Just as CLF helped to lead the passing of landmark laws in almost every New England state, we must now watchdog their implementation. Because the consequences if these laws languish are too dire to be ignored.
The economic development bill passed by the House of Representatives presents the latest case-in-point. Quietly tucked into the bill was an amendment that would exempt an enormous parcel of land in Everett from state laws that govern waterfront development and protect the public trust.
The Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia is a setback, to be sure. But it is also a reminder of the importance of action at the regional, state, and local levels – action that we have been leading here in New England for more than a decade as we waited – and waited – for federal climate rules to come into play.
“As we’ve been saying for years, the state’s MHP process is fundamentally flawed,” said Deanna Moran, Interim Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “The developer-driven Downtown MHP would have resulted in less public access to one of the city’s greatest treasures – Boston Harbor. Today’s ruling makes it clear that it’s time to center waterfront planning on public access and community input, not developer profits.”
“For too long, low-income communities have been excluded from investments in healthy and sustainable housing and small businesses,” said Gina Foote, director of Impact Investment at Conservation Law Foundation. “With help from UnitedHealth Group and the Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund, that’s finally beginning to change. This investment will lead to more vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods across southern New England.”
So-called “advanced recycling” is a ruse. The term is part of a larger disinformation – or greenwashing – campaign. That campaign’s goal: to distract lawmakers and the public from real solutions to the world’s plastic crisis.
Michelle DeSilva comes to CLF with experience in investments, nonprofits, philanthropy and the environment. She started her career in investments at Fidelity Investments and Thomson Reuters, and directed an angel investing firm in the Midwest. Michelle later worked extensively with community foundations in strategy and branding, and advising financial advisors, estate planning attorneys and their… Continue reading Michelle DeSilva
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to our waste crisis. Getting to zero waste means using all the tools in the toolbox. Bottle bills and producer responsibility for packaging laws happen to be two of our best tools, so let’s use them both.
Learn how CLF’s Healthy Retail and Commerce Fund helped support Community Servings and the impact they expect to see on community, health and the environment.
Find out how CLF’s Healthy Retail and Commerce Fund helped Stop and Compare, a Latinx, family-owned supermarket business that offers high quality and diverse foods at affordable prices.
