May 2, 2017

Guest Blog: We Are All “Invested” in New Hampshire’s Water

by Mindi Messmer

Mindi Messmer represents the Seacoast towns of Rye and New Castle in New Hampshire’s House of Representatives. She has been an environmental consultant for 25 years, working with businesses, banks, and the U.S. government on the presence of environmental contaminants. This blog was originally published as an article in Less Cancer Journal. I am a… Continue reading Guest Blog: We Are All “Invested” in New Hampshire’s Water

April 28, 2017

Bee Protection on the Table in Massachusetts

by Annie Lemelin

The dramatic decline in pollinator populations linked to the overuse of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids is putting our food supply at risk. Massachusetts must take action to restrict neonics and protect pollinators. Two bills under consideration by the legislature present good options for managing these challenges.

Bee perched on a flower.
April 27, 2017

Will Our New Secretary of Agriculture Champion All Farmers or Just Big Ag?

by Sumana Chintapalli

Our food system must evolve into a resilient resource, and that means supporting our small family farms. Will Sonny Perdue, the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, be able to leave his days in Big Ag behind to ensure his department supports farmers of all sizes?

Be a Local Farm Hero
April 27, 2017

Justice (Not) for All: Trump’s Proposed Budget Eliminates Environmental Justice Office

by Hoai Thuong Tran

Trump’s proposed cuts to EPA’s budget would eliminate the Office of Environmental Justice, which is charged with helping to protect vulnerable communities from the harmful impacts of pollution.

Trump's Clean Power Plan Replacement would worsen climate and air pollution
April 20, 2017

Is a City Playground Protected Land? Massachusetts Supreme Court to Decide

by Phelps Turner

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is deliberating a case with significant implications for playgrounds, parks, and other open space across the state. The decision before them is whether Westfield’s John A. Sullivan Memorial Playground, also known as the Cross Street Playground, is constitutionally protected land that cannot be converted to other purposes without a two-thirds vote… Continue reading Is a City Playground Protected Land? Massachusetts Supreme Court to Decide

April 18, 2017

Paving Vermont Farmland: Stopped!

by Sandy Levine

Strong Advocacy Leads to Conservation Stopping sprawl in its tracks and keeping valuable farmland available for farmers to use has taken a huge leap forward. In 2016, following a year-long legal case led by CLF, a developer withdrew plans to build a massive, sprawling complex, including shopping, a hotel, a conference center, offices, and housing in… Continue reading Paving Vermont Farmland: Stopped!

April 13, 2017

The Great Neighborhoods Campaign Needs You

by Deanna Moran

For a neighborhood to truly thrive, it needs healthy people, a healthy environment, and a healthy economy with opportunities for all. That’s why CLF, along with our partners in the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, are working to strengthen local neighborhoods in ways that work better for everyone ­– especially seniors and young people. Together, we have… Continue reading The Great Neighborhoods Campaign Needs You

April 12, 2017

Climate-Damaging Emissions are Down in Massachusetts, but Getting to 2050 Will Take Much More

by David Ismay

Last week Massachusetts finalized and released the state’s latest inventory of its statewide emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases (GHGs). The final numbers indicate that in 2014, the Commonwealth released the equivalent of 74.6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is a slight improvement over 2013. That’s good news and is far better than the increase in climate-damaging emissions we saw the year before. But a single year of slightly lower emissions isn’t good enough.

April 12, 2017

CLF and New England Battle Back as President Trump Attacks U.S. Climate Progress

by Megan Herzog

On March 28th, President Trump signed an executive order that launched a full-scale attack on our national progress in protecting public health and the environment from dangerous climate change. The so-called Energy Independence Order asks EPA to reconsider the Clean Power Plan, the first-ever federal rule designed to reduce climate-warming emissions from power plants, as… Continue reading CLF and New England Battle Back as President Trump Attacks U.S. Climate Progress

Clean Power Plan Gets Its Day in Court
April 12, 2017

Helping Rhode Island’s Local Food Movement Grow

by Sumana Chintapalli

CLF works throughout New England to help local food entrepreneurs and farmers not just survive, but thrive. Here in Rhode Island, the local food movement is burgeoning – our rate of new farmers is growing faster than in other New England states. But even as the number of new farmers grows, many experienced farmers are looking… Continue reading Helping Rhode Island’s Local Food Movement Grow