1. Environmental Impact and Immigration: A Conversation with Magybet Mendez
  2. Philadelphia Must Rethink Its Impact on Chester
  3. New Documentary Explores Philadelphia’s Struggle for Land Sovereignty and a Greener Future
  4. Capturing Hope: Power Circle Mentors Inspiring Youth Through Nature and Photography
  5. Roishetta Sibley Ozane and The Vessel Project: A Beacon of Hope in Sulphur, Louisiana
  6. ecoFEST 2023: A Celebration of Environmental Justice
  7. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  8. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  9. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  10. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  11. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  12. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  13. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  14. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  15. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  16. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  17. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  18. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  19. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  20. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  21. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  22. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  23. RACISM IN THE WATER
  24. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  25. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  26. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  27. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  28. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  29. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  30. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  31. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  32. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  33. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  34. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  35. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  36. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  37. Ian Harris
  38. Melissa Ostroff
  39. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  40. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  41. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  42. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  43. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  44. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  45. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  46. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  47. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  48. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  49. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  50. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  51. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  52. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  53. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  54. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  55. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  56. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  57. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  58. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  59. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  60. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  61. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  62. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  63. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  64. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  65. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  66. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  67. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  68. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  69. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  70. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  71. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  72. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  73. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  74. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  75. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  76. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  77. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  78. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  79. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  80. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  81. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  82. THE NATURE GAP
  83. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  84. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  85. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  86. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  87. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  88. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  89. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  90. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  91. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  92. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  93. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  94. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  95. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  96. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  97. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  98. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  99. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  100. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  101. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  102. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  103. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  104. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  105. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  106. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  107. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  108. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  109. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  110. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  111. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  112. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  113. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  114. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  115. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  116. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  117. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  118. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  119. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  120. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  121. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  122. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  123. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  124. 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
  125. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  126. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  127. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  128. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  129. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  130. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  131. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  132. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  133. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  134. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  135. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  136. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  137. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  138. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  139. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  140. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  141. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  142. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  143. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  144. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  145. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  146. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  147. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  148. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  149. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  150. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  151. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  152. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  153. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  154. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  155. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  156. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  157. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  158. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  159. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  160. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  161. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  162. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  163. Are You Going to Drink That?
  164. The Origins of ecoWURD
  165. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  166. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  167. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  168. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess
Sunday, October 13, 2024
  1. Environmental Impact and Immigration: A Conversation with Magybet Mendez
  2. Philadelphia Must Rethink Its Impact on Chester
  3. New Documentary Explores Philadelphia’s Struggle for Land Sovereignty and a Greener Future
  4. Capturing Hope: Power Circle Mentors Inspiring Youth Through Nature and Photography
  5. Roishetta Sibley Ozane and The Vessel Project: A Beacon of Hope in Sulphur, Louisiana
  6. ecoFEST 2023: A Celebration of Environmental Justice
  7. A is for asbestos: The environmental challenges facing Philly schools
  8. The Age of Preparedness: Securing Your Finances in the Face of the Climate Crisis
  9. A Former Sugar Plantation Up in Flames: The Lahaina Wildfires
  10. From Heatwaves to Hydration: Philadelphia’s Water Landscape Explored
  11. A Sizzling Summer: Philly Faces Extreme Temperatures
  12. Get to Know The New Host of ecoWURD: Tamara P.O.C. Russell
  13. Funding the Fight for Climate Justice: Local and Federal Grants Propel Environmental Initiatives
  14. Where There is Fire, There Will Be Smoke
  15. Lessons at Sea: Capitalism, Climate Change and a Path Forward
  16. Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: The Wise Fund’s Vision for a Greener World
  17. HOW DID “NIMBY” SUDDENLY BECOME THE NEW “N-WORD?”
  18. The Gentrification Problem: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  19. The Roots Run Deep: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  20. There Is No Cost to Live: The Environmental Crisis of Unaffordable Housing
  21. Fixing Up Philly’s Homes: Charles Ellison for WHYY
  22. Punishment Past Prison Walls: Environmental injustice in the Carceral State
  23. RACISM IN THE WATER
  24. THE “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” IS NOW LAW. SO, HOW DOES IT HELP BLACK PHILLY?
  25. PHILADELPHIA HAS AN AIR TOXIN PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE CITY GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO TO FIX IT?
  26. Want to end gun violence now? Let’s save Philly block by block
  27. Here are steps Philly could take to cool urban heat islands
  28. The gas prices conversation we should be having
  29. Reclaiming Black land is challenging but not impossible
  30. Black clergy: Churches can sway views on climate crisis
  31. Can old Philadelphia refineries be cleaned up and restored?
  32. Here’s how Black Philadelphia can help in the environmental justice battle
  33. City Launches Environmental Justice Advisory Commission
  34. FIXING THE STRUGGLE SPACE
  35. SOLAR POLICIES ARE FALLING BEHIND – SO, HOW DO WE CATCH UP?
  36. IS PHILLY’S “TAP” WATER PROGRAM WORKING?
  37. Ian Harris
  38. Melissa Ostroff
  39. THE WATER BILLS ARE WAY TOO HIGH
  40. THE KEY TO APPROACHING FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES ON ALL THINGS GREEN
  41. ICYMI: Watch highlights, panels at ecoWURD’s 2021 Environmental Justice Summit
  42. BLACK MOTHERS NEED CLEANER & SAFER ENVIRONMENTS – IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE
  43. USING DANCE TO SAVE A RIVER
  44. TRACKING PHILADELPHIA’S AIR QUALITY
  45. GETTING RELIGIOUS ON CLIMATE CRISIS
  46. WE NEED MORE BLACK PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
  47. WHEN THERE’S NO CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE NOTHING
  48. A PREMATURE END TO EVICTION MORATORIUMS
  49. THE LACK OF BELIEF IN CLIMATE CRISIS IS JUST AS MUCH A THREAT
  50. YOU CAN’T HAVE RACIAL JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIR HOUSING
  51. RUN OVER THE SYSTEMS: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
  52. PENNSYLVANIA IS “WAY BEHIND” ON SOLAR. HOW DOES IT CATCH UP?
  53. Pandemic Relief For Black Farmers Still Is Not Enough
  54. A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT URBANISM
  55. THAT ELECTRONIC & CLOTHING WASTE PILES UP. SO WHERE TO PUT IT?
  56. THE WOMB IS THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
  57. WILL THERE BE ANY MASS TRANSIT LEFT AFTER PANDEMIC?
  58. A FRIDGE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S HUNGRY
  59. OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY VS. NEW SCHOOL CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
  60. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS THE TOP SOCIAL JUSTICE PRIORITY
  61. IN 2020, DID “BIG GREEN” BECOME LESS WHITE?
  62. CLIMATE ACTION CAN POWER OUR RECOVERY
  63. IN PANDEMIC, AN HBCU DOES IT BETTER
  64. A DANGEROUS LACK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROTECTIONS
  65. HOW FAST CAN A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MOVE ON CLIMATE ISSUES?
  66. CRAFTING A BLACK-DRIVEN CORONAVIRUS AND CLIMATE “STIMULUS” AGENDA
  67. Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia school district to help public school children
  68. BLACK ECOLOGIES IN TIDEWATER VIRGINIA
  69. WHAT IS “FROM THE SOURCE REPORTING?”
  70. LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  71. THE ECOWURD SUMMIT LAUNCH
  72. National Geographic Virtual Photo Camp: Earth Stories Aimed to Elevate Indigenous Youth Voices
  73. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2020
  74. THE PLAN FOR A 100 PERCENT CLEAN FUTURE IS SAVING NATURE
  75. WHAT SHOULD A PRESIDENT’S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGENDA LOOK LIKE?
  76. THE NEED FOR ABOLITIONIST TEACHING
  77. PUBLIC LANDS & SAVING NATURE
  78. TOO MANY NATURAL GAS SPILLS
  79. GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
  80. BLACK VOTERS ARE THE ECO-VOTERS CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARE LOOKING FOR
  81. CANNABIS PROFIT & BLACK ECONOMY
  82. THE NATURE GAP
  83. BLACK PEOPLE NEED NATURE
  84. WHAT IS TREEPHILLY?
  85. IS AN OBSCURE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN HARRISBURG DOING ENOUGH?
  86. AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM’S RACIST ROOTS
  87. “THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF QUIET SUFFERING OUT THERE
  88. “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN”
  89. “AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW THAT GIVES YOU A VOICE”
  90. URBAN PLANNING AS A TOOL FOR WHITE SUPREMACY
  91. HEAT WAVES REMIND US CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL HERE
  92. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
  93. IN PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE EAT & HOW HBCUs HELP
  94. WE’RE NOT DONE, YET – MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IS NEEDED AT THE PES REFINERY SITE
  95. COVID-19 IS LAYING WASTE TO RECYCLING PROGRAMS
  96. THE PHILADELPHIA HEALTH EQUITY GAPS THAT COVID-19 EXPOSED
  97. THE POWER OF NEW HERBALISM
  98. THERE’S NO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
  99. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit
  100. ecoWURD Earth Day Summit 2020 Press Release
  101. Too Much Food At Farms, Too Little Food At Stores
  102. THE LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION & COVID-19
  103. CORONAVIRUS REVEALS WHY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS STILL THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME
  104. FROM KATRINA TO CORONAVIRUS, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
  105. COVID-19 SHOWS A BIGGER IMPACT WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE
  106. THE CORONAVIRUS CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO GET A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE THAN THIS
  107. MEDIA’S CLIMATE CHANGE COVERAGE KEEPS BLACK PEOPLE OUT OF IT
  108. “WE DON’T HAVE A CULTURE OF PREPAREDNESS”
  109. PHILADELPHIA HAS A FOOD ECONOMY
  110. HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. CITIES
  111. MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN INCARCERATION & FOOD INSECURITY
  112. PHILLY’S JAILS ARE, LITERALLY, MAKING PEOPLE SICK
  113. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit 2019
  114. ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit
  115. “We Can’t Breathe: Zulene Mayfield’s Lifelong War with Waste ‘Managers’”
  116. “Is The Black Press Reporting on Environmental Issues?” by David Love
  117. “The Dangerous Connection Between Climate Change & Food” an interview with Jacqueline Patterson and Adrienne Hollis
  118. “An Oil Refinery Explosion That Was Never Isolated” by Charles Ellison
  119. “Philly Should Be Going ‘Community Solar'” an interview w/ PA Rep. Donna Bullock
  120. “Is The Litter Index Enough?” an interview w/ Nic Esposito
  121. “How Sugarcane Fires in Florida Are Making Black People Sick” an interview w/ Frank Biden
  122. Philly Farm Social – Video and Pictures
  123. #PHILLYFARMSOCIAL GETS REAL IN THE FIELD
  124. 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
  125. PLASTIC BAG BANS CAN BACKFIRE … WHEN YOU HAVE OTHER PLASTICS TO CHOOSE FROM
  126. WE REALLY NEED POLITICAL STRATEGISTS LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE – NOT ACADEMICS
  127. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN A MUCH MORE CLIMATIC WORLD
  128. A SMALL GERMANTOWN NON-PROFIT “TRADES FOR A DIFFERENCE”
  129. IS PHILLY BLAMING ITS TRASH & RECYCLING CRISIS ON BLACK PEOPLE?
  130. BUT WHAT DOES THE GREEN NEW DEAL MEAN FOR BLACK PEOPLE?
  131. HOW GREEN IS PHILLY’S “GREENWORKS” PLAN?
  132. The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy event recap #ecoWURD #phillyisgreen
  133. Bike-friendly cities should be designed for everyone, not just for wealthy white cyclists
  134. RENAMING “GENTRIFICATION”
  135. FOUR GOVERNORS, ONE URBAN WATERSHED IN NEED OF ACTION
  136. JUST HOW BAD IS THE AIR HURTING PHILLY’S BLACK FAMILIES?
  137. EcoWURD Presents:The Future of Work in Philly’s Green Economy
  138. IF YOU ARE LOW-INCOME OR HOMELESS, THE POLAR VORTEX IS LIKE A FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
  139. NOT JUST FLINT: THE WATER CRISIS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
  140. DO THE TRAINS STOP RUNNING? THE SHUTDOWN’S IMPACT ON MASS TRANSIT
  141. BLACK WOMEN & THE TROUBLE WITH BABY POWDER
  142. A WHITE COLLAR CRIME VICTIMIZING NICETOWN
  143. IN NORTH CAROLINA, CLIMATE CHANGE & VOTER SUPPRESSION WORKED HAND-IN-HAND
  144. LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD GAIN THE MOST FROM GREEN ROOFS
  145. YOUR OWN HOOD: CLOSING THE GENERATIONAL GREEN DIVIDE IN BLACK PHILADELPHIA
  146. THE PRICE OF WATER: LITERAL & FIGURATIVE THIRST AT WORK
  147. THAT CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT TRUMP DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE? YEAH, WELL, IT’S THE LAW
  148. RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES
  149. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS Philly Has a Cigarette Butt Problem
  150. HOW SUSTAINABLE CAN PHILLY GET?
  151. USING AFROFUTURISM TO BUILD THE KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT
  152. UNCOVERING PHILLY’S HIDDEN TOXIC DANGERS …
  153. WILL THE ENVIRONMENT DRIVE VOTERS TO THE POLLS? (PART I)
  154. ARE PHILLY SCHOOLS READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
  155. 🎧 SEPTA CREATES A GAS PROBLEM IN NORTH PHILLY
  156. 🎧 BREAKING THE GREEN RETAIL CEILING
  157. That’s Nasty: The Cost of Trash in Philly
  158. 🎧 How Can You Solarize Philly?
  159. 🎧 “The Environment Should Be an Active, Living Experience”
  160. Philly’s Lead Crisis Is Larger Than Flint’s
  161. Despite What You Heard, Black Millennials Do Care About the Environment
  162. Hurricanes Always Hurt Black Folks the Most
  163. Are You Going to Drink That?
  164. The Origins of ecoWURD
  165. We Seriously Need More Black Climate Disaster Films
  166. 🎧 Why Should Philly Care About a Pipeline?
  167. 🎧 Not Just Hotter Days Ahead… Costly Ones Too
  168. Philly’s Big and Dangerous Hot Mess

At the end of Goodie Mob’s legendary track “Beautiful Skin,” which appeared on the group’s soulful second studio album Still Standing, group member Big Gipp unleashed an agitated rant about neighborhood cleanliness not typically heard on Hip-Hop albums of the late ‘90’s:

“I’m so sick of seein’ trash on the damn streets, man. I’m sick of ya’ll folk comin’ up outta the store and takin’ your lil candy out and  throwin’ your lil’ paper, it’s f*ckin up the hood.” – Big Gipp.

Gipp clearly had enough of the common trope of young Black men gathering on the street to pour garden variety hood libations in celebration of the dead. He instead admonishes Black people for their negative environmental impact, once again hammering home his larger point:

“We’re f*ckin’ up our own hood.”

While Big Gipp was observing from his Atlanta perch some 20 years ago, that stance still has relevance and resonance as we march forward into the 21st Century. How we discard of trash, recycle plastics and glass, and dispose of cigarette butts goes far deeper than the idea of visual aesthetics. What we do as citizens whether we’re on our stoops, backyard, or in the street has far-reaching implications. It seems harmless to think that tossing the aluminum foil wrapper from a piece of gum onto the ground can lead to drastic changes to the environment.

But it does.

Earth911.com’s Becky Hammad wrote in October 2017 “Recycling Mysteries: Candy Wrappers” to examine the biodegradability, or lack thereof, of candy and gum wrappers. Hammad spoke with Detroit packaging consultant Sterling Anthony, who supported Hammad’s findings that candy and gum wrappers are not fit for recycling thus raising their potential as environmental hazards.

Wrote Hammad:

Packaging consultant Sterling Anthony says it all comes down to the state of the recyclable materials market.

“PET plastic, the plastic used for most water and soft drinks, is made from one material, and that material can be broken down into materials that can be used for other items. So, there’s a market for it,” Anthony says.

Because plastic bottles can be recovered easily and economically, and there’s a healthy end-use market for their recovered materials, waste management facilities have an incentive for their collection and processing. However, candy wrappers are usually made up of mixed materials, making the recovery of useful materials difficult and expensive.

As a result, most waste management companies, manufacturers and municipal recycling facilities tend to turn their backs from candy wrappers.

Admittedly, it is frustrating to watch persons both young and old using the ground as their garbage bin – when there’s one standing right in front of them. Even with advances from companies such as Nashville Wraps and ClearBags offering biodegradable candy packaging options, getting many Philadelphians to stop discarding waste in a casual manner will present steep challenges.
Readers of a certain age will recall a time when our elders would take a moment out of their day to sweep porches, sidewalks, curbs, and even water drains to make certain that garbage didn’t fester. For them, the practice may have been born of trash simply being unsightly, but it aided the environment tremendously.

With some of those traditions going the wayside as our older loved ones age, the generations that came after have yet to embrace the importance of environmental soundness and – as Overbook Educational Environmental Center executive director Jerome Shabazz reflected via ecoWURD previously – Black people being “the original environmentalists.” From the farmlands of the Deep South to the densely-populated inner cities many of us chose to dwell, there was a true sense of what waste management and overall cleanliness meant to all.

This idea that caring about the environment is something only crunchy White college grads “slumming it in the hood” do has to change. Black Philadelphia has forgotten that it isn’t just about pride and loving the hood as it were, but it’s also about wanting to protect future generations from our mistakes. If we wish to shield Philly and the world from further environmental damage, Generations X, Millennials (Generation Y in some circles), and the surging Generation Z will have to form consensus beyond basic linear approaches.

The Philadelphia Citizen uncovered in an August 2018 piece “Clean Up, Philly” that the city was the largest in the nation without street cleaning. A city with 1.6 million residents and growing doesn’t have basic services in place to keep streets clean. The Citizen’s piece highlights the problems most city governments have when it comes to handling trash and litter. As Mayor Jim Kenney employed his top-level trash task force known as the Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet, while launching another series of studies under the city’s GovLab arm (close to impossible to find), it becomes clear the city is concerned with waste management, litter reduction, and trash removal – but it hasn’t addressed the mindset triggering these issues, or how it got that way in the first place. Resources that could be applied to aid in better outreach or provide easier pathways to solutions versus navigating Phila.gov’s massive website and its myriad twists and turns.

This is what Big Gipp was saying. It will take a Herculean effort to get a whole community as fed up as he was. Perhaps, with some guidance from leaders, activists, the city, and most of all concerned citizens wanting to beautify and sustain their respective hoods, we can shift the tide towards a greener, and safer city landscape in the decades to come.