Philly’s Dangerous Junkyards & An Unseen Citywide Lead-in-Water Crisis

WURD Radio
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

New Environmental Justice Journalism Effort, ecoWURD, Uncovers Pressing Pollution, Climate Issues in Its Inaugural Launch

Photo by @roccoavallone

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) — Today, WURD Digital, a sister company to WURD Radio (96.1FM / 900AM / WURDRadio.com / WURDApp), the only African American owned and operated talk radio station in Pennsylvania, and one of a few in the country, announced the launch of ecoWURD, an ambitious new environmental justice journalism initiative. The ecoWURD team is comprised of a talented group of thought leaders, reporters and journalists who will aggressively tackle Philly’s “Green Divide” through in-depth investigative articles, analysis, broadcast segments and multimedia visual content. ecoWURD’s Publisher is Sara Lomax-Reese, award-winning President & CEO of WURD radio. ecoWURD also represents the thirteenth First Fleet Newsroom partnered with and run on Civil, an innovative new decentralized marketplace for sustainable journalism using blockchain and cryptocurrency technology to support independent media.

“On ecoWURD, we want to highlight the disparities that exist along racial and socioeconomic lines, as seen through the lens of the environment,” writes Lomax-Reese in her inaugural essay [LINK HERE] as Publisher of ecoWURD. “In the Black community, we know that it’s all connected — disproportionate rates of chronic disease, violence, low literacy. This is because our environment is everything, everywhere — seen and unseen.”

THIS WEEK’S FEATURES INCLUDE …

  • “Philly’s Big Hot (& Dangerous) Mess — How a City Can’t and Won’t Control Its Junkyard Crisis. ecoWURD Correspondent Sofiya Ballin reports on Philadelphia’s “preventable,” yet worsening citywide junkyard crisis — and how the infamous Kensington scrapyard isn’t being shut down. “Many of these locations fly under the guise of ‘auto-related businesses’ even though some morph into these potential fire and safety hazards, others hotbeds for illegal scrapping,” writes Ballin. “This makes it hard to track and calculate how many scrap yards are actually in the city.” Read the entire story HERE
  • “Are You Going to Drink That? Philadelphia’s Lead-in-Water Problem Is Worse Than It Knows.” ecoWURD Correspondent D.L. Chandler reports that Philadelphia has a lead crisis flowing through its water pipes and into the homes of nervous residents — but, its water department is doing little to nothing about it. “Nearly 90 percent of American homes built before 1940 contain lead-based paint,” writes Chandler. “Now imagine that problem compounded by the average age of a Philly home: 93 years or 40 years older than the national median age of most American homes. Philly stands out as one of the nation’s more prominent cautionary tales on lead contamination.” Read the entire story HERE
  • “Not Just Hotter Days Ahead … Costly Ones, Too.” an exclusive interview with Hip Hop Caucus’ Mustafa Ali, a former EPA official turned national environmental justice advocate, on WURD’s daily public affairs program Reality Check, hosted by ecoWURD Managing Editor Charles Ellison. “Most people have no idea about the costs of what’s going on,” Ali tells RC. “Last year, we spent $306 billion, the most expensive year in relation to climate events. Just to give people perspective: $1.6 trillion in climate change costs over the last 30 years since we started recording this — and $306 billion of that in the last year alone.” Listen to the full segment HERE

ecoWURD’s Publisher, Managing Editor and Correspondents are available for media interviews and other public engagements. More insightful reporting, commentary, research and exclusive WURDonDemand podcasts featured every week at http://ecoWURD.com.

# # #

About ecoWURD

A subsidiary of WURD Digital, ecoWURD is a unique community journalism initiative exploring the intersection of race, income and the environment. ecoWURD pursues a deep examination of Black Philadelphia in the context of broader issues of green space, air quality, water quality, residential displacement, pollution, climate change and toxicity. More information and exclusive content is found at http://ecoWURD.com or by following @ecoWURD.

About WURD Radio

WURD ​(96.1FM | 900AM | @onwurd | wurdradio.com | WURD App​) is the only African American owned talk radio station in Pennsylvania, and one of only three in the country. Since 2003, WURD has served as the heartbeat and pulse of Philadelphia’s Black community, providing an interactive format to educate, enlighten and empower. More information is found at http://wurdradio.com or by following @onWURD.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade