News & Commentary

Linking Upstate New York Fields and South Bronx Kitchens

March 23, 2018 DispatchNew York, New York CityJenny Shalant

Dennis Derryck, the founder of Corbin Hill Food Project, is on a mission to diversify the farm-share model—and to deliver more callaloo.

When a Study Singled Out Memphis’s Unfairly High Power Bills, Grassroots Groups Took Action

March 19, 2018 DispatchMemphis, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

Residents of the southern city spend twice as much as the average American on power. Why? It’s complicated.

New York’s Fossil Fuel Fight

March 15, 2018 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

The Empire State has adopted an innovative strategy to ward off an invasion of fracked-gas pipelines—and it’s working.

Following Spills, Ohio Wants to Reroute the Rover Pipeline but Lacks the Muscle

February 26, 2018 DispatchOhioSusan Cosier

High-profile disasters on the controversial pipeline prompted the feds to temporarily halt construction, but the state demands a more permanent solution.

This NYC Realtor’s Most Memorable Deal? Selling His Flood-Ravaged Neighborhood to the Government

February 22, 2018 DispatchNew York CityCaroline Craig

After Hurricane Sandy, Joseph Tirone Jr. helped one Staten Island community navigate New York State’s pilot buyout program. Now he’s on a mission to show others how he did it.

Could Our Farms Become the World’s Great Untapped Carbon Sink?

January 26, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaJohn J. Berger

Carbon farming, an agricultural movement taking root in Northern California, aims to improve the soil and help stabilize the climate.

Controversial New Pipelines May Slice Through the Southeast

January 16, 2018 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline—and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, with a similar path—could tear up land and negatively impact people throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

Will Calling Out Indiana’s Super-Polluting Power Plants Lead to a Cleanup?

January 8, 2018 DispatchIndianaSusan Cosier

A recent study found that the state is home to four of the country’s most polluting power plants. But elected officials won’t even show up to hear their constituents’ concerns about it.

Spinning Records Without the Vinyl

December 19, 2017 DispatchNew York CityMelissa Denchak

Jazz pianist Fabian Almazan started Biophilia Records to make great music—and environmental change.

When It Rains, It Pours Raw Sewage into New York City’s Waterways

December 12, 2017 DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson

The Big Apple’s combined sewer system is 150 years old—and in desperate need of improvement.

Climate Change May Bring Big Trouble to Big Bluestems (and the Cattle That Love Them)

December 4, 2017 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

As higher temperatures head north, the Great Plains’ grasslands are in for a transformation.

For This Ex-miner, BBQ (Not Coal) Is the Answer

November 28, 2017 DispatchIllinoisSusan Cosier

Southern Illinois is waiting for Trump’s promised coal boom, but job prospects are still a bust.

This Thanksgiving, Nashville Saves Food and Feeds the Hungry

November 16, 2017 DispatchNashville, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

In Music City, restaurateurs, grocers, farmers, volunteers, the mayor, and NRDC's Nashville Food Waste Initiative are harmonizing in the fight against wasted food.

New Haven Is for the Birds—and the People

November 7, 2017 DispatchConnecticutClara Chaisson

This partnership is bringing bird-friendly “urban oases” to underserved neighborhoods in Connecticut.

Wyoming’s Anti-Science Laws Get a Second Look

October 30, 2017 DispatchWyomingAlisa Opar

How far will the state go to push back against citizens who want to know what’s in their water and air?

These Southern Cities Are Going 100 Percent Clean (Energy)

October 23, 2017 DispatchAtlanta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, Orlando, St. Petersburg, FloridaRobynne Boyd

Here’s how they’re getting started.

An Environmental Justice Advocate’s L.A. Story

October 17, 2017 DispatchLos AngelesCarmen Cusido

Dr. Michael Anthony Mendez on the subject of his new book, Climate Change from the Streets, and the readiness of Latinos to act on climate and justice.

The “Sioux Chef” Shares His Roots (and the Midwest’s, Too)

September 22, 2017 DispatchMinneapolis, Minnesota, MidwestSusan Cosier

Sean Sherman wants to show the world another type of North American cuisine: indigenous food.

After 40 Years, Will GE Get a Pass for Polluting the Housatonic River?

August 28, 2017 DispatchMassachusettsClara Chaisson

Under the Trump administration, the decades-long battle to get the company to clean up its PCB mess looks more uncertain than ever.

Meet Jane Kleeb: One of Nebraska’s First and Fiercest KXL Opponents

August 3, 2017 DispatchNebraskaNicole Greenfield

The founder of Bold Nebraska has led the Cornhusker State’s years-long rallying cry against TransCanada’s tar sands pipeline.