Today, record numbers of Americans suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, which are strongly influenced by their neighborhood and environmental conditions. At the same time, traditional sources of public funding for development are drying up, making the vision of a healthy community harder to realize.
Cars, trucks, and buses are the largest and fastest-growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, states are struggling to maintain public transit infrastructure, highways, and bridges in the face of scant funding and skyrocketing costs. These problems, though far-reaching, have solutions, though finding them will take investment, political will, and tenacity.
In New England, the ocean is an integral part of our lives, economy, and communities. But today, our need for the ocean’s resources is growing. So New England is leading the way in creating the country’s first regional ocean plan to balance ocean protection with responsible development.
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.
Launched last year, CLF’s Legal Services Food Hub matches farmers, food entrepreneurs, and community organizations with free legal assistance. “Many farmers and food entrepreneurs struggle to overcome the high legal fees associated with running a food-based business,” says CLF Legal Fellow Elena Mihaly, who coordinated the Hub.
For Isabel, a 15-year-old sophomore at Boston Latin School, climate change is a big concern. That’s why, last November, Isabel and three other teens, alongside CLF and the Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for not meeting key obligations of the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act.
Virginia (Gina) Foote is the Director of Impact Investment at CLF, where she helps develop market-based solutions to address New England’s environmental problems. Gina oversees three impact funds co-sponsored by CLF: the Healthy Neighborhood Equity Fund I and II, and the Healthy Retail and Commerce Fund. Gina and her team are growing CLF’s portfolio of… Continue reading Virginia Foote
Making polluters pay is crucial to protecting New England waterways. Conservation Law Foundation is continuing to press for the shared accountability and investment that will restore the region’s and the nation’s rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds to health for all to enjoy.
When it comes to clean water in New England, two big challenges stand in the way: nutrient pollution and stormwater runoff. CLF is working to solve these challenges by pushing local and state governments and the EPA to enforce clean water laws and hold polluters accountable for their damage.
