When I announced in April 2008 that I'd be moving from Washington, DC, to sunny Santa Monica, most of my friends assumed it was for the surfing at lunch and yoga at night lifestyle. Little do they know that the majority of my day is spent with some of our nation's brilliant legal minds and connecting their work with the local Southern California landscape.
I grew up in Portland, OR, received my BA in Communications with minors in History, Music and Leadership from the University of Denver, and worked on Capitol Hill when I first arrived in DC. I love the legislative aspects to enacting change, but also know we need to enforce the laws that govern our society.
Posted January 20, 2012 by Jessica Lass in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, Solving Global Warming
Each year the United Nations selects several common themes for action. Last year, one of the themes was the year of the forests which focused on efforts to combat deforestation around the world. Deforestation is an issue affecting dozens of...continued→
Posted December 22, 2011 by Jessica Lass in Living Sustainably
Making the list for most New Year’s resolutions is a renewed commitment to exercise. In LA, we have the additional benefit of nice weather to encourage residents to stick to that resolution, but usually within the first few weeks of...continued→
Posted December 14, 2011 by Jessica Lass in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil
I consider myself one of the lucky few in Los Angeles who technically do not need a car to get around. I use my bike to cycle back and forth to work, to run errands and visit most friends. While...continued→
Posted July 28, 2011 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
July has been a good month for cyclists and walkers in Los Angeles. Turns out, some neighborhoods in Los Angeles are actually considered some of the most walkable areas of the state: WeHo is ranked #1 and Santa Monica is ranked the #4...continued→
Posted December 1, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
It's not often that you associate vampires (bloodthirsty night-dwellers) with environmental activists (solar-loving vegetarians) but friend of NRDC Ian Somerhalder is trying to bridge the gap by launching the IS Foundation. His new foundation endeavors to empower, educate and collaborate...continued→
Posted August 26, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, The Media and the Environment
Last year when I first watched the Oscar-award winning documentary, The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos, I walked out of the screening silently, and with a heavy heart over the film that chronicles an annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan....continued→
Posted August 19, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Moving Beyond Oil
In recent weeks, the Gulf oil spill story line has dramatically turned in BP’s favor. “The oil is gone” “There’s no longer a slick” are some of the repeated lines from media coverage. The White House even claims that 75%...continued→
Posted July 24, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil
While driving down to Chauvin, Louisiana on Friday morning I saw a billboard confirming that “Yes, the 75th annual shrimp and petrochemical festival is still on” in Morgan City, La., on September 2-6. Shrimp and Petrochemical festival, those don’t typically...continued→
Posted July 24, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil
I knew it was going to be an adventure getting to the second of two Plaquemines Parish open house events this week when I saw that Google maps projected a 2.5 hour drive and ferry ride back and across the...continued→
Posted July 22, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil
I stopped by the Buras auditorium yesterday to check in with a couple women I met yesterday at NRDC’s Gulf Resource Center. They work for Plaquemines Parish CARE Center a non-profit dedicated protect children, victims, the elderly and disabled of...continued→
Posted July 21, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil
Nearly 200 stress balls and more bad news are what they handed out at last night’s open house in Buras, Louisiana. The open house was meant to provide the community of fishermen with new opportunities to become engaged in the...continued→
Posted July 20, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil
As I was flying into New Orleans yesterday, I started questioning what I would see when I went back to Buras and Venice. The weather is oppressive and more petulant than when I was first here in May, I say...continued→
Posted May 22, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Moving Beyond Oil
I recently had a long conversation with a shrimper-turned-oil-spill-worker about the cleanup conditions his task force and several other task forces he's observed are experiencing. Generally, it sounds like the cleanup worker conditions are incredibly badly managed, they don't have...continued→
Posted May 12, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
My last day in Venice – just hours before heading to the airport after a week and a half on ground zero of the Gulf oil rig disaster – I stumbled upon breaking news at the Cypress Cove Marina. Coming...continued→
Posted May 11, 2010 by Jessica Lass in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
The boat ride from Cypress Cove in Venice, La., took about an hour over choppy water and being stopped by the Coast Guard and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. We faced a southwesterly wind before we making landfall at an...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
