For decades, low-income, immigrant, and communities of color across New England have been overburdened by air pollution from power plants, congested highways, and industrial facilities. CLF connected with two of our Massachusetts-based partners to discuss what needs to change to relieve these burdens and how racism contributes to environmental justice inequities.
New England is no stranger to ice storms, of course, and the Texas power grid is very different from ours. But we can still heed lessons from the Texas crisis – especially as we look at the future pressures our grid will face because of our changing climate.
Is the systemic idea of Zero Waste actually possible? Yes! But to do so, we need to stop looking at Zero Waste as just a lifestyle and start looking at it as a strategic concept for managing our waste – and tackling the trash crisis.
From the second they are born to their last breath, North Atlantic right whales help our climate by making our ocean more resilient. We need to push for their protection so that they can do their part in helping to create a greater future for all.
Laws that reduce the demand and availability of plastic products like Maine’s ban on plastic bags and polystyrene foam containers are critical to halting this build out of plastic production facilities. These bans will drastically reduce the harm these products have on the environment, slash the skyrocketing waste management and recycling costs for cities and towns, and cut down on the overall demand for plastics.
As the first project funded by CLF’s Healthy Neighborhoods Fund, Chelsea Flats showcases inclusive and sustainable development.
Advocates cheered when President Biden reinstated the Obama-era flood protection standard among his first acts in office. The Biden administration is sending a clear signal that building according to climate patterns of the past is no longer acceptable – we must acknowledge and address increasingly frequent and extreme flooding caused by climate change. Reinstating the federal standard is a critical first step for increasing our national infrastructure’s climate resilience – one that signals the urgent need for action here at home.
Cities with aggressive climate standards are running into roadblocks. Achieving these goals will require strong building energy codes and ending the use of fossil fuels in buildings and homes. We’re starting to see that neither the natural gas utilities nor the real estate industry will sit by quietly as cities and states enforce stronger building codes and ban natural gas infrastructure in new construction.
Maine has finalized its Climate Action Plan. Now, the work to implement the goals outlined in the plan and get Maine on track to slash emissions before 2030, begins.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of Maine’s woods and sea, Alison Hildreth and her late husband Horace (“Hoddy”) worried that someday it could all disappear because of development and industrialization. It was this concern that first prompted them to support CLF in 1970. Together, they watched the organization grow from humble beginnings to a regionwide… Continue reading The Hildreth Family
