Completing a new neighborhood development is just the beginning of the story. The true success of such targeted investment will come with the changes it brings to a community over time. That’s where Vedette Gavin, CLF’s Director of Research, comes in. “The reality is that the relationship between development and health is extremely complex,” she says.
CLF President Bradley Campbell said, “Community health is vitally dependent on neighborhood design and smart investment, which is why CLF is proud to partner with MHIC on projects researched and designed to promote affordability, mobility, and better health outcomes.”
Fighting Big Gas How One Community’s Fight Could Shape the Future of New England Restoring Lake Champlain Reasons for Hope after Decades of Degradation Local Food 2.0 Training a New Generation of Farmers in Western Massachusetts Whale Watch Saving North Atlantic Right Whales from Extinction Measuring Community Health A New Research Model Puts the Community… Continue reading Conservation Matters Summer 2017: Year in Review
“In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on an offshore Shell facility, the company was forced to confront the reality of climate change and the dangers it poses,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “But more than a decade later, Shell’s acknowledgement of these risks has not translated into action to prevent them in places where people actually live. With just one severe storm – one major flood – the Providence River and surrounding communities could be inundated with toxic substances, yet Shell has done nothing to safeguard us from this fate. It’s time they be held accountable for this grave inaction.”
Last night, residents of the central Massachusetts town of Southbridge delivered a major and unexpected blow to Casella Waste when they voted overwhelmingly to reject plans to expand the town’s landfill, which the company has operated for about fourteen years.
“The iconic fields off Exit 4 are a central tenant of our state’s cultural identity, and thanks to the power of grassroots activism and strong advocacy, these fields will be a source of local, healthy food for generations to come,” said CLF senior attorney Sandra Levine.
The corporation responsible for the upkeep of the Lawrence canals neglected its responsibility to its community neighbors by allowing the canals to fall into decay and disrepair. The company’s obligation to keep the canals in good working order is also a legal one – it’s a requirement of the federal license it received to run its hydroelectric plant in 1978. It’s time they stop violating that license.
CLF is working with partners in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to save the city’s historic canals from decades of neglect and decay. The goal: to transform North and South Canals and the surrounding areas from an environmental burden into community assets so that they can help rather than hinder economic development in the struggling city.
This post is the first in a series on issues surrounding the dilapidated canal infrastructure in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Look for more from Rafael Mares in the coming days. To stay up to date, visit www.clf.org/blog/tag/lawrence-canals-series or follow the hashtag #RestoreLawrenceCanals on Twitter. In many cities around the world, canals serve as a draw for tourists… Continue reading Corporate Neglect in MA: Crumbling Canal Burdens Lawrence
“The Lawrence canals are a core element of the city’s urban landscape, and the people of Lawrence deserve better than to see them neglected and allowed to decay,” said Rafael Mares, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice Program. “When you walk around the streets of Lawrence, you see a thriving community held back by this major blight in the heart of their city. Essex Company, LLC needs to take immediate action to restore the vibrancy and integrity of these canals, and if they refuse, we’ll be standing with the community, ready for the fight.”
