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
Tuesday, March 19, 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

By Rebecca Taylor | Research | TheConversation

[Editor’s Note: In recent months, local and state legislators in the Philadelphia area are proposing bans on the use of plastic bags. The push is part of an overall effort to eliminate a serious level of plastic pollution in streets, roads and waterways. Philadelphia Councilman Mark Squilla recently revived plastic ban legislation; lawmakers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are considering the same.  But, we wanted to know: what does the research say?]

Governments are increasingly banning the use of plastic products, such as carryout bags, straws, utensils and microbeads. The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills and waterways. And the logic is that banning something should make it less abundant.

However, this logic falls short if people actually reuse those items instead of buying new ones. For example, so-called “single-use” plastic carryout bags can have a multitude of unseen second lives – as trash bin liners, dog poop bags and storage receptacles.

A U.K. government study calculated that a shopper would need to reuse a cotton carryout bag 131 times to reduce its global warming potential – its expected total contribution to climate change – below that of plastic carryout bags used once to carry newly purchased goods. To have less impact on the climate than plastic carryout bags also reused as trash bags, consumers would need to use the cotton bag 327 times.

My research has evaluated carryout bag regulations from many angles. In a recent study, I examined how plastic carryout bag bans in California have changed the types of bags people use at checkout, as well as these bans’ unintended impacts on consumer purchasing habits. My results showed that bag bans may not reduce total plastic usage if people begin purchasing trash bags to replace the carryout bags they were previously reusing for their garbage. As this finding shows, well-intended product bans can have unintended consequences.

PLASTIC BAG USE IN CALIFORNIA

California provides a unique laboratory for studying plastic bag regulations. From 2007 through 2015, 139 California cities and counties implemented plastic carryout bag bans. This local momentum led to the first statewide plastic bag ban in the United States, voted into law on Nov. 8, 2016. Because these restrictions were adopted at different times across the state, I was able to compare bag usage at stores with bans to those without, while also accounting for potentially confounding factors, such as seasonal shopping patterns.

Using sales data from retail outlets, I found that bag bans in California reduced plastic carryout bag usage by 40 million pounds per year, but that this reduction was offset by a 12 million pound annual increase in trash bag sales. This meant that 30 percent of the plastic eliminated by the ban was coming back in the form of trash bags, which are thicker than typical plastic carryout bags.

In particular, my results showed that bag bans caused sales of small (4 gallon), medium (8 gallon) and large (13 gallon) trash bags to increase by 120 percent, 64 percent and 6 percent respectively.

Percentage change in sales of garbage bags (red) and 114 other grocery product groups (gray) in the months before and after plastic carryout bag bans. Taylor, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2019.01.001, CC BY-ND

DISPOSABLE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN SINGLE-USE

Although plastic carryout bags are widely referred to as “single-use,” consumers don’t necessarily treat them that way. By comparing the reduction in plastic carryout bags used at checkout to the increase in trash bags sold, my results revealed that 12 to 22 percent of plastic carryout bags were reused in California as trash bags pre-ban. Each reuse avoided the manufacture and purchase of another plastic bag.

Moreover, my study underestimated reuse because it did not examine other ways in which people use plastic carryout bags, such as wrapping fragile items for shipping or storage instead of using plastic bubble wrap. Nor did it address increased use of reusable bags made of thicker plastic in place of disposable plastic bags.

The U.K. study did examine the impact of shifting to thicker reusable plastic bags. It found that if these thicker bags were not reused between 9 and 26 times, they would have a higher global warming potential than disposable plastic carryout bags reused as trash bags.

WHO BEARS THE BURDEN?

Who were the people who reused plastic carryout bags pre-ban, and presumably bore the burden of buying trash bags post-ban? I found that bag reuse was higher for people who purchased pet items and baby items – in other words, who needed to collect and dispose of excrement. In 2017, nearly 6 percent of U.S. households had a child under 5 years old, 44 percent owned a dog, and 35 percent owned a cat.

I also found that plastic bag reuse was higher among people who shopped for bargains. Although reusing shopping bags as trash bags could be motivated by environmental concern, it also could be motivated by frugality. Interestingly, I did not find a correlation between plastic bag reuse and income or political leaning, but I did find a positive correlation with higher levels of education.

THE CASE FOR FEES INSTEAD OF BANS

Why didn’t policymakers foresee that bag bans could drive up trash bag sales? Policies typically miss the mark because policymakers either do not understand people’s current behavior or fail to anticipate how people will respond in a completely new situation.

Banning carryout bags illustrates the first problem. Before plastic bags were banned, there was little data on who reused plastic bags or how they reused them. California’s natural experiment revealed this information for other jurisdictions to improve upon.

In my view, policymakers who want to minimize plastic use should consider ways to help people who want to reuse disposable bags. One option would be to offer incentives for producing inexpensive, thin carryout bags specifically designed and marketed to be used first as carryout bags, then for trash. Such bags would need to sell for less than 9 cents per bag to be price-competitive with current 4-gallon trash bags. Ideally, they would be thin enough to contribute no more to climate change than traditional carryout bags.

Another route that some jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., have implemented is adopting plastic bag fees instead of bans. This approach, which allows customers to continue using plastic carryout bags as trash bags for a small fee, has been shown to be as effective as bans in encouraging consumers to switch to reusable bags.

However, current bag fees have not promoted other uses for disposable carryout bags. These policies could be improved by educating customers about the environmental benefits of reusing disposable products. As a general rule, the more an object can be reused – even a disposable item – the better for the environment.

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