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

Dr. Tonya Howard Calhoun | Moms Clean Air Force | Commentary

 

Air pollution, literally, hits home for me. At the age of eight, I began developing minor respiratory issues that were not helped by the nearby pollution from manufacturers and power plants in my native Louisiana.

 

Only as a young adult did I begin to understand the health impacts of growing up in a state rife with environmental injustices. Think about, for example, the infamous 85-mile Cancer Alley stretch of densely packed fossil fuel and petrochemical plants that poison vulnerable communities along the Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. After living in the metro-Atlanta area for the past 27 years, the glaring similarities stand out, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The harsh reality is that both crises – COVID-19 and environmental injustice – exacerbate societal inequities that have always harmed low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

 

The air in Atlanta is among the most polluted in the country, with failing grades from the American Lung Association. Adding the coronavirus pandemic to this existing failure highlights the need for strong health protections that ensure vulnerable communities are not disproportionately impacted. Early research from Harvard shows that coronavirus patients in areas with high levels of air pollution – such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, and elsewhere – are more likely to die from infection than patients in cleaner parts of the country. The new nationwide study examines long-term exposure to pollution and Covid-19 death rates.

 

Writing from Atlanta, I can see how we are living this research each day as the American south has a long-standing and well documented history of health disparities among the African American community.

 

All too often we are faced with making the unfair choice between our health and our economic well-being. Right now, Atlanta faces the threat of the permanent reopening of a medical sterilization facility in its suburbs, due to COVID-19. The Sterigenics facility had finally been closed after years of outrage from historically Black communities in places like Atlanta, Marietta, Cobb County, GA and elsewhere that fought hard to have their families and loved ones protected. The facility was routinely emitting dangerous levels of ethylene oxide, a toxic chemical linked with lymphoid and breast cancers. Due to the national need for PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment), the decision may be summarily reversed and even worse, opened without adequate EPA oversight due to the weakening of federal standards that would have otherwise protected us.

 

Atlanta’s ethylene oxide plant is just one indication of the role environmental justice plays in the coronavirus discussion and struggle to ensure protections for communities of color. According to Dr. Robert Bullard, Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University (and affectionately known as the “father of environmental justice”) that movement grew out of grassroots community struggles committed to a simple principle: “… that all people and communities are entitled to equal protection of environmental, energy, health, employment, education, housing, transportation, and civil rights laws and regulations.” Low-income and communities of color are at greater risk of environmental and health related harms than more affluent populations.

 

As we navigate the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, the notion of environmental justice is not disconnected from our current reality. In fact, it intersects with nearly every aspect of our daily lives.

 

The mere access to health care during a public health crisis must be assessed in light of the Harvard Study because it reiterates the fact that air pollution and coronavirus have a close relationship. Breathing unhealthy air is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, and respiratory disease, conditions that doctors now associate with higher death rates for COVID-19. People with chronic underlying conditions are less likely to fight off infections and more likely to die of the disease. It is clear that the burden of this public health crisis will be felt disproportionately by marginalized communities of color with pre-existing conditions, living in areas with poor air quality.

 

Inequalities do not exist in a vacuum, nor does environmental injustice. For many, conversations about the climate crisis and environmental injustice have taken a back seat as people across the nation face a massive, immediate health and economic crisis. In fact, Atlanta’s blue skies appear less polluted because of our coronavirus lockdown. Still, a global pandemic simply does not provide a model for any viable climate or clean air solution, especially for communities wrought with environmental injustices that have nothing to do with traffic. Those in marginalized communities have been breathing in toxins from multiple sources and it has weakened their health, exacerbated their underlying health conditions and made COVID-19 that much more lethal. Cleaning up the air should also be a priority that has the potential to help vulnerable populations fight off the threat of deadly disease, both during a pandemic and in the future.

 

As someone fighting for better air quality, I’m also fighting for equity. The two go hand in hand. Every person deserves clean air to breathe, no matter where they live or the color of their skin. While we might have to stay at home to flatten the curve, our activism and advocacy must not stop: the longer air pollution continues to attack the oxygen we breathe to survive is the longer our health, our bodies, our immune systems and lungs are compromised and made vulnerable to infectious diseases like COVID-19. I urge you, do not sit silent. Call, email, or write your elected representative to let them know that the African American community is under attack from more than just the coronavirus. We need air quality controls so that we are not paying the price with our health.

 

 

TONYA HOWARD CALHOUN, PHD is the Community Rx/Faith Force Coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force, a national organization of over 1,000,000 moms and dads united against air pollution – including the urgent crisis of our changing climate – to protect our children’s health. Tonya’s work focuses on advocating, educating, amplifying, and engaging around issues of environmental injustice that affect the health of African-American communities. She lives in metro-Atlanta.