COVID-19 presents a challenge unlike any most of us have ever seen. When we emerge from this public health emergency, we will need to rely on clean, safe systems for reuse and recycling that will help preserve budgets that have been stretched thin and keep communities clean and safe. The bottle bill is a key part of this, regardless of the misrepresentations touted by opponents.
The lethal pandemic and its response are causing massive disruption to our economy and adding stress to most of our lives. But neither the human nor the economic costs of the virus are being borne equally. The communities hit first and worst by deadly air pollution, toxic chemical releases, climate threats, and other environmental harms… Continue reading On the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day: Advocacy in a Pandemic
When a sprawling development threatened an iconic patch of prime farmland, local residents stepped in to stop it.
Legal Food Hub launches in Connecticut to support local food economy
Charlene Lovett takes on lead poisoning in her New Hampshire city.
Last month, we helped raise the alarm about a dangerous proposal for a garbage depot near Washington Park and South Providence neighborhoods. The garbage depot – and the dust, odor, traffic, and water pollution that would come with it – would have forced more pollution on communities already overburdened by other nearby industrial facilities. The reckless proposal spurred weeks of community action and resulted in an unqualified victory for residents.
“Congress must prioritize people over polluters,” said Bradley Campbell, President of Conservation Law Foundation. “The very communities that continue to suffer disproportionately high rates of disease at the hands of big oil are now directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Any relief legislation must be focused on helping these families and not bailing out big oil and gas.”
For centuries, Atlantic cod has been essential to New England’s identity. Yet today, you can rarely find locally caught cod in a grocery store or on a menu – because it has been fished to the brink of disaster. Here’s what it’s going to take to save New England’s founding fish.
In this uncertain time, we hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. Here at CLF, we are taking all necessary precautions to care for our staff and their families during this unprecedented crisis. Fortunately, CLF’s advocacy has never been defined or confined by the walls of a building.
“The decision to scrap plans for this garbage depot is an unqualified win for the neighborhood,” said Kevin Budris, staff attorney at CLF Rhode Island. “The community was loud and clear in opposing the toxic exhaust and dust this dirty facility would produce. We need to put our efforts into reducing waste, rather than forcing our communities to deal with pollution from trash that they did not create.”
