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Expert Blogs

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Oysters: Raw Bar Delicacy or Climate Warrior?

DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer
The mighty bivalves are both, and this former schoolteacher and bartender seeks to inspire a new generation of aquaculturists while putting North Carolina oysters on the map.

Orcas Lose a Grandmother, Matriarch L47

Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

This Saturday is Orca Recovery Day and people are coming together for some healing—and to demand action.

Community Members Urge NYC to Preserve African Burial Ground

Expert BlogNew York, New York CitySahana Rao

The Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition is fighting to protect a historic burial ground in Brooklyn, where remains of individuals of African descent were discovered. This sacred space must be safeguarded from disturbance and development—here's how you can help.

Pulp Fiction: New Report Shows P&G Is Spinning Tales

Expert BlogUnited States, CanadaCourtenay Lewis

In recent years, P&G has faced mounting criticism over the fact that many of its tissue products are made from virgin forests, which is contributing to the clearcutting of some of the world’s last primary forests, including in the climate-critical…

Oregon Plan to Reduce Entanglement Risk Needs Improvement

Expert BlogOregonDr. Francine Kershaw

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has developed a Draft Conservation Plan outlining how the state will reduce entanglements of endangered and threatened whales and sea turtles in the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery. 

New Yorkers—Vote Yes for Clean Air and Water!

Expert BlogNew YorkCorinne Bell, Joan Leary Matthews

On November 2nd, New Yorkers can lead a new wave of state environmental rights amendments if they decide that the state should officially recognize everyone’s right to clean air and water.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.

P&G’s Board Must Be Accountable for Forest Destruction

Expert BlogUnited States, CanadaShelley Vinyard

Ten months after Procter & Gamble’s (P&G’s) shareholders resoundingly called on the company to address its impacts on climate-critical forests and Indigenous rights, P&G has failed to take meaningful action.

NRDC Sets Region Specific Water Targets for Each Office

Expert BlogUnited States, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Bozeman, Beijing, San Francisco, Santa MonicaMaria McCain

NRDC has seen a steady decline in total water usage institution-wide and has taken steps to advance water stewardship.

Paper Excellence Expansion Shows Threats to Canada’s Forests

Expert BlogCanadaCourtenay Lewis

Domtar’s shareholders have approved the company’s acquisition by Paper Excellence: a move which would make Paper Excellence far-and-away the largest pulp producer in Canada, and further jeopardize Canada’s reputation as a source for sustainable wood.

Sockeye Salmon Dying, Temperature Rises on Snake River Dams

Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

Columbia River Basin sockeye salmon are migrating upriver from the ocean, but new underwater videos show that this summer the fish have large chunks of flesh missing and bulbous growths across their bodies. The fish are rotting to death in…

Opposition to Forest Bills Risks Canada’s Global Reputation

Expert BlogCanadaJennifer Skene

As California and New York bills to address deforestation, intact forest degradation, and Indigenous exploitation move forward in the face of Canadian opposition, Canada will have to reckon with the precarious position in which it has found itself—a country that…

Corporate Takeover Adds to Urgency for Protections in Boreal

Expert BlogCanadaCourtenay Lewis

Paper Excellence’s announced acquisition of Domtar spells trouble for Canada’s boreal forest, and adds to a myriad of reasons why governments and companies need to prioritize safeguarding the boreal’s carbon-rich forests, biodiversity and Indigenous rights.

Energy From Pig Poop: Industry’s Recent Dupe

Expert BlogUnited States, North CarolinaPaloma Sisneros-Lobato

Pork producer Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Dominion Energy under the new name Align RNG, have focused their corporate agribusiness agenda on building a network of directed biogas to generate energy from methane gas, rather than investing in cleaner waste…

P&G and its Suppliers’ Words Undercut FSC

Expert BlogUnited States, CanadaCourtenay Lewis, Shelley Vinyard

The collaboratively-established Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is widely considered by to be the strongest forest certification body in Canada. While FSC is not perfect, it is far superior to its key competitor, the industry-created Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which has…

NYC Moves Modestly to Restore Composting; More Is Needed

Expert BlogNew York CityEric A. Goldstein
The DeBlasio Administration, seeking to dispel criticism that it broke one of its cornerstone sustainability promises, has announced plans to restore voluntary food waste composting opportunities in the nation’s largest city.