Environmental Policy & Law

Fellow Story

Sims Gallagher interviewed about international obstacles to renewables by German think tank

New investments in China and the Middle East have demonstrated a developing strategic interest in renewable energies. Yet every country still faces obstacles: be it legislation in the United States or enforcement and rapid development in China. Kelly Sims Gallagher of the Fletcher School at Tufts University sits down with IP to talk about the future of energy policy and its effects on foreign relations. Read the full interview
April 9, 2012
Fellow Story

Learning from the Octopus

Sad tales of our failures in society to be adaptable, remarkable stories of the intricate ways in which natural organisms have survived and thrived for billions of years on an unpredictable planet, and hopeful examples of how all sorts of people, organizations, corporations and bureaucracies have learned to be adaptable.
March 25, 2012
Fellow Story

Clark on Vermonters' bid to be heard on national issues in local town meetings

Vermonters speak their piece about local issues on Town Meeting Day, but some people want to be heard on controversial national issues. This year more than 50 towns are taking up a resolution on corporate personhood, and in past years the war in Iraq and genetically modified foods have been on Town Meeting warnings, or they've been debated under "other business." Monday on Vermont Edition, we'll discuss whether town meeting is the right place to debate issues that reach far beyond your town line.
March 20, 2012
Fellow Story

Cohen coauthors op-ed "Boxer's transportation bill makes smart choices"

Sen. Barbara Boxer seems to have achieved the impossible by crafting a transportation bill that is overcoming partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate. Recently, the Senate voted 85-11 to advance Boxer's transportation bill, MAP-21, to a floor vote that is expected to be scheduled when Congress returns to Washington on Feb. 27. Read the full op-ed
March 20, 2012
Fellow Story

Bozzi presented at Duke's Forum for Law and Social Change Symposium

View the video
February 24, 2012
Fellow Story

Rubinstein's NERC opposes use of degradable additives in plastic packaging

The Northeast Recycling Council Inc. (NERC), based in Brattleboro, Vt., has adopted a policy position in opposition to the use of degradable additives in plastic packaging. “The board determined that this practice currently has a negative impact on plastics recycling markets and the effectiveness of plastics recycling in general,” reports Sarah Kite, president of the NERC board. Read the article
February 21, 2012
Fellow Story

Rinker publishes stinging op-ed about TransCanada's Keystone pipeline

What will cost $7 billion; will snake across the country from Alberta to the Gulf Coast, carrying 700,000 barrels a day of Canadian crude oil; and seems (at least from the animated assertions of Congressional Republicans and the American Petroleum Institute) a perfect solution for the flagging U.S. economy? Answer: TransCanada’s Keystone oil sands pipeline expansion project. Imagine a river of dirty oil running right through the country’s mid-section. Read the entire piece
February 20, 2012
Fellow Story

Anne Lightbody signs open letter to presidential candidates

We urge all candidates for public office at national, state, and local levels, and all New Hampshire citizens, to acknowledge the overwhelming balance of evidence for the underlying causes of climate change, to support appropriate responses to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, and to develop local and statewide strategies to adapt to near-term changes in climate(5). Ignoring the issue of climate change places our health, our quality of life, our economic vitality, and our children’s future at risk. Read the letter
January 6, 2012
Leadership Grant Grant

Transportation Planning for Climate Adaptation and Aquatic Connectivity

Through this Switzer Leadership Grant, The Adirondack Nature Conservancy hired Jessie Levine to develop a pilot program for funding the replacement and upgrade of road culverts to benefit aquatic species and habitat. Working with state and...
January 6, 2012
Fellow Story

Lessons learned by Arcata's former mayor Susan Ornelas

Susan Ornelas stepped down as Mayor of Arcata, California, recently. Her husband, former mayor Bob Ornelas, was seriously injured in a cycling accident a month earlier (in November 2011), and the following email was in response to our best wishes for his speedy recovery. When we asked Susan's permission to share it with the Switzer Network she wrote: "Yes! One of the things I love the most about being involved with the Switzer Foundation is the network of wonderful people, where so many people are both soulful and scientific.
January 1, 2012