Data, Reports & Resources

NRDC is a leader and trusted source in environmental policy and research. 

From reports to issue briefs, we ensure accountability through peer review led by our Science Office, which provides data and scientific analysis that help shape and guide NRDC’s policies and positions. We also offer a range of other resources, such as 101 guides and consumer-focused scorecards to increase access to knowledge about how everyone can be a catalyst for change. 

Featured Data, Reports & Resources

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Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Centers

OverviewUnited StatesJoan Leary Matthews, Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Mae Wu, Erik D. Olson
NRDC has developed model state legislation that would require schools and child care centers to install filters on drinking water taps, conduct lead testing, and remediate problems.

Composting 101

GuideUnited StatesShelia Hu
Recycling food and other organic waste into compost provides a range of environmental benefits, including improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling nutrients, and mitigating the impact of droughts.

Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC)

OverviewUnited StatesShelley Poticha, Yerina Mugica, Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins, Catherine Cox Blair, Sasha Forbes, AICP, Marissa Ramirez
NRDC is a founding partner of SPARCC, an initiative for equitable, community-led investment and a model to spur systemic change in the way we approach community investment and development.

Watered Down Justice

ReportUnited StatesKristi Pullen Fedinick
While the Safe Drinking Water Act guarantees all Americans access to clean, drinkable water, it hasn’t worked out that way in practice.

Guide to Making a Public Commitment on Food Waste

ResourceNina Sevilla
Making a public commitment to reduce food waste is an important way to harness city leadership and constituent buy-in. It also increases accountability and can inspire other cities.

Guide for Hiring a City Food Waste Coordinator

ResourceMadeline Keating
Best practices for creating a city staff position dedicated to food waste reduction, cross-agency collaboration, work planning, and sourcing potential funding.

Industrial Agriculture 101

GuideUnited StatesNRDC

Giant farms—whether growing crops or animals—often rely heavily on chemicals and produce waste that pollutes the water and air. As a result, the system we’ve designed to feed the planet also takes a serious toll on its health.

Guide to Building Healthy Soil

Issue BriefNorth Dakota, Montana, Idaho, United StatesArohi Sharma
As farmers prepare for the future, they cannot overlook the importance of soil health.

Food Waste Restaurant Challenge Guide

Policy GuideUnited StatesDarby Hoover

Cities interested in reducing food waste should consider ways to involve business sectors in their efforts, particularly those sectors most often linked to higher food waste generation, such as food service.

Food Waste: Strategic Communications and Partnership Guide

ResourceDarby Hoover
Tackling food waste involves the need for diverse strategies in a variety of policy and program areas, and interacting and communicating with different audiences. Communicating effectively to these audiences is essential to building community support for executing programs and policies…

Increasing Public Awareness About Food Waste Prevention Guide

Policy GuideUnited States

Given the magnitude of consumer household food waste, cities can play an important role in both raising awareness and providing action-oriented strategies that consumers can implement in their homes to prevent food from being wasted in the first place.

Food Matters in Baltimore: Reimagining Waste Into Wealth

ReportBaltimore
Nearly one in four Baltimore residents does not have a reliable supply of food, more than twice the national average. By beginning to address food waste in a holistic way—through prevention, rescue, and redistribution—the city can start to reduce disposal…

Assessing Progress on Food Waste Interventions at the City Level

Policy GuideUnited States

Cities engaging in food waste initiatives are increasingly interested in assessing how effective those initiatives are, in order to determine where to allocate current and future resources for food waste policies and programs.

Food Donations from Farms Guide

Resource
In many communities, there is a particularly acute need for donation of fresh fruits and vegetables and other farm-fresh products,and whether growers live in surrounding areas or are part of the growing “urban ag” movement, they can play an important…