News & Commentary

The Uinta Basin Railway Would Be a Bigger Carbon Bomb Than Willow

December 13, 2023 ExplainerUtah, Colorado, United StatesNicole Greenfield

The project could sabotage U.S. climate goals, send oil-filled trains along the Colorado River, and pollute the air from Utah to the Gulf Coast.

If You Care About Climate Change, Then You Care About the Farm Bill

December 5, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

With the reauthorization of the farm bill next year, we have a chance to shift the U.S. agricultural system from a climate problem to a climate solution.

Advocates Are Sparking a Revolution in Louisiana's “Cancer Alley”

November 10, 2022 DispatchSt. James Parish, LouisianaNicole Greenfield

Residents of St. James Parish are fighting to boot harmful petrochemical plants from this majority-Black community—and hoping to usher in more sustainable industries like solar.

Three Ways We Can Make Schools Healthier This Year

August 24, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

From lead plumbing to a lack of air-conditioning, schools across the United States are jeopardizing the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff.

A Mississippi Tribe Is Growing Its Own Organic Movement

May 16, 2022 DispatchMississippiNicole Greenfield

With programs for schools, elders, and diabetics across 10 counties, Choctaw Fresh Produce is making sure its tribal members have access to fresh, healthy food.

Gibbstown LNG Terminal: A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

April 13, 2022 DispatchGibbstown, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaNicole Greenfield

Imagine hundreds of trucks and train cars filled with highly explosive fuel coming through your community every day. These Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans are fighting to extinguish the project—for good.

Will Los Angeles Finally Put an End to Oil Drilling in Neighborhoods?

November 12, 2021 DispatchLos AngelesNicole Greenfield

For close to a decade, the STAND-L.A. coalition has been calling on the city to stop extracting oil near homes and schools. Victory, at long last, is within reach.

Latina Farmworkers Speak Out about the Hazards of Life in California’s Fields

October 4, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

From farms to public hearings, the women of Líderes Campesinas are standing up against the pesticide exposure, COVID-19 risk, and other threats disproportionately impacting their community.

The Chlorpyrifos Ban Is a Win for Science—and Children

September 17, 2021 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

NRDC advocates and our partners spent decades fighting against a highly toxic pesticide that harms kids, farmworkers, and their families. In August, the EPA finally banned it.

Blackfeet Nation Is Taking Back the Food System

June 21, 2021 DispatchMontanaNicole Greenfield

A tribal-led plan to build a meat-processing facility on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana will help invigorate the local economy, safeguard cultural traditions, and protect community health and the environment.

Taking Care of the Food Workers Who Take Care of Us

February 10, 2021 NRDC in ActionColoradoNicole Greenfield

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequities faced by food- and farmworkers who put their health in danger just by coming to work each day. NRDC is pushing to change that.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Gross Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers

October 30, 2020 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

The ongoing health and safety failures at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, highlight an industry-wide truth: It’s production over people, even in a deadly pandemic.

These Farmer-Activists Are Fixing Our Racist and Unjust Food System

October 27, 2020 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

Black Farmer Fund is part of a collaboration of New York–based groups working to repair a system that has long discriminated against BIPOC farmers.

The Revitalization of This Former Coal Town Starts Now

April 1, 2020 NRDC in ActionPeoria, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

Following a landmark settlement agreement, $8.6 million will be invested back into projects that uplift the community of Peoria, Illinois, where a dirty coal plant is scheduled to close by the end of 2022.

From Farms to Dollar Stores, One Woman’s Fight for Justice

August 23, 2019 DispatchAlbuquerque, New MexicoNicole Greenfield

In her long history as a community organizer and environmental justice activist, Helga Garza has advocated for clean water and nontoxic toys. Her current mission: making fresh, local produce accessible.

Baltimore Is Poised to Put a Major Dent in Its Food Waste Stream

December 13, 2018 DispatchBaltimore, MarylandNicole Greenfield

The city has developed a bold new food waste management and recovery strategy to protect residents from harmful air pollution, boost its economy, and help feed those most in need.

Will China Save the Planet?

November 27, 2018 NRDC in ActionBeijing, ChinaNicole Greenfield

Barbara Finamore, NRDC’s senior strategic director for Asia, witnessed the birth of China’s clean energy movement. Her new book considers its future.

These New Jerseyans Want to Bring “Bomb Trains” to a Halt

July 23, 2018 DispatchNew JerseyNicole Greenfield

Trains carrying combustible crude oil barrel on rickety rails through the Garden State, threatening the safety of millions of people—and their drinking water—every single day.

Inside NYC’s Public Housing, Mold and Neglect Are a Dangerous Combo

June 25, 2018 DispatchNew York CityNicole Greenfield

The New York City Housing Authority has failed to comply with court orders to remedy unhealthy living conditions. But tenants and advocates refuse to let the nation’s biggest residential landlord off the hook.

Saving Science in the Age of Trump

April 17, 2018 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

The current administration’s suppression of data and information is unprecedented. But so are NRDC’s efforts to combat it.