Sophia Schmidt

Philadelphia

Environmental Justice Reporter at WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, PA)

Environmental justice reporter @WHYYNews @PlanPhilly. 2021 @MetcalfURI fellow. Previously @NPRWeekend & @DelawarePublic. 🏳️‍🌈 she/her

Featured in: Favicon

whyy.org

npr.org

nola.com

wbur.org

newstatesman.com Favicon

nationalinterest.org Favicon

wgbh.org

cpr.org

kpbs.org

wlrn.org + 107 more

Articles

Ticketing of parked cars on Philly street sweeping routes starts again Monday

1 week ago | phillytrib.com | Sophia Schmidt |Sophia Schmidt WHYY

If you park your car in one of Philadelphia’s 14 street sweeping zones, you’d better start checking the signs. The Philadelphia Parking Authority plans to begin enforcing no-parking rules along street sweeping routes starting April 14, the Department of Sanitation announced Friday. Philly’s mechanical street sweeping program runs from April through October, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in areas with high litter.
MACH2 hydrogen hub funding could be on the chopping block, according to a report

1 week ago | alleghenyfront.org | Sophia Schmidt

This story comes from our partners at WHYY. Money for the much-heralded hydrogen hubplanned for the Philadelphia regioncould be headed for the scrap heap in the barrage of federal funding cutsunder the direction of President Donald Trump, according to a Department of Energy document obtained by POLITICO. TheMid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, also referred to as MACH2, is a network of planned projects that would produce, process and usehydrogenin southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.
Ticketing of parked cars on Philly street sweeping routes resumes

1 week ago | phillytrib.com | Sophia Schmidt

If you park your car in one of Philadelphia’s 14 street sweeping zones, you’d better start checking the signs. The Philadelphia Parking Authority plans to begin enforcing no-parking rules along street sweeping routes starting April 14, the Department of Sanitation announced Friday. Philly’s mechanical street sweeping program runs from April through October, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in areas with high litter.
Parker leaves money for Built to Last out of budget proposal

2 weeks ago | whyy.org | Sophia Schmidt

In the past, the Philadelphia Energy Authority has received federal grant funding and state funding through the Whole-Home Repairs program. But Whole-Home Repairs funding has failed to make it through the Pennsylvania legislature the past two years, and a total of $16 million in “anticipated” federal funding for the Built to Last has been eliminated, while roughly $4 million of the authority’s existing federal funding is currently “at risk,” Schapira said.
‘A reckless dismantling’: EPA employees and supporters march in Philly to protest cuts

3 weeks ago | alleghenyfront.org | Sophia Schmidt

This story comes from our partners at WHYY. Environmental Protection Agency employees, retirees and supporters marched around Philadelphia’s City Hall Tuesday to protest attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to reshape the agency. They said planned funding and staff cuts could compromise fundamental functions of the agency to protect not only air and water, but human health.
EPA grant terminations continue to hit Philly region

3 weeks ago | whyy.org | Sophia Schmidt

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!Since last spring, Bartram’s Garden has hired high school students to plant trees and install raised garden beds in Southwest Philadelphia. The program prepares the teens to go into environmental careers while providing the neighborhood with places to grow food and expanding its tree canopy, said Bartram’s Garden Executive Director Maitreyi Roy.
Philadelphians push the city to do more to plant and protect trees

1 month ago | whyy.org | Dillon Dodson |Sophia Schmidt

This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region. From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch. Philadelphians said there’s still work to do to keep the city’s trees standing and ensure every resident has equal access to them during a hearing about the city’s implementation of the Philly Tree Plan.
‘It’s hellish now’: EMR fire leaves Camden residents worried about health

1 month ago | whyy.org | Sophia Schmidt

Neighbors reported difficulty breathing, headaches and lingering odors in the aftermath of the massive blaze. From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know. Residents affected by the four-alarm fire at a metal recycler in South Camden a week and a half ago are still recovering from the experience.
Camden metal recycler whose fire caused evacuations had a history of violations

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Sophia Schmidt

The metal recycling company whose South Camden scrapyard went up in flames Friday, forcing around 100 residents to evacuate, had a history of violations in the city, according to records from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Friday’s fire was just the latest associated with EMR’s scrap metal recycling operations in Camden. “It’s been a serious ongoing problem,” said Kevin Barfield, director of Camden for Clean Air and the former president of the Camden County NAACP.
Philly children are exposed to dangerous lead more often than in other cities

2 months ago | alleghenyfront.org | Sophia Schmidt

This story comes from our partners at WHYY. Close to one in 25 children under the age of 6 in Philadelphia have elevated levels of dangerous lead in their blood, according to a new study. That rate is more than double the average for a group of large cities Drexel University researchers examined in arecent analysis.