News & Commentary

This Declaration rests on top of a broken international policy foundation that continues to paper over the destruction of climate-critical forests in the Global North.

A new report from NRDC, Nature Canada, Environmental Defence Canada, and Nature Québec illustrates that, through a series of accounting and regulatory loopholes, the Government of Canada has drawn a curtain over the logging industry’s carbon emissions, allowing the sector…

In the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), St. Louis is thinking outside the box: On September 30, the city celebrated the launch of the innovative St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors (SiLVERS), an equity-minded program that will provide EV…

The Biden administration’s very welcome decision to block sulfide-ore copper mining on the edges of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is personal to me and my family. My in-laws have roots there going back more than a century, and…

An airport expansion threatens to wipe out a population of the once-common, now endangered, rusty patched bumble bee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's failure to protect the bee's habitat is partly to blame.

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…

Latinos Progresando is one of the first community organizations to go all-electric in the Chicago Area. With a small amount of funds to cover the energy assessment, upgrades not only reduced energy costs, but allowed the building to fully electrify…

Illinois just passed a new, nation-leading climate law called the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), making Illinois the first Midwest state to have legislation that completely phases out fossil fuels in the power sector. This NRDC blog delves into…

A new resolution passed by the Madison, WI Common Council sets a food waste diversion goal of 50% from the landfill by 2030 and commits to establishing metrics for measuring and tracking progress.

Everything from clean energy jobs to the transformation of our contaminated fields

Benton Harbor has been in the news lately for its elevated lead levels in drinking water, but the problem has gone on for at least three years. Here is Rev. Edward Pinkney's take on the situation in the form of…

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act will create thousands of good-paying jobs, curb air pollution, and address the climate crisis—all while directing the benefits to communities most in need.

Illinois has passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (SB2408) into law, redefining the possible and positioning the state as a national leader on equitable climate action.

The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, also known as CityLink, is celebrating the launch of a new all-electric bus it purchased with a $1.23 million grant from the Edwards Settlement Fund. The bus will join two identical models CityLink purchased…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Signs Bill to Replace Toxic Lead Service Lines

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.

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.

Decarbonizing the power sector to avert a climate crisis will require working at more emissions-heavy sectors like steelmaking and long-distance trucking, which are prominent in the Midwest but challenging to electrify and clean up.

Saint Paul has taken an ambitious and important step toward meeting its climate and equity goals, passing two new ordinances—one eliminating parking minimums, and the other introducing rules that prioritize safer, healthier, low-carbon transportation options in new development projects.