Midterm election results, climate preparedness toolkit, & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:

Environmental changemakers celebrated at SustainPHL 2026 Awards. Green Philly hosted its 9th annual SustainPHL awards on October 29th, recognizing 27 organizations and community members for their work in environmental sustainability and climate action. Awards were given in nine categories, including Environmental Justice, Neighborhood Champion, and Business Innovation. A full list of the award recipients can be found here. Green Philly 

Midterm elections lean climate-positive. Pennsylvania voters showed up to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes for midterm elections. The results favored democratic candidates who have supported environmental policies and resulted in a democratic trifecta in Pennsylvania. However, less than half of Philadelphia’s eligible voters turned out. Spotlight PA

New toolkit available to residents for climate change preparedness. Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability released a new toolkit to help residents prepare for climate change with their neighbors. The community climate resilience toolkit includes PowerPoints, relevant topics, and suggestions for facilitating neighborhood conversations about extreme weather readiness. Designers of the toolkit say that neighborhoods that are more connected and have action plans are more climate resilient, can help community members with medical needs, and have a better understanding of what their shared resources are during a weather emergency. WHYY

Land trust awarded grant for green space. The Neighborhood Gardens Trust – a land trust dedicated to protecting and expanding green spaces for gardening – was awarded a $132,500 state grant to expand Orkney Park in Northern Liberties. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarded the grant to NGT to acquire about 1,500 square feet of land off Orkney Park. NGT hopes to expand the park’s programming and opportunities for the neighborhood. Rep. Mary Isaacson

Seasonal recycling opportunity opens up. The Philadelphia Sanitation Department opened its 2026 Fall Leaf Recycling Program this week. The program will run through December 19 and will deploy leaf pickup crews to areas with higher leaf buildup throughout the seven weeks. Mechanical collection will include leaf blowers, sweepers, and leaf loaders. On non-leaf collection weeks, residents are encouraged to bag their leaves for normal trash collection. 

Cover photo: Fall leaves. Photo by Greg Shield on Unsplash