Author Archives: LesliPlunkett

Science is under assault. On Inauguration Day, scientists speak out.

by LesliPlunkett Posted on January 20, 2017

On Friday, Donald Trump was sworn in as president. He and his cabinet nominees have expressed views on climate and other aspects of science that are far outside the norm.

Scientists are spending Inauguration Day reminding the public that science has been a cornerstone for society. Their tweets using the hashtag #USofScience highlight the vast scope of scientific knowledge and the diverse group of researchers helping to build our understanding of the world each day.

Through years of meticulous research, scientists have developed a clear view of climate change and its impacts. They’ve tracked the global temperature using thermometers and satellites, studied the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and gauged how fast ice is melting and oceans are rising, to name just a few areas of research.

It’s clear from that research just how much carbon pollution has altered the climate, and how it’s impacting society. Scientists are continuing to work hard to better understand what comes next for our planet if carbon pollution isn’t checked. And yet their work will likely be under assault by the Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress.

That’s why they’re using the inauguration to show the value of science, their contributions, and the contributions of their predecessors. It’s a rallying cry for policy based on sound science and a reminder to the public that a lot of what we know about the world wouldn’t exist without dedicated researchers.

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Science is under assault. On Inauguration Day, scientists speak out.

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School Lunches Just Got Way Better in These Six Cities (and It’s Not the Food)

by LesliPlunkett Posted on May 21, 2015

Mother Jones

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School lunches may be healthier than when you were a kid, but the wasteful and polluting materials that cafeterias serve them on have actually gotten worse. In an effort to save on labor and equipment costs, many schools switched from washable trays to disposable foam ones over the past couple of decades. But this trend is now beginning to change.

The school districts of six major cities—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Orlando— announced today that they will stop using polystyrene foam trays, and begin serving lunch on compostable plates.

The Urban School Food Alliance, which counts the country’s largest school districts among its members, coordinated the change after developing an affordable compostable plate made from recycled newspaper that costs just a penny more than its foam counterpart.

“Shifting from polystyrene trays to compostable plates will allow these cities to dramatically slash waste sent to landfills, reduce plastics pollution in our communities and oceans, and create valuable compost that can be re-used on our farms,” said Mark Izeman, a senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council, which partners with the Alliance.

This shift to compostable plates by more than 4,000 schools will save an estimated 225 million petroleum-based plastic trays from going into landfill each year.

What’s next? The Alliance hopes to introduce compostable cutlery by next school year.

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School Lunches Just Got Way Better in These Six Cities (and It’s Not the Food)

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