In September 2018, leaders from across the country – including CLF’s President, Bradley Campbell – and the globe gathered in San Francisco, California at the Global Climate Action Summit to exchange ideas about how we can address the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. The Summit also challenged cities and towns around the world to step…
Oct 30
2019
2019
Oct 29
2019
2019
CLF Launches Zero Waste Challenge
“New England’s waste system is broken,” says Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “While we wait for much-needed reform, there are steps that each of us can take to make a big difference. For the health of our communities and our planet, achieving zero waste must be everyone’s goal.”
Apr 24
2019
2019
We Can’t Recycle Our Way Out of the Plastic Pollution Problem
Plastics are everywhere, and they aren’t all recyclable. Until there’s a new system that creates a structure for using less plastic from the beginning, here’s a handy guide to what can and can’t go in the bin.
Oct 2
2018
2018
CLF Appointed to Rhode Island Plastics Task Force
”Plastics create unsightly litter on land and are deadly in our oceans,” said Amy Moses, Vice President and Director of CLF Rhode Island. “Single-use plastics are made from fossil fuels and pollute our environment at every stage of their manufacture, use and disposal. We can’t recycle our way out of this problem. Rhode Island needs to ban these materials, and this task force is an important step in the right direction.”
Sep 14
2018
2018
Five Ways Cities and Towns Can Slash Trash and Fight Climate Change
The Global Climate Action Summit is underway in San Francisco, California. Leaders from across the country – including CLF’s President, Bradley Campbell – and the globe have gathered to exchange ideas about how we can address the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. The Summit is also challenging cities and towns around the…
Apr 22
2017
2017
Talking Trash
CLF Launches Zero-Waste Project to Tackle Massachusetts’s Trash Problem On a Monday night in February, more than 100 people crowded into the Sturbridge, Massachusetts, town hall for an emergency meeting of the town’s Board of Health. Nineteen wells in the Sturbridge neighborhood closest to the massive Southbridge Landfill had just tested high for lead –…
Feb 17
2017
2017
Citizen Action Turns the Tide on Massive Landfill Expansion in Southbridge
On Monday night, more than 100 people from the south-central Massachusetts towns of Sturbridge, Charlton, and Southbridge turned out for an emergency meeting of the Sturbridge Board of Health. They came to express their anger to the Regional Director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that the 19 home wells in the Sturbridge neighborhood…
Feb 14
2017
2017
Why the Zero Waste Project? Protecting My Family and Yours.
I can still remember the conversation vividly. It was February of 2008 and my brother was calling to beseech me to represent a group of citizens to oppose the expansion of the Southbridge Landfill. I have to admit, I was skeptical about his concerns. This was the brother with all the ideas I sometimes wish…
Jan 11
2013
2013
You Say ‘Food Waste,’ I Say ‘Renewable Energy’: New DEP Regs Create Pathway for Anaerobic Digestion
Burying our garbage in landfills is a waste of resources, but it’s also a convenient way to get rid of stuff we don’t need or want. If there were clear alternatives to trashing our resources, would we use them? The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) believes the answer is yes. The DEP has finalized…
Aug 3
2012
2012
Single-Stream Recycling for Rhode Island: Let’s make it work
Recently, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation attempted to make recycling easier for Rhode Islanders by creating “single-stream recycling.” Now households do not have to separate paper from plastic – everything can go in the same bin and other items can also now be recycled, such as plastic cups, tissue paper and just about any plastic container 2 gallons or less in volume. Sounds simple and great, right? Sadly, it hasn’t caught on yet.