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
It’s tempting to boil down good health solely to factors like medical care, healthy food, and exercise. However, many other dynamics, like historic redlining and racial segregation, along with substandard housing, air pollution, crumbling infrastructure, and lack of access to jobs, healthy food, and green space, all play a role. Perhaps no one understands the interplay of these factors better than those who work in healthcare, including Dr. Thea James, who serves as Boston Medical Center’s Associate Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Mission, and Director of the Violence Prevention.
The multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative falls well short of its potential. Here’s what needs to happen to make it a powerful tool for redressing inequities in our communities and cutting climate-damaging emissions.
This past year was one of the most challenging our country has faced in many of our lifetimes. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer’s protests against police violence have forced deep, damaging inequities in our society out into the light of day. Now, as we start the new year, it’s up to all of us to ensure they not only stay there but that we actively work to redress them.
