May 28, 2020
“Public health must always be the primary concern,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of the Zero Waste Project at CLF. “However, the scientific community has made it clear that the risk of transmitting the virus by touching a bag or bottle is almost nonexistent. Allowing reusable bags and resuming bottle deposits will keep tons of plastic out of landfills or incinerators and stop it from further polluting our land and air.”
May 21, 2020
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities are not doing enough to protect public transit workers or their passengers. Stronger safety measures, including providing personal protective equipment and more frequent service on busy routes, must be implemented immediately – especially with stay-at-home directives beginning to ease.
May 18, 2020
“The FMCB has begun to solve the MBTA’s litany of problems and that work must continue,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at Conservation Law Foundation. “The board must be empowered to take on the T’s toughest challenges and create a future system that works for all riders. It is the only way we will transform the crisis-ridden MBTA into something our region can be proud of.”
May 14, 2020
Even as we mourn the lives lost to COVID-19 and absorb the heavy toll it has taken on our economy, we must recognize that the old “normal” left too many communities unhealthy and especially vulnerable to the pandemic. Replicating that old “normal” will squander an opportunity to reduce climate danger while building healthier and more just communities for all.
May 12, 2020
Under cover of the pandemic, the waste industry is trying to demolish critical environmental protections. In April, the waste industry and Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation asked the legislature to delay Vermont’s food scrap ban and trash recyclables, all under the guise of protecting the health of workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But they appear to be part of a push from waste industry groups to use the crisis to advance their own agenda in several New England states.
May 05, 2020
In anticipation of World Asthma Day, I connected with María Belén Power from GreenRoots, Andrea Nyamekye of Neighbor to Neighbor, and my CLF colleague Staci Rubin. The four of us spoke about air quality, public health, and what it means to live in an environmental justice community during a pandemic.
Apr 29, 2020
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.
Apr 22, 2020
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
Apr 20, 2020
When a sprawling development threatened an iconic patch of prime farmland, local residents stepped in to stop it.
Apr 07, 2020
Legal Food Hub launches in Connecticut to support local food economy
