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

When smoke clouded Philadelphia earlier this summer, the effects of the wildfires in seemingly distant Canada felt up close and personal. On Aug. 8 wildfires began to spread across Lahaina, a town on the island of Maui in Hawaii. While we are not experiencing the physical effects of the fires on the East Coast, their impact is still felt as we witness the devastation occurring on the other side of the United States. 

A particularly dry year in Hawaii plus the centuries-old build-up of dried grass from former sugar plantations and unusual wind patterns that fully sucked any remaining moisture out of the area set the conditions for an incendiary landscape. Rising temperatures only increased the chance of fire. Once it began, the flames moved quickly as they proceeded to burn the dried shrubbery and then spread to other areas. According to Reuters, the fires left at least 115 people dead, 850 people missing, at least 11,000 people displaced and at least 2,200 buildings destroyed. 

Dr. Gregory Jenkins, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science, geography, and African studies at Penn State appeared on Evening WURDs with Michael Coard to provide more information about the fires. 

“I think we’re priming the system for more wildfires. We don’t know where they’re gonna break out, but with increasing warming, we’re seeing these dry spring seasons, and it gets ready for summer season wildfires,” said Jenkins. 

The last time there was a wildfire with over 100 casualties was in 1918 in Minnesota due to sparks from a passing train hitting a dry forest. While that fire was deadly, it emerged from identifiable man-made actions. The actions that have led to the Lahaina fire were still man-made as the quest for capitalism that began on those sugar plantations all those years ago clashed with the climate crisis of today. These fires remind us that our country was built on a plantation-based economy which affected both Black and Polynesian people and that this economy was environmentally catastrophic then and still has devastating effects to this day.

This past July was the hottest month on Earth since U.S. temperature records began. While Philadelphia is a ways off from seeing wildfires in our own streets, it does not mean that the planet’s warming will not affect our communities. 

“If we look at the observations globally and regionally, and even in Pennsylvania, temperatures are going up. […] It’s very anomalous. I’ve never seen anything like it. So the oceans are warm, you got massive heat waves down in the south, heat waves in Europe. This is a function of climate change and we surpassed what we call this 1.5 degrees Celsius mark globally in the month of July. That’s why we’ve been trying to limit the global mean temperatures; because we know if you go beyond 1.5 and 2 degrees, the system goes crazy and we cannot anticipate what that will be,” said Jenkins. 

We’ve already seen heatwaves and smoke from fires in other places, but there could soon be a sea level rise that makes its way to the city along with other environmental disasters.

The fires in Lahaina illustrate that this country does not have the infrastructure in place for climate resilience. There are still hopes and innovations to be made in slowing climate change, however, there must be a paradigm shift focused on how to react and respond to climate change. In embracing this shared responsibility, we can address the web of challenges spun by history and the urgent demands of our current climate crisis.

If you are interested in donating to individuals in Lahaina, click HERE.

Listen to the conversation between Dr. Jenkins and Michael Coard: 

Dylan Lewis (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist and environmentalist from Philadelphia, PA. Her plays include small planet and the untitled missing museum play. She was a 2018 Delaware River Watershed fellow based out of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and in undergrad worked as a program coordinator for The Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. She is currently the project manager of ecoWURD at WURD Radio.