News & Commentary

Poll: People Want Action on Plastics for Health and Wildlife

April 15, 2024 Expert BlogInternational, Canada, United States, Ohio, PennsylvaniaDaniel Rosenberg

New poll results show overwhelming public support for government action to address the plastic crisis, including a strong global plastics treaty.

House Agriculture Approps Bill Would Gut Key Farm Programs

May 17, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaAllison Johnson, Matthew Kaplan, Jeff Slyfield

Congress should go back to the drawing board and build a budget that supports a healthy food system, conservation, and rural energy

My Journey Through the (Un)safe Water Looking-Glass

March 28, 2023 Expert BlogPhiladelphiaLarry Levine

Latest drinking water crisis in Philadelphia hits close to home.

Water Crisis in Philly Highlights Our Broken National System

March 27, 2023 Expert BlogPhiladelphia, Jackson, Ohio, United StatesErik D. Olson

An industrial chemical spill upstream of the city’s water intakes is poised to contaminate the water supply. If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, it’s because you have.

Delaware River Commission Further Guards Basin from Fracking

December 19, 2022 Expert BlogDelaware, New Jersey, New York, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

The Delaware River Basin Commission has moved to further protect the 13,579 square-mile watershed by finalizing new rules that, among other things, ban the discharge of fracking wastewater.

Celebrating Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Food Matters Cohorts

December 9, 2022 Expert BlogBaltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.Madeline Keating, Darby Hoover

This month, we mark the successful completion of our two-year partnerships with the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast cohorts. Our work with Great Lakes cities will continue in 2023.

Community Perspectives: Wasted Food in Philadelphia

November 7, 2022 Expert BlogPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaAndrea Collins, Madeline Keating

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to crafting inclusive food waste prevention messaging. Philadelphia worked with community-based organizations to run community focus groups to better understand the biggest barriers to preventing food from becoming waste in local communities.

Gibbstown LNG Terminal: A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

April 13, 2022 DispatchGibbstown, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaNicole Greenfield

Imagine hundreds of trucks and train cars filled with highly explosive fuel coming through your community every day. These Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans are fighting to extinguish the project—for good.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

PennEast Gas Pipeline Cancelled by Developers

September 27, 2021 Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Delaware, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

Development of the PennEast Pipeline has been put on hold! This fracked gas pipeline would be disastrous for the Delaware River Basin and would exacerbate the climate crisis—here’s how we can stop the pipeline permanently.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

August 30, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

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.

A Leader for Conservation in Gabon and Beyond

May 21, 2021 DispatchAfricaMelissa Denchak

Dr. Aurélie Flore Koumba Pambo works to preserve and protect the biological wealth of this central African coastal nation while also advocating for a global agreement to safeguard one-third of earth’s ecosystems by 2030.

Brief Filed in Lawsuit to Protect Delaware River from PCBs

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMarisa Guerrero, Julia Jonas-Day

Water quality in the Delaware River is under threat of PCB chemical pollution from a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal. To protect the river, NRDC filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging the facility's dredging and construction…

Pittsburgh Poised to Thrive on Biden’s Plan

March 30, 2021 Expert BlogPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMitchell Bernard

An equitable recovery powered by climate action means millions of well-paying jobs—with the Steel City, and other places like it, at the center of it all.

Every State Should Have a Right to a Healthy Environment

March 29, 2021 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, Pennsylvania, Montana, Massachusetts, CaliforniaCorinne Bell

A few states currently have a constitutional right to a healthy environment and several more are working to enshrine such rights.

Memphis & Pittsburgh Make Proclamations to Reduce Food Waste

March 23, 2021 Expert BlogMemphis, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaNina Sevilla

Cities participating in the Food Matters Regional Initiative are making public commitments to reduce food waste, and building leadership, credibility, and community buy-in throughout the process.

Fracking Banned in the Delaware River Basin!

February 25, 2021 Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, DelawareMarisa Guerrero, Kimberly Ong

The historic vote, made today by the Delaware River Basin Commission, signals a strong stance in favor of a fossil fuel–free future.

Victory for Imperiled Species at World Wildlife Conference

August 29, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, AfricaZak Smith

African elephants, Asian otters, giraffes, vaquita, rhinos, and sharks win big at World Wildlife Conference.

Giraffes Win International Protections to Limit Their Trade

August 22, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, AfricaElly Pepper

The protections will ensure that all giraffe parts trade were legally acquired instead of from poached giraffes trade by requiring countries to make non-detriment findings before allowing giraffe exports.

The Ohio River Defines the Borders of Five States—But Its Pollution Doesn’t Stop at State Lines

August 21, 2019 DispatchPennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, IllinoisSusan Cosier

In a move that could open the door to industrial waste and interstate squabbles, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is making its water quality standards voluntary.