pack of ravel-free socks will keep you warm forever. $24.99 at I Goldberg

7 kLeAN kANTeeN ReFLeCT Crafted from sustainably-harvested bamboo, food-grade silicone and stainless steel. Great for the minimalist. $32.99 at Big Green Earth Store

8 GReeNsmART komodo LAPToP sLeeVe Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Has a specially designed gusset so your laptop can breathe. $49.99 at The Big Green Earth Store

9 WHeRe To BIke: PHILAdeLPHIA Em-bark on an adventure with this guide of more than 80 bike rides in and around the city. $29.99 at Keswick Cycle and other bike shops and bookstores

10 VeRs eAR Buds Sleek earbuds crafted with sustainably sourced hardwoods & bamboo. For every tree used Vers plants

100. $50 at Adorn Boutique

11 RoGue THeoRy VeRT These hip hand-made wallets come in dozens of patterns. Made by Philly gals with a passion for de-sign and functionality. $8 at Nice Things Handmade or RogueTheory on Etsy

12 XooTeR FoLdING BIke Made in Penn-sylvania, this folding road bike is super light and stable. A great eight-speed ride. $749 at Philadelphia Electric Wheels

13 BLACkBuRN FLeA Perfect for any cyclist, this compact rechargeable tail light has four super-bright red LEDs, and includes a USB and solar charger. $39.99 at Keswick Cycle

14 mAdRoBes JACkeT Made from re-cycled bottles and built to handle chaotic weather during everyday commutes and workouts. $140 at Bicycle Revolution

ChiC geekFingerless gloves? Check. Wool socks? Check. Handcrafted hat and shirt? Chic! don’t be scrooge-y. That PA-manufactured folding bike isn’t going to put itself under the tree. The stylin’ urbanite in your life won’t know how to thank you. Then you can tell him where to go and how to get there with help from GRID’s good friend, Julie Lorch’s Where to Bike: Philadelphia.

1 CommoNWeALTH PRoPeR Proudly handmade here in Philly, CP shirts pro-mote timeless style, perfect fit and per-sonalized details. Custom shirt about $175

2 BRooks BIomoGo sNeAkeRs These sneaks have the first-ever biodegrad-able midsole, are made with 75% post-

january 2012 gridphilly.com 21

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garden. $98 at City Planter

3 WoRTH TRANsPLANTeR This sturdy garden tool is made of heavy duty cast aluminum with standard and metric mea-surements. $12.95 at Urban Jungle

4 ToTe BAG Support Cloud 9 Farm, a rooftop farm project in West Philly, by buying a tote bag. $10 @ cloud9farm.blogspot.com

5 BIRdHouse Recycled Rowhouse trans-forms unwanted furniture into one-of-a-kind birdhouses. $50-$89 at Greensgrow, Heirloom Home & Studio, or Recycled Rowhouse on Etsy

6 mud GLoVes Made from super-soft organic cotton with an extra tough latex coating. $12 at City Planter

7 GReeN ANd Red suCCuLeNTsBring some red and green indoors this season with a vibrant Aeonium (green) or Crassula capitella (red) succulent. $3.95 each at Greensgrow

8 LIVING WALL PLANTeR Made in the U.S. from 100% recycled plastic bottles, Mini Woolly Pocket’s wall planter is for indoor or outdoor use. $18 + at City Planter, Primex, Urban Jungle, Greensgrow

9 PLAsTeC’s eCo HeRB GARdeN kIT Ideal for bringing some herb garden green to a winter window. Contains 100% recycled materials. $9.99 at Primex

10 seed BomBs Comprised of clay and compost, seed bombs are fun and easy ways to transform vacant places into green oases. $2.50 each at City Planter

11 quAkeRToWN PLANTeRs A cast stone planter from Peter’s, a family-run busi-ness in Quakertown dedicated to quality and service. $28+ at City Planter

12 kIdsWoRk GARdeNING GLoVesNatural cotton gloves with reinforcement on the fingertips and palm. They even have a spot for your littlest gardener’s name. $13 at City Planter

13 RouNd WALLARIum Created with lov-ing care by the folks at City Planter, these little wall terrariums can also become simple vases. $12.99+ at City Planter

14 musHRoom kIT Grow-at-home mush-room kit lets you grow up to 1 1/2 pounds of gourmet mushrooms in as few as 10 days. $19.99 at Primex

greeN thumB

Winter can be a trying time for the gardener, but you can give the gift that keeps on growing. Cultivate some holiday cheer with gifts from Philly’s best local garden centers. keep it up and you’ll be a perennial contender for santa’s favorite little helper.

1 JumP sTART GRoW LIGHT sysTem Great for starting seedlings, Hydrofarm’s grow light system is easy to assemble and comes with a one-year warranty. $69.99 at Primex

2 sTAINLess sTeeL PLANTeR Phila-delphia-made Shift Space Herb Garden is perfect for a beginner’s vertical wall

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2 oWLy sHAdoW PuPPeT A perfect ac-companiment for storytelling time. $12 at Art Star Boutique

3 CoLoR youR oWN PLusH Greenstar Studio combines two favorite toys: col-oring book and a stuffed friend. $15 at Square Peg Artery and Salvage

4 LoNGBoARd Arbor skateboards and snowboards use sustainable-certified wood cores and water-based finishes. Decks are gripped with crushed recycled glass. $135-$170 at Human Zoom

5 GReeN Toys TooLseT No job is too big with this environmentally-friendly tool kit. 15-piece set. $19.89 at Save Some Green

6 NeedLINGs oWL Plush owls made by hand with eco-friendly felt in Canada. $30 at Nice Things Handmade or Needlings on Etsy

7 PoWeRHouse This interactive kit lets kids build models of a greenhouse, a solar cell array, a wind power generator and more. $129.99 at Franklin Institute Gift Shop

8 sePTA WoodeN RAILWAy What kid isn’t fascinated by trains? Give them the gift of these classics with a Philly twist! $14.99-$26.99 at O’Doodles or Franklin Institute Gift Shop

9 VeNus FLy TRAP This itty-bitty Venus Fly Trap will bring endless hours of en-tertainment. $7-$10 at Primex Garden Center and City Planter

10 CRITTeR CARRIeRs Made by Jurgita Cenkute of BedHeadSheep using wool felting techniques. $45 at Art Star Bou-tique

11 kNIT ANImAL mITTeNs The only mit-tens that come as opposing animal rivalry pairs. Made by Vs. Mittens. $30-$40 at Square Peg Artery and Salvage

pipsqueakyou’ve made your list and checked it twice, but it doesn’t really matter if they’re naughty or nice—you still have to get something for the rugrats. It’s actually not that hard to avoid the trappings of saturday morning cartoon merch and drop something special down the chimney. The kids are gonna love it.

1 LITTLe moNsTeR HoodIe & PLusH Toy Hand-stitched by Philadelphia’s Diane Koss. Hoodie $45, toy $29 at P.POD (located inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art) or Cutesy But Not Cutsey on Etsy.

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10th St. Hardware 257 S. 10th St. 215-922-0720 10thstreethardware.com

AIA Bookstore 1218 Arch St. 215-569-3188 aiabookstore.com

Adorn Boutique 1314 Frankford Ave. 215-739-2120 sarahlewisjewelry.com

Arcadia Boutique 819 N. Second St. 215-667-8099 arcadiaboutique.com

Art in the Age 116 N. Third St. 215-922-2600 artintheage.com

Art Star Gallery and Boutique 623 N. Second St. 215-238-1557 artstarphilly.com

Bell’s Bike Shop 1320 E. Passyunk Ave. 888-901-9990 bellsbikeshop.com

Bicycle Revolutions 756 S. Fourth St. 215-629-2453 bicyclerevolutions.com

Bicycle Therapy 2211 South St. 215-735-7849 bicycletherapy.com

Big Green Earth Store 934 South St. 267-909-8661 biggreenearthstore.com

The Book Trader 7 N. Second St. 215-925-2080 phillybooktrader.googlepages.com

Bookspace 1113 Frankford Ave. phillybookspace. blogspot.com

Brickbat Books 709 S. Fourth St. 215-592-1207 brickbatbooks.blogspot.com

canoe crafts etsy.com/shop/ CanoeCrafts

The center for Art in Wood 141 N. Third St. 215-923-8000 centerforartinwood.org

city Planter 814 N. Fourth St. 215-627-6169 cityplanter.com

The clay Studio 139 N. Second St. 215-925-3453 theclaystudio.org

cook 253 S. 20th St. 215-735-COOK audreyclairecook.com

The craft Foundry 701 Belgrade St. 267-977-8499 craftfoundry.com

cutesy But Not cutesy etsy.com/shop/dkoss2

Di Bruno Bros. 1730 Chestnut St. 215-665-9220, dibruno.com

Essene Market 719 S. Fourth St. 215-922-1146 essenemarket.com

Eviama Life Spa 262 S. 16th St. 215-545-3344 eviama.com

Fabric Horse 1737 E. Passyunk Ave. 215-694-9034 fabrichorse.com

Fair Food Farmstand 12th and Arch Sts. 215-386-5211 ext. 120 fairfoodphilly.org

Fante’s Kitchen Shop 1006 S. Ninth St. 215-922-5557 fantes.com

Firehouse Bicycles 701 S. 50th St. 215-727-9692 firehousebicycles.com

Fountain of Yoga 9259 Roosevelt Blvd., 2nd Fl., 215-259-8403 fountainofyoga.com

Franklin Inst. Gift Shop 222 N. 20th St. 215-448-1200, fi.edu

Girls can Tell 1141 Pierce St. girlscantell.com

Green Aisle Grocery 1618 E. Passyunk Ave. 215-465-1411 greenaislegrocery.com

Greensgrow Farm 2501 E. Cumberland Ave. 215-427-2702 greensgrow.org

Grindcore House 1515 S. Fourth St. 215-839-3333 grindcorehouse.com

Headhouse Books 619 S. Second St. 215-923-9525 headhousebooks.com

Heirloom Home & Studio 2227 Mt. Carmel Ave., Glenside, 215-572-0371 heirloomhomeand studio.com

Homesweet Homebrew 2008 Sansom St. 215-569-9469 homesweethomebrew.com

Hoof and Antler etsy.com/shop/ hoofandantler

Human Zoom 4159 Main St. 215-487-7433 humanzoom.com

I Goldberg 1300 Chestnut St. 215-925-9393 igoco.com

Joseph Fox Bookshop 1724 Sansom St. 215-563-4184 foxbookshop.com

Keswick cycle 4040 Locust St. 215-397-4191 keswickcycle.com

Milk and Honey Market 4435 Baltimore Ave. 215-387-6455 milkandhoneymarket.com

Moon and Arrow 727 S. Fourth St. 215-200-1617 moonandarrow.com

Nice Things Handmade 1731 E. Passyunk Ave. 267-455-0256 nicethingshandmade.com

Needlings etsy.com/shop/needlings

O’Doodles 8335 Germantown Ave. 215-247-7405 odoodles.com

One Shot coffee 217 W. George St. 215-627-1620 1shotcoffee.com

Peg and Awl etsy.com/shop/pegandawl

Pennsylvania General Store Reading Terminal Market 215-508-1881 pageneralstore.com

Philadelphia Runner 1601 Sansom St. 215-972-8333 philadelphiarunner.com

Primex Garden center 435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, 215-887-7500 primexgardencenter.com

Pumpkin Market 1610 South St. 215-545-3924 pumpkinphilly.com

Quince Fine Foods 209 W. Girard Ave. 215-232-3425 quincefinefoods.com

Recycled Rowhouse etsy.com/shop/ recycledrowhouse

Red Boots Design etsy.com/shop/redbootsdesign

ReLoad Bags 608 N. Second St. 215-625-2987 reloadbags.com

Rittenhouse Hardware 2001 Pine St. 215-735-6311 rittenhousehardware.com

Rogue Theory etsy.com/shop/RogueTheory

Samantha Moore etsy.com/people/SamanthaMoore

Save Some Green 2005 Chestnut St. 215-454-2258 savesomegreen.org

Square Peg Artery and Salvage 108 S. 20th St. 215-360-5548 squarepegartery.com

Stargazer’s Vineyard 1024 Wheatland Dr., Coatesville 610-486-0422 stargazersvineyard.com

Studio 34 4522 Baltimore Ave. 215-387-3434 studio34yoga.com

Sue’s Produce Market 114 S. 18th St. 215-241-0102

Ten Thousand Villages 1122 Walnut St. 215-574-2008 philadelphia.tenthousandvillages.com

Three Potato Four 376 Shurs Lane, Building A 267-335-3633 threepotatofourshop.com

Tree and Kimball etsy.com/people/treeandkimball

Urban Jungle 1528 E. Passyunk Ave. 215-952-0811 urbanjunglephila.com

Verde 108 South 13th St. 215-546-8700 verdephiladelphia.com/verde

Vix Emporium 5009 Baltimore Ave. 215-471-7700 vixemporium.com

Weaver’s Way co-op 559 Carpenter Lane 215-843-2350 weaversway.coop

Whipped Bakeshop 636 Belgrade St. 215-598-5449 whippedbakeshop.com

Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St. 215-413-0999 woodenshoebooks.com

direCtory

24 gridphilly.com january 2012

—

JOHN D ORETY ANTIQUES—

“We re-use trash to build swanky interiors.”

SALVAGE • RESTORATION • STORAGE

WWW.JOHNDORETY.COM • 484-437-6427

701 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147Phone: (215) 238-1888

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5 pm - 2 amSunday Brunch 11 am - 5 pm

Closed Monday

Guest Tasting Dinners Every Third Wednesday of the Month

southwarkrestaurant .com

Dirty laundry.Clean conscience.Join Philadelphia’s fi rst sustainable, ultra-convenient, bike-driven laundry service

Sign up at WashCycleLaundry.com

We pick up dirty laundry on bikes.Then we wash it using green, local Sun and Earth detergents and high-effi ciency machines that sip water and save energy. You’ll get your clothes back, folded, in 24 hours.

Visit WashCycleLaundry.com to schedule your fi rst pick-up at and fi nd out why more and more of your neighbors trust Wash Cycle Laundry to do their laundry every week.

january 2012 gridphilly.com 25

26 g r i d p h i l ly. c o m january 2012

Shade-providing hemlock trees are under siege from the sinister woolly adelgid

photo by flickr user nicholas t

by bernard brownurban naturalist

Ioften feel hemlock trees around me before I look up and identify them. I’ll be hacking my way through the woods, sweat-

ing in summer heat. Then the underbrush opens, the light dims and a slow, refreshing breeze washes over me. I’m under the tight canopy of a hemlock standing alongside a stream. I love that dark, cool atmosphere on a hot day, and so do the wildlife—in particular, stream denizens such as trout that rely on cold water.

Hemlocks keep it cool, and they take their time. They grow slowly, sometimes taking a couple hundred years to reach maturity, and then living upwards of 800 years.

The Wissahickon Valley is a great place to check out some hemlocks (named for their scent, which is similar to that of the poisonous plant that killed Socrates). There are shrubby examples along the trails and some real giants presiding over the creek. This time of year, when few other trees have any leaves, it’s easy to spot the evergreens with the short, flat needles. My wife Jen and I walked along Rex Avenue, and I inspected the trees we passed. (Want to weird out your neighbors? Walk really slowly and fondle the trees.)

I was looking for the tiny pest killing the trees: the hemlock woolly adelgid (pronounced a-DEL-jid). Starting in late autumn, these itty-bitty insects with a bewilderingly complex life cycle make themselves easy to spot by produc-ing cottony white balls to protect their eggs in between the needles, which looks sort of like the trees got a pedicure.

It might take four years, or it might take 10, but those little white balls spell death for the tree. The adelgids slowly suck the life from the hemlocks, killing them branch by branch. On a vacation to Western North Carolina, we visited a waterfall in Pisgah National Forest. Death was slowly sweeping up the creek valley, the deep green of intact trees upstream fading to the sickly tan of dead ones downstream.

Our hemlocks are dying, but not quite that fast. Kelli Holland, an entomology professor at Penn State explains, “the impact is greater the further south you go.” New England hemlocks have been spared the worst of the blight so far. Pennsylvania is in the middle, with particularly high mortality in our region, the warmest corner of the state.

The sinister woolly adelgids (it’s hard to think of something “woolly” as sinister, but trust me) hail from East Asia and arrived in eastern North America with no predators, except out West, to keep them in check. Insecticides can control the

Losing hemlocks means more than just losing a beautiful tree. The cascade of effects on our forests and waterways is terrible to contemplate, but in 1931 the Pennsylvania legislature chose the hemlock as our state tree. If there’s any place to take a stand for hemlocks, it’s here.

bernard brown is an amateur field herper, part-time bureaucrat and director of the PB&J Campaign (pbj-campaign.org), a movement focused on the benefits of eating lower on the food chain. Read about his forays into the natural world at phillyherping.blogspot.com.

adelgids on a small scale—say in a garden—but in a forest, the best chance may be the adelgid’s natural enemies, including tiny adelgid-egg-eating beetles from China. Hol-land’s lab is working to test these beetles and figure out how to deploy them on a large scale. Other labs are studying other predators, some of which have already been released. “We’re going to need a guild of predators,” Holland says, and indeed the U.S. Forest Service has been funding work with a wide range of adelgid enemies.

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The Whispering Wood openingThe Waldorf School of Philadelphia pres-ents a multi-sensory conceptual shopping environment melding the core aspects of Waldorf Education with handmade toys and gifts. Visitors will be transported out

of the ordinary with unique sound and music, the scent of essential oils, together with the sight and touch of natural elements and materials. The Whispering Wood opens in its permanent location at the Waldorf School of Philadelphia on Wednes-day, December 14.

Fri., Dec. 9, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sat. – Sun., →Dec. 10 – 11, 9 a.m. -5 p.m., Green on Greene, 6819 Greene St. For more information, visit phillywaldorf.com/the-whispering-wood

dec09 Arcadia holiday party, Jewelry

Trunk Show & Art openingJoin Arcadia in celebrating the holidays

with the opening of their winter exhibition, cu-rated by local artist and Arcadia shop girl Mal-lory Lawson. Check out a trunk show featuring two of Arcadia’s favorite jewelry designers, Angela Monaco and Linda Smyth (formerly of Topstitch Boutique). Plus, music and food and drinks to make the party merry!

Fri., Dec. 9, 7 – 9 p.m., Arcadia Boutique, →819 N. 2nd St. For more information, visit arcadiaboutique.com

dec10 The Best holiday Art market

During the first three Saturdays and Sundays in December, Mt. Airy Art Ga-

rage will open its doors and offer the community a diverse selection of fine arts and handcrafts created by artists from Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill.

Sat. - Sun., Dec. 10 - 11, Sat. – Sun., Dec. 17 – →18, Mt. Airy Art Garage, 11 W. Mt. Airy Ave. For more information, visit mtairyartgarage.org

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greensgrow holiday BazaarLooking for local, handmade gift ideas from some of the neighborhood’s most talented crafters and artists? Make a dent in your Christmas shopping at Greensgrow’s Holiday Bazaar. The nursery will be bursting with ever-

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Sat. – Sun., Dec. 10 – 11, Sat. – Sun., Dec. →17 – 18, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St. For more informa-tion, visit greensgrow.org

dec10 Toad detour documentary

Don’t miss the the first public screening of the official Toad Detour documentary,

produced by filmmaker Burgess Coffield to raise awareness of the plight of toads trying to main-tain ancient migratory routes in a modern world. Local residents, Schuylkill Center staff and Toad Detour founders/volunteers were interviewed. Coffield will answer questions and Detour founder Lisa Levinson will make an important announcement about the future the project.

Sat., Dec. 10, 4 – 6 p.m., Schuylkill Center →for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd. For more information, visit toaddetour.com and schuylkillcenter.org

dec13 lecture on Water Quality

of the Wissahickon creekDennis Pennington has more than

38 years of experience in hazardous waste and ground water investigations and remediation. In this lecture, he will address the Wissahickon Val-ley Watershed Association (WVWA) water qual-ity monitoring program. WVWA has 11 sampling stations along the Wissahickon and Sandy Run, its largest tributary. Pennington will address how WVWA intends to use the data to plan restoration and identify areas of environmental concern.

Tues., Dec. 13, 6:30 – 8 p.m., Valley Green →Inn, West Valley Green Rd. To register, email Friends of the Wissahickon at magnuson@fow.org or call 215-247-0417 ext. 109.

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Sat., Dec. 17, 1 – 8 p.m., 2424 Studios, →2424 York St. For more information, contact phillycraftmarket@gmail.com

dec22 2011 Winter Solstice celebration

Join The Land Conservancy for South-ern Chester County (TLC) in celebrating

the longest night of the year and the beginning of the winter season at the 82-acre Stateline Woods Preserve. Enjoy a bonfire while sipping hot choc-olate and view the wonders of the winter skies through stargazing equipment. Free and open to the public. Musical instruments welcome.

Thurs., Dec. 22, 5 – 7 p.m., The Land Conser- →vancy of Chester County’s Wood Preserve, 814 Merrybell Ln., Kennett Square. For more information, visit tlcforscc.org

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Academy of Natural Sciences All Star WeekThe Academy of Natural Sciences cele-brates its most popular attractions with live animal shows, museum specimens, craft-making and storytelling. Join

them for Dinosaur, Animal and Butterfly days, where you’ll see an array of live specimens and have a chance to learn from the experts.

Tues. – Thurs., Dec. 27 – 29, The Academy →of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. For more information, visit ansp.org

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During our very happy, almost 15-year marriage, my wife Sheila and I have given each other every possible

gift. Some, like my drum kit and handsomely battered briefcase, are revered. Others have been loved for a time or shelved and then, kindly dispatched to Goodwill. To avoid ending up on the TV show “Hoarders,” a new “rule of three” regarding presents to each other will go into ef-fect this Christmas.

We think it’s pretty straightforward: Three presents, one of which can be expensive. Congress should be able to write such a succinct law.

My nine-year-old son may still be exempt; that amendment is still in committee.

A second impetus for the rule is the discourse that informs and the behavior that attaches to gift-giving, at least in how the media tell the story. What we see and read suggests thinking about giving as an act of acquisition and distribu-tion, a by-product of consumption, and in some homes, almost a blood sport. While it’s been true for some time that to adequately express your love for someone, you have to buy them some-thing, it seems now you have to kill yourself to buy them something expensive, and definitely more than one. Or, perhaps how you go about obtaining the gift has become more important than the gift itself.

Shrinking in our cultural rearview mirror are less aggressive tales of giving—The Gift of the Magi, for example, or A Charlie Brown Christ-mas. Stories like these, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, are quaint, but they have to be amped up—or in the case of The Grinch re-mastered (and soul-altered) into a frantic Jim Carrey version—if they’re to sustain the volume of the media’s holiday onslaught.

Holiday-themed ads seem to hit the air days after the Fourth of July. Stores erect their Christ-

mas trees and menorahs seconds after that. And a decade ago, after this nation’s worst terrorist attack, we were urged to confirm our patriotism and ease the country’s pain by heading to the nearest mall. That’s a lot of pressure.

Then, there’s the coverage of giving and, a little more broadly, the holidays. What are we told as the holidays approach? That traffic will be impossible as our friends and neighbors clog the roadways trying to get to the mall, and later, to grandma’s house. That the nation’s weak economic recovery depends on how much we contribute to the coffers of area merchants. Ev-erywhere you look, more pressure.

Shouting loudest is the frantic coverage of Black Friday, and of late, the weeklong lead-up to Black Friday. Don’t worry about the risk to your personal safety, we’re told—set four alarms and climb over your family to get to the mall as early as possible! Camp out the night before if you have to! The best deals on items you didn’t know you wanted await on the other side of these doors. Later, news helicopters scour shopping mall parking lots. They fix their cameras on shoppers robotically heading in and out, emptying their wallets and filling their carts.

When defining news in my journalism class, I include the phrase “breaks through the routine.” Unless someone is killed in the crush of human-ity struggling to buy the year’s hot toy, as has tragically happened a few times, the fact that lots

The Rule of Three

by ron bishop

of people are scrambling to buy gifts at holiday time simply doesn’t live up to that phrase. Yet we’ve been educated to think that this annual rite of holiday madness is worth the hours of breath-less coverage devoted to it.

And finally, there’s the morning—or eight days and nights—we all wait for, and have since we were kids. In ads, movies and shows, presents are tossed to their recipients; gift bags are gath-ered for reuse and wrapping paper is decimated; its shards float to the ground in a tiny tickertape parade. Loud thank-yous and quick kisses are exchanged. The booty is then bagged, trucked to the car and taken home.

Through it all, there’s not a lick of simplicity, of calm, of bright—no scale whatsoever in the media’s story of our gift-giving tendencies. Even though it’s more accurate to say the media tells us what to think about rather than what to think, we’re made to look as though we’re crazed, covet-ous shopaholics who have adopted a mercenary approach to what must at one time have been a simple, kind act.

Hence the “rule of three.” Check back after the first of the year to see how we did.

ron bishop is a professor in Culture and Com-munication at Drexel University. He is the author of more: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-the-Top Nation (August 2011, Baylor University Press). Send comments to bishoprc@drexel.edu.

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