CALEDONIAN RECORD 04/14/23 BENNINGTON BANNER 04/14/23 TIMES ARGUS 04/20/23 RUTLAND HERALD 04/20/23 VTDIGGER 05/16/23 By Michael Shank Cities around the world are increasingly investing in new approaches to engage communities in the co-creation of climate action and policymaking. There are several remarkable shifts happening across city ecosystems at the Carbon […]
Local Analysis
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 […]
Behavior Change is Critical to Reap Climate Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act
BENNINGTON BANNER 09/15/22 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 09/15/22 RUTLAND HERALD 09/17/22 TIMES ARGUS 09/17/22 By Michael Shank The environmental community scored a much-needed win recently in the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law last month. And, taken in context, much of that fanfare is warranted given the U.S. Congress was at a […]
A Victim’s Plea for Criminal Justice Reform
VTDIGGER 08/24/22 BENNINGTON BANNER 08/29/22 TIMES ARGUS 09/03/22 RUTLAND HERALD 09/03/22 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 09//09/22 By Michael Shank When you’re a victim of gun-related violence, there’s never really an end to it. It keeps re-emerging, reminding you of the initial trauma it caused. It can live with you forever. The 300-plus […]
Examining the Environmental Impacts of Buildings in Vermont
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 08/10/22 TIMES ARGUS 08/13/22 RUTLAND HERALD 08/13/22 By Michael Shank With Indonesian islanders suing cement producers for climate damages recently, buildings are getting much-needed attention for their carbon-heavy footprint. The built environment generates nearly 50 percent of annual global emissions, which is why efforts in Vermont to weatherize […]