Author Archives: lhatfield

The New York Fracking Debate: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Posted on January 10, 2012 by lhatfield| Leave a comment

by Kai Olson-Sawyer, research and policy analyst, GRACE Communications

As the last reverberations died from Governor Cuomo’s 2012 resounding New York State of the State address, it must be noted that not a single syllable was uttered about the controversial issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). No doubt, Cuomo and his advisors – aware of how inflammatory the topic has become in New York state (NYS) – made the political decision to sidestep it, and his silence spoke volumes. Just outside the Albany convention center where Cuomo was speaking, an anti-fracking rally called loudly for a permanent state ban on the practice. Continue reading →

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Posted in From Around The Web, Natural Gas Drilling

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The Electric Car Exacts Its Revenge

Posted on November 7, 2011 by lhatfield| Leave a comment


by Peter Hanlon, Research and Policy Analyst, GRACE Communications Foundation

“I didn’t even like cars.”

Not exactly what you’d expect to hear from a film director best known for his work documenting the rise, fall and rebirth of the electric car. But after driving electric cars for the past ten years, Chris Paine, who just a few years ago asked Who Killed the Electric Car?, has become a car guy, prone to discuss the finer points of his all-electric Tesla Roadster, plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt or dearly-departed General Motors EV-1. Continue reading →

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Posted in Clean Energy, Climate Destabilization, Low-Impact Living

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Historic Droughts and Floods: Different Threats, Same Problems

Posted on October 10, 2011 by lhatfield| Leave a comment


by Peter Hanlon, Research and Policy Analyst, GRACE Communications Foundation

This truly has been a summer of extremes. Texas had its hottest and driest summer ever recorded, while Northeastern states including New Jersey, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire had their wettest August ever.

Tropical Storm Lee kept the meteorological insults rolling in early September. While large swaths of dry Texas land burned in wildfires, Lee’s remnants dumped an estimated 29 trillion gallons of water from Louisiana through Upstate New York. Take a look at the precipitation map illustrating Lee’s heavy rainfall and you can’t help but notice the stark cutoff line between Louisiana (soaked) and neighboring Texas (barely a drop). What did Texas get from Lee? Lots of wind, which helped to spread those wildfires even more. It kind of makes you believe in curses. Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate Destabilization

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Could NYC Ban Disposable Bags?

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lhatfield| 3 Comments


by Peter Hanlon, Research and Policy Analyst, GRACE Communications Foundation

One of the advantages of living in New York City is that you can get nearly anything you need at almost any hour. Greasing the gears of that spur-of-the-moment consumption is the plastic bag. No need to think ahead about how to get groceries, the latest iPhone or a 22-ounce Sapporo safely home…here, just put it in this bag. Continue reading →

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Posted in Low-Impact Living

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Me, My Wife, and (Hurricane) Irene

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lhatfield| Leave a comment


by Kai Olson-Sawyer, research and policy analyst, GRACE Communications

Maybe it was the fact that I tied the knot with my beautiful wife, Laura. Or maybe it was the blustery entrance of Hurricane Irene the following day. Let’s just say it was an unforgettable weekend. Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate Destabilization

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FIJI Water and Parent Company Still Rolling in the Water

Posted on September 2, 2011 by lhatfield| 1 Comment

by Kai Olson-Sawyer, research and policy analyst, GRACE Communications

So far, 2011 has been a tough year for scandal-prone California agribusiness giant and holding company, Roll International, which might be part of the reason for the company’s recent yet minor name change to Roll Global. (Of course, I’m kidding. It’s for tax purposes, right?) After all the bad press last year about how Roll Global – the parent company of luxury bottled water brand FIJI Water, among other well-known businesses – established itself as a community-draining water-taker extraordinaire, it’s not unexpected that the corporation might want to distance itself from…itself. Belief in corporate personhood aside , it’s actually the Beverly Hills-based, billionaire socialite couple, Stewart and Lynda Resnick, who are probably dismayed.

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Posted in Food Politics

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Farming in St. Croix: A Day in the Life

Posted on August 25, 2011 by lhatfield| 1 Comment

by Erin McCarthy, program associate at the GRACE Communications Foundation.

Goodbye concrete jungle, hello sun sand and soil.

Back in January, I fled the Big Apple in favor of the Ridge to Reef Farmer Residency at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute in St. Croix. My fingertips itched to similarly abandon the keyboard in favor of warm soil and I knew it was time to enrich my knowledge of organic agriculture by actually farming. (Escaping one of New York’s worst winters ever turned out to be an added perk.) Personally, I have long felt connected to St. Croix — nearly forty years ago, my mother spent a stint working there as an elementary school teacher. I know she looks fondly upon these years, and when I was finally off to see St. Croix for myself, I had no doubt a similar experience was in store. Soon I would be creating lifelong friendships from sunup to sunset, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life on the farm.

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Posted in Sustainable Farming

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Can a Food Truck be Green? In a Word, Yes.

Posted on August 24, 2011 by lhatfield| 1 Comment

by Jennifer Bunin, program assistant at the GRACE Communications Foundation. 

When you think about food trucks, the first words to pop into your head might be anything from “delicious” to “unsanitary,” but I’m guessing they don’t tend toward “sustainable” or “healthy.” But in fact, food trucks are joining the ranks of community gardens and rooftop farms in changing – and greening – the urban food scene.

As any city-dweller will tell you, food trucks have been around for ages—much longer than many food trend reporters have recently given them credit for. However, nowadays food trucks are taking a turn for the gourmet — many mobile “carts” are now offering fresh, local and often healthy foods, and cities are starting to wake up to how food trucks can positively affect communities.

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Posted in Healthy Diet, Organic Food

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