Kenner, Alison and Sarah Stalcup. "Breathing Easy in a Changing Climate- 2018". Disaster STS Network, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, (2 March 2020).
About the 2018 Breathing Easy in a Changing Climate Workshops
Activity on Emergency Preparedness
Activity on Green Stormwater Infrastructure
A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
Climate Ready Philly Analytics
Home Repair and You Presentation
Mold, Your Home, & You Presentation
Staying Healthy and Safe During Severe Storms Brochure
Staying Healthy and Safe During Severe Storms Presentation
At the open and close of each workshop, attendees were presented with surveys. The pre-workshop survey asked attendees about their demographics and topics such, flooding, mold, health, housing, and climate change. The post-workshop surveys asked attendees for feedback on the workshop itself, what they thought the city and its agencies could be doing better to deal with climate change, what recourses they felt they were still in need of, and what new concerns they had after attending the workshop.
-Black or African American women over the age of 65 was the majority demographic again this year.
-The income range of participants was quite broad across the three workshops.
-66% of participants attended college and 48% were homeowners.
-The Mayfair workshop had the greatest racial/ethnic, income, and gender diversity among the three workshops.
-Lower and Central Northeast planning districts had the greatest number of participants (15), followed by the Northwest planning district (6).
-44% of participants reported that they had experienced flooding in their homes.
-40% of participants have dealt with mold in their homes.
-64% of participants reported that they or someone they live with suffers from breathing problems.
-Only 20% of participants had an emergency preparedness plan in place, and only 20% of participants felt they knew what to do to keep their family safe during a flood event due to extreme weather.
-Only 15% of participants reported that they knew what green infrastructure is.
-44% of participants reported that they could explain climate change if asked.
-52% of participants reported having new concerns
-74% of participants reported that they now have the resources to get help if they need it
-Participants suggested future workshop topics could include mold, home repair financing, disaster planning, flood maps, home safety, weatherization, healthy living, and tree services.
-Participants most often cited better information networks, increased educational programs, emergency preparedness kits, public service announcements, and improved stormwater drainage as the best ways the city can prepare for climate change and the health-impacts of flooding and severe storms.
The workshop structure included introductory and concluding formats that were designed to give participants space to share their experiences and concerns. The workshops were anchored by three presentations and two activities lead by partner organizations. The following are the presentations that were given at the 2018 Breathing Easy in a Changing Climate workshops.
At each workshop, the Climate Ready Philly team offered attendees additional resources that they could reference and utilize beyond the conclusion of the workshop such as:
