Transforming Trash Into Change: Art, Action & Advocacy in Philadelphia

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

At EFNC, we believe real change happens when residents and organizers come together to address the root causes of environmental injustice. One of our most powerful partners in this mission is Trash Academy, a Philadelphia-based “collaboratory” that blends creativity, community voice, and systems thinking to tackle illegal dumping, legacy waste, and environmental racism—especially in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Founded as a grassroots initiative, Trash Academy has reimagined how we confront trash—not just as litter, but as a symptom of deeper social and economic inequities. Through a combination of public art, participatory games, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground community engagement, they’ve created a movement that is bold, visual, and undeniably effective.

🛠️ What Trash Academy Does:

• Public Engagement Through Art & Theater
  Their performances, installations, and “implosion games” turn complex issues like legacy dumping into experiences that inform and empower residents to act.

• Youth & Resident-Led Campaigns
  From organizing against illegal dumping to documenting neglected city lots, their work centers local leadership.

• Policy Change Through Grassroots Power
  Trash Academy played a key role in the passage of Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban—helping remove over 200 million bags from circulation—and is now advocating for a comprehensive city dumping response plan by 2028.

• Creative Solutions Like the Trashmobile
  Their mobile engagement unit and community-designed bins with built-in seating transform public spaces while educating the community.

🤝 EFNC x Trash Academy: A Growing Coalition for Environmental Justice

EFNC is proud to be a core collaborator in Trash Academy’s citywide movement. Together, we’ve amplified Eastwick voices in creative, policy, and cleanup spaces—ensuring our community's experiences directly inform city action.

Here’s how this collaboration has shown up:

• Storytelling & Testimony
  EFNC leaders have participated in community storytelling campaigns, public performances, and formal testimony to City Council. These actions, supported by Trash Academy’s creative framing and documentation, have led to measurable clean-up efforts across Eastwick.

• Community Research & Visibility
  EFNC contributed to public exhibits like the 6th & Somerset photo wall—featuring dozens of documented dumping sites—and engaged in local events that highlighted the lived realities of residents.

• Advocacy That Gets Results
  Following powerful visual presentations and testimonies from our coalition, Eastwick residents recently witnessed city sanitation crews cleaning up previously ignored sites—proving that coordinated advocacy works.

📢 Get Involved: What You Can Do Today

📺 Watch & Share
Visit Trash Academy on YouTube or Instagram to watch the latest interviews and creative campaigns—including the recent segment on legacy dumping, featuring EFNC voices.

✍️ Sign the Petition
Join the call for a cleaner, more just Philadelphia by signing the Clean Philadelphia Now petition. Let’s demand a citywide action plan to eliminate illegal dumping by 2028.

🤲 Projects
Get involved with projects happening at Trash Academy such as the Trashmobile, the Dumping Campaign and the Plastic Bag Campaign by going here.

💸 Donate to Support Grassroots Change
Your support helps sustain this creative movement—from Trash Academy’s artistic activism to EFNC’s direct action in Eastwick. Click here to donate.

Eastwick Community Day 🌳 

As a proud community anchor, EFNC was an active participant in this year’s Eastwick Community Day on Saturday, June 7th, hosted by the Office of Sustainability at the Eastwick Regional Playground. The event provided a valuable opportunity for residents to engage directly with local partners, learn about neighborhood resilience efforts, and enjoy a day filled with activities and conversation.

EFNC connected with attendees to share updates on our ongoing work in the community, gather community input on legacy dumping, and distribute resources related to environmental justice and flood mitigation. The day was a powerful reminder of the strength and unity within Eastwick, and we remain committed to carrying that momentum forward.

🗓️ Let’s Talk About It — Together

We're proud to announce our EFNC Summer Community Meeting featuring Dr. Armstrong.

🧠 Topic: Plastics in the Body — What You Need to Know
📅 Date: TBA (July)
🎤 Speaker: Dr. Carol Armstrong, Ph.D., ABN

Come with your questions. Leave with clarity and action steps.

Until next time,

The EFNC team