Boston’s newest neighborhood, the Seaport District, has drawn recent criticism for its high-priced housing and amenities, exclusivity, and lack of diversity. What started out as an incredibly rare chance for Boston to redevelop nearly 1,000 acres of city land is now largely considered a major missed opportunity. Given the billions of dollars of public investment…
Jan 8
2018
2018
Jan 4
2018
2018
Creating Healthy, Thriving Neighborhoods in Massachusetts
We need more, better, and equitable housing choices, more vibrant, walkable downtowns, and healthy communities that protect us from climate change. We need development rules for a new generation. The Great Neighborhoods bill is a major step in the right direction.
Jan 3
2018
2018
Advocates Praise Passing of Lead Poisoning Prevention Bill
“Childhood lead poisoning is a problem of statewide concern, affecting New Hampshire kids in rural and urban communities alike, and across all demographics, said Tom Irwin, director of the New Hampshire office of the Conservation Law Foundation. “But it’s a problem that disproportionately affects low-income families and some of our most vulnerable populations, and by impeding the ability of children to learn, it’s creating yet another barrier for families trying to break the cycle of poverty. Today, the House took an important step towards better protecting New Hampshire’s children and families.”
Jan 3
2018
2018
The Dangers and Costs of Childhood Lead Poisoning in Maine
Lead poisoning threatens the most vulnerable members of our communities – our children – but it imposes tragically high costs on everyone.
Dec 20
2017
2017
CLF Healthy Neighborhood Work Gets Massive Boost
“From addressing air pollution, to improving public transit, to building sustainable food systems and more, community health is the cornerstone of everything CLF does,” said CLF president Bradley Campbell. “New research collected on-the-ground has enabled us to chart a course for transformational change in Boston and other urban centers across Massachusetts tailored to the unique needs of each community. Thanks to this generous grant from RWJF, this proven model will be expanded and replicated nationally.”
Dec 12
2017
2017
Congressional Tax Bill a Direct Attack on Environment and Economy
A country’s tax policy is about a lot more than expenses and revenues. It’s a value statement about who we are as a nation. And as both houses of Congress go through the process of reconciling their tax bills, the statement being made is disturbingly clear. This bill says we value dirty, outdated fossil fuels…
Dec 12
2017
2017
Municipal Solid Waste: What is It and Why is It a Problem?
Most people are unaware that we have a serious – but preventable – municipal solid waste problem here in New England and across the country. We explain what’s in our waste and why it’s so dangerous.
Nov 29
2017
2017
City of Boston Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags
“More than 350 million single-use plastic bags hit the streets of Boston this year alone, most of which end up filling our landfills, littering our communities, and polluting our air when burned up in incinerators,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “This new ordinance protects the health of our neighborhoods and our environment, while at the same time easing the burden on taxpayers and saving local retailers millions. We are optimistic that Mayor Walsh will follow the lead of 59 other Massachusetts cities and towns and sign this ordinance into law.”
Nov 20
2017
2017
Got Thanksgiving Leftovers? Here’s What to Do with Them This Year
Every year, I pledge to waste a little less food at Thanksgiving, not just because I hate to throw away money and time, but because food waste can be terribly damaging to the environment. So let’s think about this for a second – what can you do to waste less food at Thanksgiving?
Nov 6
2017
2017
Landfills, Incinerators, and Waste Disposal: Not a Necessary Evil, Just Evil
What if I told you that I wanted to build a facility in your town that would cost taxpayers a lot to construct, but create only a few low-quality jobs? Once operational, it would contaminate the air and groundwater and poison neighbors’ wells for decades. What’s more, this contamination would be largely ignored, and probably…