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

The infrastructure in Jackson has not and has never really been truly addressed

In late August, the main treatment facility responsible for providing safe water to residents of Jackson, Miss., failed due to torrential rain and subsequent flooding. As a result of the treatment plant being inoperable, citizens of Jackson were left without water for simple necessities such as bathing, flushing toilets, and drinking.

 

Jackson is Mississippi’s state Capitol – and it is 82 percent Black. Unfortunately, these latest infrastructure challenges are not new. This is the third time in the past two years that Jackson residents have been left without clean drinking water. The fact that neighboring predominantly white communities still have drinking water combined with the predominantly white makeup of the regional water authority points to a clear systemic cause of water scarcity in Jackson: racism.

 

This month, ecoWURD host Charles Ellison spoke to Dr. Adrienne Hollis, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate and Community Revitalization, Conservation at the National Wildlife Federation and graduate of Jackson State University about the water crisis in Jackson.

“Sadly. this is not surprising because racism is real,” Hollis said. “This isn’t the first time; this is just the first time people are turning their attention to Jackson.”

 

When looking at this issue, it’s clear that the seeds for this disaster were planted as early as the Jim Crow era. “The infrastructure in Jackson has not and has never really been truly addressed because after white flight the money went elsewhere,” Hollis said. “That’s to be expected when you’re dealing with racism.”

 

Residents are using their voices to bring attention to the water crisis. Many took to social media to show the effects of the plant shutting down. Journalist Molly Minta posted a video that went viral of dark brown water flowing from a faucet. Journalist Cheyanne Daniels explained to Charles Ellison during an episode of Reality Check that she was drawn to this issue because of what she saw happening on social media.

She then wrote an article for The Hill connecting what’s happening in Mississippi to broader and deeper environmental racism that we consistently see as we move deeper into the climate crisis.

 

Whose Fault Is This?

Environmental racism is a systemic issue and, when it comes to deep-rooted issues, it’s easy to shift blame and attribute dysfunction entirely to the system. This does not mean that no one should be held accountable for the current state of Jackson’s water. Mississippi Democrats and Republicans are tossing blame back and forth, and the state and city governments are doing the same. Dr. Hollis said she believes the state is at fault for not allocating money properly – especially since it hasn’t dedicated any of the $525 million it’s received from the federal government to fix water infrastructure to Jackson. Even with additional federal commitments from the Biden administration being promised, there’s a sense Mississippi’s Republican governor, Tate Reeves, and its Republican-dominated state legislature, is not prioritizing the state capital and its residents.

 

In Daniels’ article for The Hill, community members made clear to her that they were aware of the failure on the government’s part at multiple levels, but at this point, are more acutely concerned with how to fulfill their basic life needs during this crisis. “We just want clean water. We just want our children to have safe drinking water,” one Jackson resident told Daniels. Buck passing and partisanship continue to distract from the real problem at hand: There are people without access to clean drinking water.

 

What’s it going to take?

 

Right now Jackson still does not have clean drinking water. There are water bottles being passed out every day, which is a very temporary solution. The Jackson water crisis has been declared a federal emergency and federal dollars have been allocated to help build infrastructure. Hollis and Daniels both alluded to the fact that when this has happened in the past there has never been enough money that makes it to Jackson in order to prevent a disaster like this from happening again.

 

How could the state’s government let this happen to a state capital? And would this have happened if Jackson was 82 percent white instead of Black? This is not just a problem with infrastructure, this is a problem that spans centuries and is woven into the fabric of our government. This is environmental racism, plain and simple.

 

What is it going to take for policymakers and public officials to realize that this problem has a much more complex and difficult solution than just fixing one water treatment facility? Jackson still does not have clean drinking water, and E. Coli was recently found in the waters of West Baltimore. How many Black and brown communities are going to suffer before we begin to take environmental racism seriously?

 

Water is needed to survive and access to clean water should not be a luxury. This is bigger than just one city – it’s a human rights issue. We must remember that this crisis is a result of racism.

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