Research Reports

Given the large amount of food that some municipalities procure and the many people that they employ, the impact of food waste reduction measures in municipal operations can be substantial and far-reaching. For example, New York City purchases $500 million worth of food each year and employs around 325,000 people across dozens of agencies.

Changes in the interpretation of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) resulting from judicial decisions or federal rulemaking place a substantial burden upon state and tribal regulators and legislators. States, in particular, must determine whether, and how, to keep up with shifting federal coverage by adopting and implementing protections for waters that are not protected by federal law.

ELI’s Food Waste Initiative is publishing a Research Brief Series to present takeaways from the Initiative’s research, spanning a range of topics important to food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling.

Island communities in the Pacific region rely on fishing for food and livelihoods, but coastal marine resources are under threat from both natural and human pressures that are leading to their decline. It is essential that local communities, which often have traditional user rights or ownership rights over coastal areas and the marine resources in those areas, play a leading role in managing the resources on which they depend.

This is a companion paper to ELI’s 2023 report, Ventilation in Schools, which discusses state policy strategies for addressing school ventilation as part of general facility operations and during infectious disease emergencies.