Environmental Justice Archives

Oct 28, 2025

The Villain, a Cure, and a Shift

We’ve got to understand that this is about to become a flaming pocketbook issue for Americans who right now don’t see climate change as something that immediately affects them.

Sep 24, 2025

Environmental Justice Starts with Community Power

In South Providence and across New England, neighbors are proving that environmental justice starts with community power. From blocking polluting projects to shaping new laws, families and advocates are shifting the balance of power – building healthier, fairer futures for everyone.

Aerial view of the Port of Providence in Rhode Island, where industrial facilities sit near neighborhoods and green spaces, highlighting local environmental justice issues.

Sep 23, 2025

New Bedford Residents Win Fight Against Waste Transfer Station

After years of organizing, New Bedford residents won a major victory: the Board of Health rejected a massive waste transfer station that threatened public health and piled pollution onto already overburdened neighborhoods. Their persistence shows the power of community to stop harmful projects — and win environmental justice.

View of New Bedford harbor with a white lighthouse in the foreground, sailboats on the water, and the city skyline with colorful buildings under a partly cloudy sky.

Sep 23, 2025

Progress Report: Holding Shell Oil Accountable

For years, Shell Oil has jeopardized the health and safety of New England coastal residents by constructing oil storage tanks right next to waterways and communities. Shell did it in New Haven, Connecticut, where oil storage tanks hulk next to New Haven Harbor. And it did it again in Providence, Rhode Island, where an oil storage terminal looms above the iconic Narragansett Bay.

Jul 22, 2025

Trump’s Cuts to IRA Funding are Anti-Climate and Anti-Farmer

In a short-sighted vendetta against “diversity, equity, and inclusion” the Trump administration has canceled many grants that farmers were relying on to grow their food sustainably.

Jul 15, 2025

Why Rhode Island Must Pass an Environmental Justice Law

What stands in the way of cleaner air, safer drinking water, unpolluted ports, and better health for Rhode Islanders is what we are sorely missing: an environmental justice law that takes a holistic perspective.

A neighborhood adjacent to the Port of Providence

Jul 09, 2025

Two Stories, A Scent of Déjà Vu

Across regions, people are standing up for their health, culture, and environment – pushing back on unjust waste infrastructure and reclaiming power over their communities’ futures. In Old Town, Maine, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, residents are confronting a familiar pattern – and showing what it takes to break the cycle and build lasting change.