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Internship program empowers teens to learn, lead and organize around environmental and housing justice

On a chilly night in February, a group of young people gathered on the steps of City Hall, armed with hand-painted artwork, prepared speeches, chants and community speakers; the Philly Thrive interns had organized a press conference to support housing justice in Grays Ferry. They were calling on City Council to support affordable housing legislation

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2 mins read
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Student-helmed docuseries investigates the systemic problems that lead to violence in their communities

When shootings skyrocketed in Philadelphia during the pandemic, teenagers were among those most affected. In the face of this crisis, students at Dobbins Technical High School in North Philly set out to unearth the root causes of the violence sweeping the city. “Future Visions” is the result — an enormously affecting documentary series that follows

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4 mins read
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With a little political will, City Hall can curb the scourge of illegal dumping

On a drive through Tacony Creek Park in the spring of 2020, Lawncrest resident Dallas Herbert Sr. could barely get around illegally-dumped construction debris and tires. He was appalled. An executive board member of the Lawncrest Community Association, Herbert asked his older neighbors about this particularly trashed stretch called Snake Road; many informed him that

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5 mins read
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New EPA program set to help under-resourced organizations build climate-resilient communities

For years, the residents of Edmonston, Maryland, had needed help. Situated just outside Washington, D.C., the town of about 1,500 people, primarily Hispanic and Black, had flooded for four years in a row in the late 2000s. The issue wasn’t overflow from the Anacostia River that bisects the municipality, but rather its outdated and ineffective

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5 mins read
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Resources for Environmental Justice Communities

Running a grassroots environmental justice organization can be difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone. Here are ten resources for groups looking to build their efforts and connect with wider networks. The Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University offers training for students and community leaders, conducts community-based participatory

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2 mins read
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Overbrook Environmental Education Center is the local hub for organizations to secure environmental justice funding

As a child, Jerome Shabazz saw his father transform a vacant lot into a neighborhood garden that produced enough fresh fruit and vegetables to feed their whole North Philadelphia block. “It was just incredible,” says Shabazz, now the executive director of Overbrook Environmental Education Center, located at 6134 Lancaster Avenue in West Philly. Through his

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4 mins read
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Resources for Environmental Justice Communities

The Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University offers training for students and community leaders, conducts community-based participatory research, provides information for public officials, and serves as a hub for networking and technical assistance and grantmaking for universities and communities. The center was founded by Robert D. Bullard, a sociologist known

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3 mins read
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For our city to beat the heat, it’s going to take a whole lot of green

By Kyle Bagenstose and Adam Litchkofski If you’re reading this story when it’s still hot off the press, odds are you’re probably pretty warm yourself. Another July has arrived in Philadelphia, and they ain’t what they used to be. From 1939 through the end of the 20th century, Philadelphia’s average air temperature in this quintessential

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9 mins read
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