Podcasts about Conservation Law Foundation

They say the wind is driving the whales crazy. BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) WANT TO ADVERTISE WITH US? Please contact climatetownsponsorships@gmail.comDISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity. CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Editors: Ben Boult & Laura ConteProducers: Irene Plagianos, Daniella PhilipsonAssociate Producer: Miranda Manganaro Archival Producer: Margaux SaxAdditional Research and Fact Checking: Carly Rizzuto & Canute HaroldsonMusic: Tony Domenick Art: Jordan Doll Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense CenterSOURCESAnderson, D. (2023, October 23). Fossil fuel money lurks behind anti-offshore wind power political ads in New Jersey. Energy and Policy Institute. Anderson, D. (2024). Fueling the Opposition. Energy and Policy Institute. Axelrod, J. (2024, June 26). Whales Are Dying but Not from Offshore Wind. Scientific American.BGNews. (2023, May 3). JFarage: The Trump Interview | Wednesday 3rd May. YouTube. Berger, I. (2025, February 4). Years of falsehoods from Fox News helped solidify offshore wind as a prime target for Trump. Media Matters for America. Berke, B. (2025, January 22). Prysmian abandons plans for offshore wind cable factory in Somerset. The Public's Radio; Rhode Island PBS. Chapman, M. (2025, January 8). Are Offshore Wind Farms Actually Harming Whales? IFLScience. Choma, R. (2020, August 4). The biggest Trump financial mystery? Where he came up with the cash for his Scottish resorts. Mother Jones. Daly, M. (2018, November 30). Trump admin approves seismic surveys for Atlantic drilling. AP News. Farrell, R. (2024, December 11). Too hot for humpbacks: The race to protect Pacific whales. BBC. Fox News. (2023, February 1). Tucker examines what's behind the deaths of humpback whales. YouTube. Fox Business. (2023, February 23). Are wind turbines killing whales? YouTubeFrequent Questions—Offshore Wind and Whales. (2024, March 14). NOAA Fisheries. Griffiths, B. (2016, November 22). Trump tweeted about Scottish wind farm 60 times. POLITICO. Hardach, S. (2025, January 30). Which is worse for wildlife, wind farms or oil drilling? BBC. Lewis, A. S. (2023, March 8). The East Coast Whale Die-Offs: Unraveling the Causes. Yale E360; Yale School of the Environment. Lutz, M., & Rowland-Shea, J. (2023, December 11). The Oil and Gas Industry Is Behind Offshore Wind Misinformation. Center for American Progress. Machette, T. L., & Lemonick, M. D. (2020, October 4). When Whales Stop Calling. Scientific American. Mathis, W., & Ferman, M. (2025, January 30). Shell Takes $1 Billion Hit on Wind Farm Trump Wants ‘Dead.' Bloomberg. PowerfulJRE. (2024, October 25). Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump. YouTube. Roadmap and Implementation. (2017). Ocean Noise Strategy; NOAA. Seismic Airgun Blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. (2021, May 21). Earthjustice. Slevin, I., Kattrup, W., & Roberts, T. (2023). Against the Wind: A Map of the Anti-Offshore Wind Network in the Eastern United States. Brown University Climate and Development Lab. Silva, M., & Horton, J. (2023, September 26). Fact-checking Donald Trump's claim that wind turbines kill whales. BBC. Spring, J. (2025, February 16). Trump's war on wind seems to be winning, experts say. The Washington Post. Stevens, A. P. (2024, May 9). Are offshore wind farms harming right whales? Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The White House. (2025, January 2). Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government's Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects. Understanding Sound in the Ocean | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). NOAA Fisheries. White, S. (2024, March 1). Fossil Fuel Interests and Dark Money Donors Are Behind Opposition to Offshore Wind. Conservation Law Foundation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Commonwealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith sits down with Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation, and Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western MA to discuss key statehouse priorities. They reflect on past achievements and look ahead to future efforts in education, climate, transportation, and housing.

Hannah Perls, EELP Senior Staff Attorney, and Deanna Moran, vice president of healthy and resilient communities at the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston, walk through some of the surprising ways that law and policy drive adaptation decisions in Massachusetts and beyond, including state and local building codes, design standards and risk disclosures, how to make our utilities more resilient without forcing ratepayers to bear the costs, and permitting. We also dig into current advocacy efforts for a wicked resilient New England.

Conservation Law Foundation, Inc. v. Academy Express, LLC

Kevin Ellis talks with Chris Killian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at the Conservation Law Foundation, about suing oil companies over climate change.

Conservation Law Foundation's Darrell Brown joins the show to discuss the ongoing wildfires that are causing air quality issues in our region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Douglas Foy, Founder and CEO of Serrafix Corporation, a strategic consulting firm and business incubator focused on energy, the environment, transportation, and climate change.Doug serves on numerous corporate and non-profit boards, including Ameresco, Inc., Renew Energy Partners, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. Among many awards recognizing his public interest work, Doug has received the President's Environmental and Conservation Challenge Award (the nation's highest conservation award), the Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton University (its highest honor bestowed on a graduate), and the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Queen of England.He and Ted discuss his background, growing up in New Jersey, graduating from Princeton University as a University Scholar in engineering and physics, Cambridge University in England as a Churchill Scholar in geophysics, and from Harvard Law School. Doug was also a member of the 1968 USA Olympic Rowing Team and the 1969 USA National Rowing Team.Prior to launching Serrafix Corporation, Doug served as the first Secretary of Commonwealth Development in the administration of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In leading this “super-Secretariat”, he oversaw the agencies of Transportation, Housing, Environment, and Energy. Before his service in the Romney administration, Doug served for 25 years as the President and CEO of the Conservation Law Foundation, New England's premier environmental advocacy organization.His current role at Serrafix Corporation is devoted to sustainable business practices and the development of social enterprises, primarily in the areas of energy, housing, smart growth, transportation, and climate change. He shares his belief that the three major players in the fight against climate change are advocacy groups, government, and private enterprise. According to Doug, Private Enterprise, in particular, holds the key to the future. 

A joint podcast with NH Secrets, Legends & LoreTom Irwin, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, joins me on this podcast along with Roger Stephenson of the Union of Concerned Scientists and Biologist Dr. Cynthia Walter of the NH Network, to discuss one of the newer technologies in solid waste management called Advanced Recycling. Tom succinctly outlines the scope of the problem with respect to dealing with plastic wasteBut plastic waste is only one of the issues that we need to address moving forward. Reduction and substitution is also a critical component of building a future where plastics do not pose the threat that faces us today. Finally, there is the overarching issue of climate change and the question of whether Advanced recycling will improve carbon emissions associated with the disposal of plastics or make the problem worse.

Tom Irwin, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, who joins me on this podcast along with Roger Stephenson of the Union of Concerned Scientists and Biologist Dr. Cynthia Walter of the NH Network, to discuss one of the newer technologies in solid waste management called Advanced Recycling. Tom succinctly outlines the scope of the problem with respect to dealing with plastic waste.But plastic waste is only one of the issues that we need to address moving forward. Reduction and substitution is also a critical component of building a future where plastics do not pose the threat that faces us today. Finally, there is the overarching issue of climate change and the question of whether Advanced recycling will improve carbon emissions associated with the disposal of plastics or make the problem worse.

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“This raises a larger point that, even as we move to advanced technology, there's still this problem that 80% of the world's energy today is coming from fossil fuels from oil, gas, and coal. So what do you do in the meantime? Because every molecule we put into the atmosphere of carbon is going to be around for another 50 or 100 years. The warming impact will be with us. So turning the spigot down, so to speak, really quickly is also important. The long-range is important, but what do we do in the meantime while we're still very fossil fuel dependent?And then capturing as much carbon as we can, while we're developing renewable strategies. In the meantime, let's take the industrial facilities that are the big emitters, the steel plants, the cement plants, and the plastics plants. Let's put some carbon capture on the back end where we can. it's not cheap, but it is doable and it's doable fairly quickly.It's a hard thing for people to accept that you have to be doing some damage control, even as you're working on long-term solutions. But I'm afraid that it's a complex and big problem. So we have to think of it as first aid before you do the surgery.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“This raises a larger point that, even as we move to advanced technology, there's still this problem that 80% of the world's energy today is coming from fossil fuels from oil, gas, and coal. So what do you do in the meantime? Because every molecule we put into the atmosphere of carbon is going to be around for another 50 or 100 years. The warming impact will be with us. So turning the spigot down, so to speak, really quickly is also important. The long-range is important, but what do we do in the meantime while we're still very fossil fuel dependent?And then capturing as much carbon as we can, while we're developing renewable strategies. In the meantime, let's take the industrial facilities that are the big emitters, the steel plants, the cement plants, and the plastics plants. Let's put some carbon capture on the back end where we can. it's not cheap, but it is doable and it's doable fairly quickly.It's a hard thing for people to accept that you have to be doing some damage control, even as you're working on long-term solutions. But I'm afraid that it's a complex and big problem. So we have to think of it as first aid before you do the surgery.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, you're that kind of person, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now. Join up with companies that are doing clean energy work or work for an electric utility that's got the right commitment. If you're a policy person who doesn't like mucking around with numbers, then train yourself to understand the complexities of this and go into government or work in non-governmental organizations like mine and bring your brain to the table.If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, you're that kind of person, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now. Join up with companies that are doing clean energy work or work for an electric utility that's got the right commitment. If you're a policy person who doesn't like mucking around with numbers, then train yourself to understand the complexities of this and go into government or work in non-governmental organizations like mine and bring your brain to the table.If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“It's all part of the same kind of mindset of trying to live lighter on the planet. We all know that cities are much lower energy consumers per capita. That is to say, city dwellers use much less energy than other people because of the density of housing, the transport is easier...So densification of human development is a huge climate benefit, and making cities more attractive and livable is a critical part of the equation. If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“It's all part of the same kind of mindset of trying to live lighter on the planet. We all know that cities are much lower energy consumers per capita. That is to say, city dwellers use much less energy than other people because of the density of housing, the transport is easier...So densification of human development is a huge climate benefit, and making cities more attractive and livable is a critical part of the equation. If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible.Today, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just in the advocacy and policy space now. And then you look at all the people, the scientists and the engineers and the investors and the business people who are trying to create these new machines and bring down the cost. You're talking tens of millions maybe. And the annual spend on clean energy globally is somewhere in the range I believe of about 400 billion a year. We're getting up there in terms of social effort, and it's hard to believe that with all these options coming onto the scene that we won't solve or get very close to solving this problem during this century. And our philosophy, which makes us a little different from other environmental organizations that work on this, is we think you ought to be pursuing all of those options because you don't know which are going to work out.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, you're that kind of person, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now. Join up with companies that are doing clean energy work or work for an electric utility that's got the right commitment. If you're a policy person who doesn't like mucking around with numbers, then train yourself to understand the complexities of this and go into government or work in non-governmental organizations like mine and bring your brain to the table.”Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Armond Cohen is Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force, which he has led since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation's Energy Project starting in 1983, focusing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks, writes, and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.“If you look at universities' engineering programs, civil engineering, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, or you look at city planning departments around the world, and you open any catalog of any major university, within all those disciplines, there's going to be a major climate focus. It's like a unifying theme. So I'm seeing young people coming out of their training with a sense that their mission is within those areas, but there's no separating that in their minds from the need to control emissions on the planet and to get to a more livable climate. So, what I'm seeing is this massive amount of social energy and intellectual energy.The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, you're that kind of person, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now. Join up with companies that are doing clean energy work or work for an electric utility that's got the right commitment. If you're a policy person who doesn't like mucking around with numbers, then train yourself to understand the complexities of this and go into government or work in non-governmental organizations like mine and bring your brain to the table.”www.catf.uswww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Did you know that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 96% of all the world's oceans? Anna Dibble joins Nancy to talk about her environmental advocacy as an artist and what Gulf of Maine EcoArts is doing to shine a light on the impacts of climate change. Public relations plays a key role in helping spread the word about art exhibits, including the Gulf of Maine EcoArts' latest collaboration with Maine Maritime Museum, an exhibit called “SeaChange: Darkness & Light in the Gulf of Maine.” Listen to this episode to find out what role PR plays and learn more about the SeaChange exhibit.   2:47 – Anna explains how growing up around nature led her to her career and helped her realize how there is a disconnect between most people and the natural world.    4:38 – Anna talks about the inspiration behind the SeaChange exhibit at Maine Maritime Museum.   10:15 – Anna describes what she hopes will come out of the SeaChange exhibit.    14:26 – Anna shares how PR is important for all the different aspects of SeaChange, whether the exhibit is being covered from an environmental or artistic perspective.   17:10 – Anna explains how PR can help promote art exhibits.   18:55 – Anna talks about working with interns to create the SeaChange exhibit.   21:52 – Anna shares one of her favorite books and some environmental authors that have impacted her work.    Quote   "I've had to do a lot of publicity for myself and for the arts, it's extremely important because the arts in our culture are almost put in this separate category. It's too bad they're not more part of the culture the way they are in Europe and Canada and even Mexico. They are separated so publicity is extremely important, I think. Otherwise, word of mouth isn't enough. We need the press." – Anna Dibble, founding director of Gulf of Maine EcoArts  Links:   Listen to Amanda Pleau's episode of The PR Maven® Podcast.     Colin Woodard's Gulf of Maine series: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/09/07/mayday-gulf-maine-distress-six-part-series-from-colin-woodard/   Bigelow Lab: https://www.bigelow.org/   Maine Maritime Museum: https://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/   Conservation Law Foundation: https://www.clf.org/   Commentary: Art Can Help Us Understand the Gulf of Maine's Warming Problem: https://www.pressherald.com/2023/02/06/commentary-art-can-help-us-understand-the-gulf-of-maines-warming-problem/   Intertidal: Maine Maritime Museum Exhibit Features Underwater Mountain Range: https://www.pressherald.com/2023/02/09/intertidal-maine-maritime-museum-exhibit-features-underwater-mountain-range/   Where Art and Science Intersect: https://news.colby.edu/story/where-art-and-science-intersect/   Maine College of Art & Design: https://www.meca.edu/   Saint Joseph's College of Maine: https://www.sjcme.edu/   Maryland Institute College of Art: https://www.mica.edu/   “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr: https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Cuckoo-Land-Anthony-Doerr/dp/1982168439   Gretel Ehrlich: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Gretel-Ehrlich/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AGretel+Ehrlich   Barry Lopez: https://www.amazon.com/Barry-Lopez-Books/s?k=Barry+Lopez&rh=n%3A283155   Paul Kingsnorth: https://www.paulkingsnorth.net/books     About the guest:      Anna Dibble is a visual artist, project designer and curator.  She has shown her work in galleries and museums in the northeastern United States since 1971.  Between 2018 and 2023, she founded and directed a project-based initiative, and produced two collaborative large-scale, year-long sculpture and environmental exhibitions.  In the past, she worked in the animation industry in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York at Disney, Sesame Street and Electric Company, Marvel and Hanna Barbara.    Looking to connect:             Instagram: @anna.dibble   Website: www.gulfofmaineecoarts.org   Personal website: www.annadibble.com  

A landmark MA government report called for significant changes to help reduce CO2 emissions from the use of home heating fuels. For example, the report details the need to plan for a transition away from gas utilities in the coming years. We caught up to the Conservation Law Foundation's Vice President for Massachusetts to learn more.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened the lines to hear from listeners about a new Washington Post/ABC poll that shows voters unenthused about the prospects of a Biden/Trump rematch in 2024. Jesse Mermell and Jennifer Nassour joined for a political panel, and discussed the DNC voting to move the first primary to South Carolina, and how the Massachusetts Republican party might move forward without Jim Lyons. Mermell is founder and president of deWit Impact Group, and a former Democratic candidate for Congress in Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District. Nassour is the founder of the Pocketbook Project, former chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party and a former candidate for Boston City Council. Cathy Judd-Stein, Gaming Commission chair, joined to discuss the start of sports betting in Massachusetts. Bradley Campbell, Conservation Law Foundation president and CEO, joined to discuss various environmental headlines, including Gov. Healey's climate plans. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the evolution of the National Prayer Breakfast. Jessie Colbert and Dr. Leena Mittal joined to discuss maternal mental health and perinatal mood disorders. Jessie Colbert is Founder and Executive Director of the Mass PPD Fund. Dr. Leena Mittal, is Medical Director of the Equity, Substance Use and Community Partnerships at MCPAP for Moms, Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Chief of the Division of Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital. We ended the show by hearing from listeners about the best way to bail on a date that isn't going well, on the heels of a survey that found people generally take 51 minutes to make up their minds and come up with an excuse to leave.

Everything is sales. Whether you're selling a product or a vision for the future, you want people to connect and feel its urgency and importance. Putting a focus on forming lasting donor relationships took Emily Norton's organization, the Charles River Watershed Association, to new heights. Listen as she walks us through her experience working with me, building her confidence, and thinking big. Tune in to The Business Behind Fundraising — Case Study with Emily Norton: Why She is Confident Growing Her Budget By 40% (When It's Only Ever Grown By 10%).  What You Will Discover:  ✔️ Think big. The starvation mindset holds nonprofits back from growing. Put into practice the activities that allow expansion. Changing their strategic plan helped Emily Norton grow her budget by 40% this year. ✔️ Do things with confidence. The more honest you are about your organization's financial need, the more donors want to support you.. They want to be on the same winning team. ✔️ ‘The ask' is only one step in the donor's journey. Sometimes, calling a donor to say thank you or provide a resource can help cultivate a stronger relationship. It's how all the small steps fit together for maximum relationship building. ✔️ Slow down. Connect your goals to their interests. You may have donors who aren't giving their best gift because they don't have a clear picture of what you do or what your organization needs. Emily Norton has served as Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association since August 2018. She previously served as Massachusetts Chapter Director for the Sierra Club, where she focused on advocating for stronger renewable energy policies at the state and local levels.  Prior to that, she spent ten years as a research and communications consultant to groups such as Conservation Law Foundation, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Environmental Defense Fund, and the US EPA ENERGY STAR Program. Emily also spent several years working in politics as a fundraiser for the Democratic Leadership Council in Washington, D.C., and as Finance Director for a Congressional campaign on Cape Cod. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-norton-541173/ Subscribe to my YouTube for weekly updates. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjEu276-YQ0TeurphD62pA/ Download White Paper The Big Fundraising Secret (How Traditional Nonprofit Fundraising blocks your overall growth and keeps you from fully funding your organization every year) https://mailchi.mp/a533c0ab59cf/2021-whitepaper Or, subscribe to The Business Behind Fundraising podcast on any of your favorite podcast apps!

Tisha Schuller welcomes Armond Cohen, president and co-founder of the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), to the Real Decarbonization podcast. Listeners will hear Armond's thoughts on what makes a compelling oil and gas real decarbonization strategy. Armond served as a clerk for the Hon. Harlington Wood, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit for about a year starting in 1982. The next year, he founded and directed the Energy Project at the Conservation Law Foundation. In 1996, Armond co-founded and became president of CATF. He also serves as a member of the Keystone Center Energy Board and a board member of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance. Armond has an A.B. in history from Brown University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Follow all things Adamantine Energy and subscribe to Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter at www.energythinks.com. Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter and Adán Rubio, who make the Real Decarbonization podcast possible. [Interview recorded on Oct. 31, 2022]

Ruth Hennig was the Executive Director of the John Merck Fund which supported research for improved human health, specializing in developmental disabilities and environmental health. While working to fund projects advocating for and studying the health implications of chemical exposures, she herself was diagnosed and treated for cancer. Ruth discusses the way having cancer, twice, caused her to ask some broader questions and engage in her own care choices. The process ultimately led her to become more activated and involved in preventing harmful chemical exposures for others. Presently, Ruth serves on the board of Defend Our Health and is an advisor for the Conservation Law Foundation.

ALSO: Vermont State Police said the Ludlow police officer who shot and seriously wounded a Cavendish man following a pursuit Monday night was a new recruit; Fifteen apartments in Montpelier went without hot water for nearly a week and had no water at all for several days after the building's pipes failed; GlobalFoundries and the Conservation Law Foundation told the Vermont Public Utility Commission Wednesday they had reached an agreement that would allow GlobalFoundries to create its own electric utility.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture and Getty Research Archive have acquired the Johnson Publishing archives, which include archives of the iconic publications Jet and Ebony. Museum director Kevin Young talks about the process of making the collection public. And, PFAS chemicals are known as "forever chemicals" because they don't really decompose and removing them is complicated. We're joined by Staci Rubin from the Conservation Law Foundation and Westminster resident Anne Lutz, who has been impacted by PFAS contamination.

How to Develop Business StrategyIf you own, manage or lead a business, this is the show for you. On this edition of the Inside BS Show, Dave Lorenzo interviews Barry Horwitz, a business strategist. Join us!Chapters:00:00 How to Develop Business Strategy01:23 How did Barry Develop his Entrepreneurial Mindset?03:14 What does Culture Eat for Breakfast?05:09 Strategy as defined by Barry Horwitz06:11 What is the Difference Between Strategy and Strategy Implementation?07:51 How does Barry's Experience Assist Clients in Achieving Business Success?09:48 What is Barry's Strategy for Dealing with Clients who have no chance of Growing the Business?11:44 Was Barry ever fired by his clients for telling them the truth about their company's not-so-great potential?14:46 How to Navigate the Internal Politics of a Client Organization?20:07 How does Barry handle aggravating people in an organization?22:22 How to Enhance the Lifetime Value of the Client?24:51 How has COVID 19 Pandemic and all of its ancillary issues Impacted Client Strategy?27:24 How wonderful it is to reconnect with people after the COVID 19 Pandemic.30:03 What is the Future of home-based businesses like Real Estate after a Pandemic?34:39 The importance of working from home versus working full-time in an office37:49 What does Barry do for Business Development?40:21 What is the leverage that Provisors provides to Barry?Barry Horwitz+1-617-928-0572email@horwitzandco.comhttps://horwitzandco.comAbout Horwitz and Company:Barry Horwitz established Horwitz and Company in 1995, a management consulting firm that specializes in helping clients grow in a strategic and sustainable way. His career has been exceptionally diverse and varied, spanning a broad range of industries, organization types and sizes, both domestic and international.As a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, he helped Fortune 500 companies assess competitive situations and develop growth strategies. As a co-founder and chief operating officer of a venture-backed Internet startup, he raised more than $12 million in venture capital and led the company's expansion for three years. As a VP of marketing and strategy for a billion-dollar retail chain, he developed the growth strategy for the core business while initiating the launch of a mail-order pharmacy unit that was ultimately sold to Medco.In his nonprofit work, he has facilitated strategic planning, marketing and business plan development for organizations ranging from national in scope (such as Charity Navigator and two divisions of the American Nurses Association) to local/ regional (such as Chimes International, Inc., The Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology and the Conservation Law Foundation).A sought after speaker and moderator, Horwitz teaches MBA courses in strategy and entrepreneurship at Boston University's Questrom School of Business and Emerson College's Global Marketing program.He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his bachelor's degree in economics from Colby College. An avid tennis and squash player, he lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and empty nest.

Equitable community engagement and development can seed systems change that supports long-term health and well-being within communities. Host Justin Milner talks with Urban Institute researcher Laudy Aron; Maggie Super Church, vice president for healthy and resilient communities at the Conservation Law Foundation; Vedette Gavin, senior research consultant at the Conservation Law Foundation; and Robyn Gibson, resident researcher and site coordinator for the Healthy Neighborhoods Study, about what equitable community engagement and development looks like in practice. This episode was produced with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.   Related Links: Blame Policies, Not Places, for Poor Health What's Different When the Community Collects the Data? Driving Systems Change Forward: Leveraging Multisite, Cross-Sector Initiatives to Change Systems, Advance Racial Equity, and Shift Power Mutual Accountability Is the Key to Equity-Oriented Systems Change Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund Healthy Neighborhoods Study New Insights On How Philanthropy Can Improve Community Health

We all agree that corporations need to have some skin in the game when it comes to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), green design and taking their packaging back for reuse or recycling – but the devil is truly in the details. There's good EPR and bad EPR. Kirstie Pecci of the Conservation Law Foundation and Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics have been working intimately on EPR in several states this legislative session, as well as deposit-return systems for beverages (e.g. “bottle bills”). Dive deep with these policy experts on the nuances of EPR for packaging that ensures a shift to a circular economy and prevents harmful recycling practices. Resources:Beyond PlasticsConservation Law FoundationEPR Resources from UpstreamBottle Bill Resources from Upstream

We talk to Greg Cunningham and Caitlin Peale Sloan of the Conservation Law Foundation.

On this edition, in a conversation with Jeremy Crockford, Conservation Law Foundation vice presidents and clean power experts Caitlin Peale Sloan and Greg Cunningham bring their expertise to the failures of ISO-New England, the managers of the six-state power grid, to embrace fighting climate change as part of their mission. 

Bottle bills, aka beverage container deposits, are the gold standard for recycling plastic, aluminum, and glass single-use containers, and for reducing plastic pollution from bottles. New York has had a $0.05 container deposit law since 1982. Now, a new bill introduced by NYS Assemblymember Cahill would raise that deposit to $0.10 and expand the NYS bottle bill to include more types of containers, such as wine and kombucha bottles. (NY State Assembly Bill A8668 - nysenate.gov) Bottle Bills have been around for 40 years - yet only 10 states have them on the books. Michigan's $0.10 rate sees an average return of over 90% on containers with a deposit, tied with Oregon for the highest in the US. To reduce plastic pollution, policy groups like the Conservation Law Foundation say the US needs a strong federal bottle bill that prioritizes reuse and refill. Each year, the beverage industry pumps more than 100 billion plastic bottles into the US market. Yet, the reason more states don't have bottle bills - and also why there is no national bottle bill - is industry interference from companies like Coke, Pepsi, Unilever, and Nestle, who are both the world's biggest beverage producers and biggest plastic polluters. Conservation Law Foundation recently released a report called “The Big Beverage Playbook for avoiding responsibility,” detailing how the beverage industry has undermined bottle bills. For more, Plastic PSA host Alexis Goldsmith is joined by Kirstie Pecci, director of the Zero Waste Project at CLF. For more information, visit: https://www.clf.org Kirstie Pecci is the director of the Zero Waste Project at Conservation Law Foundation. Kirstie is actively engaged in the adoption of Zero Waste programs, like composting and deposit return systems, waste reduction efforts, and opposing the expansion of landfill and incinerator capacity throughout New England. Previously, she was a MASSPIRG Staff Attorney. She started her legal career as an associate in Nixon Peabody's Real Estate/Environmental Practice Group. A graduate of Tantasqua Regional High School, Harvard University, and Boston College Law School, she lives with her family in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Photograph: Daniel Msirikale/Tearfund

The first U.S. Presidential election was held in 1789. Women were allowed to vote in 1920. The U.S. has a woman in the White House in 2021. Women make up 50.8% of the population, yet women still only hold 142 of the 535 seats in Congress (26.5%).  One woman who is bucking this trend is Malden, MA Ward 3 City Councillor, Amanda Linehan. In this episode, she shares her own journey into politics and how any of us can get involved in shaping policy. You can find her at www.amandalinehan.org   Amanda's Ten Tips for Shaping Policy/Community Engagement: VOTE! The first sounds so basic, but it is simply to vote. If you aren't registered to vote, do so now! And if you are already, then a great idea is to help OTHERS register to vote at a voter registration drive.  VOLUNTEER! Get connected to your city's democrats (or republicans) or advocacy groups like Our Revolution, a rail trail organization or running club or arts group. There's also mutual aid groups and places that serve meals or deliver groceries to neighbors with food insecurity. Houses of worship are often great vectors for making these types of connections, but so is simply reaching out to your local senior center or council on aging. They will be able to hook you up with service organizations that help the isolated, the unhoused, and you could find real joy in delivering turkeys at Thanksgiving or cooking for your area's shelter or warming center. JOIN A CAMPAIGN! Volunteer for a local campaign. They really do love folks with zero experience but a passion for their community, and there are always jobs for a variety of time commitments. I used to ask for walking routes that could be done with a stroller and only within a certain distance of home when I was canvassing with a potty-training toddler, and those one or two hour shifts over the course of a summer campaign were deeply appreciated.  WRITE TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! Write to an elected official and ask to get coffee or do a zoom. You'd be surprised how often they will say yes. I always do! You can also easily look up your representatives in your state house and congress and send their office a letter or call. They track everything and you can find out everyone who represents you at a site like vote.org or likely your city or town's website and clerk's office. WATCH A MEETING! Now that things are recorded, stream a local meeting at your convenience and find an issue you are passionate about, then email the mayor or sponsor of that legislation and ask to be added to their mailing list. Or send a letter of support (or against!) a key issue as a starting point, then work up to testifying at a public meeting. The key is to inform yourself by attending, watching later, and reading the local news coverage.   JOIN A NON-PROFIT BOARD! Join a non-profit board. Many of them recruit by word of mouth and are often looking for diversity in ways you may not have considered, for example by age or hometown or professional skill set, so don't assume their criteria are obvious and don't be afraid to express an interest in board service if you attend an event held by a really great organization. This was a great stepping stone for me and once I was affiliated with one, other folks heard about me when they were looking for someone from Malden or who works in Communications or who is passionate about affordable housing for their board. PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS! Engage in ways that play on your strengths and skill set. Do you like talking on the phone? Candidates and causes always need phone bankers, and often you can do this from home! Gregarious and like talking to people? Volunteer to knock doors or hold signs at the polls on election day. Are you great at fundraising, social media, writing, graphic design or planning fun events? Those skills are ALWAYS in demand by candidates and community organizations, and often the same local volunteers are tapped over and over for those roles. SEEK OUT FUN COMMUNITY EVENTS! Come to a fun event like a park cleanup, or a cultural festival, or a block party. New neighbors at that type of event are always embraced and welcomed and you'll likely find folks you can build a connection with. START A PETITION! Start a petition or join one already in progress that is making demands on public officials on policy areas you care about, whether that's better after school programming, better library hours, better racial equity training in the community, fewer trees cut down, you name it. There are often great organizations out there dedicated to the environment and preservation that are great places to start. In this area that would be organizations like Bike to the Sea, Friends of the Fells, Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club, etc. RUN OR APPLY FOR A ROLE YOURSELF! Look past the obvious stepping stones like PTO or School Committee (unless those are your passion areas!) and explore things that align with your professional or personal goals and skills. There are energy efficiency commissions, disability rights boards, cultural councils, redevelopment authorities, immigrant rights groups, historical commissions, and so on. And if you own a business or are self-employed, often the Chamber of Commerce is a great organization to join, and these days they are a lot more dynamic and aiming for better diversity than in previous generations. They are always looking for social-media savvy members to boost their work and amplify the other businesses in town. Production: Yinh Kiefer and Jasmati Productions Theme Song: Georges, Part Deux written by Yinh Kiefer, performed by Jasmati Productions  

In early 2019, a proposal for a large regional landfill emerged as a new threat to our North Country environment. NCABC is now preparing to engage with government regulators once again to preserve this important ecosystem and natural habitat in the area where Dalton, Littleton, Bethlehem, and Whitefield converge. HB 177 Who is opposed to the Dalton dump? And who favors HB 177, a bi-partisan bill before the Legislature setting a 2-mile buffer around state parks from landfill encroachment? All the town conservation commissions in the area, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Ammonoosuc River Advisory Committee, the NH Sierra Club, the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and hundreds of local residents, as well as Grafton and Coos county lawmakers. Check out this compilation of letters opposing the ill-suited and unwanted Granite State Landfill proposal currently up for permitting by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services:

In early 2019, a proposal for a large regional landfill emerged as a new threat to our North Country environment. NCABC is now preparing to engage with government regulators once again to preserve this important ecosystem and natural habitat in the area where Dalton, Littleton, Bethlehem, and Whitefield converge. HB 177 Who is opposed to the Dalton dump? And who favors HB 177, a bi-partisan bill before the Legislature setting a 2-mile buffer around state parks from landfill encroachment? All the town conservation commissions in the area, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Ammonoosuc River Advisory Committee, the NH Sierra Club, the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and hundreds of local residents, as well as Grafton and Coos county lawmakers. Check out this compilation of letters opposing the ill-suited and unwanted Granite State Landfill proposal currently up for permitting by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services:

Bradley Campbell, President of the Conservation Law Foundation. #WPRO Campbell applauds President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day signal that the United States will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement www.clf.org

Today we are joined by Susan Chadwick, environmental advocate and Executive Director of Save Buffalo Bayou, and Bob Freitag, expert on hazard mitigation and floodplain management, to discuss -Houston flooding-the USACE Interim Report (2020) on trying to manage flooding by altering Buffalo Bayou and Cypress Creek-floodplain management-modern science vs. old thinking about streams and floodplains-the nature of streams-how streams interact with geology, tides, flora, ecology, and climate-strategies for managing flooding -cost-benefit analyses of different strategies-benefits of modern, scientific, natural strategies over those of old, constrained strategies-what has worked elsewhere in the country and the world, and how some places are "rewilding" streams and discovering the deep, varied economic value of free "ecological services"About Susan: Susan Chadwick, a writer and journalist who grew up on Buffalo Bayou, is the president and executive director of Save Buffalo Bayou. She was the art critic for the Houston Post from 1985 until it closed in 1995.More about Susan, her work, and her contact info, at:a. https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-chadwick-66502a3b/b. www.SaveBuffaloBayou.orgc. https://www.facebook.com/SaveBuffaloBayou/About: Bob Freitag is Senior Instructor Part-time and Director of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research (IHMP). The University of Washington Institute for Hazards Mitigation is an interdisciplinary academic Institute housed in the Department of Urban Design and Planning within the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington. http://mitigate.be.uw.edu) He is the past Executive Director of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (http://www.crew.org/) and past member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers’ Board of Directors. (http://www.floods.org/) Bob is also a Certified Floodplain Manager. He has published many articles and written courses for FEMA and others concerning hazards mitigation and floodplain management, and was lead author of “Floodplain Management: a new approach for a new era” (Island Press 2009). Before coming to the University, he had a 25-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) serving as Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO); Public Assistance, Mitigation and Education Officer. Prior to FEMA he was employed by several private architectural and engineering consultant firms in Hawaii and Australia, and taught science as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. Freitag received his Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington. Contact Bob here: http://urbdp.be.washington.edu/people/robert-freitag/His book Floodplain Management: A New Approach for a New Eraby Bob Freitag, Susan Bolton, Frank Westerlund, Julie Clark: https://www.amazon.com/Floodplain-Management-New-Approach-Era/dp/1597266353Contact Michael:1. ccerppodcast@aol.com2. http://www.goldams.com 3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/ 4. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/Join us at CCERP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/Show notes:1. Effect of and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey: https://www.khou.com/article/weather/hurricane/harvey/final-report-shows-harveys-impact-on-harris-county-by-the-numbers/285-5620169322. 2019 disasters and their costs: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article239153533.html3. US Army Corps of Engineers' "Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study, Texas:" https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Portals/26/BBTnT_Interim_Report_202001001_Final_1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0VI6q_U1Td_J3YXUwE3yMgwOKF3qsa0-BbZa8nRhIjZKKDiWg95823bcA4. Vermont flooding in Irma: "The Connecticut River Watershed Council and The Conservation Law Foundation have joined together to step back to look at why Otter Creek in Rutland leapt up as Irene struck, increasing in flow by nearly 20 times in the space of a little more than a day, while downstream in Middlebury the river rose much more gradually, and more safely." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucb-Y8iipng&fbclid=IwAR1g9l0tePGJxV3fj1xfrpWvtxKKTTaV84TXzQp3bh4CQT1ipOjkLebXHJg5. Rewilding Europea. https://rewildingeurope.comb. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/europe/stories-in-europe/restoring-free-flowing-rivers-in-europe/c. https://europe.wetlands.org/publications/ecosystem-services-and-river-restoration/d. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showFile&rep=file&fil=LIFE09_INF_UK_000032_LAYMAN.pdf6. The importance of Beaversa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4t8h8nchfMb. https://www.npr.org/2018/06/24/620402681/the-bountiful-benefits-of-bringing-back-the-beaversc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwnXLllzi60d. https://www.aswm.org/aswm/aswm-webinarscalls/3355-2020-past-beaver-restoration-webinar-series#beaver17. Of the Mississippi River, "Mark Twain noted in 1883 that 'ten thousand river commissions, with the mines of the world at their back, cannot tame that lawless stream, cannot curb it or confine it, cannot say to it, go here, or go there, and make it obey.' From: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/mississippi-national-waterway-trump-infrastructure-river-enviorment-a8266366.html8. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America by John M. Barry: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Tide-Mississippi-Changed-America/dp/0684840022/9. A tree, depending on factors such as age and species, can absorb 20-250 gallons of water per day, more or less. At , say 400 trees per acre in a forest, that is 8,000-100,000 galleons of water per day. See, for example:a. https://www.lsu.edu/botanic-gardens/research/trees.phpb. https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H636/c. https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/34466/PDFd. https://www.fs.fed.us/projects/hfi/10. Klamath River Restorationa. http://www.klamathrenewal.orgb. https://www.nfwf.org/programs/klamath-basin-restoration-program c. Salmon River: http://srrc.org11. Land subsidence from water dischargea. "Land Subsidence From Ground-Water Pumping" by S. A. Leake, U.S. Geological Survey: https://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/changes/anthropogenic/subside/b. "Texas Gulf Coast Groundwater and Land Subsidence:" https://txpub.usgs.gov/houston_subsidence/home/index.htmlc. "Land Subsidence due to Ground-Water Withdrawal Tulare-Wasco Area California" by B. E. Lofgren and R. L. Klausing: https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0437b/report.pdfd. "SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA:" https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1182/pdf/06SanJoaquinValley.pdf12. David Suzuki Foundation: https://davidsuzuki.org13. Ecosystem Valuationa. "The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital"by Robert Costanza, et. al.: https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/9476/Costanza%20et%20al%20%20Nature%201997%20prepublicaton.pdfb. "Twenty years of ecosystem services: How far have we come and how far do we still need to go?" by Robert Costanza, et. al.: https://www.robertcostanza.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017_J_Costanza-et-al.-20yrs.-EcoServices.pdfc. TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaAEfERGyO8d. Robert Costanza talk "Flourishing on Earth: Lessons from Ecological Economics:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZkTlVPgqG4e. "Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services – Professor Robert Costanza:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4F3M1b1bdI14. Association of State Wetland Managersa. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Assiation+wetland+managers&t=osx&ia=webb. their floodplain functions videos: https://www.aswm.org/watersheds/natural-floodplain-function-alliance/1790-webinars.htmlc. ecosystem valuation: https://www.aswm.org/wetland-science/planning-design/ecosystem-service-valuationd. links to science on floodplains, wetlands, restoration, etc.: https://www.aswm.org/wetland-science15. Tides and riversa. https://eos.org/research-spotlights/when-rivers-and-tides-collideb. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015RG00050716. Food Forestsa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJFL0MD9fcb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m_0UPOzuIc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjUsobGWhs8d. https://projectfoodforest.org/what-is-a-food-forest/e. https://www.wildhomesteading.com/food-forest/17. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484/18. Learning environments and domains: "kind" vs. "wicked"a. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-media-psychology-effect/202010/the-success-equation-our-wicked-worldb. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experience-studio/202007/experience-kind-vs-wickedBios courtesy Susan Chadwick and Bob FretagImage from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SanJacinto_Watershed.png

A few years ago, Boston Magazine ran a story contrasting the history of the Charles and the Mystic rivers. Both used to be extremely polluted, and in the 90's the Charles river got cleaned up. But people living along the Mystic river, in communities like Chelsea, Charlestown and Everett, don’t have the kinds of resources of people in the Back Bay and as a result, the Mystic is still a dumping ground for carcinogenic, toxic waste. That article closed with a call to action, asking for a hero to emerge willing to fight back and champion these communities. I hope this interview will convince you that Damali Vidot is that hero. In the last at-large city council election in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Damali won the most votes because people in her community know that she will stand up for them. She’s been doing it for years, working with other progressives and across the aisle to build community programs that have helped shape the city for the better. She is a genius when it comes to finding creative solutions and level-headed and strategic when it comes to implementing them. She understands the effects of systemic discrimination and environmental racism because she has lived them. She’s also teaming up with GreenRoots and the Conservation Law Foundation to sue Exxon Mobil and help keep her community safe. So listen to what Damali has to say, and do what you can to support her in the run up to this election. Donate to her campaign, phone bank, and vote. Also read this interview on Medium and get involved at www.votedamali.org

Minnesota is working hard to create more affordable housing. But if we build structures that are not super-efficient, residents will be saddled with high energy bills—and we will miss an opportunity to improve our built environment, a top source of carbon emissions in the state. Now more than ever the topic of affordable housing has become even more critical.In July 2020, Fresh Energy hosted conversations with Minnesota thought leaders and Fresh Energy staff about how super-efficient buildings can become the new normal in equitable affordable housing. This is the first in the four-part series featuring a discussion with Elizabeth Turner, Architect and Founder of Precipitate. It was recorded on July 9, 2020.With the increased attention on affordable housing in this current crisis, we know that the conversation has only just begun and it’s crucial that energy efficiency be part of the equation. We must build new affordable housing that is so energy efficient it can be heated and cooled with small amounts of renewable electricity. It makes economic sense, it improves indoor air quality, and it also dramatically reduces carbon emissions.We have the know-how to build super-efficient housing that is affordable over the long term. Why isn’t all new housing built that way, and how can we do better? Fresh Energy is bringing people together from diverse areas of the affordable housing arena to explore this issue.Thank you to Stoel Rives LLP for sponsoring this event.Meet the SpeakersElizabeth TurnerElizabeth Turner is an architect and founder of Precipitate, a firm that responds to the pressing social, economic, and ecological justice issues of today through deep listening and engagement, leading to holistic design at the intersection of architecture, research, policy, and education. As Passive House Consultant, Elizabeth pioneered pre-certification of the Hook & Ladder development—the first large multi-family project to PHIUS+2015 standards in Climate Zone 6A. This project is considered a “testing zone” for the industry and a model for super-efficient structures.Margaret Cherne-HendrickAs Fresh Energy's director of beneficial electrification, Margaret leads Fresh Energy’s strategic imperative to decarbonize fossil fuel-dependent sectors of Minnesota’s economy and advances policy aimed at enhancing carbon sequestration potential across the state. Margaret joined Fresh Energy’s staff in 2018. She previously worked as a senior policy associate at the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Boston University. Margaret’s multidisciplinary background in climate science and energy policy – including work with the Environmental Protection Agency, Conservation Law Foundation, Barr Foundation, and Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) – informs her approach to developing efficient, cost-effective, and inclusive decarbonization strategies. Margaret holds a PhD in Geography from Boston University, a MS in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana, and a BA in Biology from Reed College. Her doctoral research explored the environmental and political impacts of continued investment in and consumption of natural gas fuels. Margaret is a member of the Minneapolis Energy Vision Advisory Committee. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors as well as spending time with her wife and dog.Listeners can stay up to date on our work via our once monthly email list, blog at www.fresh-energy.org, or by following us on Facebook and Twitter. You can support Fresh Energy’s work for a clean energy Minnesota by making a donation today! Click here to learn more and donate.

This week, Vice President Suzanne Morse and Director, Shakeir Gregory are joined by Carol Gregory, the Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Conservation Law Foundation. Marshall Hook from 7 News and the sports hub joins Cayenne for a discussion on sports amidst the pandemic, and in Two minutes with Tom, Tom and cayenne talk politics and a little positivity.

The Conservation Law Foundation has filed a petition demanding that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce take immediate action to end overfishing of Atlantic cod. Ben Martens and Monique Coombs discuss what this actually means, what might be the impacts on Maine fishermen, and should you should still feel comfortable eating local cod?

Today’s guest is Armond Cohen, co-founder and Executive Director at Clean Air Task Force, an organization whose task is to reduce climate change by applying an overwhelming amount of force to some of the biggest levers to reduce carbon and other climate warming emissions. Armond has led CATF since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation’s Energy Project starting in 1983, focussing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a member of the Keystone Center Energy Board, co-Chair of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and a member of the US Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee. Armond is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University. In today’s episode we discuss: CATF overview and history CATF current focus areas, how they prioritize, and measure success Climate problem explained, including a look at various high leverage potential solutions, and barriers that make the issue difficult to solve Policy vs innovation, and the role of each How to make progress in a polarized world Armond’d thoughts on the term ‘environmentalist’ Armond’s advice for listeners on how to help Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Armond’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armond-cohen-83a1484/ Armond’s twitter profile: https://twitter.com/armondcohen1?lang=en CATF website: https://www.catf.us/ Carbon180 website: https://carbon180.org/ EDF website: https://www.edf.org Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass USA Today article on Chernobyl and nuclear: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/17/hbo-chernobyl-tragic-nuclear-power-safe-clean-vital-column/1409096001/ Stewart Brand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Brand Sheldon Whitehouse: https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

This week Jeremy and Suzanne sit down with Bradley Campbell, the President of Conservation Law Foundation, to discuss CLF's work around Boston Harbor and climate resiliency. PLUS: Cayenne and Cosmo on Worcester, the college admissions scandal, and New York's new congestion tax. Tom talks about Marathon Monday and the 5 marathons that he has run.

In episode 83 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews planner Deanna Moran and environmental lawyer, Elena Mihaly, from the Conservation Law Foundation.  Deanna and Elena come on to talk about their new report, Climate Adaptation and Legal Liability. Other topics include:  current court cases relevant to adaptation and climate change; using legal liability as a tool to affect policy decisions; the need to update building codes to reflect climate threats; what industries and sectors are most vulnerable to adaptation litigation and how will the legal system evolve with adaptation court cases. These topics and much, much more! Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Donate to America Adapts Topics covered: Using legal liability to change social behavior. History of their adaptation and liability report How the law will impact the diversity of sectors involved with adaptation. New climate tools make it easier to use this type of evidence in court cases. Discuss current Exxon case before the courts involving adaptation planning. What sectors in society will have to be most sensitive to climate liability. Why targeting the building codes is a strategic way to deal with climate liability. Why do court cases take so long and will that be too late to affect adaptation? The resignation of PG&E CEO and the role of adaptation liability in that decision. Links in this episode: https://www.clf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GRC_CLF_Report_R8.pdf https://www.clf.org/about/our-team/deanna-moran/ https://www.clf.org/about/our-team/elena-mihaly/ https://dirt.asla.org/2018/11/08/welcome-to-the-age-of-climate-liability/ Previous Episode of America Adapts mentioned in this episode, “You Can’t Handle the Truth: Sea Level Rise and the Law. Donate to America Adapts Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android   Podcasts in the Classroom - Use this episode in your classroom, discussion guides available here. Episode 82 with Signe Nielsen (New York Adapts to Climate Change) Discussion Guide here. For a list of general questions that we believe are useful for classroom discussions about podcast more generally, see the exemplar guide available here. Doug Parsons and Speaking Opportunities: If you are interested in having Doug speak at corporate and conference events, sharing his unique, expert perspective on adaptation in an entertaining and informative way, more information can be found here! Now on Spotify! List of Previous Guests on America Adapts Subscribe/listen to podcast on Apple Podcasts. Facebook and Twitter: @usaadapts https://www.facebook.com/americaadapts/timeline www.americaadapts.org Subscribe to America Adapts on Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/america-adapts-climate-change/id1133023095?mt=2 On Google Play here. Please share on Facebook! The best climate change podcasts on The Climate Advisor http://theclimateadvisor.com/the-best-climate-change-podcasts/ Directions on how to listen to America Adapts on Amazon Alexa https://youtu.be/949R8CRpUYU America Adapts also has its own app for your listening pleasure!  Just visit the App store on Apple or Google Play on Android and search “America Adapts.” Join the climate change adaptation movement by supporting America Adapts!  Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapts fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast Music produce by Richard Haitz Productions Write a review on Apple Podcasts! America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! Producer Dan Ackerstein Subscribe to America Adapts on Apple Podcasts Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com

This week host John Voket and the award-winning For the People touts the growing chorus of consumers and state officials who believe the time has come to eliminate third-party electric suppliers and better protect consumers – including our most vulnerable – from deceitful marketing. Then we're going to zero in on the latest United Nations International Panel on Climate Change Report with the Conservation Law Foundation, and learn how global warming impacts us here in Connecticut, and how we can help further reduce carbon emissions. And we bring you our next 'Heart Month Survival Guide' segment talking with a naturopathic physician about holistic and alternative ways we can all help make our hearts a little healthier, not just during Heart Month this February, but 365 days a year.

An update on problems being faced with the decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor in Vermont. Sandra Levine is senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation in Montpelier, Vermont, where her work focuses on climate change, clean energy, land use, transportation and natural resource protection. I became aware of Sandy after I was sent a link to her op-ed article, Risky Vermont Yankee Transfer Should be Stopped.Dr. Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, or CCNR, offers a brief masterclass in what radiation is and what it does. This 10-minute talk was prepared for the Science for Peace Forum “How to Save the World in a Hurry,” held at the University of Toronto on May 30, 2018. Karl Grossman interviewed on the Evan Greer show: Keep Space for Peace Week – let them know about local events in your area by sending an email to: globalnet@mindspring.comMore from Dr. Gordon Edwards: These five audio files, recorded on August 22, 2018 and dealing with the “Red Canoe” protests in Ottowa, have all been posted on the Digileak web site:https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZxM6s7ZijIl7b91lsYfsJpYHoEjgQWidzLkhttps://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZ3M6s7ZH7U0YNc3JfhmJemmBVVYA8E3QkhVhttps://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZcM6s7Z5C7nTJ6bni0bVuA6t4W1854pc2tyhttps://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZRT6s7Zagwdz3OInzyxKyJFon1tOysxXKekhttps://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZQT6s7ZXJcU6NF3QNJMdyHTaDRHHFwPhV17www,nuclearhotseat.comPodcasts are posted on Nuclear Hotseat website listed above or on YouTube channel: nutzforart

Vermont Yankee protest from 2012, two years prior to shut-down. This Week’s Featured Interviews: An update on problems being faced with the decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor in Vermont.  Sandra Levine is senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation in Montpelier, Vermont, where her work focuses on climate change, clean energy, land use,...

Erin’s career is focused on assessing how climate risks affect varied agencies and the publics they serve while building pathways to cut carbon and achieve resilient outcomes.  Currently, she serves as SFO's first Sustainability Director, where she brokers sustainability and net zero investments across campus projects and develops and implements the Airport's Strategic, Sustainability and Climate Action Plans, including annual reporting. Erin previously served the City of Cupertino as its first Sustainability Manager and, next, Assistant to the City Manager working to oversee a portfolio of energy, water, and materials programs earmarked in the City’s Climate Action Plan, including the launch of Silicon Valley Clean Energy and Silicon Valley’s Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan, etc. Erin also supported environmental initiatives through work at the Conservation Law Foundation, Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and National Park Service. Erin is a LEED AP and holds a MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Erin Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Sustainability issues in the airport and airline industries, including sustainable aviation fuel Leading sustainability while engaging multiple stakeholders including passengers and airport tenants SFO's low carbon and zero waste future Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Erin's Final Five Question Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? Don't be afraid to be a Jack of all trades. I think this field is certainly evolving and there's an opportunity for specialty and specialization, but the more you dabble in more fields and aspects of sustainability, the more empowered you'll be in a conversation, in a decision or in the execution of a bold, ambitious target for the organization that you're looking to serve. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? I'm thinking back to the Jack of all trades comment. Obviously, I dabble in so many different things. It's hard to narrow to one thing. I'm sure my energy came across relative to sustainable aviation fuel. I think that is a perfect example of an industry coming together to really transform a marketplace and to recognize the richness that comes from collaboration. So whether it's public-private partnerships or public-public partnerships, just the collaboration intensity that I think is elevating the game for sustainability and achieving really big results for this sector. Every single day, just the opportunity I have to engage with so many thoughtful, insightful and progressive leaders is incredible and I don't know a lot of industries that are as ambitious but also do so not in competition but in direct collaboration. So continuing that is something that I look forward to every single day, getting out of bed and biking my way to the airport. What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I'm obviously loving Paul Hawkins Project Drawdown right now, as you heard earlier, recognizing the challenges in central plant operations at our airport, not just in natural gas but also in refrigerant management. I heard him speak on that and I think it's just fascinating how it's so critical that we don't lose sight of the operations and maintenance schedules of things before we put forward big bold goals like zero net energy. We need to make sure that our infrastructure is sound and safe and well equipped, and that we've got a robust set of operators that know how to manage and maintain and really transform this infrastructure that they're working on. So, that to me really resonated as well as just the richness of the subject, the values and needs of empowering women, giving people access to good education and food resources and how that can actually transform into direct results in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. It was a great set of research, so definitely pick that up or schedule a call with me and we could have a book club. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? Just on the collaboration topic, SFO is very lucky to team up with Ceres recently, an NGO that works on really progressive environmental and climate action policy through their investor network. So we recently joined two of their programs, Connect the Drops for water conservation and BICEP - businesses investing in clean energy policy. They've been hosting a series of different advocacy days, here in Sacramento as well as at the capital. I think that really the champions of change come through collaboration and having a unified voice. I saw that happen firsthand and certainly that resonated with our electeds and I really look to those types of networks for influence, and opportunities to really push and continue to stretch. We've been very grateful to partner and team up with The Airport Council International, and also locally we have the California Airport Council that's been working to have more unification in the progressive policies and also best practices that are happening as a new standard in the airport space within our great state. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading at SFO? SFO has a great website flysfo.com. We have a twitter handle and also a Facebook page, so definitely visit those things. We are always happy to receive comments and questions from folks that are traveling to and from our airport, or generally wanting to up the environmental or sustainability game of our airport. So our contact information is also saved there. Please reach out. Obviously our strategic plan is set and our city is driving and directing, but we want to be as responsive to the folks that we're looking to serve on a daily basis, which is our traveling public and of course the airport employees that help our airport to thrive and create a great environment. So check us out there and keep us posted on what should come next.

Kirstie Pecci of the Conservation Law Foundation talks about the importance of building a sustainable future through zero waste, implementation grassroots efforts to change the way we look at our systems and the challenges in Conservation Law! Plus she goes into detail about what a Landfill is and how to Compost. The new format of the show includes weekly rants on the state of things which is called ‘the Dispatch’! Dispatch: The hidden history of the Black Panther Party! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/taboo-table-talk/support

State officials announced on Thursday that they had selected a project called Northern Pass to import a massive amount of hydro-electricity from Canada, enough to supply between 15 and 20 percent of the state's electricity needs. Northern Pass, a partnership between Hydro-Quebec and Eversource Energy, immediately came under fire from environmental groups concerned about the route of its transmission line through New Hampshire and the way in which the project was selected. On the Codcast, we talked to Greg Cunningham, director of the Conservation Law Foundation's clean energy and climate change program, and Mark LeBel, a staff attorney at the Acadia Center. Both had concerns about Northern Pass and both said the state's selection of the controversial project is likely to be challenged in court, which could lead to delays.

A report in Massachusetts found cases of serious abuse and neglect at a private special education school, illuminating a larger problem. Also this hour, we head to Block Island, Rhode Island, where the nation's first offshore wind farm is about to get spinning. And on Soundcloud: from Brady to Big Papi to Bentley, Only A Game‘s Bill Littlefield gives us his take on New England sports culture. What’s Wrong With Special Ed? Marie walks with her 13-year-old son, who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, as he rides his bike through their Norfolk neighborhood during the first weeks of summer vacation. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) A recent report from the Boston-based Disability Law Center found widespread abuse and neglect at a private special education school in Middleborough, a town in the southeast corner of Massachusetts. The report detailed verbal and emotional abuse by staff, and inadequate supervision resulting in runaway students, medication errors, and more. An administrative building on the Chamberlain School’s Middleborough campus. (Shannon Dooling/WBUR) There are worries that the problems seen at Chamberlain International School might be more widespread. WBUR and the investigative journalism unit “The Eye” investigated private special education schools that serve some of the most vulnerable students in Massachusetts. For parents, figuring out which of these schools is the right fit for their child can be a complicated maze, even as the demand for special education grows. We’re joined by WBUR reporter Shannon Dooling. The Sea Breeze Is More Than Refreshing Turbines at the country's first offshore wind farm, located about 15 miles from the coast of Rhode Island, are set to begin turning after operators Deep Water Wind get the final sign-off from regulators, expected before the end of the year. The five turbines are expected to provide most of the power for Block Island, a tourist destination and home to about 1,000 people. The Block Island Wind Farm is tiny by global standards, but it’s the culmination of many years of negotiations between wind power companies, governments, and advocacy groups. Greg Cunningham, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, says the project represents just a taste of what’s possible for wind power generation in New England coastal waters. U.S. Department of Energy estimates of wind resource potential (Credit: NREL) One of the concerns about offshore wind has been the impact on the environment. Not just birds, but also fish that swim nearby. A small crew of fishermen has been working with scientists to gather data and learn how fishing will or won't change around the Block Island turbines. Rhode Island Public Radio’s Ambar Espinoza reports. Root for the Home Team Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, nicknamed “Big Papi,” bids goodbye to fans after losing to the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park in October. The game marked Ortiz’s retirement. (Credit: Charles Krupa/AP) As a region, New England is held together by history and tradition, geography and politics. But what about sports? There are, of course, the Patriots — the only NFL team to use a region to define its territory. They're a powerhouse, off to another great start, despite their star Tom Brady missing games at the beginning of the season due to the deflategate controversy. They've only really held a grip on New England since the 1990s, and they're as likely to be loathed outside of our region as loved within it. Then there's Red Sox Nation, a fan base with a deep-seated love of the baseball team from Boston that stretches from Maine, across to Vermont, and south to (most of) Connecticut. We wanted to find out more about the sporting culture of New England, and the role that sports can play in helping to define us… so we turn to Bill Littlefield, the longtime host of Only a Game, a weekly NPR show about sports that's produced at WBUR in Boston. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Digital Content Manager/Editor: Heather Brandon Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Ambar Espinoza and Bill Littlefield Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon, “Family and Genus” by Shaky Graves, “Sweet Caroline” by the O’Neill Brothers, “Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and photos of your Thanksgiving dinner to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report in Massachusetts found cases of serious abuse and neglect at a private special education school, illuminating a larger problem. Also this hour, we head to Block Island, Rhode Island, where the nation's first offshore wind farm is about to get spinning. Plus, we learn about a time when Martha’s Vineyard went rogue.  What’s Wrong With Special Ed? A recent report from the Boston-based Disability Law Center found widespread abuse and neglect at a private special education school in Middleborough, a town in the southeast corner of Massachusetts. The report detailed verbal and emotional abuse by staff, inadequate supervision resulting in runaway students, medication errors, and more.  Jaclyn Dinan’s son has a complicated diagnosis of autism and a condition similar to bipolar disorder. In 2014, when he was 13, Dinan sent him to Chamberlain International School. Dinan, seen here with her boyfriend and her son, says her son was mistreated at the school. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) There are worries that the problems seen at Chamberlain International School might be more widespread. WBUR and the investigative journalism unit “The Eye” have been investigating private special education schools that serve some of the most vulnerable students in Massachusetts. For parents, figuring out which of these schools is the right fit for their child can be a complicated maze, even as the demand for special education grows. WBUR reporter Shannon Dooling joins us this hour. Links for more information: “Report Finds Neglect And Abuse At Mass. Special Education School” – Shannon Dooling, WBUR “‘There Is No Yelp’ : Why Parents Struggle With The State’s Special Ed System” – Shannon Dooling, WBUR “Runaways, findings of neglect and abuse cast shadow at Chamberlain School” –  Jenifer McKim and Koby Levin, The Eye The Sea Breeze Is More Than Refreshing Construction is close to complete on the country's first offshore wind farm, located about fifteen miles off the coast of Rhode Island. The five turbines are set to start turning later this year. They’re expected to provide most of the power for Block Island, a tourist destination and home to about 1,000 people. The Block Island Wind Farm is tiny by global standards, but it’s the culmination of many years of negotiations between wind power companies, governments, and advocacy groups. Greg Cunningham, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, says the project represents just a taste of what’s possible for wind power generation in New England coastal waters. Three of five turbines that make up the Block Island Wind Farm, in waters three miles off the coast of Block Island. (Ambar Espinoza/RIPR) Blades were attached to a fourth turbine last week. (Ambar Espinoza/RIPR) The nacelles — the turbine electrical hubs — arrived in Newport earlier this summer on the Brave Tern vessel. They Could Take No More In the winter of 1977, residents of Martha's Vineyard were outraged over a bill in the Massachusetts state legislature that was going to strip them of their state representative. The island would be lumped into a larger Cape Cod district. Vineyard selectmen proposed a solution. A radical one. Secession (complete with an original song)! Producer Sally Helm has the story. Former Martha’s Vineyard secessionist John Alley (Sally Helm/Transom Story Workshop) About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Digital Content Manager/Editor: Heather Brandon Contributors to this episode: Shannon Dooling, Ambar Espinoza, Sally Helm Music: Todd Merrell, “The Sea Beneath Our Feet” by Puddle of Infinity Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, story leads, and pictures of your corner of New England to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The importance of conserving our land and resources is less controversial than it once was—what remains a conundrum is how we go about doing so. Today we discuss possible solutions with Sean Mahoney of the Conservation Law Foundation and chef Barton Seaver, advocate for ‘restorative’ seafood practices. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/2016/08/maine-conservation-restorative-seafood/

Baker this week waded into the weeds at the MBTA and tried to adjust public expectations, warning that the turnaround at the T would take years to accomplish. Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and co-chair of the FixOurT Coalition, and Rafael Mares, vice president at the Conservation Law Foundation, came on the Codcast to discuss Baker's remarks and the long-term prognosis for the state's struggling transit authority.

We're joined in studio by prominent Boston transit advocate Rafael Mares, Vice President and Director of Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice for the Conservation Law Foundation. CLF has been instrumental in improving access and mobility for MBTA users, including holding the state to transit project commitments they've tried to wiggle out of.We discuss the current state of transit operations and investment, the Control Board and politics, the fate of long-awaited projects such the Green Line Extension, the Big Dig legacy, and much more. This episode was recorded on May 16 in the studios of WMBR 88.1 FM in Cambridge, engineered by Scott Mullen. Find Rafael Mares online at @RafaelMares2 or CLF. TransitMatters advocates for fast, frequent, reliable and effective public transportation in and around Boston. As part of our vision to repair, upgrade and expand the MBTA transit network, we aim to elevate the conversation around transit issues by offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and promoting a level of critical analysis normally absent from other media.Like what you hear? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the blog and podcast (on iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes. Support our work by becoming a member, making a donation or signing up to volunteer because we can't do this alone. Let us know what you think: connect with TransitMatters on Facebook or Twitter. Follow Jeremy Mendelson @Critical Transit, Josh Fairchild @hatchback31, Jarred Johnson @jarjoh, Marc Ebuña @DigitalSciGuy, Scott Mullen @mixmastermully or email us here.

TOPICEqualizing the Balance of Power IN THIS EPISODE[01:48] Introduction of Veronica Eady. [02:14] Veronica explains when she realized being an environmental justice advocate would be her life’s work. [03:59] What is a community benefits agreement? [05:20] Do community benefits agreements work in equalizing developers and communities? [07:50] Why are community benefits agreements important for equitable reinvestment or development? [11:33] Are there other examples of a good environmental benefits agreement, and is an environmental benefits agreement the same as a community benefits agreement? [13:40] Veronica describes the elements of obtaining a community benefits agreement. [16:21] Where can we learn more or get advice about a community benefits agreement? [18:17] Veronica explains about the Conservation Law Foundation and the work that is done there. [19:27] Veronica shares how listeners can learn more about the Conservation Law Foundation and get in touch with her. [19:55] Veronica shares one change that would lead to smarter, more sustainable, and more equitable communities. [20:37] Veronica describes the action that listeners can take to help build a more equitable and sustainable future. [21:27] Veronica explains what the New England region looks like 30 years from now. GUESTVeronica Eady is the Vice President and Massachusetts Director of the Conservation Law Foundation. She is a lawyer whose practice has been focused on issues of environmental justice. Veronica is a former chair of the U.S. EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the principal author of the State of Massachusetts’ environmental justice policy. Check out Veronica’s recent posts on the http://www.clf.org/about/our-team/veronica-eady/ (Conservation Law Foundation website) Contact Veronica via email at veady@clf.org ORGANIZATIONThe Conservation Law Foundation protects New England’s environment for the benefit of all people. They use the law, science and the market to create solutions that preserve natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy. Their vision is for a healthy, thriving New England – for generations to come. TAKEAWAY QUOTES“Generally speaking, the interests on the community side in a community benefit agreement are wide-ranging. It can be community based organizations; it can be labor unions, faith organizations, or mainstream environmental groups, or any combination of those. But typically those are the types of groups that have an interest in community benefits agreements.” “I’ve seen some community benefits agreements that have been very good, and I have seen some that have not been so good…Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen them change quite a bit, to the extent that in some states, community benefits agreements are mandated by law. “…here in Massachusetts, where I live, our casino gaming law requires a community benefits agreement with the community, and the fact that these community benefits agreements are now more so embodied in a statute and required, that’s really changed what the playing field looks like. So no longer is it community organizations, the environmental groups and such coming together and insisting on their power and their place at the table, the dynamic is a little bit different now because you have the state government, in Massachusetts, for example, saying you have to do this community benefits agreement…it changes the lead of the agreement; it changes the tenor of the agreement…it really has shaken up the playing field and the balance of power.” “[Community benefits agreements] continue to be an important tool because they are still a way for communities to be at the table and formally engage in this conversation, even if it is a conversation mandated by statute.” RESOURCEShttp://www.clf.org/ (Conservation Law Foundation) http://www.clf.org/our-focus/people-communities/ (Conservation Law Foundation – People & Communities)...

Tricia Jedele of the Conservation Law Foundation talks about stormwater pollution control efforts in Rhode Island

Tricia Jedele of the Conservation Law Foundation talks about stormwater pollution control efforts in Rhode Island