Latest / Mostly Good Environmental News / Mostly Good Environmental News #19
Transcript
- Lenlibrizzi: Hi, this is Lenny Librizzi along with Dominique Burrell, Mark Latour, Charlie Olson, and joining us today for the first time, Ed Linderman. Welcome, Ed, and all of you listeners to the Mostly Good Environmental News Report, where we cover positive local and global environmental issues, milestones, and activities that you may not hear about. Very often the news about the environment is not good. We hear about climate chaos in all of its manifestations, drought, wildfires, floods, species loss, or the weakening of environmental regulations. But there are good things happening in the environment we will share with you in this podcast. We hope you enjoy listening. And if any listeners have ideas for stories we should do, please let us know in the comments. For our first good news item, Charlie Olson will tell us about how the Green Amendment is gaining traction in Connecticut, Colorado, Michigan, and New Jersey. Charlie? Charlie Olson: Hey, hi guys. As of 2026, three states, Pennsylvania in 1971, Montana in 1972, and New York in 2021, have adopted constitutional green amendments that place the right to a healthy environment directly into their state constitution's Bill of Rights. Unlike general environmental policy, a green amendment is enshrined in the Declaration of Rights section, providing legal protection equal to freedom of speech or freedom of religion. These amendments protect a clean and healthful environment and empower citizens to sue the government if these rights are violated, as demonstrated in the law case Held versus Montana. Now in that case, Held versus Montana is It is a landmark youth-led climate lawsuit where 16 young plaintiffs successfully argued that state policies promoting fossil fuels violated their constitutional rights to a clean and healthful environment. The court struck down a Montana law prohibiting the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews, making this decision a huge climate victory. Key aspects of the Green Amendments include one, public trust doctrine. And that is that the state and municipalities must act as trustees, protecting natural resources for present and future generations. A second part is environmental justice. And that's about the amendment mandating that environmental rights be protected equitably for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or social economic status. A third area was action and inaction. So the state is prohibited from allowing through action or inaction the degradation or depletion of the environment. And lastly, what they have in common is self-executing. And what that means is that any state resident could directly enforce these rights in court, holding the government accountable. Several other states are considering similar constitutional amendments, including Maryland, New Mexico, Vermont, and Hawaii. And there have been forward movements on green amendments in Connecticut, Michigan, Colorado, and New Jersey, which I will now highlight. All right, in Connecticut, there was a robust public hearing and comment process in early 2026 in which over 175 people and organizations submitted written testimony in support of the Green Amendment. And compelling voices from across the state spoke up, including Sierra Club, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, Sunrise New Haven, Third Act, that's Bill McKibben's group, Citizens Action Group, and Maya Van Rossum, representing Green Amendments for the Generations. At the end, Connecticut's Government, Administration, and Elections Committee considered these comments, and the Green Amendment passed out of committee by a vote of 13 to 6. This advances the bill to a potential statewide ballot initiative in 2026. Now in Michigan, grassroots advocates have been working for the past two years to find a senator who will willingly join with State Representative Donovan McKinney to propose a Michigan Green Amendment. Now, State Senator Sue Shrink has come out in favor of the Green Amendment. Yay! And in April, 2026, in honor of Earth Day, no less, these legislators announced that they will be introducing this Green Amendment bill to the Michigan State Legislature. ⁓ In the meantime, in a small but mighty group has been spreading the word about the power of a Green Amendment for Colorado. And the amendment is seeing amazing traction. The amendment is not yet official, but supporters include the University of Colorado Environmental Law Society, the ecological consultants for public interest and the great old broads for wilderness. Now there's a good name right there. And in New Jersey, the Green Amendment advocates pulled off a successful press conference in March that garnered overwhelming support and participation from legislative champions, longtime organizational allies, and some new partners that announced their full support for the movement. this bill, SCR 43 in New Jersey was introduced in the New Jersey Senate with 16 Senate sponsors, including Senators Linda Greenstein, and Andrew Zwicker. The bill was then referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and was also sent for technical review by the Legislative Council. Although that bill is now dead, 2026 marks the start of a new legislative session for New Jersey and another window of opportunity to advance the Green Amendment to the people and for the people. These state by state Green Amendment initiatives are very important for human health, for wildlife preservation and for environmental protection and our quality of life. So wherever the Green Amendment passes or moves forward. is good news for us and good news for the environment. And Lenny. Lenlibrizzi: Okay, thanks, Charlie. The good news is that there are several buildings in cities where the architects have included trees and other greenery on the building facade, on decks and roofs. someone who experienced the shortage of space available for tree planting and other greening projects in New York City, this ⁓ an elegant solution. Most often the debate was whether a space would be used for housing or open space. These projects include open space on housing. One example is called Bosco Verticale or vertical forest in Milan, Italy. Stefano Boeri designed two adjacent high rise residential buildings. ⁓ one 360 feet tall and the second 250 feet tall in the Porta Nuova district of Milan. The buildings are covered with 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs, and 2,000 plants from 100 different plant species. The plant species were chosen based on the sun exposures of the facades. This vertical park encompasses about 10,000 square feet of space, but it houses vegetation equivalent to 500,000 square feet of parkland. It helps cool the building and reduces the temperature and humidity outdoors while mitigating the heat island effect found in most cities. The plants are maintained by skilled gardeners. The building's balcony planters are staggered to allow for future growth. This is such a well thought out and planned project with great environmental benefits. The same architect has designed buildings similar to Bosco Verticale in other cities. They include Torre dei Sedri in Lausanne, Switzerland, Vertical Forest in Nanjing, China, and Wonder Woods in Utrecht in the Netherlands. And in a different part of the world, Medellin, Colombia, which was notorious as the murder capital of the world, is transforming the city's image by planting trees and greenery in green corridors and with a project called Orchidiorama. This project blurs the lines between a building, a garden, and open space with a structure that provides shade while having plants on, under, and around it. Designed by Plan B architects within the Botanic Garden of Medellin, it is used as a catering space for classes and workshops or just as a place to sit and relax. In all of these examples, trees which are perfect at reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, are being used in creative ways to also provide housing and improve the environment of cities. Now that is good news for the environment. And now Ed Linderman will share some good news about a group called New York Restoration Project that is making New York City greener. Thanks, Ed, for suggesting this story and for presenting it to our listeners. Ed? Edward Linderman: Thank you Lenny, thank you for inviting me to be here today and to join Charlie and Dominique and Mark. I'm going to continue Lenny with what you were speaking about. Bette Midler founded the New York Restoration Project in 1995 by picking up trash in a park. Since then the Restoration Project has evolved into an environmental justice nonprofit and citywide nature conservancy. Restoration Project's efforts not only improve the physical environment, they support and strengthen communities. For 30 years, from the transformation of long neglected parks to the historic million trees NYC partnership, to restoring the Harlem River shoreline, the Restoration Project has set the standard for citywide greening efforts. In 1995, Returning to the city that helped launch her celebrated career, Bette Midler found many of its streets, neighborhoods, and parks consumed by a sea of litter and years of neglect. Appalled at the state of these garden green spaces, Bette recruited friends and family to remove garbage from Fort Tryon Park and Fort Washington Park in Manhattan. A year later, the restoration project took on the task of clearing out and cleaning up Sherman Creek Park in Inwood, transforming an illegal dumping ground along the Harlem River into the beautiful five-acre Swindler Cove. That same year in Highbridge Park, Restoration Project crews and volunteers partnered with the City Department of Parks and Recreation to uncover more than four miles of pathways that had been buried under garbage and debris. They removed abandoned automobiles, 8,000 tires, and 481 tons of trash. Today, the project continues daily maintenance of both parks. Early on, Bette recognized the importance of the Harlem River to the neighboring community. They had to clear a pathway to even access the river. And in 2004, the restoration project built the Peter J. Sharp Boathouse. This beautiful boathouse is now home to the now-profit Roe New York, the popular rowing club. Mark: So Edward Linderman: Betts Restoration Project has also been deeply involved in community gardens. In 1999, Mayor Giuliani announced plans to sell 114 community gardens to real estate developers. But the Restoration Project quickly rallied and raised the money necessary to save these precious plots. Collaboration with the Trust for Public Land and other nonprofits ensured that these treasures would remain public gardens in perpetuity. NYRP, the New York Restoration Project, now owns and manages 51 community gardens throughout the five boroughs and works every day to promote the health of these neighborhoods. Mark: Thank Edward Linderman: These spaces provide New Yorkers with room to grow fresh and nutritious food, exercise, take children out to play, and safely connect with friends and family in beautiful gardens. and they have also been venues for environmental education programs, becoming outdoor classrooms and vibrant resources for many local schools. Most of these gardens have been renovated from the ground up to become state-of-the-art green spaces. And in 2019, New York State provided capital upgrade support in multiple gardens, Adding water sources garden infrastructure. In 2007, Bloomberg unveiled an extensive vision to make New York a greener 21st century metropolis, creating a more sustainable city. A cornerstone of the plan, Million Trees NYC, was formed to revitalize the city's urban tree canopy by planting thousands and caring for many new trees. Betts Restoration Project joined forces with the Department of Parks and Recreation and became a co-leader in Million Trees NYC. While the Department of Parks and Recreation and other city agencies planted along city streets, in parks, and on public rights of way, the restoration project focused on two primary tactics. One, providing free trees to New York City home and landowners. And two, directly planting trees alongside corporate spaces, schoolyards, public housing properties, and other public spaces. Million Trees NYC engaged and energized New Yorkers. Mark: ⁓ Edward Linderman: The millionth tree was planted in 2015 in the South Bronx. Today, the restoration project continues to care for thousands of ⁓ These maturing trees keep city streets cooler, sequester carbon, purify the air, provide shade, minimize flooding, and beautify neighborhoods. So let's give our thanks to Bette Midler and her amazing team. And let's follow her example in revitalizing and regreening our own neighborhoods. And again, I thank you for letting me be here and to speak today. Now I'm going to turn you over to my friend, Mark Latour. Mark, your turn. Mark: In April, lawmakers in Maine passed a bill, ⁓ 307, that could make it the first U.S. to put a moratorium on new data centers as opposition grows across the country over their impact on household energy bills and the environment. The bill would freeze approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027. while a state-appointed council analyzes their impact on the local grid, electricity bills, air and water. The governor has insisted on an exemption for a smaller-scale project that's been under development, which we use as existing infrastructure and that would not have a major impact on the electric grid or energy bills. Projected investments in these artificial intelligence big data centers is expected to reach $600 billion in the short term and will crowd out investments in other business sectors. And Maine will serve as a test case for other states that have been debating similar measures. So far, 11 states, including Virginia, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey, are weighing legislation that would halt or restrain data center development. While the question of how to handle the explosion of data centers does not fall under party lines, two Democratic lawmakers, Bernie Sanders and AOC, last month introduced legislation to halt all construction and data centers until Congress passes artificial intelligence safety legislation. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Connecticut Senator Blumenthal have also introduced legislation aimed at protecting ratepayers. from data center related energy bill spikes. These huge data centers require enormous amounts of energy, and this will lead to big increases in household electric bills. Given that big data centers use enormous amounts of water, these projects will deplete regional water supplies and raise household water bills. And these big data centers have a major heat island effect. They can increase surrounding temperatures by up to 16 degrees. Although LD307 was ultimately vetoed by the governor of Maine due to the ongoing construction of its first big data center, legislators around the country now realize they need to look carefully at whether the increase in household electric bills, household water bills, and the increase in surrounding air temperatures are too harmful to local citizens. These big AI data centers may also overwhelm local electricity grids. So opposition to these electricity hungry facilities is growing. Luckily, the legislators around the country are not passively accepting that any part of this $600 billion spending tree needs to happen in their communities. And that's good news for consumers and good news for the environment. On a separate matter, I also want to mention briefly the two marine entanglement hotlines. just in case you see entangled whales or dolphins when you're at the beach this summer. You should report entangled marine animals immediately to authorized responders. For whale entanglements on the U.S. East Coast, the NOAA Fisheries 24-hour hotline, 866-755-NOAA, or call 1-800-900-3622 for the Center for Coastal Studies. Do not attempt to disentangle the animal yourself, maintain a safe distance, and call for trained assistance. And now I'll go to Dominique, who's going to tell us about support for wildlife habitat connectivity. ⁓ Dominique Borel: Thank you, Mark. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, area all taking action to help animals survive and thrive. And they are especially focused on habitat connectivity for wildlife. With a signature from Governor Abigail Spanberger on House Bill 597, Virginia became the latest state to move forward on helping wild animals avoid roads and increase access to their historic natural habitats. This comes just days after Oregon Governor Tina Cotec signed a similar bill into law. Both states and Pennsylvania have recently taken significant actions to reconnect wildlife with the places they traditionally eat, drink, mate and migrate. Virginia is one of the worst states for collisions between wildlife and people. We need roads, but we also need roads to be safer for both wildlife and drivers. The legislation creates a new fund to implement Virginia's Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. This plan identifies sections of roads where drivers encounter wildlife and where the state should reconnect wildlife habitats. Potential solutions include building wildlife crossing structures, overpasses, and underpasses. Also increasing the diameter of culverts can help in many locations. Moving forward, Virginians will have the option to donate to the new Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund when they file state taxes or register vehicles. There was bipartisan support for this bill in the Virginia General Assembly and their action, plus the governor signing the bill into law, will keep drivers and wildlife safer. In Pennsylvania, A working group has been convened by Governor Shapiro to develop a statewide wildlife corridor plan. This step was years in the making as a recent law called for the state to study habit fragmentation and vehicle collisions with wildlife. Subsequent findings will help Pennsylvania stitch together habitats that have been torn apart by roadways. Each year, more than 1.3 million vehicles collide with large animals, including deer, elk, and bears across the United States. Many of these accidents wouldn't happen if the animals could cross over roads on bridges or cross underneath roads, tunnels, and large culverts. In total, these collisions kill more than 200 drivers, injure tens of thousands of people, inflict more than $8 billion in damages each year. Enacting policies that combine wildlife conservation and road safety are a win-win. Ideally, all states should invest in wildlife conservation. Animals and drivers in every state need more wildlife crossings, whether above the road or below. And for this reason, we call on the U.S. Congress to pass the Wildlife Road Crossings Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 to extend the expiring Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. Finally, in Oregon, Governor Tina Koteck signed the 1.25 % for Wildlife bill last week. This new law, which had bipartisan support in the legislature, will fund critical wildlife programs across the state with a 1.25 % increase in Oregon's transient lodging tax. People come from all over the world to Oregon for the state's natural wonders. So it makes sense that visitors should chip in to protect and restore wildlife in open spaces when they stay at our hotels, motels, and resorts. The revenue generated will support stewardship programs. designed to help more than 300 vulnerable species identified by the Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan. These vulnerable species include wolves, wolverines, lynx, bobcats, white-tailed deer, marten, owls, golden eagles, cuckoos, butterflies, sea turtles, whales, trout, salmon, and steelheads. ⁓ of these species will be beneficiaries of actions to reconnect habitat through wildlife corridors. And that is good news for wildlife, for drivers, and for the environment. Lenlibrizzi: Thanks, Dominique. And thank you for listening to the Mostly Good Environmental News Report. We hope you enjoyed hearing some good news. If you like what you heard, please share with your friends and listen to more episodes of the Mostly Good Environmental News Report wherever you listen to podcasts. We can be found on Spotify, Apple podcasts, YouTube. iHeartRadio and Amazon podcasts. A special thank you to Fred Duca for the original music compositions we are using in this podcast. Here is a little bit of that music.