Free Legal Help Gives a Boost to Springfield Farming Community
Stretching across the Connecticut River at the southern tip of Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, the Greater Springfield area boasted a rich agricultural tradition well into the 20th century. Today, the local economy relies more on its academic might and service industries. But over the last two decades, newer arrivals from Africa, Asia, and Latin America have…
Web of Deceit
by Laurie O'ReillyExxon’s decades of deceit and indifference have left local communities and sensitive ecosystems at risk of catastrophe.
Boston’s First Zero Waste Shop Reminds Customers to Give Back to the Earth
by Olivia SynorackiLocated in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, Uvida Shop is the city’s first-ever Zero Waste store – a retail destination that sells products with no single-use plastic packaging. Owner and CEO Maria began this venture while studying environmental science and sustainability at UMass Boston.
The Power of Water
by David Van WieAs communities across the country continue to recover from Hurricane Ida and its remnant rains, we look back at the last I-named storm to wreak havoc on our region: Tropical Storm Irene. Ten years ago, Tropical Storm Irene turned a late August weekend into a disaster of historic proportions. Communities from central New York to…
Boosting Local Businesses
by Laurie O'ReillySmall businesses and entrepreneurs form the backbones of thriving communities, and right now, they’re struggling. This is especially true in the low-income neighborhoods and communities of color hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 laid bare the profound impact that our neighborhoods have on our health. People in low-income communities of color living with higher…
Closing the Clean Water Gap
by Laurie O'ReillyTake a stroll along the Charles River on a nice weekend, and you’ll see why it’s considered one of the busiest watersheds in the country. Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, joggers and walkers still threaded its shoreline paths; canoes, kayaks, and sculls plied its waters; and sailboats drifted along its currents. But…
Turning a Spotlight on New Hampshire’s Waste Crisis
by Olivia SynorackiWhen first built in 1976, New Hampshire’s Bethlehem Landfill was just a local dump – 400 x 400 feet in total. But thanks to large corporate waste companies with aggressive growth plans, the landfill has swelled in size. Today, it covers 50 acres and buries 175,000 tons of trash each year. The State of New…
Stopping Big Oil
by Laurie O'ReillyGrassroots organizing led to a big win over Big Oil in Maine. And while the case continues, residents are not sitting idle.
The Future of Development is Community-Led
On Talbot Avenue in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, a new apartment building is bucking the gentrification trend. Developed in partnership with the people already living in the area, 191 Talbot Avenue adds 14 new homes to Dorchester’s housing stock. Rents here lock at rates below market price, allowing neighbors to stay in their community.
You Can Get There from Here
Over 40% of New England’s climate-damaging emissions billow from the exhaust pipes of our cars, trucks, semis, buses, and trains. We cannot solve climate change without cutting that pollution. And in the process, we have a unique opportunity to reimagine our region’s transportation systems as ones that are both affordable and accessible to everyone.