Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

🩺 How many factors influence your health? Human health is impacted not only by healthcare, but by transportation, education, housing, and many other sectors. At EESI’s Healthier Outcomes in Surface Transportation Briefing, panelist Keshia Pollack Porter, PhD of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health described the Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework. Swipe to learn more — and check out the briefing here: https://ow.ly/PqCE50VCG9a #PublicHealth #Transportation #PublicPolicy

🍅Nearly half of all food produced in the United States is lost or wasted! Annual greenhouse gas emissions from food loss and waste is equal to about 42 coal power plants💨 Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) stresses the importance of reducing food waste in this EESI briefing: https://ow.ly/ZFGb50VCUQW Massachusetts requires businesses to reduce their food waste, but many aren’t aware of this mandate. To bridge this gap, consultants visit local restaurants and help by coming up with practical fixes, like adding signs or connecting them with composting haulers. Learn more about how small changes in a kitchen can add up to a cleaner planet in this article by Somini Sengupta for The New York Times: https://ow.ly/20Wk50VCUQV

🌎Join 100 organizations supporting sustainable transportation and Earth Day 2025 on Saturday, April 19! EESI is a partner of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC) Earth Day 5K Walk, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Display, and Green Expo. The event will feature public transit vehicles, school buses, and municipal trucks powered by cleaner fuels such as electricity, biofuels, propane, natural gas, and hydrogen. Energy, environment, and public health advocacy organizations and experts will showcase products and services demonstrating how alternative fuels, renewable energy, and advanced technologies reduce oil dependence and strengthen national resilience. Learn more about how you can participate: https://lnkd.in/eqdhqDFQ #GWRCCCEarthDay #GreenExpoDC #EarthDay2025

#DidYouKnow that on a sunny day in the city, the evapotranspiration of just one tree 🌳 has a cooling effect equivalent to at least 10 air conditioners? Urban forestry has a ton of benefits! But sometimes, green space development can negatively impact surrounding populations. If not equitably distributed, urban greening projects can lead to “environmental gentrification,” which occurs when environmental improvements raise surrounding property values and displace lower-income residents. The USDA Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program focuses on urban and community green spaces by supporting local sustainable greening initiatives. Learn more in our recent article by Whitney Orloff: https://lnkd.in/edydPbbF #UrbanForestry #UrbanHeatIslandEffect #Trees #Equity

Cleaning up and repurposing abandoned mine lands (AML) is a win-win for humans and ecosystems. So why are 73% of those mines still unreclaimed? Turn the sound on 📢 to hear Kevin Zedack of Appalachian Voices explain the barriers to AML cleanup. To learn about what lawmakers can do to remove those barriers, listen to our recent episode of The Climate Conversation podcast: https://ow.ly/szPB50VA20L #Podcast #RuralEconomies #Mining #Coal

Bill Nye recently teamed up with LA-based nonprofit Climate Resolve on this fantastic new video about how cool surfaces can be used as a climate mitigation strategy: bit.ly/coolsurfaces To learn more about the science of cool surfaces, let's re-surface this podcast episode with EESI board member Kurt Shickman, who helped create the Bill Nye video: https://lnkd.in/gi6Xsb6n Also, in case you missed EESI's briefing yesterday, panelist Jacob Miller, CEM talked about the benefits of smart surfaces in transportation infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/e4A2h5_C

Thank you so much to those who reviewed EESI on GreatNonprofits! We have now been named a 2025 Top-Rated Nonprofit for the 15th year in a row 🙌 These reviews help readers understand the value of EESI's resources on climate change, energy, and environmental solutions. We are humbled and inspired by your reviews! GreatNonprofits user soshaughnessy shared these kind words: "EESI is one of the best organizations in DC. Intelligent staff who bring important, trusted, and nonpartisan information to staffers on the Hill all year long." Click here to check out other reviews, or add your own at any time: https://lnkd.in/eKd5wEH5 #ClimateChange #GreatNP2025 #Nonprofit

🎣The Colombia River is the largest salmon-producing river in the lower 48 states, but... its fish population has dropped dramatically. Learn why in our detailed notes from EESI’s Columbia River briefing, which are now available! Our ongoing series, Resilient and Healthy Rivers, informs policy-makers about all the climate-related issues affecting major river systems that communities depend on.⁠ If you don't have time to read the full notes, here's the TLDR: 💧Rivers supply about 70% of our drinking water and provide habitat for over 80% of species in the United States. 🐟The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative—a collaboration of Pacific Northwest states and tribal nations—has developed a strategic approach to salmon recovery. 💸The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program was established in 1987. The program, which covers the Lower Columbia Estuary, yields a 17-to-1 return on investment by leveraging funds from local, state, and private sources for estuary restoration. 🤝Community-driven climate resilience projects are key to mitigate flooding, restore habitat, and address sea level rise. Check out the complete notes here: https://ow.ly/iPQX50Vz020 #ColumbiaRiver #RiverResilience #WaterConservation

☀️Project Nexus is generating energy by installing solar panels over California’s canals, and California has about 4,000 miles of water canals! Not only does this generate clean energy, but solar canals also optimize land use, prevent toxic algal blooms, and reduce water evaporation, with the potential of saving 63 billion gallons of water every year! Isabella Millet writes about solar canals in this EESI article: https://ow.ly/bcx250VyWQj The California Solar Canal Initiative project is now using data from the University of California, Merced, to find communities willing to have solar arrays installed over their canals. Learn more from Anne Fischer for pv magazine Global here: https://ow.ly/bcx250VyWQj

We hope you enjoyed our briefing on the public health implications of transportation policy! To watch it again, download presentations, and read notes, please visit https://lnkd.in/eeuwtjae. We'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to our speakers: Rep. Mark Takano, Megan Weil Latshaw, Keshia Pollack Porter, Jacob Miller, CEM, and Benito Omar Pérez, AICP CTP CAPP!