Ten things we learned in 2019

Our work to protect the environment always starts with research. In 2019, Environment America Research & Policy Center together with Frontier Group released reports on promising solutions to global warming, vexing problems for our oceans and wildlife, and exciting gains for renewable energy.  Read on for a recap of 10 things we learned in 2019 from Wendy Wendlandt, Board Chair of Environment America Research & Policy Center. 

Our work to protect the environment always starts with research. Through thoughtful policy development and hard-hitting reports, we examine problems, evaluate the best science, and propose meaningful solutions.

In 2019, Environment America Research & Policy Center together with Frontier Group released reports on promising solutions to global warming, vexing problems for our oceans and wildlife, and exciting gains for renewable energy. 

Ten things we learned in 2019:

  1. America produces almost five times as much energy from the sun and wind as we did a decade ago. – Renewables on the Rise

  2. More than 40 colleges and universities now obtain 100 percent or more of their electricity from renewable energy sources. Two Texas schools topped the list of most renewable electricity generated per student (Southwestern University and Austin College), followed by my alma mater, Whitman College. – America’s Top Colleges for Renewable Energy

  3. Thirty-seven states are making money meant for reducing air pollution available for diesel or other fossil fuel-based technology. – Volkswagen Settlement State Scorecard

  4. Recycling is in trouble (in some places). – State of Recycling National Survey

  5. “Offshore drilling” may be a misnomer, given all the pipelines, toxic waste facilities, and refineries needed on land. – Offshore Drilling, Onshore Damage

  6. Fecal bacteria makes many of our beaches unsafe for swimming at least a few days each year. – Safe for Swimming?

  7. Thousands of hog waste lagoons, coal ash ponds, and toxic facilities pose a risk to our waterways (especially during a hurricane). – Accidents Waiting to Happen

  8. Today’s electric technologies can meet nearly all our home and business energy needs—often at a competitive cost and with a fraction of the pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion. – Electric Buildings

  9. Composting could reduce the amount of trash we send to landfills and incinerators by at least 30 percent. – Composting in America

  10. Cleaner public transportation is ready to roll. – Electric Buses in America

In 2020, look for a new report on how to reduce carbon pollution from transportation, an update to our online map of threats to water quality in the Delaware River Basin, our annual report on dirty air in America’s cities, and new resources to deal with the threat of plastic pollution, among other timely research and writing.

You can also read about our sister organization Environment America’s work turning this research into policy here.

Authors

Wendy Wendlandt

President & Chairwoman Environment America Research and Policy Center; Senior Vice President, the Public Interest Network

​​As president of Environment America Research and Policy Center, Wendy is a leading voice for the environment in the United States. She has been quoted in major national, state and local news outlets for nearly 40 years on issues ranging from air pollution to green investing. She is also a senior vice president with The Public Interest Network. She is a founding board member of Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizers, and Green Century Funds, the nation’s first family of fossil fuel free mutual funds. Wendy started with WashPIRG, where she led campaigns to create Washington state’s model toxic waste cleanup program and to stop the nation’s first high-level nuclear waste dump site. She is a 1983 graduate of Whitman College. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and dog and hikes wherever and whenever she can.