It hasn't been a great week for moving the American environmental agenda forward. On Thursday, the Republican members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works decided to boycott the vote on Gina McCarthy's nomination.

However, on a positive note, the

It's hard to believe that the first federal air pollution legislation was the Air Pollution Act of 1955. Fifty-eight years later, the United States -- and the world -- are still struggling to come to terms with the importance of preserving the quality of the air we breathe.

It's only March, and already the push back against environmental concerns is evident. Superstorm Sandy is old news, except for those still picking up the pieces of disaster.

At the forefront of bringing awareness to all things green isRep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), who serves as a ranking...

The sequester is here. As I outlined in a previous article exactly what we had to look forward to, indiscriminate cuts are being unleashed upon the public straight across the board, delivered with a hatchet as opposed to a scalpel.

I reached out to Sen. Tom...

Amid conversations about budget cuts and safety nets, my curiosity was peaked as to why some of the wealthiest oil companies in the world were being given a helping hand by the American people. Or more simply put, "Why are these companies being subsidized by the federal government?"

In addition...

In a bright, open space on Second Street and Avenue B in Manhattan, an exhibition featuring 12 artists of Guyanese descent is on view at the Wilmer Jennings Gallery.

Guyana is a country that is approximately the same size as the state of Idaho. Although it is situated on the...

Trashed is a documentary featuring its executive producer, actor Jeremy Irons. It examines the encroaching problem of global waste.

Director Candida Brady, who describes herself as a childhood asthmatic and a concerned mother, builds a trajectory that illustrates the impact of waste on...

As part of the "Reel Pieces" movie series at the 92Y in New York City, Annette Insdorf hosted Jeremy Irons in a screening of Trashed. Irons, the executive producer of the film, also takes on the role of citizen-journalist narrator. Along with...

Promised Land, a small film by Hollywood standards, stars co-screenwriters Matt Damon and John Krasinski. Directed by Gus Van Sant in the tradition of The China Syndrome and Silkwood, Promised Land uses mainstream entertainment to delve into American values, corporate responsibility, and activism.

The...

New York City has been home to many well-known artists who have played a role in the story of 20th Century art. In a four-story brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn--a block from Prospect Park--I was able to sit down and speak with painter Kendall Shaw. At 88 years old, he...

The fiscal cliff. Sequestration. Lame duck session. These are terms that Americans have been hearing with regularity since the election. The conversation will be ratcheted up during December, as the clock ticks and the American public waits to see if the president and Congress...

In a recent conversation I had with an OB-GYN, she mentioned her belief in the necessity of having a thyroid shield when getting a mammogram. I made a mental note of it and decided it was worthy of further assessment. When I went for my test, I mentioned it to...

Not every playwright wants their work to start a movement. That's where Eve Ensler differs. When she wrote The Vagina Monologues in 1996, vagina wasn't a word that was used during television interviews. The play has since spawned not only innumerable performances, it has launched the...

The devastation of Hurricane Sandy may become a fading news headline in unaffected parts of the country, but it remains very prevalent in the New York and New Jersey area. From ravaged homes and lost cars, to images of Manhattan's Chelsea galleries hanging art out to dry --...

"Cinema. Dialogue. Understanding."

These words were on the screen at the Other Israel Film Festival, at the JCC in Manhattan, as the auditorium filled up on opening night. Sharqiya, by first time Israeli filmmaker Ami Livne, was receiving its New York premiere. It had garnered top honors at...

Sweet Dreams is a documentary that chronicles how a group of Rwandan women survived destruction and mass murder, and then embarked on the tenuous path of healing. Against the backdrop of the lush green Rwandan countryside, the film informs viewers that 1994 was the year of genocide in...

CharitySub, a "subscription service for giving," is highlighting three organizations in November that focus on the needs of veterans. Their model is simple. Members of the community give five dollars every month, and learn about an issue that needs support. After reading the profiles of CharitySub's picks, they...

As Americans head to the polls to exercise their franchise, many amid concerns of voter suppression, the role of each person in society is underscored. Individual activism matters. Coalesced into group action -- it is mighty.

It is impossible to watch David France's documentary, How...

As the country begins to pick up the pieces after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the conversation is finally getting around to the question of why climate change wasn't addressed during the presidential debates.

Perhaps that was why I was so impressed to hear candidate

The topic of the environment got a brief bit of play when Romney and Obama jousted about drilling on federal lands during the second debate. Romney reiterated his support for oil and coal, while doing a shout out for wind power (despite his stand against the production tax...