Environment

For goods to get from Connecticut to Long Island usually means enduring standstill traffic on I-95 and the Long Island Expressway. But now, thanks to Bob and Marilyn Kunkel’s hybrid cargo vessel the Captain Ben Moore, the trip can be made far faster and without any harmful emissions that could damage the environment.

In February, Mary Cinadr says she became noticing a distinct smell of gasoline in the mornings and evenings at her ground floor duplex apartment on Freeman Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Now she worries, they made her sick.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to introduce a bill banning new construction of glass skyscrapers as part of his efforts to reduce citywide greenhouse emissions by 30 percent.

Jackie Miranne, a TV host and style expert, talks about so-called fast fashion and the implications for the environment. What can designers, retailers, and consumers do?

Swimming in the Hudson River is unheard of for many. But many have never heard of Ira Gershenhorn. The 66-year-old Upper West Side resident swims the Hudson several times a week. The volunteer with the New York City Water Trail Association does it to help dispel myths that the Hudson River is unclean.

An organization called the Coalition Against an Unsound Crossing has revved up the opposition to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to build an 18-mile tunnel under the Long Island Sound that would connect Oyster Bay in Nassau County to Rye in Westchester. The project, which is in the beginning stages, would cost some $55 billion and take up to 20 years to complete. Variations of it have been floated for decades but now with Cuomo's consideration, people against it worry the work may move forward.

Plastic straws and stirrers could soon be banned in bars, restaurants and coffee shops in New York City. Democratic City Councilman Rafael Espinal introduced a bill on Wednesday, saying restaurants should replace plastic with paper or metal straws. Exceptions would be made for people with disabilities or medical conditions. The penalty would be a $100 fine.

If you take a look around the city, at any given time, at any given day, you'll likely see someone carrying a plastic bag, or finding a creative way to use one. But Mayor Bill de Blasio wants this to be a thing of the past. De Blasio has tried in the past to encourage New Yorkers to wean off plastic bags. First by proposing a fee per bag, which was blocked by Albany. Then Sunday, the mayor threw in his support for an all-out ban on plastic bags.

The price tag to build a bridge, tunnel, or a combination of the two across the Long Island Sound to link Connecticut to Long Island is some $55 billion, according to a study commissioned by New York State. The authors of the study dismissed proposals linking Wading River to Connecticut. They say connecting either Oyster Bay and Westchester or Kings Park and Connecticut would effectively promote new opportunities for economic growth in the region.

We live in a city with an ever-growing skyline, but that skyline could be our biggest problem when it comes to climate pollution, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio on Thursday announced a plan to force building owners to upgrade their boilers, water heaters, and roofs by 2030 in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan would apply to all buildings over 25,000 square feet.

Federal government scientists are calling into question the president's position on climate change. A draft report done by the researchers says global warming is getting worse. And the scientists fear the final version of the study won't be made public.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt took to the podium Friday to defend President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris global climate accord. The U.S. is now in the company of Syria and Nicaragua as the only countries not participating in the first global effort to combat climate change. 194 countries have agreed to limit their carbon emissions. The outcry is splashed across newspapers throughout Europe. One headline in Paris reads "CLIMATE GOODBYE AMERICA."