Our most iconic waterscapes – Cape Cod, Great Bay, Lake Champlain, and Narragansett Bay – are slowly being choked by nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution is traced to fertilizer runoff from agriculture and lawns, animal waste from factory farms, and overflowing sewage. CLF is fighting against nutrient pollution and for clean water in New England.
With healthcare costs and rates of obesity and other chronic disease soaring – especially among low-income populations – community groups and public health organizations are increasingly aware that improving neighborhood environments can boost health outcomes. But, traditional financing sources simply aren’t capable of addressing those needs at the project level.
“New Englanders living in low-income and communities of color are more deeply impacted by our current environmental challenges than society at large,” says Veronica Eady. That’s why CLF, in collaboration with community groups and residents in environmental justice communities, is working to reduce the environmental hazards that threaten public health across New England.
It’s tempting to leave the problem of stormwater runoff to cities, towns, and businesses. But our houses also takes away the landscape’s ability to soak up precipitation naturally. Solutions to start greening our home landscapes, however, can be as simple as buying a rain barrel and planting a rain garden.
CLF and our partners are championing a new approach to managing stormwater. Green infrastructure is about trying to design our built environment in a way that restores the ability of the landscape to soak up precipitation and filter out pollutants before the runoff reaches our waterways.
When news broke in 2013 that Brayton Point, New England’s largest – and reportedly most efficient – coal-fired power plant would close in 2017, CLF heralded the news as a victory in one of its signature battles: the demise of coal in New England.
The Mystic River Watershed is the most urbanized watershed in Massachusetts – and one of the most polluted. So when a neighborhood group approached CLF in 2010 with concerns about stormwater runoff from a large scrap metal facility, we agreed to take a closer look.
Ruth Price is the Office Manager for CLF Maine. Ruth joined CLF in June 2011. She moved to Maine from Washington, D.C., where she worked for over four years at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as a Research Coordinator and Analyst. There, she assisted in conducting brain imaging studies with mood and anxiety… Continue reading Ruth Price
Greg Cunningham is the VP for CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program. Greg joined CLF in 2008 after 10 years at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, where he was a shareholder and helped to develop its environmental practice group. Prior to that, Greg was a partner in a toxic tort litigation firm. He recently… Continue reading Greg Cunningham
Sean Mahoney serves as the Vice President for Maine and Senior Counsel. Prior to joining CLF in 2007, Sean practiced environmental law in San Francisco and Portland, ME for 15 years, where he represented a variety of commercial and non-governmental entities in all aspects of state and federal environmental litigation and permitting. At CLF, Mahoney… Continue reading Sean Mahoney
