Washington Avenue Connector, trash pickup contest, & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:

New Washington Avenue Connector completed. The City of Philadelphia and Delaware River Waterfront Corporation cut the ribbon on a new bike and pedestrian path along Washington Avenue. The Washington Avenue Connector runs from Jefferson Square to Columbus Boulevard and features a paved, separated bike lane; large planters; new seating; and a pedestrian walkway. Proponents say the new layout will make the area safer and greener. 

Are you registered to vote? Pennsylvania general elections are on Tuesday, November 3. You can check your voter registration status can be found on the Commonwealth voter website. To see who and what’s on your ballot, the nonpartisan non-profit Committee of Seventy offers an interactive ballot guide. 

Philadelphia has a microplastics problem. Scientists monitoring water sources around Philadelphia are in an ongoing battle with microplastics and forever chemicals. Recently, the state’s Fish and Boat Commission issued a “do not eat” advisory for the Wissahickon Creek Basin in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties because fish samples contain high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOS is part of a family of chemicals called “forever chemicals” because they resist degradation. Microplastics, another persistent toxin, are also common in Greater Philadelphia waters. EcoWURD and Audacy

Philly looking for a comeback with trash pickup contest. After a devastating loss to Chicago last year, Philadelphia volunteers are hoping to win big in a friendly rivalry to pick up the most trash. The Clean-Off, hosted by neighborhood clean-up group Block by Block, began in early October and runs through the end of the month. This year, Los Angeles has joined the competition as well. To track city progress, Block by Block has a running Leaderboard showing each city’s trash stats. WHYY

New air quality monitors support those with respiratory illnesses. Greg Jenkins, a professor of meteorology and atmospheric sciences at Penn State University, is setting up air quality monitors in his childhood neighborhood of Mantua. The neighborhood has a higher rate of asthma than those who were not deemed “hazardous” by the racist and destructive practice of redlining. Jenkins hopes the monitors will give people a chance to understand how and when poor air quality affects their health. WHYY

Cover photo: Trash on Philadelphia streets, by Claudia Salvato Photography.