News & Commentary

The Fight for Safe Drinking Water Doesn’t Start at the Top

October 24, 2023 NRDC in ActionChicagoShelia Hu

True activism begins with the people—and that’s where you’ll find policy advocate Chakena D. Perry.

Illinois Shows Us What the Road to Clean Energy Should Look Like

December 2, 2021 NRDC in ActionUnited States, IllinoisCourtney Lindwall

Here’s how a formidable clean energy coalition helped pass the most equitable climate legislation in the country—and developed a blueprint for other states to follow.

A Champion for Equitable and Sustainable Infrastructure

December 3, 2020 NRDC in ActionLos Angeles, PhiladelphiaShelia Hu

Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins is pushing for public policy solutions that address social equity and climate justice while strengthening access to reliable transportation, affordable housing, and open spaces.

Voces for Climate Action

July 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionChicago, Illinois, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

NRDC staffers are helping to build environmental equity and empower Latino voices for climate action—a cause that hits close to home.

Food Systems Analyst

July 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionBaltimore, Nashville, Denver, Maryland, Tennessee, ColoradoJeff Turrentine

Andrea Spacht Collins is working to minimize food waste by changing the way we think about what we eat—and what we don’t eat, where it comes from, and where it ends up.

A Translator for the Climate Crisis, Grief Included

May 4, 2020 NRDC in ActionNew York City, New York, Birmingham, AlabamaKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Writer, editor, teacher, and podcast host Mary Annaïse Heglar uses the art of storytelling to help people feel less alone in facing the climate crisis—and to build the movement for climate justice.

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.

The City Insider Proving that Mayors Can Lead on Climate

February 11, 2020 NRDC in ActionChicagoNicole Greenfield

Chris Wheat, who helped make Chicago a greener place from inside its city hall, is now helping empower city governments across the country to realize their many climate ambitions.

With Family Roots in the Mines, He’s Championing Illinois’s Clean Energy Future

January 31, 2020 NRDC in ActionMichigan, Illinois, Chicago, PeoriaNicole Greenfield

With grassroots groups and other partners, J. C. Kibbey is fighting for one of the country’s most ambitious climate bills—and a just transition away from coal.

As Temperatures Soar in India, One City’s Efforts Are Saving Lives

July 23, 2019 NRDC in ActionAhmedabad, Hyderabad, New Delhi, IndiaNicole Greenfield

The western city of Ahmedabad is preparing residents to cope with the longer and more intense heat waves sweeping across South Asia—and inspiring other Indian cities and states to follow suit.

Justice Warrior on the Affordable Energy Front

June 12, 2019 NRDC in ActionVirginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New YorkKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Dawone Robinson is righting the inequities that low-income communities of color face in accessing the benefits of energy efficiency—like more comfortable homes and lower energy bills, for starters.

The Desire to Stop Canadian Tar Sands Transcends Borders

January 10, 2019 NRDC in ActionAlberta, Canada, Nebraska, Chicago, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

For more than a decade, NRDC has worked with indigenous communities in Alberta, U.S.-based grassroots groups, and intergovernmental bodies to halt the expansion of dirty tar sands oil.

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.

She Breathes In Pollution, and Fights It, in the Windy City

May 15, 2018 NRDC in ActionChicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C.Carmen Cusido

NRDC’s Gina Ramirez is helping to bring attention to the wafts of manganese dust that plague her family and neighbors on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

The Sordid Backstory Behind the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Decisions

March 9, 2018 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

A lawsuit forced Ryan Zinke’s Interior Department to disclose files relating to the shrinking of national monuments. It’s easy to see why he wanted them to stay hidden.

This Is How We Stand Up to Trump

December 20, 2017 NRDC in ActionUnited States, Washington, D.C., Utah, Michigan, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Meet a handful of the NRDC staffers who resisted Trump’s attacks and defended our environment in 2017—and who won’t stop fighting anytime soon.

Keeping a Close Watch on China’s Climate Transition

November 7, 2017 NRDC in ActionBeijing, Shanghai, ChinaJeff Turrentine

JingJing Qian, senior strategic advisor for NRDC’s China program, is bearing witness to some truly remarkable changes taking place in her home country. She’s also helping to make those changes happen.

Zinke’s Western “Listening Tour” Light on the Listening, Heavy on the Fossil Fuels

May 19, 2017 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

As the interior secretary ponders the fates of 27 national monuments, he seems to be hearing some voices more acutely than others.

No Environmental Justice, No Peace

January 17, 2017 NRDC in ActionNew York, North DakotaMelissa Denchak

When social inequity is the issue, NRDC campaigner Rob Friedman falls back on the basics: people skills.

War and Poverty Are Eating Away at Grauer’s Gorillas

April 28, 2016 Latest NewsAfricaJason Bittel

To save these rare great apes in the Congo, you must first save the people.