It has been five years since the pandemic disrupted Philadelphia’s recycling program, leading to service delays that stretched on for weeks and consigning the contents of so many blue bins into trash trucks headed for the landfill. “That was the first huge blow for an already beleaguered system,” says Nic Esposito, former director of the
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In February, The Philadelphia Inquirer published — in print and online — an op-ed by former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Titled “We should support an affordable, inclusive energy transition,” the article made the case that “we must act fast on the seriousness of climate change and do so responsibly, without losing sight of the affordability
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Back in February, The Philadelphia Inquirer published an op-ed by former Mayor Michael Nutter that left me feeling confused. The piece argues for the role of fossil gas in the home energy mix for Philadelphians, because, Nutter claims, renewables are simply too expensive for low-income households. Yes, this is the same Michael Nutter who, in
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Over the past year, Philadelphia has received over $21 million in federal funding to expand its electric vehicle charging network. EV ownership has boomed in the city — the number of registrations increased from 475 in 2018 to 5,870 in 2023, according to PennDOT — but there are too few charging stations to meet demand.
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Grid is a monthly magazine, so we are not equipped to report news. Sure, we occasionally cover some stories as they happen, but mostly we stay away from breaking stories — especially national news. However, the dramatic changes at the federal level deserve at least some commentary. I think just about every Trump-related story can
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As climate change caused flooding and extreme heat in the region and elsewhere, Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration set its sights on reducing Philly’s emissions. Before the pandemic, the City of Philadelphia operated a fleet of approximately 5,500 vehicles — everything from sedans and SUVs to street sweepers and garbage trucks. These spewed over 50,000 metric
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Expanding electric vehicle infrastructure isn’t the only Philadelphia initiative that’s taking a hit from the Trump administration’s halt to federal funding, the ultimate ramifications of which are being worked out in courts across the nation. Key projects tackling climate change, public health and even the City’s program to eliminate traffic deaths are now in limbo,
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When president Donald Trump signed an executive order to halt federal spending on January 27, its impacts hit close to home. Despite the decision being rescinded two days later, the fate of funding for environmental work remains murky due to the vague language and unclear legality of the sweeping order. It left sustainability-focused groups, including
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A nearly $14 million federal grant awarded to the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) and Philadelphia Department of Streets is at risk after the Trump administration’s recent executive orders disrupted the flow of federal spending. An SRDC representative told Grid in an email that it is waiting to see whether the administration will pay for
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When President Donald Trump signed an executive order to halt federal spending on January 27, its impacts hit close to home. Despite the decision being rescinded two days later, the fate of funding for environmental work remains murky due to the vague language and unclear legality of the sweeping order. This leaves sustainability-focused groups, including
More