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Adriana Espinoza, our NYC Program Director, recently submitted testimony to the New York City Council's Health and Finance Committees last week regarding our healthy foods budget priorities.  We called for a $10 million investment to expand grocery store access in underserved communities, a $15 million to increase healthy food SNAP incentive program, and a $3 million investment to increase healthy food options at corner stores.  

Early last year, Governor Cuomo announced plans for a regulation that would require manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose all of the ingredients in any cleaning products sold in New York on their websites, as well as disclosure of the ingredients to the State.

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that toxic chemicals in drinking water can be harmful at much lower levels than the EPA previously reported as safe. Newly disclosed e-mails between members of the EPA revealed that the agency tried to keep this information hidden to avoid conflict with the public and a negative reaction from the media.

A newly released report published by Bloomberg predicts a very promising future for electric buses. The report found that switching from conventional to electric buses would not only be helpful for air quality, it would also save money in the long term. 

Earlier this month, the New York City Council introduced a package of legislation designed to tackle lead exposure in NYC from water, soil, and paint. The seventeen bills represent the largest and most concerted effort to address lead poisoning in years.

Up to a certain point, rooftop solar benefits everyone – homeowners who have it save money and we get fewer greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner air. But two problems emerge when rooftop solar clears a certain threshold.

As we adjust to a new normal of more severe storms, more frequent droughts, and more flooding, we will have to be flexible about how – and where – we live our lives. One strategy we’ll need to adopt is called “managed retreat” – and unfortunately we’re not managing it very well right now.