
Sophia Schmidt covers the environment for WHYY’s PlanPhilly. Before coming to Philadelphia in 2021, Sophia reported on her home state of Delaware for Delaware Public Media and produced interviews for NPR’s “Weekend Edition.” Sophia was a 2021 Metcalf Fellow.
More from the Contributor
Hundreds of people live outside in the Philly area. Data shows some of the weather conditions they deal with are becoming more extreme.
20 hours ago
Listen 5:23Struggling to pay your heating bill in Pa.? This program could help
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides cash grants to help cover heating bills that don’t need to be repaid.
4 days ago
Listen 1:14Most PECO electric customers will see bills drop starting in December
The average residential customer that uses PECO’s default service will see their monthly bill go down by around $5 starting Dec. 1.
7 days ago
How Philly’s ‘Black Friday’ boycott helped advance equity and stop Rizzo’s third term
The 1978 protest brought thousands to The Gallery Mall, which lacked Black-owned businesses and usurped potential affordable housing funding.
2 weeks ago
How you can help make your Philly-area neighborhood greener this weekend
Volunteers are needed to help PHS Tree Tenders groups plant 1,800 trees in Philly and surrounding suburbs.
3 weeks ago
A levee could be built in flood-prone Eastwick. Delaware County has concerns
The city of Philadelphia will not move forward with the project unless negative impacts on Delaware County are addressed, an official said.
3 weeks ago
Listen 1:03PGW customers’ gas bills go up at the end of November. But the rate increase regulators OK’d is much smaller than what PGW asked for.
4 weeks ago
‘Don’t be afraid to lose’: David Oh concedes to Cherelle Parker in Philly mayor’s race
After 11 years on City Council, Oh said he’s not sure what he’ll do next — other than “rest and relax and spend a little more time with the family.”
4 weeks ago
Philly food trucks are still giving out plastic bags despite ban, advocates say
Unpredictable sales and tight margins make it hard for food trucks to source anything but the cheapest bags, a former food truck operator said.
1 month ago
Listen 1:17The group of gardeners and advocates hopes to hold a similar conversation with Republican mayoral candidate David Oh.
1 month ago
Pa.’s new environmental justice policy doesn’t solve the problem, advocates say
“The community has to have a determining voice,” one critic said. “This policy doesn't do that.”
1 month ago
Federal money coming to Philly for tree planting, lead paint awareness, and A/C units
Over $4 million in federal grant money will flow to nonprofits and local governments to support environmental justice in the Philly region.
1 month ago
Listen 1:05