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Articles by Vikki Spruill
Commission urges New England states to prioritize prison education
IF EDUCATION IS key to a better life, that may hold double for those who are incarcerated. People who land in prison tend to have low educational attainment levels, while facing even greater employment challenges when released than those with similar education backgrounds because of the stigma and barriers their conviction carries.
Thong-wearing climate activists turn their cheeks in Senate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THONG-WEARING climate activists intent on stopping fossil fuel infrastructure mooned senators and disrupted Thursday's tax relief debate in the Massachusetts Senate. About an hour later, they were arrested and escorted out of the chamber.
As strandings of sea turtles rise, voluntary rescue efforts won't cut it
EVERY YEAR, as countless endangered sea turtles migrate south along the Massachusetts shore to escape the cold, they become trapped in Cape Cod Bay's freezing waters. Dedicated staff and volunteers with Mass Audubon carefully walk along the Cape's beaches to rescue the stranded turtles and deliver them to the New England Aquarium to receive treatment, where they join the more than 5,000 sea turtles that have been rehabilitated and released since 1997.
Sea turtles (tag) - CommonWealth Magazine
By Vikki Spruill,Edward Markey,William Keating,Bruce Mohl,Oona Metz Federal funding needed, just like it is for whales and dolphins EVERY YEAR, as countless endangered sea turtles migrate south along the Massachusetts shore to escape the cold, they become trapped in Cape Cod Bay's freezing waters. Dedicated staff and volunteers with Mass Audubon carefully walk along the Cape's beaches to rescue the stranded turtles and deliver them to the New England Aquarium to receive treatment,(...)
A renewed push to legalize 'medical aid in dying'
LEGISLATORS AND MEDICAL CHOICE advocates are taking another run at passing a medical aid in dying bill after the Supreme Judicial Court last year placed the responsibility squarely on lawmakers to consider the emotionally fraught subject. A Senate bill and its House counterpart would establish a 10-step vetting process for adult patients with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live to be given life-ending medication to take if they choose it.
medical aid in dying (tag)
Supreme Judicial Court ruling puts issue in hands of Legislature medical aid in dying, physician-assisted death, physician-assisted suicide LEGISLATORS AND MEDICAL CHOICE advocates are taking another run at passing a medical aid in dying bill after the Supreme Judicial Court last year placed the responsibility squarely on lawmakers to consider the emotionally fraught subject.
John Silber, my father, never caved
I WISH JOHN SILBER, my father, could see the new Center for Computer and Data Sciences on the Boston University campus. Some call it the Jenga building; to me it looks like a stack of toppling books. In his Architecture of the Absurd, a perfect gem on the subject of modern architecture, Silber clearly loves some whimsical architecture, such as the works of Gaudi, in which the whimsical shapes of buildings and public spaces clearly enhance the experience of people who live and work in them.
Waterfront resilience is ground zero in climate fight Original
GOV. MAURA HEALEY'S recent appointment of the Commonwealth's first cabinet level climate chief -Melissa Hoffer, joining from the Environmental Protection Agency - reflects the new administration's belief that resiliency is a priority issue that spans public health, equity, the economy, and environmental sustainability.
Aquarium chiefs: Taking a stand for marine life & our fragile ocean
We need bold action from our global leaders to address the current biodiversity and climate crisis, a threat that can no longer be spoken of in the future tense. This month, President Biden took such action by restoring protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only marine monument in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, New England’s rich marine life will be better protected from human activity, including the impact of climate change.
Five priorities for Boston’s waterfront - CommonWealth Magazine
THE LANDSCAPE of the upcoming Boston mayoral race makes it abundantly clear that the city’s biggest priorities—housing, education, economic opportunity—will be considered through a new lens, one more reflective of its diverse residents. Creating a waterfront for everyone through planning and a leading-edge approach to climate change must also land on that list of priorities.
How we’re staying afloat at the New England Aquarium - CommonWealth Magazine
THIS YEAR’S rapid-fire turn of events is stunning. Minute to minute, day by day, we face a new reality. It’s no different leading one of Boston’s most popular and beloved cultural institutions in the year when we planned to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Then, it all turned upside down. To give you a sense of the impact on local institutions, I want to share how the entire New England Aquarium has been affected by the pandemic.
During crisis, importance of science grows - CommonWealth Magazine
THIS IS A TIME of reckoning for our nation. We are seeing the disastrous results of discounting public health experts, scientists, and the facts when we should have listened. The fight against the coronavirus is giving us the chance to reconsider the value of science in our public policy and in how we live our lives. It is encouraging us to embrace science and the power it gives us to overcome the challenges we face.
Letter: Boston's downtown waterfront needs reimagining
Vikki N. Spruill Saturday Feb 29, 2020 at 10:37 AM With creativity, the downtown waterfront can be both more resilient and more attractive and engaging as a public gathering place. The Herald News verifies and reviews all letters to the editor we receive. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not those of The Herald News.
Letter: Boston's downtown waterfront needs reimagining
Vikki N. Spruill Saturday Feb 29, 2020 at 10:37 AM With creativity, the downtown waterfront can be both more resilient and more attractive and engaging as a public gathering place. The Herald News verifies and reviews all letters to the editor we receive. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not those of The Herald News.
COLUMN: VIKKI SPRUILL: Climate change puts ocean at risk
By Vikki N. Spruill Friday Jan 3, 2020 at 9:27 AM Columns share an author's personal perspective and are often based on facts. Today, I, along with ocean advocates and all those working to protect our planet, am deeply disappointed by the lack of leadership by global governments at the recent United Nations climate talks — leadership that was required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
COLUMN: VIKKI SPRUILL: Climate change puts ocean at risk
By Vikki N. Spruill Friday Jan 3, 2020 at 9:27 AM Columns share an author's personal perspective and are often based on facts. Today, I, along with ocean advocates and all those working to protect our planet, am deeply disappointed by the lack of leadership by global governments at the recent United Nations climate talks — leadership that was required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
We can still save the North Atlantic right whale - CommonWealth Magazine
NOW MAY BE our last chance to save the North Atlantic right whale from extinction. The North Atlantic right whale population once dominated the Atlantic Ocean with numbers likely in the tens of thousands, but today, only about 400 remain. In the 1700s, whalers prized these marine mammals for their fatty blubber, making them the “right whale” to harvest for oil and baleen. By the time whaling was outlawed in 1935, the species was decimated.
Our fate is tied to a healthy ocean. That’s why New England’s marine monument matters.
Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England. Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean. This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
VIKKI SPRUILL: Save the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts monument
Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England. Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean, and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean. This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
VIKKI SPRUILL: Save the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts monument
Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England. Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean, and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean. This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
Canyons and Seamounts must remain protected
When can I go back to my home? Stay evacuated until officials announce your street is safe. The entirety of South Lawrence is still under an evacuation warning, Mayor Dan Rivera said Friday morning. In Andover and North Andover, some streets have been cleared but are still without power. A list of the streets that are safe for reentry can be found on the town websites or here. If I can't go home, where can I go? Can I turn my gas back on when I'm allowed to go home?
Column: Canyons and Seamounts must remain protected
Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England.Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean, and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean.This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
Column: Canyons and Seamounts must remain protected
Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England.Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean, and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean.This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
Another View: The longer view and care for our ocean resources
By Vikki Spruill, the CEO and President of the New England Aquarium Americans live our lives around the pull of the oceans. And nowhere is that more true than in New England.Along New England’s coast, we make our living from the ocean, plan vacations to enjoy the ocean, and understand that our economic fate is closely tied to a healthy ocean.This is why we worked to create the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument two years ago.
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
Roughly 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, where the continental shelf drops into the inky, black abyss below, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument protects three massive undersea canyons, some deeper than the Grand Canyon, four underwater mountains, and an untold number of marine animals. These mountains rise as high as 7,000 feet above the ocean floor—that’s taller than the highest peaks in the White Mountains. It’s higher than anything east of the Rockies.
Why the Tax Reform Bill Would Demolish Charitable Giving
This week, the United States marked our most generous day of the year: Giving Tuesday. For the last six years, everyday Americans use this day to hit pause on their holiday shopping in order to give to those in need. If last year is any indication, donations will easily spike into the hundreds of millions, even if they come in increments of $20 or $50 at a time. But if Congress has its way, the picture for 2018 will change dramatically.
Keep partisan politics out of the nonprofit sector
Washington, D.C., may be the most partisan place on earth, where anything and everything is judged by which political party you support, rather than the substance of what’s being discussed. Well, thank goodness that perspective is not shared by our nation’s charitable nonprofits and foundations, because it would prevent us from addressing the real-life challenges in every community across America.
Brexit Vote Will Force Philanthropy to Tackle Many Tough Issues
The vote for Britain to exit the European Union took philanthropy and the rest of the world by surprise. But it raises tough new questions about how grant makers should respond to political and financial turmoil and uncertainty. The full implications... This content is available exclusively to Chronicle subscribers Already a subscriber? Log in now Need to subscribe?
Brexit Vote Will Force Philanthropy to Tackle Many Tough Issues
The vote for Britain to exit the European Union took philanthropy and the rest of the world by surprise. But it raises tough new questions about how grant makers should respond to political and financial turmoil and uncertainty. The full implications of the Brexit decision will take time to play out. Those who wanted to stay — and a slew of economists — warned about the potentially dire outcome of Britain’s leaving the EU.
Brexit Vote May Force Philanthropy to Tackle Many Tough Issues
The vote for Britain to exit the European Union took philanthropy and the rest of the world by surprise. But it raises tough new questions about how grant makers should respond to political and financial turmoil and uncertainty. The full implications... This content is available exclusively to Chronicle subscribers Already a subscriber? Log in now Need to subscribe?
Philanthropy and Inclusivity: A Longstanding Problem That Must Be Treated as Urgent
As readers know, NPQ has been following the work of many of the nonprofit sector’s central infrastructure organizations as they take on issues of diversity and inclusion in the ranks of nonprofits and philanthropy. This op-ed from the leaders of Hispanics in Philanthropy and the Council on Foundations comes to us on the eve of the Council’s annual conference, where a number of sessions will address the lack of diversity and inclusion in philanthropy itself.
Veterans served their country; it’s their country’s turn to serve them
On the Fourth of July, our nation comes together to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy — freedoms our service members, our veterans and their families have made possible through their sacrifices. Just as these Americans responded to the call to defend our liberties, our nation must respond to our call to duty: ensuring veterans and their families have a successful transition from service to community. Together, one nation with one common goal, we must serve those who have served us.
This Independence Day, serve those who have served our nation
On the Fourth of July, our nation comes together to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy — freedoms our service members, veterans and their families have made possible through their sacrifices. Just as these Americans responded to the call to defend our liberties, our nation must respond to our call to duty: ensuring veterans and their families have a successful transition from service to community. Together, as one nation with one common goal, we must serve those who have served us.
Serving those who served the United States
On the Fourth of July, our nation comes together to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, freedoms our service members, veterans and their families have made possible through their sacrifices.Just as these Americans responded to the call to defend our liberties, our nation must respond to our call to duty: ensuring veterans and their families have a successful transition from service to community.Together, one nation with one common goal, we must serve those who have served us.As more than 2.6...
A Vital Pipeline: How Donor-Advised Funds Engage New Donors and Boost Communities
Editor’s Note: As the debate over donor-advised funds heats up, we’re keen to air all sides at Inside Philanthropy. This guest post is by the president and CEO of the Council of Foundations. When thinking about donor-advised funds (DAFs) and the policies that surround their use, policymakers must stop focusing solely on the donation transaction.
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