Empowering Community Driven and Environmentally Focused Solutions with TransitMatters

During my final semester, I worked with TransitMatters as a Clean Transit Associate, engaging with projects that evaluated and reimagined public transportation. TransitMatters is a non-profit advocacy group based in Boston which strives to advance solutions for public transit across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A main tenet of their work is using data to drive conversations about reliability, efficiency, and access. Over my 10 weeks with TransitMatters, I saw the value of blending data with personal experiences to create a holistic picture about how good public transportation can change communities – and benefit our planet.

Climate Policy LabJuly 8, 2025public transportation, environmental justice, Author - Alison Lashendock, 2025Comment

Climate Policies Must Include, and Learn From, the LGBTQI+ Community

Despite significant achievements in recent years for the protection and provision of equal rights for LGBTQI+ people, there are still significant barriers to full inclusion in society. Around the world, LGBTQI+ issues are often co-opted by political parties and used to stoke anxieties about national or cultural identity, Western influence or other social, economic or political challenges. LGBTQI+ individuals also face barriers to housing, education, medical care and other critical services, while social stigma serves to isolate them from their family and community. In the United States alone, LGBTQI+ individuals, particularly youth and transgender people, are estimated to make up nearly 40% of those experiencing homelessness, making them even more vulnerable to things like substance abuse, depression or anxiety and assault.

Queer(ing) Environmentalism

Recent Fletcher grad Katy Constantinides discusses how queer liberation is intrinsically tied with environmental justice in the first blog post of CIERP’s 2022 Pride Month Blog Series.

Celebrating Earth Day 2021

Professor Emeritus and CIERP Founder Bill Moomaw discusses the history behind Earth Day and its impact on his career at Fletcher on the 51st Earth Day.