New England’s industrial rivers are starting to turn a new page thanks to the Clean Water Act. But more work needs to be done. The Blackstone River still suffers from industrial pollution, including lead, iron, oil, grease, and foam. The Mystic River also endures harmful levels of oil, grease, foam, and petroleum pollution, while aluminum contaminates the Merrimack River.
“Pollution from cars and trucks chokes our communities and worsens the climate crisis,” said CLF attorney James Crowley. “The science is clear: the only way to reach our climate goals is by drastically curbing transportation emissions, and fast. This new rule must be allowed to stand, and we look forward to helping defend it in court.”
Big Beverage companies drive the global plastic pollution crisis, thanks to the single-use bottles in which they sell their beverages. They also do everything they can to maintain the status quo by sabotaging efforts to reform our recycling systems. That’s why we’re exposing Big Beverage’s playbook – because we can no longer afford to let them avoid responsibility while we drown in plastic pollution.
“For decades, the beverage industry has done everything in its power to keep our failed recycling systems in place and prevent new solutions,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “Most bottles and cans in the U.S. still end up buried in landfills, burned in incinerators, or littering our communities. We must hold Big Beverage accountable for the mess it’s made and invest in real solutions for bottle and can recycling.”
We’re exposing Big Beverage’s playbook – because we can no longer afford to let them avoid responsibility while we drown in plastic pollution.
Where we live affects how much pollution we experience each day. It affects how long our commute is, how hot our neighborhood gets in the summer, whether we can afford winter heating bills, how much or how little open space we have around us, and whether we have access to healthy homes, nourishing food, and quality schools.
A previous version of this blog was published in August, 2017 With the federal government stymied over any meaningful climate legislation, it’s up to the states to take the lead on curbing carbon pollution. Here in New England, such leadership is nothing new. Five New England states have climate laws in the books, mandating cuts… Continue reading Carbon Pricing 101
HealthScore is a screening tool that offers a holistic and actionable vision for healthy, inclusive, and sustainable housing and mixed-use development. CLF uses HealthScore to understand neighborhood context and screen potential investments for its Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund. Our scorecard is a model for how to measure and track the ways that real estate development… Continue reading HealthScore Metrics
As we reflect on what went wrong at last month’s global climate conference, we can find hope in everything we’ve accomplished in New England. Our fight isn’t over yet.
An international climate conference in Glasgow just ended. It’s left me feeling frustrated and angry, but I know I can still find hope in local action.
