Unfortunately, many of us, especially activists and other change agents, understand far too little about what works and doesn’t, why some protests fizzle out and others lead to transformational change.
In an increasingly privatized world, it’s worth remembering that some of our most cherished and trusted institutions–NPR, PBS, the USPS, libraries, the Social Security Administration, credit unions–are nonprofit, not-for-profit, quasi-governmental, or governmental entities. And this is true even as trust […]
It’s Fall on an even-numbered year
which means an election looms, again.
We wander pumpkin patches, corn mazes, haunted
houses, make holiday plans, think what gifts to give.
In two weeks, voters across the country will decide whether to keep control of the House and Senate in the hands of Democrats, or give one or both chambers of Congress back to the party of Trump, insurrection, election denialism, […]
The Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) is one of those once-in-a-lifetime, transformational pieces of legislation that’s so far-reaching and chock-full of potential, it’s hard to wrap one’s mind around it. Indeed, when it passed in August the mood in the climate […]
When we think of building a clean future, the tools that come to mind are technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and heat pumps. And all of these are essential, to be sure. But there is a tool […]
Anyone interested in maximizing social good must wrestle with an essential question: given a limited amount of money to contribute to various causes, what is the most effective allocation of those dollars? For whether one is able to donate $100 […]
As I begin this essay, the Senate is on the verge of passing historic legislation to tackle the climate crisis, reduce prescription-drug prices, raise taxes on big corporations, and extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, among other things. (Update: the legislation […]
While what happens on Twitter–the memes, the controversies–may not resonate with or represent the experiences of the general electorate, many of the trends are illustrative of, and often exacerbate, fundamental challenges to our democracy. Consider so-called Hot Takes, which are […]
Of all the literal and figurative poisons floating around our world–the carbon emissions heating up the planet, mercury, microplastics; bigotry and hate; war and authoritarianism–the most dangerous is despair. For as soon as we succumb to hopelessness, we lose sight […]