Local Analysis

Urban Agriculture Is Taking Off. Cities Need to Get on Board

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH 09/17/23 By Michael Shank and Kate Lee There’s a new movement cropping up in city governments across America. It’s apolitical enough that it can avoid the polarization that comes with other climate initiatives. And it’s easy to incorporate because it spans many aspects of city governance and life, […]

Climate Action Plan Communication

BENNINGTON BANNER 06/19/23 MANCHESTER JOURNAL 06/19/23 RUTLAND HERALD 06/21/23 TIMES ARGUS 06/21/23 By Michael Shank Most cities that consider themselves environmental leaders have developed climate action plans that articulate how they’re reducing emissions, adapting to climate impacts, and promoting circularity and equity. Vermont cities, like Burlington and Montpelier, have done […]

Waste is a Terrible Thing to Waste

BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 3/30/23 CALEDONIAN RECORD 3/31/23 TIMES ARGUS 04/01/23 RUTLAND HERALD 04/01/23 VTDIGGER 04/10/23 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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]