Why it Matters that 2020 is Almost Here

Jun 28, 2013

CLCV Chief Executive Officer Sarah Rose addresses the attendees of the June 27 CLCV Environmental Leadership Awards in San Francisco:

As this is June and the end of the school year for most students, I was proud to attend the promotion ceremony for my oldest daughter from elementary school. Next year she enters middle school, and then a few more years and she’ll be off to high school as a member of the graduating class of 2020.  Read More >

California: Fracked!

Jun 7, 2013

Last week, the California Senate passed SB 4, a comprehensive fracking regulation bill authored by environmental champion Senator Fran Pavley. It passed on a party-line vote, with all 28 Democrats voting for it and all 11 Republicans voting against it.

(Take action on fracking now; tell your Assemblymember to stand up to the oil industry and vote YES on SB 4: www.ecovote.org/fracking) Read More >

How convenient are plastic bags, really?

May 29, 2013

"But they're so convenient." Really?

[Updated May 30, 2013: Today the California state senate failed to pass SB 405, the statewide plastic bag ban. The bill's author, Senator Alex Padilla, vowed to bring it back and convince fellow lawmakers to support it next year].

The main, lame argument I hear in favor of the ubiquitous single-use plastic bag is that it's convenient. And that it's difficult to remember to bring your own reusable bags when you're out shopping. Even the most responsible environmentalists among us have occasionally arrived at the grocery store and realized we've forgotten our trusty reusable bag (you know, the ones with the logo of our favorite public radio station proudly displayed) and had to juggle a few items on the way home on our bikes or in our electric or biodiesel cars.

But compare that minor inconvenience to the mess caused by millions of plastic bags littered throughout our communities and scoring free attendance to a popular trash conference known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Read More >

Toxic couches: In a home near you?

Nov 28, 2012

What you don't know about your couch may not kill you, but it could definitely harm you and your family.

So listen up: A new study by UC Berkeley and Duke University researchers reveals that an astounding 85% of U.S. couches contain toxic flame retardant chemicals. Earlier studies show that these chemicals migrate from the foam in the couches into house dust and into our bodies. Young children are at even more risk of ingesting the toxic dust while they crawl around on the floor and put their hands in their mouths. Read More >

Thank you, California

Nov 7, 2012

Thank you for voting. Thank you for talking to your friends and family about difficult, important issues. Thank you for listening to candidates and asking tough questions, and thank you for using your resources to support environmental protection.

And, most of all, thank you for taking part in another election with important victories for the environment in our great state of California. Read More >

CLCV 2012 Scorecard Reveals Champions and Foes of Environmental Progress

Oct 31, 2012

Today CLCV released its annual California Environmental Scorecard, just days before the November 2012 General Election. The record of the votes (available at www.ecovote.org/scorecard/) reveals how members of the state legislature and Governor Jerry Brown performed on the most important environmental and public health bills in the 2012 legislative session. Read More >

2012 Legislative Wrap-Up

Sep 5, 2012

Last Friday marked the last day of this legislative session, ending a very busy month for CLCV in the Capitol.

Though CLCV worked on - and worked with you on - many bills this year, we had five top priorities that held true through the year: Read More >

A Capitol Day for Environmental Advocates

Aug 9, 2012

It was a capitol day for dozens of environmental advocates. Read More >

Time to Ban the Bag

Jul 26, 2012

It's time for the state of California to follow the lead of more than 50 of our cities and dump the plastic bag.

Named by Guinness World Records as "the most ubiquitous consumer item in the world," single-use plastic bags are a leading source of pollution worldwide, including in California. Californians use and throw away 12 billion (yes, that's billion with a "b") of these bags each year with devastating consequences for marine life. Read More >

FDA Bans Toxic BPA in Baby Bottles

Jul 18, 2012

Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?

I'm a "good news first" kind of person, so here it is: The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it is now illegal for baby bottles and sippy cups to contain the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). The announcement comes less than a year after California passed the Toxin-Free Infant and Toddlers Act, a ban on BPA in these products made or sold in California authored by Assemblymember Betsy Butler. Read More >

 
 
 

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2018 California Environmental Scorecard

New for the 2018 legislative session: The 45th annual California Environmental Scorecard rates elected officials on 2018, another successful year for the environment in spite of heavy opposition from polluting industry.

Find out how your legislators did in 2018 in CLCV's California Environmental Scorecard.