This city is mitigating local pollution concerns. Federal environmental policy rollbacks are challenging that.

We’re excited to catch you up on the News Ambassadors program and highlight the amazing work done by our partners. If you care about strengthening communities and better supporting democracy, help us by following us on Instagram, donating or forwarding this newsletter to a friend. If this was forwarded to you, subscribe here to get future updates directly to your inbox. 

📣📣 News Ambassadors wants to hear from you 📣📣 

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📻One big story 📻 

Tensions are rising between local and new federal environmental regulations across the country. A recent example is a city ordinance from South Lake Tahoe, California, where the city banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles to reduce pollution and protect the lake’s ecosystem. This ordinance is a part of broader efforts to reverse environmental rollbacks from Trump’s first administration, particularly concerning PFAS regulation. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had previously backed away from regulating these harmful chemicals, but South Lake Tahoe’s decision is helping to mitigate their impact locally. The policy change reflects growing concerns over microplastics and PFAS contamination, which have been linked to various environmental and health risks including hormonal and developmental effects. The Associated Press reports the Trump administration has already taken significant steps away from global climate regulations.

This story is a re-up from our 2024 News Ambassadors cohort at University of Nevada Reno. You can read the original story here.

Why we like it: Reporter Amanda Durand explores South Lake Tahoe’s decision to ban single-use plastic water bottles through a scientific and community lens, analyzing both its enforcement challenges and its opportunities—such as reducing plastic pollution in Lake Tahoe, encouraging the use of refillable water stations and setting a precedent for other cities looking to implement similar sustainability policies. 

Broader Context: The ban follows increasing studies on plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems along with President Trump’s recent executive orders that abandon protections against certain toxic chemicals found in some plastics. The Environmental Working Group says the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw a proposed rule on PFAS limits is a setback for public health. The proposed rule aimed to regulate these harmful "forever chemicals" in industrial discharges, due to their link to serious health problems. Environmental and public health advocates expressed concern over the decision, highlighting the ongoing risks to communities already facing PFAS contamination. PFAS are toxic at very low levels and manufacturers don’t have to disclose their use to consumers.

Tip: When covering local environmental regulations, consider how state policies intersect with federal policy changes. Some states, like New Jersey and Michigan, have adopted stricter PFAS limits than the EPA’s proposed guidelines, showing how state action can push beyond federal standards. Keeping an eye on updates from the EPA or recent congressional changes on pollution control can help connect local policies to the bigger picture and offer more informed reporting.

News Ambassadors ✨Resource Spotlight✨ 

We’re excited to share a cool engagement journalism resource – now available in English and Spanish –  for newsrooms and J-schools doing community engagement geared towards Solutions Journalism or depolarization reporting. Our Community Questions to Inform your Solutions Journalism/Depolarization Reporting guide highlights specific community engagement questions designed to yield story ideas that commit to uplifting solutions and common ground. 

Our guide moves beyond sample questions for community engagement to also shed light on why we’re asking specific questions. For instance, reporters can use the tool of asset-framing(™) to highlight a community’s assets as well as their deficits, helping them tell fuller, more accurate stories. We’re thrilled that our friends at Solutions Journalism Network and Hearken shared this tool with their networks, too.

Did you know we do trainings for Solutions Journalism, Complicating the Narrative and community engagement? If you or your organization is interested, reply to this email to get in touch.

🌱Knowing and growing 🌱

This month, instead of featuring a Q&A from one of our participants, we want to turn the Q&A over to you, our reader. The Perceptiongap.us quiz is based on a study that explores how Americans tend to have a distorted understanding of people on the other side of the aisle, what causes it, and why it matters. Share your thoughts and results with us 👀

👓What we’re reading👓

We’re loving the audiobook version of Amanda Ripley’s High Conflict, which is packed with useful strategies to help people move from unhealthy “high conflict” to the necessary and useful “good conflict” that is a part of living in a healthy democracy. Healthy conflict means neighbors and colleagues can disagree on everything from public policy to business decisions to interpersonal or family norms — but still be able to talk civilly about their different opinions. 

Ripley authored the viral Complicating the Narratives article that launched one of the reporting strategies at the heart of News Ambassadors’ work with journalism schools. Ripley and colleague Hélène Biandudi-Hofer used research from the article to design the Complicating the Narratives reporting framework and teaching tools. They then went on to launch Good Conflict, which does consulting and teaching to help folks move from “high”conflict to good conflict. We’re excited to dive into their master class in 2025! 

That’s all we have for you this month, folks. We hope you’ll have a wonderful holiday season and we’ll see you in March!