urban resilience project

What frontline communities are pushing for at the Paris COP

By Laurie Mazur / On December 7th, 2015
As representatives of communities of color on the frontlines of climate change, we appreciate the sentiments of hope, ambition, accountability, and commitment in President Obama’s remarks at the Paris climate talks.

Hold the Keystone bubbly: Our fossil fuel addiction remains

By Alec Appelbaum / On November 30th, 2015
Did you hear that Keystone XL—the long-planned pipeline from the Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast—got canceled? That President Obama nixed it because it would contribute to climate change? Did you, as a reader of sites like this, exhale?

Racial Equity, Poverty and the Promise of Clean Power

By Laurie Mazur / On November 22nd, 2015
Very influential people are starting to connect the dots among climate change, racial equity and poverty. The United Nations' new sustainable-development goals explicitly link these issues, and in his historic address to Congress last month Pope Francis called for an "integrated approach" to the climate, requiring inclusive dialogue and a focus on fighting poverty. 
Photo Credit: Rockaway Youth on Banner by Flickr.com user Light Brigading

The Legal Consequences of Ignoring Climate Risk

By Laurie Mazur / On November 12th, 2015
Last month, in a case that sent shivers through corporate America, a former peanut-company executive was sentenced to 28 years in prison for his role in a deadly salmonella outbreak. The executive, Stewart Parnell, knowingly shipped contaminated peanut butter to stores across the country. Nine people died and hundreds more were sickened.

How solar power can make affordable housing more resilient

By Laurie Mazur / On November 5th, 2015
When you think of residential solar power, you might envision an upscale home in Marin County, or a compound in rural Idaho. You probably don’t think of low-income apartment buildings in the outer boroughs of New York City. But that’s exactly where new solar technologies can do the most good.

NYC: Not a Great place for Bikers but a Great Place to Bike

By Alec Appelbaum / On October 26th, 2015
"It'll be hard to go back to bike commuting in New York after being here," said the guy in the Boulder bike shop. He meant it as a welcome to his town, but I think he might do well to visit mine.
Washburn

Choosing Hope in New Orleans

By Katharine Sucher / On October 11th, 2015
In 2006, six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, I toured the city’s decaying wreckage with a delegation of national environmental leaders.

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