News & Commentary

After Decades, Tenants Are Still Fighting NYC Public Housing for Speedy Mold Relief

September 21, 2023 DispatchNew York, New York CityNicole Greenfield

In the 1990s, they organized. In 2013, they sued. In 2023, residents continue the fight for safe homes in NYCHA developments across the city.

How Rikers Island Became a Vehicle for Justice (Once It Started Shutting Down)

May 3, 2021 DispatchNew York City, New YorkCourtney Lindwall

The Renewable Rikers plan to reimagine the site of New York City’s notorious jail complex could bring green jobs, cleaner air, and community investment to the neighborhoods most harmed by mass incarceration.

A New York Climate Justice Activist with Roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains

December 11, 2020 DispatchNew York City, Washington, D.C.Carmen Cusido

WE ACT’s director of environmental health and education, Taylor Morton, who found their path to environmental justice work through a childhood spent in nature, wants to help the next generation get outside without fear.

These Farmer-Activists Are Fixing Our Racist and Unjust Food System

October 27, 2020 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

Black Farmer Fund is part of a collaboration of New York–based groups working to repair a system that has long discriminated against BIPOC farmers.

The Entrepreneurs Transforming Scraps Into a Fashion Statement

August 18, 2020 DispatchNew York CityLauren Evans

A new generation of designers and resource specialists is springing up around the textile waste created by the fashion industry—and taking it to market.

Getting the Lead Out of Yonkers Schools

April 2, 2020 DispatchYonkers, New YorkNicole Greenfield

When New York State pulled back the curtain on its school lead problem, Yonkers stood out as one of the worst performers.

New York City Students Are Taking On Climate Change, Starting in the Lunchroom

June 24, 2019 DispatchNew York CityJessica Rodriguez

This fall, a Meatless Mondays initiative will go into effect across all 1,800 NYC public schools.

At Least 82 Percent of New York Public Schools Have a Lead Problem

November 15, 2018 DispatchNew York, New York CityNicole Greenfield

The state now requires its public schools to test their drinking water for lead. But few districts have made it clear how they’re addressing the troubles at their taps.

New York City Is Finally Cleaning Up Its Commercial Garbage Industry

October 17, 2018 DispatchNew York CityNicole Greenfield

A new waste equity law aims to remedy a decades-long injustice that has turned certain outer-borough neighborhoods into de facto dumping grounds.

Inside NYC’s Public Housing, Mold and Neglect Are a Dangerous Combo

June 25, 2018 DispatchNew York CityNicole Greenfield

The New York City Housing Authority has failed to comply with court orders to remedy unhealthy living conditions. But tenants and advocates refuse to let the nation’s biggest residential landlord off the hook.

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.

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.

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.

For the Delaware River Basin, a Partial Fracking Ban Is a Partial Victory

January 11, 2018 DispatchDelaware, New York, Pennsylvania

Proposed regulations would still allow wastewater to be disposed of in the watershed, with risks to both drinking water and the environment.

Farms on the Fringe: New Takes on America’s Farming Tradition

August 1, 2017 DispatchCalifornia, Colorado, Iowa, New York, Kentucky, New MexicoTracie McMillan

These six farmers have found innovative ways to grow plants in today’s climate, whether in corn country or coal country, with fish tanks or smartphones.

The Concrete Farmer

April 11, 2017 DispatchNew York CityMelissa Denchak

A farmer’s daughter turned marketing exec tries something in-between: community gardening—where the business of “knowing your audience” applies just as well.

Tech Support: The Software Developer Who’s Fighting Food Waste

October 4, 2016 DispatchNew York CityJolene Edgar

Jeff Schacher knew that restaurants waste food. And that people are hungry. So he invented a tech-savvy way to rescue millions of meals.

Let's Get Wasted!

March 30, 2015 DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson

A pop-up restaurant gives trash-bound food a place at the table.