Laurie O'Reilly

Writer, editor, designer, and proofreader with expertise in conservation and outdoor subjects.

Feature Story Editing •

You Can Get There from Here

When my partner and I moved to Vermont last year, we knew we couldn’t make it work without a car. Apartments near Montpelier, a city of fewer than 8,000 people, get rural fast. Factor in snowy winters, limited public transit, and no sidewalks or streetlights mere blocks from downtown, and we knew a car was essential for our life outside of Boston.

Owning a car is a fact of existence for many of us living in New England. Especially in the northern states and outside of major cities, you need a c
Feature Story Editing •

Breaking Down Big Plastic

When Susan Eastwood first started to speak out against pollution in her community, her battle was personal. Her daughter suffers from severe asthma – a condition made worse by the diesel-fueled bus she rode to school every day. To protect her daughter’s health, Eastwood banded together with Clean Water Action on a campaign to keep her daughter and other kids safe from toxic bus emissions.

Today, as Chapter Chair of Sierra Club Connecticut and co-leader of the Connecticut Zero Waste Coalition, E
Annual Report Article Writing •

Reclaiming the People’s Harbor

It doesn’t take long for Peter Shelley to warm to his story, though he’s told it countless times before. It’s the case that has defined the career of CLF’s senior statesman, transformed the organization into a litigation powerhouse, and changed the face of Boston forever. It’s the story of Boston Harbor, and it begins like so many modern epics – with an intrepid reporter, a three-part exposé, and a life-changing phone call.
Annual Report Article Writing •

Taking the Long View

Sometimes, a good idea takes a long time to come to fruition. A very long time. It also takes vision, tenacity, and skill.

Take ocean planning – the idea that we can be smarter and more coordinated about how we collectively use, manage, and protect limited ocean resources. When the Northeast Regional Ocean Plan was approved for New England’s federal waters last year, it capped off a journey for CLF that began nearly two decades ago.
Annual Report Article Writing •

Stopping Childhood Lead Poisoning

For the past four years, Tom Irwin has talked to countless people about the tragedy of childhood lead poisoning. Especially before the Flint crisis put lead issues back in the headlines, he often would be met with the incredulous response, “But haven’t we solved that problem already?”

It’s a fair question, says Irwin, director of CLF’s New Hampshire Advocacy Center. “We’ve known that lead is a dangerous toxin, especially for kids, for decades, even before it was banned from paint in 1978.