1. Chester City Council member works for all residents
  2. Philly Thrive: people powered action
  3. Environmental impact on newly-approved Sixer’s arena
  4. Kensington’s community members works for revitalization and sustainability
  5. Philadelphia’s long dry-spell raises concerns
  6. Beautification in Philadelphia
  7. Local Legislative policies on affordable housing
  8. EV’s, public eco-friendly infrastructure and a refinery protesting: A conversation with Sophia Schmidt
  9. Elves on Wheels: Creating urban green spaces with Black farmers
  10. Environmental Impact and Immigration: A Conversation with Magybet Mendez
  11. Philadelphia Must Rethink Its Impact on Chester
  12. New Documentary Explores Philadelphia’s Struggle for Land Sovereignty and a Greener Future
  13. Capturing Hope: Power Circle Mentors Inspiring Youth Through Nature and Photography
  14. Roishetta Sibley Ozane and The Vessel Project: A Beacon of Hope in Sulphur, Louisiana
  15. ecoFEST 2023: A Celebration of Environmental Justice
  16. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  17. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  18. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  19. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  20. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  21. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  22. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  23. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  24. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  25. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  26. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  27. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  28. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  29. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  30. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  31. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  32. RACISM IN THE WATER
  33. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  34. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  35. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  36. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  37. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  38. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  39. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  40. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  41. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  42. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  43. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  44. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  45. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  46. Ian Harris
  47. Melissa Ostroff
  48. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  49. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  50. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  51. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  52. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  53. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  54. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  55. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  56. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  57. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  58. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  59. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  60. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  61. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  62. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  63. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  64. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  65. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  66. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  67. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  68. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  69. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  70. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  71. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  72. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  73. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  74. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  75. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  76. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  77. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  78. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  79. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  80. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  81. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  82. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  83. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  84. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  85. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  86. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  87. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  88. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  89. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  90. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  91. THE NATURE GAP
  92. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  93. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  94. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  95. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  96. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  97. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  98. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  99. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  100. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  101. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  102. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  103. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  104. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  105. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  106. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  107. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  108. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  109. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  110. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  111. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  112. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  113. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  114. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  115. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  116. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  117. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  118. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  119. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  120. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  121. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  122. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  123. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  124. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  125. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  126. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  127. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  128. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  129. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  130. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  131. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  132. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  133. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  134. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  135. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  136. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  137. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  138. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  139. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  140. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  141. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  142. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  143. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  144. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  145. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  146. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  147. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  148. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  149. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  150. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  151. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  152. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  153. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  154. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  155. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  156. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  157. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  158. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  159. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  160. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  161. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  162. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  163. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  164. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  165. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  166. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  167. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  168. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  169. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  170. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  171. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  172. Are You Going to Drink That?
  173. The Origins of ecoWURD
  174. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  175. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  176. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  177. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess
Saturday, February 15, 2025
  1. Chester City Council member works for all residents
  2. Philly Thrive: people powered action
  3. Environmental impact on newly-approved Sixer’s arena
  4. Kensington’s community members works for revitalization and sustainability
  5. Philadelphia’s long dry-spell raises concerns
  6. Beautification in Philadelphia
  7. Local Legislative policies on affordable housing
  8. EV’s, public eco-friendly infrastructure and a refinery protesting: A conversation with Sophia Schmidt
  9. Elves on Wheels: Creating urban green spaces with Black farmers
  10. Environmental Impact and Immigration: A Conversation with Magybet Mendez
  11. Philadelphia Must Rethink Its Impact on Chester
  12. New Documentary Explores Philadelphia’s Struggle for Land Sovereignty and a Greener Future
  13. Capturing Hope: Power Circle Mentors Inspiring Youth Through Nature and Photography
  14. Roishetta Sibley Ozane and The Vessel Project: A Beacon of Hope in Sulphur, Louisiana
  15. ecoFEST 2023: A Celebration of Environmental Justice
  16. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  17. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  18. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  19. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  20. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  21. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  22. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  23. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  24. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  25. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  26. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  27. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  28. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  29. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  30. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  31. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  32. RACISM IN THE WATER
  33. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  34. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  35. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  36. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  37. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  38. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  39. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  40. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  41. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  42. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  43. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  44. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  45. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  46. Ian Harris
  47. Melissa Ostroff
  48. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  49. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  50. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  51. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  52. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  53. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  54. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  55. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  56. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  57. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  58. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  59. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  60. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  61. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  62. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  63. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  64. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  65. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  66. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  67. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  68. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  69. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  70. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  71. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  72. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  73. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  74. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  75. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  76. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  77. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  78. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  79. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  80. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  81. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  82. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  83. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  84. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  85. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  86. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  87. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  88. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  89. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  90. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  91. THE NATURE GAP
  92. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  93. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  94. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  95. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  96. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  97. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  98. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  99. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  100. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  101. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  102. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  103. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  104. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  105. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  106. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  107. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  108. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  109. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  110. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  111. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  112. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  113. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  114. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  115. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  116. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  117. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  118. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  119. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  120. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  121. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  122. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  123. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  124. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  125. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  126. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  127. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  128. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  129. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  130. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  131. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  132. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  133. THE LACK OF DIVERSE LEADERS IN THE GREEN SPACE Environmental Advocacy Organizations – especially the “Big Green” – Really Need More Black & Brown People in Senior Positions
  134. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  135. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  136. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  137. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  138. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  139. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  140. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  141. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  142. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  143. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  144. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  145. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  146. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  147. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  148. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  149. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  150. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  151. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  152. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  153. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  154. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  155. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  156. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  157. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  158. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  159. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  160. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  161. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  162. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  163. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  164. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  165. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  166. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  167. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  168. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  169. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  170. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  171. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  172. Are You Going to Drink That?
  173. The Origins of ecoWURD
  174. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  175. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  176. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  177. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess

Veteran rapper, producer DJ, and educator J-Live begged a rhetorical question on his 2015 album How Much Is Water? Although the entire record won’t center solely on this concept, the title track, referencing lessons taught amongst members of the Five Percent Nation, delves into the value of a resource many expect as free of potential dangers and steep costs.

“Charge poor what they don’t have to get what they can’t live without/

Tax your spot and pump it out/

Front like they really gonna work it out/

Hide your lakes, hide your wells, hide your springs, sh*t hide your hydro/

That’s where they go to hide the toxins/

Mad drugs in your water cycle/”

That’s the thing about water. It’s made to feel as if it’s a plentiful resource, that it’s free of dangers. Well, at least that’s how it’s promoted to even the poorest populations. You’ve heard it, we’re sure: “There are countries who wished they had this much free-flowing water”

No doubt. To say that America has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to things many take for granted would be a crazy understatement. Drive through one of your fancy new communities and peep water sprinklers just on all day and through the night, gallons upon gallons of water keep those lawns looking meadow fresh.

But, we have to ask: “Well, how much is water?”

Imagine for a moment walking into a convenience store in Center City Philadelphia one blazing late August day. You just visited a coffee shop with a jug of perfectly fine water, let the city’s water department tell it. And you’ve been asking questions, digging into the questionable quality of Philly’s water. Ultimately, your reluctant to make that leap to tap water for obvious reasons. So you pay your $1.89 for a liter of supposedly safe spring H2O and walk about en route to the subway.

During that journey, you watch a handful of young people drinking that hood-renowned delicacy, the quarter water. You can’t front: you used to chug those things down when you were a kid; indeed, something about the contrast of these Black and Brown babies ingesting that swill makes you look at your nearly two-buck bottle of H20 to realize that my choice isn’t an really all that easy an option for struggling families.  

Think about it: the human body really needs 2 liters of water daily to stay sufficiently hydrated.  Broken down by cost, that means you’ll need to spend anywhere from $4-$5 per day – let’s just round it out to $5 per day once you factor in the tax.  Doing that daily means you’ll have to dish out $35 a week – or $245 a month. Or nearly $3,000 a year … just on water. For one average Philadelphia adult living alone, the average monthly cost of food expenses is $265 – 92 percent of that was just consumed by water if you stick to that 2 liter a day regimen.  Average median income in Philadelphia is just about $43,000, of which 7 percent could be spent on water by itself.

Imagine that cost with a child: you water costs can double, while the average cost of food spikes to nearly $400 a month.  So, literally, the cost of food can’t keep up with the cost of water. The more people in an average Philadelphia household won’t be able to drink the essential amount of H2O needed to live a healthy life – all because of low quality (do you want to risk drinking toxic water just to save money each month?) and high cost (you can’t afford the “healthy” or “clean” water you need).  

That goes back to what J-Live was rapping about on “How Much Is Water?” — “Charge poor what they don’t have to get what they can’t live without — that chills me to the bone when I think about how difficult it is to not only trust the water coming out the pipes but to realize the alternative is costlier by the day.


I called myself being economical by choosing a brand that was lower in price. Yet, it doesn’t excuse the fact that I can’t turn on a tap in any part of Philadelphia with measurable confidence that what I’m drinking is safe. This realization happens after a lengthy investigation on the ground suggesting we should have testing across the city at a widespread rate. But, a largely uninformed public probably doesn’t realize water safety should be a priority.


We can explain away until the day is long that healthy water for Black Philadelphians and other vulnerable residents of color is not just a moral matter. It is essential to the vitality and future of a city. Ignoring Philly’s water infrastructure without registering concerns people have about it equal to ignoring them altogether.

Every resident deserves a product that is safe to consume. Everyone should be able to use it in all forms. But until we closely examine just what’s coming out of the pipes, there is only so much we can trust when we’re sipping it.