News & Commentary

Mount Vernon: Where Environmental Injustice Became a Sewage Nightmare

June 27, 2022 NRDC in ActionNew YorkNicole Greenfield

For decades, residents of this majority-Black suburb of New York City have been dealing with a noxious infrastructure crisis with little recourse. Finally, they’re getting some relief.

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

June 29, 2021 NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, MontanaCourtney Lindwall

The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

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.

An Ally in the Fight for Safe, Affordable Drinking Water for All

November 30, 2020 NRDC in ActionDetroit, Illinois, Flint, Chicago, MichiganNicole Greenfield

Detroit native Jeremy Orr combines his personal experience and community organizing roots with his legal expertise to help communities of color in Michigan and Illinois dismantle environmental racism.

Public Health Scientist and Advocate

September 17, 2020 NRDC in ActionIndia, Ahmedabad, Pune, United StatesKeith Mulvihill

Vijay Limaye is pushing for public health safeguards and policy solutions in service of the communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

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.

The Fight for Equitable Access to Water and Electricity Has Never Been More Urgent

June 3, 2020 NRDC in ActionDetroit, Michigan, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

In the midst of a pandemic, NRDC advocates are stepping up their work to prevent the risk of mass utility shutoffs, now and for the long-term.

These NRDC Experts Show Us How We Can Slow the Spread of Zoonotic Diseases

May 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionChina, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

It will take the highest levels of international cooperation, but by working to curb wildlife trade and conserve vast swaths of disappearing habitat, we can minimize the interspecies interactions that spread viruses.

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.

A Fearless Defender for Our Future

January 6, 2020 NRDC in ActionBoston, Washington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

President and CEO Gina McCarthy started out as a public health agent in small-town Massachusetts, rose to become head of the EPA under Obama, and now guides NRDC into its next chapter.

A Roadmap for Frontline Communities

December 15, 2019 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

To address the growing climate impacts on low-income people and communities of color, NRDC signed on to a historic platform that seeks to create a future that benefits all.

Fighting the Tide of Watered Down Justice

December 4, 2019 NRDC in ActionFlint, Michigan, Newark, New JerseyNicole Greenfield

Nearly three years after winning a $97 million legal settlement that required the city of Flint to replace its lead water service lines, NRDC is still on the ground holding officials accountable, and using similar tactics as we demand clean…

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.

Monarch Butterflies Get a Head Start in the Schoolyard

March 12, 2019 NRDC in ActionGeorgiaCourtney Lindwall

NRDC joins with Monarch Watch to distribute free milkweed plants to schools across the country and turn students into butterfly gardeners.

Salt of the Earth, Courtesy of the Sun

January 30, 2019 NRDC in ActionGujarat, India

By powering their pumps with solar energy instead of diesel, Indian salt farmers are investing in their own brighter futures.

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.

Facing Down the Ivory Sellers, Pangolin Poachers, and Giraffe Traders

December 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionNew York, California, Hawaii, United States, ChinaNicole Greenfield

Elly Pepper, deputy director of NRDC’s Wildlife Trade Initiative, says there’s much that U.S. advocates can do to end the illegal marketplaces endangering animals across the globe.

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.

Making Art and Environmental Activism One and the Same

October 5, 2018 NRDC in ActionNew York, Illinois, ChicagoNicole Greenfield

Director of art partnerships Elizabeth Corr is the visionary behind NRDC’s artist-in-residence program, its museum collaborations, and its mission to fuse art and advocacy.

The Rise of Chile’s River Protectors

July 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionChileNicole Greenfield

For decades, NRDC has worked alongside Chileans who are fighting to save Patagonia’s wildest rivers from being yoked by massive hydroelectric dams.