Local Analysis

RUTLAND HERALD 10/05/19 TIMES ARGUS 10/05/19 By Michael Shank The way our society responds to problems — be they social, economic or environmental — rarely prevents that problem from occurring again. We’ll quickly treat a cough, by temporarily suppressing it with cough medicine, for example, but not change the conditions […]

ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT 09/30/19 By Michael Shank The way our society responds to problems — be they social, economic, or environmental — rarely prevents that problem from occurring again. We’ll quickly treat a cough, by temporarily suppressing it with cough medicine, for example, but not change the conditions that created […]

Key Dates for Student Competition Competition announced on September 3, 2019 Submissions accepted until March 1, 2020 Winners announced online on May 1, 2020 Purpose of competition To encourage environmental awareness in the Brandon area To foster Brandon area skills-building in storytelling and environmental filmmaking To support young aspiring filmmakers […]

RUTLAND HERALD 06/15/19 TIMES-ARGUS 06/15/19 This spring, a settlement was reached between the state of Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont’s Toxics Action Center office, and the Brandon-Leicester-Salisbury-Goshen-Pittsford Insect Control District, where I live. While it technically ends a legal dispute over pesticide spraying in Vermont, which originated due to […]

VTDIGGER 05/17/2019 By Michael Shank Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank, of Brandon, who is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. He serves on Brandon’s planning commission and energy committee. Last month, a settlement was reached between the state […]

VTDIGGER 11/28/18 By Michael Shank Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank, of Brandon, who is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. He serves on Brandon’s planning commission and energy committee. Environmentalists have long depended on good data and sound […]

TIMES ARGUS 02/16/18 By Michael Shank and Mary Falcon We don’t need a mega-prison in Vermont. We need a mega-commitment to keeping people out of prison. When Human Services Secretary Al Gobeille proposed building a new $150 million mega-prison in Vermont with taxpayer money — which CoreCivic (formerly the scandal-ridden […]

VTDIGGER 12/10/17 By Michael Shank Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank, Ph.D., of Brandon, who is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. He writes in his personal capacity. Economists love it. Republicans love it. Democrats love it. Big multinational […]

HUFFINGTON POST  5/25/17 By Michael Shank Many Americans don’t know where their trash goes after tossing it. Out of sight, out of mind. They don’t know where their municipal landfill is located or that an incinerator is nearby, ready to burn their waste. That disconnect makes it easy for Americans […]

JOURNAL NEWS 05/22/17 By Michael Shank This year is shaping up to be another “hottest year on record”, as February was the planet’s warmest month ever recorded. These aren’t anomalies. There’s a trend developing. The last few years have been surpassing previous temperature precedents, with 2016 going down as the […]