The Lenape people are losing their land, their culture, their history, and their ties to their animal relatives. Cannon is an active participant in Lenape culture through dancing, drumming, and singing at powwows and gatherings. He is also involved in food sovereignty movements to protect traditional fish and seafood populations threatened by climate change. Cannon is currently a student at Cornell University, where he plans to major in Earth and Atmospheric Science.

Native American House Alliance, Inc.

There is a growing need for social services among the Native American community in the Philadelphia area. Native American House Alliance preserves and protects Native American history, culture, and sites. They hope to transform so-called Penn Treaty Park into an accessible, thriving ecosystem that honors the Lenape people who originally welcomed William Penn to these shores. To get involved, visit Native American House Alliance online.

César Andreu Iglesias Community Garden

fb: Iglesias Garden

ig: @IglesiasGardens

Community gardens keep neighborhoods cooler, retain stormwater, strengthen ecosystems, reduce trash dumping, and improve air quality. The Iglesias Garden was founded by the Philly Socialists in 2012 to cultivate food, medicine, and community. They host workdays on Saturdays at 1 pm, and free food distribution at 4 pm, at the intersection of Lawrence and Arlington Streets (weather permitting). The Iglesias Garden was represented in the CJI by Anthony Patrick and Lauren Troop.

Indigenous 215

fb: Indigenous 215

ig: @Indigenous215

Indigenous 215 is a collective of activists, artists, healers, makers, educators, and thinkers who are Indigenous to the western hemisphere living in the greater Philadelphia region. Their passion is to foster community, promote awareness and education of Indigenous history and contemporary communities, and support the urgent struggles for Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and self-determination in Philadelphia. Indigenous 215 members Priscilla Bell, Kitty Heite, and Felicia Teter represented the collective as CJI collaborators.

Munsee Three Sisters Medicinal Farm

fb: Ramapough Lunaape Nation

ig: @munsee_threesisters

Chief Mann is the Turtle Clan Chief of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation. He has been at the forefront of the New Jersey environmental justice movement, where he has worked to protect the water supply of 4 million people and advocated for the community living in close proximity to the Ringwood mines superfund site. He has served on the Legacy Council of the Highlands Coalition and the Ringwood mines superfund site’s Citizen Advisory Group (CAG). His efforts have been documented in the recent publication Our Land, Our Stories: Excavating Subterranean Histories of Ringwood Mines and the Ramapough Lunaape Nation.

Philly Orchard Project (POP)

fb: Philly Orchard Project

ig: @PhillyOrchards

Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Alkebu-Lan first got involved with food justice and urban farming in 2015. Before joining POP, he served as the farm director of Mill Creek Urban Farm in West Philadelphia. He has taught a variety of workshops on biochar and other soil building practices. In his current role, Alkebu-Lan provides support and training to city orchards, with a focus on those in West Philadelphia.

El Concilio

Fairhill is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Philadelphia - up to 22 degrees hotter than other neighborhoods - due to historically discriminatory housing practices, excessive asphalt, and low tree canopy coverage. Charito, a registered nurse, has been volunteering in the Fairhill community since 1998, cultivating community, leadership, and green space. Her work supports the health of youth, people experiencing homelessness, and members of the Puerto Rican diaspora.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Tree Tenders

Esperanza Housing and Economic Development

fb: PHS

Hunting Park is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Philadelphia - up to 22 degrees hotter than other neighborhoods - due to historically discriminatory housing practices, excessive asphalt, and low tree canopy coverage. Gabriella has given away nearly 700 trees in Hunting Park through the Community Yard Tree Giveaway Grant program, and created the city’s first bilingual Tree Tender program for Spanish-speaking residents. If you are a property owner in Philadelphia, you can fill out this online form to request a street or yard tree.

fb: Friends of Lenape Everywhere

Welcome to Lenapehokink

When European colonizers came to Turtle Island, they brought with them the idea that nature was something that could be owned, commodified, and exploited. By listening to the deep wisdom of the Indigenous people of Turtle Island, we can begin to heal our relationship with the land and with all living things. RuthAnn manages a Lenape Cultural Mapping project that uses oral history, research, and the arts to collect and protect Indigenous stewardship traditions for future generations.

Artist

Meg Lemieur Art Linktree

ig: @megstampede

Fracking is a dangerous method of drilling for fossil fuels that can lead to water contamination, methane leaks, earthquakes, and radioactive waste. Fracking cannot be done safely, and harms everyone and everything on its way. But there are many ways to take action! Attend protests and rallies, support people on the front lines (in the ways they are requesting it), educate your own community, and take direct action to stop oil & gas production yourself.

Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living

fb: Chester Environmental Justice

ig: @chester_ej

The largest waste incinerator in the United States is in Chester, PA. Most of the waste burned in Chester comes from other communities, including much of Philadelphia’s trash, and often its recycling as well. For over 25 years, Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL, pronounced "circle") has been organizing to shut down the incinerator and preserve healthy air quality for Chester residents. Visit CRCQL’s website for many ways to support the fight for clean air in Chester!

Philly Thrive

fb: Philly Thrive

ig: @PhillyThrive

Now that the PES oil refinery has been shut down for good, the biggest challenge is safely transforming the site to a clean, green space for the community. The Right to Thrive campaign will ensure that the residents whose lives were impacted by refinery pollution will remain at the center of all planning and decisions about clean-up and a just transition. Follow Philly Thrive on social media to get involved! If you are a resident of zip codes 19145 or 19146, you can also fill out this Story of Place survey about the impact of the refinery and redevelopment on your neighborhood.

Neighbors Against the Gas Plants

fb: Neighbors Against the Gas Plants

A fracked gas power plant adds toxic air pollution, heat, and greenhouse gases to a predominantly African-American neighborhood already overburdened with poverty, pollution, and high rates of health problems. Neighbors Against the Gas Plants, with members from Nicetown, Germantown, and East Falls, stands up for a healthy and pollution-free neighborhood. Cleaner, greener alternatives to fossil fuels already exist, and we should use them! Visit Neighbors Against the Gas Plants online to find ways to connect to this campaign.

Centennial Parkside Community Development Corporation

fb: Centennial Parkside CDC on facebook

ig: @centennialparksidecdc

Trash, litter, and illegal dumping are blighting our neighborhoods. As individuals, we can make choices to consume as little as possible, and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to ensure health of the natural world for present and future generations. Wherever you are, clean up your community! Don’t wait - start today!

Recycled Artist in Residency (RAIR)

fb: RAIR

ig: @rair_philly

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for approximately 600 million tons of trash annually in the United States - more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste. RAIR offers Philadelphia-area artists access to over 450 tons of trash per day, to creatively explore waste culture and promote dialogue about sustainability. Follow RAIR on social media for events and opportunities to donate!

Ya Fav Trashman

ig: @_yafavtrashman

Linktree: Ya Fav Trashman

Early in the pandemic, Terrill became an essential worker. He created the Instagram page @_yafavtrashman to give residents an inside look into what sanitation workers experience during the pandemic. When Terrill noticed that his co-workers didn’t have the proper PPE to execute their jobs safely, he started a fundraiser to purchase PPE, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies. Now, he is a full-time advocate for sanitation workers and zero litter.

Environmental Justice Department Director

Shari Hersh is a community artist, organizer and facilitator. She has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia for over twenty years where she established the Art Education Department, the Project Management Office, and founded the Restored Spaces Initiative and Trash Academy Program. She is currently the Director of the Environmental Justice Department.

Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group (BLARG)

fb: Brookhaven Landfill Action

ig: @landfillactiongroup

The Brookhaven landfill contributes to health problems in the nearby Black, Latinx, and Unkechaug Indigenous communities. BLARG is pushing for a shutdown of the Brookhaven landfill and a move towards a system of zero waste, including a community composting initiative. Follow BLARG on facebook to learn about composting, zero waste, and more!

Trash Academy

fb: Trash Academy

ig: @trash.academy

Litter is both an environmental and racial justice issue, disproportionately affecting black and brown communities. Trash Academy, a project of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Environmental Justice Department, uses art, games, and participatory research to shift attitudes and prompt collective action around trash and waste. Follow @trash.academy on instagram for upcoming events, including monthly virtual meetings!

Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN)

fb: PLAN

ig: @postlandfill

Most products follow a linear path from resource extraction, to production, consumption, and finally disposal. This system exploits people and the planet at every step, generating profit for the powerful, and leaving the rest of us behind. But students have the power to challenge this system! Whether blockading the path of a pipeline, starting a compost program, or distributing an informative zine about upcycling across campus, everyone has skills they can use to intervene. Interested in starting a PLAN chapter on your campus? Click here for resources and support!

Denise is an award winning Master Artisan and Educator of Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape culture. A member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation of New Jersey, she actively educates other members and the public about Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape culture, past and present. Denise is passionate about environmental and climate change activism, as well as MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) awareness.

Eurhi Jones Art

ig: @eurhi.jones

Eurhi has been painting murals in the Philadelphia region since 1999. She has worked independently and with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program designing artwork for schools and garden spaces, a recreation center, a playground and a library. In addition to painting, she works with textiles, embroidery and sculpture.

gamarworks.com

ig: @gamarmarkarian

Gamar is a highly curious researcher, design strategist, systems thinker, educator, storyteller, documentary filmmaker, and urbanist with a background in media, photography, urban design and landscape architecture. Prior to moving to New York City, Gamar co-founded Atelier Hamra, a landscape architecture studio in Beirut. She is currently an independent consultant collaborating with Philadelphia Murals Arts Program’s Environmental Justice Department.

Native American House Alliance, Inc.

Dolores graduated from Community College of Philadelphia in 2008 and earned a BFA from Tyler School of Arts in 2010. She has worked in murals, oil on canvas, acrylics, printmaking, lithography, etchings, photography, ceramics, and leather. She is Nanticoke, and is the vice president of the Native American House Alliance, as well as a proud mother.

Jeremie Rose Brand Design

ig: @jeremierose.design

Jeremie Rose explores design as social action in art, music, and political spaces. She strives to advance equitable futures by elevating femme and marginalized voices. In addition to the Climate Justice Initiative, she has also done branding work for Womanly magazine.

Environmental Justice Department Director

Shari Hersh is a community artist, organizer and facilitator. She has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia for over twenty years where she established the Art Education Department, the Project Management Office, and founded the Restored Spaces Initiative and Trash Academy Program. She is currently the Director of the Environmental Justice Department.

Project Administrator

ig: @_Oro5_

Jeannine is a painter, writer, musical performer and co-founder of LifeDoGrow Urban Farm in North Philadelphia. They aim to transform their neighborhood into a safer space through healthy food and public art.

Strategy Circle Convener

Jonathan is a diasporic organizer, educator, and musician whose work channels anxiety and despair into collaboration and hope. They live in Kingsessing, where they practice mutual aid, emergent strategy, and writing educational songs that also slap.

Design Strategist

gamarworks.com

ig: @gamarmarkarian

Gamar is a highly curious researcher, design strategist, systems thinker, educator, storyteller, documentary filmmaker, and urbanist with a background in media, photography, urban design and landscape architecture. Prior to moving to New York City, Gamar co-founded Atelier Hamra, a landscape architecture studio in Beirut. She is currently an independent consultant collaborating with Philadelphia Murals Arts Program’s Environmental Justice Department.

Environmental Justice Department Fellow

Born and raised in East Harlem, Adriana is currently an FAO Schwarz fellow at Mural Arts in the Environmental Justice Department. She is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily with photography and collage, whose work explores themes of culture and nostalgia through color and tactility.

Former Mural Arts Philadelphia employee and current employee of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, Dakota is of Passamaquoddy descent and engages in activism around environmental justice and indigenous sovereignty.

Consultant

fb: Deep Green Philly

tw: @DeepGreenPhilly

Ron Whyte is a Philadelphia-based environmental activist, advocate and consultant. Founded in 2011, his Deep Green Philly project is an alternative media resource inspired by the Deep Ecology movement. As project coordinator for Trash Academy (a project of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Restored Spaces Initiative), he works with artists, students and local residents to find creative solutions for Philadelphia's trash, litter and dumping crisis.

Project Administrator

Emma Wu is an activist and writer living in Philadelphia, PA. Her work focuses on themes of collectivity, cultural transformation, and environmental justice. She is currently enrolled in Rutgers-Camden MFA in fiction writing.