Laurie O'Reilly

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

Editing

Developmental editing of feature articles, annual reports, blogs, and other materials.

Magazine Edit •

Big Oil on Trial

Darrèll Brown drives down Providence’s Allens Avenue several times a week. On both sides of the busy road, Shell Oil’s massive oil storage terminal looms. Each of its squat white tanks reaches 50 feet high and stretches even wider. The sight of them serves as a stark reminder of the risk of pollution from the tanks every time it rains – and the silent threat of the catastrophic damage they could unleash when hit by a powerful storm.

“It’s an intimidating stretch of road,” Brown says. “It feels
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
Magazine Edit •

The Road to Ropeless Fishing Gear

Humans have long posed a threat to North Atlantic right whales. But that threat has become more acute as rapidly warming waters have changed where whales can find their primary food sources. Today, right whales forage in places they were not seen 10, 15, or even 20 years ago – both farther north and farther south – as they pursue their prey. Right whales’ risks of harm from humans, especially fishing gear and vessel strikes, have increased as a result.

Fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales
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
Conservation Law Foundation •

Burning Waste Poisons People

Jackie Mercurio has lived in the shadows of a toxic waste incinerator her entire life. From the backyard of her childhood home in Saugus, Massachusetts, you can see the facility’s smokestack rising above the trees, spewing smog, pollution, and ash over the quiet residential neighborhood.

The incinerator weighs heavily on Jackie. As a kid, she recalls, “ash and soot showered down on homes every day – coating swimming pools, rooftops, and sidings in a blanket of toxicity. You could literally feel
Blog Edit •

Cape Cod Community Looks to Punt Responsibility for Water Pollution

A battle underway in Barnstable could have severe repercussions for the health of Cape Cod’s waters. On one side are those who are determined to develop build more and more “McMansions” in the mid-Cape community, no matter the cost to the environment. On the other, residents who recognize that, if the bays are destroyed, then the real estate market and the tourism economy will go with them.