News & Commentary

Public Health Scientist and Advocate

September 17, 2020 NRDC in ActionIndia, Ahmedabad, Pune, United StatesKeith Mulvihill

Vijay Limaye is pushing for public health safeguards and policy solutions in service of the communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Food Systems Analyst

July 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionBaltimore, Nashville, Denver, Maryland, Tennessee, ColoradoJeff Turrentine

Andrea Spacht Collins is working to minimize food waste by changing the way we think about what we eat—and what we don’t eat, where it comes from, and where it ends up.

Wilmington’s Battle With GenX, a Dangerous Teflon Chemical

April 2, 2020 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

A toxic chemical discovered in the drinking water system serving communities along North Carolina’s Cape Fear River raised the alarm about contamination from the nearby Chemours chemical plant. Although levels of GenX, used to make nonstick products, have receded, the…

NC's Missing the Big Picture on Climate Resilience

December 11, 2019 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaRob Moore

NC is applying for $168 million from HUD's CDBG-MIT fund. But NC is proposing to focus on a narrow range of projects and missing the larger opportunity to use these funds to make much-needed changes to a range of local…

With Dorian, NC Faces Same Hog Waste Threat as in Florence

September 5, 2019 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaValerie Baron

As Hurricane Dorian approaches a year later, not much has improved for North Carolinians since Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

Something in the North Carolina Farm Act Stinks

August 29, 2019 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaValerie Baron

The bill contains sneaky giveaways to big agribusiness buried deep within the legislative text.

July Was Hottest on Record—and Dangerous Heat Hits Home

August 20, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, North CarolinaDr. Vijay Limaye

Fueled by climate change, extreme heat is causing more hospitalizations—and even deaths—across the country.

After Children Began Getting Sick by the Dozens, Parents Took a Hard Look at Their Town’s Toxic Legacy

May 30, 2019 DispatchIndiana, Massachusetts, North CarolinaSusan Cosier

The carcinogen TCE has been lurking in the ground beneath Franklin, Indiana, for decades. Now families are demanding answers.

Hundreds of Workers Who Cleaned Up the Country’s Worst Coal Ash Spill Are Now Sick and Dying

December 17, 2018 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Ten years after the disaster at a Tennessee power plant, the cleanup crew is seeking justice. At the same time, the Trump administration is weakening protections for this toxic pollution.

Hurricane-Flooded Hog Farms Could Bring Superbugs to North Carolina Communities

October 23, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

Add antibiotic-resistant bacteria from pig waste to the long list of post-Florence worries.

North Carolina Sees Energy Potential in Pig Poop

July 2, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

But it may not be the solution local communities need to escape the stench and swill of the pork industry.

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.

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.

This Tiny North Carolina Town Is Sick of Being a Dumping Ground for Pollution

August 21, 2017 DispatchNorth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The largely African-American community of Dobbins Heights hopes to protect its health—and its trees—from the biomass industry.

The South Is Keeping a Closer Eye on Coal Ash

November 30, 2016 DispatchSouth Carolina, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

Thanks to concerned citizens, the coal industry is making progress on how it handles its combustion wastes, but the toxic slurry is still a threat to groundwater.

One of America’s Great Rivers Fights for Its Life

July 5, 2016 DispatchGeorgia, Florida, AlabamaRobynne Boyd

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system brings precious water to three southern states. If only they could all get along.

Tackling Food Waste at the City Level: The Nashville Food Waste Initiative

March 9, 2016 Expert BlogTennessee, NashvilleDarby Hoover

NRDC has partnered with stakeholders in Nashville, Tennessee to build on the good work that's already being done in the city, bringing together people from across the community to document great initiatives already underway, identify new approaches to reducing the…