The Canopy from Penn Program in Environmental Humanities

EJ Philly, Episode 3: Living on the Fenceline

This episode of EJ Philly explores the legacy of the PES refinery, one of the oldest crude oil processing centers located on the East Coast of the United States. For this segment, we talk to community members and local advocates in Philadelphia. We hear their experiences of residing next to a refinery that has historically had broad impacts on the everyday lives and health of local community members, living on the fence line. We also hear about their hopes for a more just future in the aftermath of the refinery closure in 2019. Credits The conversations in the episode included Charles Reeves Jr. and Alex Imbot (Tasker Morris Neighborhood Association), Donna Henry (Southwest Community Development Corporation), Russell Zerbo (Clean Air Council), and Dr. Marilyn Howarth (University of Pennsylvania). The episode was researched, scripted, and recorded by Adwaita Banerjee, Jiji Kramer, and Sheil Desai. This episode was produced by Jasmine Erdener. Dr. Kristina Lyons and Dr. Marilyn Howarth provided editorial direction for the podcast series. Campbell Knobloch served as the managing editor. Music Ziv Moran – Like a feather

EJ Philly, Episode 2: Gardening Under Precarity

This episode of EJ Philly features a conversation with members of the Novick Urban Farm and Southeast Asian community in Philadelphia. Farm Manager Clara Varadi-True, Assistant Erin Dorsey, and community farmers Naw Doh, Hser Ku, and Wah Paw walk us through the challenges of farming in cities, the struggle for land in Philadelphia, and the power of building community through food – all over a home-cooked Burmese meal. Credits These conversations with Clara Varadi-True, Erin Dorsey, Naw Doh, Hser Ku, Wah Paw, and Shwe Chit of Novick Urban Farm were facilitated and recorded by Carissa Claunch, Yamila Frej, and Lotus Kaufman. This episode was produced by Jasmine Erdener. Dr. Kristina Lyons and Dr. Marilyn Howarth provided editorial direction for the podcast series. Campbell Knobloch served as the managing editor. Music  Ziv Moran- Like a Feather

EJ Philly, Episode 1: Feeling the Heat

This episode of EJ Philly focuses on how climate change and inequality affect the creation of heat islands in urban spaces. We hear from multiple perspectives – a physician researching heat’s effect on health, a program manager impacting policy in the city’s Office of Sustainability, and community leaders and activists confronting heat islands. Through these conversations, we hope listeners come away with an understanding of how the built environment impacts extreme heat, its inequitable impacts on different communities, and current approaches to cool down the city’s neighborhoods. Credits The conversations with Meeka Outlaw (Independence Mission Schools), Gabriella Paez (Nueva Esperanza Inc.), Sameed Khatana (University of Pennsylvania), and Korin Tangtrakul (Office of Sustainability) were facilitated and recorded by Karishma Lachhwani and Tom Statchen and were produced by Jasmine Erdener. Karishma Lachhwani and Tom Statchen wrote the script. Dr. Kristina Lyons and Dr. Marilyn Howarth provided editorial direction for the podcast series. Campbell Knobloch served as the managing editor. Music Ziv Moran – Like a Feather Sounds from Pixabay

Environmental Justice in Academia

In this episode, Penn undergraduate student and Environmental Humanities minor Yamila Frej interviews PPEH 2022-2023 Public Pedagogies Fellow Jane Robbins Mize. They discuss the importance of public engagement in environmental justice at universities, where scholarship has historically excluded our most vulnerable community members. Jane Robbins illuminates how academics—both students and scholars—can ensure that their work makes meaningful contributions to justice movements outside the university walls. They draw on examples of public engagement from the 2023 spring course “Remediating the Environment,” which Jane Robbins taught and Yamila took, as well as environmental justice activism on Penn's campus. Listen to get inspired and take action! Credits This interview with Jane Robbins Mize (University of Pennsylvania) was facilitated and recorded by Yamila Frej (University of Pennsylvania) and produced by Jasmine Erdener.  Be in touch! Comments and feedback welcome at director@ppehlab.org [director@ppehlab.org]! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @ppehlab.

Landscapes and Infrastructures

This episode of The Canopy features two conversations on two distinct topics. The first, with Dr. Dan Grimley, Head of Division for the Humanities at Oxford University, continues our series of conversations about environmental justice between students at the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities and partners in the International Doctoral Cluster for Environmental Humanities at Oxford and the University of Toronto. The second segment features our very own Rahul Mukherjee who talks about his book, Radiant Infrastructures: Media, Environment, and Culture, now out with Duke University Press. Here, Rahul considers how “cultures of uncertainty” permeate contemporary discussions of environmental and public health. Credits These conversations with Dan Grimley (Oxford University) and Rahul Mukherjee (University of Pennsylvania) were facilitated and recorded by Sylvie Josel and Angela Faranda, and were produced by Jasmine Erdener. Sylvie Josel wrote the script for the first segment and Bethany Wiggin and Angela Faranda for the second. Music Lianne La Havas - Paper Thin Lianne La Havas - Bittersweet Curtis Harding - If Words Were Flowers Curtis Harding - Explore Lianne La Havas - Green Gold Be in touch! Comments and feedback welcome at director@ppehlab.org! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @ppehlab.