RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH 04/24/25 By Michael Shank and Ed Potosnak Americans have been feeling the pinch in recent months. There’s a reason the cost of eggs is a dinner table conversation — and frankly, the cost of everything else, including our power bills. There’s a selfish economic reason motivating many Americans […]
Author: Michael Shank
Environmental Justice Leadership in America
Island Press Forthcoming By Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Dr. Michael Shank Our book offers a guided, story-rich roadmap for what a holistic approach to environmental justice looks like. In this book, we highlight the key ingredients necessary for leading impactful and empowering environmental justice movements. We do this by storytelling […]
Trump’s Bullying Is an Act of Desperation
RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH 03/17/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and Former US Congressman Mike Honda Bullying isn’t a new phenomenon in American politics, the press or public spaces. It’s always been there, from early European settler domination of our indigenous First Nations communities to more recent hate speech and actions accosting […]
Trump’s Energy Policy Is ‘Drill, Baby, Drill.’ The Planet Can’t Survive This.
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 03/11/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and US Congressman Hank Johnson In less than two months since taking office, President Donald Trump has reversed decades of progress against climate change, putting our economy, our lives and the planet in grave danger. On Monday, Trump’s new energy […]
How U.S. Bullying Spells the End of Its Empire
SUBSTACK 04/05/25 MEDIUM 04/05/25 How China is dominating on global trade, energy, research, transportation and more By Former U.S. Congressman Michael Honda and Dr. Michael Shank Bullying isn’t a new phenomenon in American politics, press or public space. It’s always been there, from early European settler domination of our Indigenous […]
Climate Change Is Forcing Americans to Move—And They Need Help
NEWSWEEK 02/19/25 By Dr. Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Clarke With President Donald Trump’s administration removing climate change language from federal government websites, withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement, ending climate disaster response within the Department of Homeland Security, and discussing plans to get rid of the […]
Bring Back the Inspectors General Trump Fired
FAST COMPANY 02/14/25 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Steve Cohen If President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are serious about making the U.S. government more efficient, then Trump needs to reinstate the dozen-plus independent inspectors general who were recently fired from his administration. These independent inspectors were tasked with […]
An Apolitical Win: Solar Power on Habitat Houses
APOLITICAL 02/07/25 By Dr. Michael Shank With newly elected President Donald Trump declaring a national energy emergency last month to boost fossil fuels, while planning to gut environmental policies of the previous administration, there is one clean energy that’ll stay in the mix — and that’s solar power. Trump’s recently […]
Despite Assault on Clean Energy, the Future Remains Bright for Solar
RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH 02/07/2025 By Michael Shank With newly elected President Donald Trump declaring a national energy emergency last month to boost fossil fuels, while planning to gut environmental policies of the previous administration, there is one clean energy that’ll stay in the mix — and that’s solar power. Trump’s […]
RFK Jr.’s Approach to Toxics Could Unite Republicans and Democrats
THE HILL 01/28/25 By Michael Shank With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing now scheduled for this week, there’s a lot of discussion about what Kennedy will or won’t do as secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s administration. Estimates are wide-ranging, but there’s one lens […]