urban living
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My Intentional Life: Crash Pad
Gabriel is moving into a building where he and his new roommates are taking a crack at a more intentional lifestyle. But is this place ready for them?
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Urbivore’s Dilemma, Week 9: The well-traveled vegetable
A takeout eater turned farm-fresh foodivore takes her vegetables on vacation and tries to figure out where to compost their remnants. Should she get a worm bin? Weigh in!
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My Intentional Life: My Unsustainable Life
Last week, we met Gabriel and his roommates. This week, he gets dumped. Heartbroken, he bikes across Europe in search of answers to life's questions.
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The debut of My Intentional Life: Somewhat true stories of attempted sustainability
Welcome to My Intentional Life, Grist’s first original comic strip. In this debut episode, you’ll meet Gabriel Willow, and his pals Josh, Hunny, and Tracie, real-life roommates who are trying to live a more sustainable life in a Brooklyn brownstone. They’re raising a few eyebrows while raising a few chickens, and tending a roof garden and […]
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How hot is it? Hot enough to shave your cat?
How hot is it? Hot enough to shave your cat?Photo: Jennifer PredigerWelcome to summer. We’re having a heat wave here in the Northeast that’s breaking records. Some sizzling places recorded temps of 103 degrees F yesterday! And more of the same is expected today. The Big Apple is broiling. Four of the five boroughs of […]
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Cool digs for urban chickens [SLIDESHOW]
So you’ve consulted your city’s municipal code regarding backyard poultry — or just decided, “Cluck the neighbors, I’m getting chickens!” Next you’ll need a home for your birds that offers room to roam, warmth in winter and ventilation in summer, and protection from urban thugs like dogs and raccoons. (For details on space requirements and […]
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Quarter water, man!: Eating cheap in the inner city [VIDEO]
With an antic spirit and some NSFW language, Bronx denizens Dallas Penn and Rafi Kam document food culture in New York City’s “bodegas” — corner stores in which fresh food is scarce and pricy, but processed fare is plentiful and stunningly cheap. In some areas, bodegas are the only source of food. Penn and Kam […]
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How food micro-entrepreneurs nourish cities
In her book The Economy of Cities, the great urban theorist Jane Jacobs praised what she called the “valuable inefficiencies and impracticalities of cities.” To explain her point, she invited readers to consider two examples from 19th century England: Manchester and Birmingham — or as she put it, “Efficient Manchester” and “Inefficient Birmingham.” As I […]
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Urban farms don’t make money — so what?
City Slicker Farms in West Oakland does more than just grow food for the local residents.(Bonnie Powell photo)Over on Earth Island Journal, Sena Christian has an excellent, rigorously reported article about the tough economics of urban farming. She focuses on some of the more famous city farms of the Bay Area, where EIJ is based […]