BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 3/30/23 CALEDONIAN RECORD 3/31/23 By Michael Shank As the saying goes, waste is a terrible thing to waste. They don’t say that, but they should. Because one of our member cities, Toronto, is doing everything it can to ensure it’s not wasting waste — specifically human poop. Steaming […]
Author: Michael Shank
Can Sewers Provide the Low-Carbon Heat We Need?
REUTERS 03/20/23 By Michael Shank In the search for cheap, green heat, cities from Toronto to Seattle are harnessing a wasted asset: human poop As the saying goes, waste is a terrible thing to waste. They don’t say that, but they should. Because one of our member cities, Toronto, is […]
Key posts in local government can help to tackle climate change
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 02/23/23 VTDIGGER 02/28/23 TIMES ARGUS 02/17/23 RUTLAND HERALD 02/17/23 BENNINGTON BANNER 02/23/23 By Michael Shank and Julia Peek When tackling climate change, one may think of the usual suite of approaches in policymaking: regulation and incentives to ramp up renewables, electrify our buildings and transportation, weatherize our homes, […]
What’s the Key to Climate Action? Better Communication
REUTERS 01/23/23 By Michael Shank and Esa Nikunen Cities that invest in effectively getting climate messages out can drive faster change Michael Shank is director of engagement for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and Esa Nikunen is director general of environment services for Helsinki. Have you ever been to the […]
Municipal Approach to Climate Action
VTDIGGER 01/16/23 RUTLAND HERALD 01/21/23 TIMES ARGUS 01/21/23 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 01/23/23 MANCHESTER JOURNAL 01/23/23 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank, a resident of Montpelier, who is director of engagement at the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and teaches sustainable development at New York University. As more people migrate […]
3 Tangible Ways to Engage Your Community and Tackle Big Problems
FAST COMPANY 12/20/22 By Michael Shank From Amsterdam to Cleveland, cities are experimenting with tactics that bring community members into the conversation and empower them to make positive change. As more people migrate to urban areas at risk of climate disaster, cities are increasingly thinking and working outside the traditional […]
Indigenous People Need Real Compensation for Climate Change
NEWSWEEK 12/8/22 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva As climate talks wrapped up at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt this past month, the attending delegates agreed to make long-awaited history. For the first time, the United Nations adopted a pact to establish a “loss […]
Posting Property Against Hunting Should Be a One-And-Done Deal
VTDIGGER 12/06/22 RUTLAND HERALD 12/08/22 TIMES ARGUS 12/08/22 CALEDONIAN RECORD 12/15/22 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 12/20/22 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank, a resident of Montpelier. Here’s the only time I’ll ever utter the following phrase: Vermont should be more like Alabama and Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas, and Missouri […]
It’s Time for a Governor That Cares About Working Vermonters
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 11/03/22 VTDIGGER 11/09/22 By Michael Shank This month, I was asked to investigate “Why this governor doesn’t care about working aged people?” And by governor, they meant Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. That was the question posed to me, verbatim. And while I had some initial thoughts in response […]
Bias Shows Up in Coverage of Vermont’s Political Campaigns
VTDIGGER 10/17/22 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank of Montpelier, who teaches in the graduate schools at New York University and George Mason University. Critiquing a political campaign without getting sidelined as sour grapes isn’t easy. There have been many drafts of this article, attempting to get […]