Foundation News
Apr 21, 2020
The federal government had the foresight and mechanisms in place to minimize the risk of pandemics to human health. However, the Trump administration is placing the nation at risk by systematically undermining these structures and experts associated with them, writes Fellow Laura Meyerson.Read more >
Mar 19, 2020
Dear Switzer Fellows and friends of the foundation, On behalf of the staff, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I am writing with a few updates about the foundation’s activities during the current public health emergency. We converted the spring retreat and policy...Read more >
Mar 11, 2020
The Alewife Brook Reservation is one of the few places in Cambridge where you can still find fireflies. Nestled between the Concord Turnpike and Alewife T Station, this humble wetland is home to diverse native plant and animal species, and serves as an important rest stop for migrating birds. It is one of our city’s greatest treasures, but we haven’t been treating it that way, write Fellow Avalon Owens and co-author Annie Nguyen.Read more >
Mar 9, 2020
We have decided as a staff to serve only vegetarian meals at Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation events, starting with the current fellows’ spring policy communications retreat and our next alumni dinner on March 15th in Washington, D.C.Read more >
Feb 24, 2020
In 2019, after years of advocacy by affected community members and environmental justice advocates, California passed new laws establishing the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water (SADW) Program. The program will strengthen the technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity of water systems in communities and regions throughout the state, but without attention to the social and political dimensions it will likely fail to provide sustainable solutions.Read more >
Feb 24, 2020
Take a walk along the banks of the Verde River and you’ll find water cascading down gentle rapids, cottonwoods and willows rustling in the breeze, and the sounds of birds ringing out in the shady oasis. To the casual visitor, the Verde River may appear a picture-perfect healthy ecosystem. But...Read more >
Feb 24, 2020
Part of the value of clinic participation is learning how to advocate for a real-life client, as opposed to the hypothetical clients law students deal with in their legal writing courses. But often, clients deviate significantly from our expectations, writes Fellow Candice Youngblood. And while classes on discrimination get us fired up to champion for justice, they cannot flesh out every way justice can manifest for real-life communities.Read more >
Feb 3, 2020
The United States needs to look beyond the current administration’s climate obstructionism, write S. David Freeman and Switzer Fellow John S. Berger. We must start considering laws now that ultimately outlaw fossil fuels. Otherwise, America will be unprepared to take bold meaningful climate action in 2021.Read more >
Jan 23, 2020
From The Sacramento Bee : Bruce A. Handley of Sacramento died peacefully of heart failure at home on December 8, 2019. He was born in Santa Rosa in 1945 where he grew up with many life-long friends. He graduated from Long Beach State in business and then later, was one of the first to get a degree...Read more >
Dec 16, 2019
An energy paradox lingers in Indian Country, the land base of Native Americans in the contiguous 48 states: enormous renewable energy generation potential, but numerous barriers to development and electrification. This article by Margaret Tallmadge is the first in a two-part series: first, exploring the barriers to renewable energy development in Indian Country, and second, laying out potential regulatory, legislative, financial, and business solutions for overcoming them.Read more >
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