Environment and Health
Clean Energy is Calling. Will Your Phone Company Answer?
There currently is a cavernous lack of leadership in our federal government on tackling climate change. Fortunately, cities, states, universities, and some businesses have stepped up to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and grow our renewable energy. But there’s...
Racism is Literally Killing African-American Mothers
At first glance, tennis star Serena Williams and the late activist Erica Garner don't have much in common. They lived different lives on different ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. But as black women in America, they both shared horrifying stories due to...
I’m an Eagle Scout, and I Don’t Want Pipelines in My Wilderness
I’m an Eagle Scout from Virginia. Troop 149, an enthusiastic and lively troop from Arlington, made me the person I am today. Being a member of Troop 149 meant a lot of things, but most importantly it meant incredible outdoor expeditions on the Appalachian Trail. The...
Mass Shootings Shouldn’t Be the Only Time We Talk About Mental Illness
After every mass shooting, we repeat all of the same things. Some call for gun control. Those against gun control say this isn't the time to talk about it. The Onion reprints its story titled, "‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens,"...
The Attorney General Thinks Aspirin Helps Severe Pain. He’s Wrong.
Recently Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave Americans suffering severe pain some advice: "People need to take some aspirin sometimes and tough it out a little." As someone who has suffered chronic pain for over 20 years, his remarks make me very angry. Sessions was...
Beholder in Chief
America Dumps Its Fracking Waste in My Ohio Town
My southeastern Ohio town in the Appalachian foothills is a small, rural place where the demolition derby is a hot ticket, Walmart is the biggest store, and people in the surrounding villages must often drive for 30 minutes to grocery shop. We hold the unfortunate...
How One Coal Baron Set an Entire Administration’s Energy Agenda
It's common knowledge that our political system is awash with money. And that money, despite some flimsy legal barriers, comes with strings attached. One coal baron's efforts to set an entire administration's energy agenda are the perfect case study. His name is...
Do the Poor Deserve Health Care? These Politicians Say No.
Between 2013 and 2016, the state of Kentucky experienced a veritable medical miracle. In 2013, two of every five low-income people in the state had no health insurance. By 2016, only one in every 13 poor Kentuckians were going uninsured. As a result, the share of...
Trump’s Gift for the Unemployed: Kicking Them Off Health Care
On January 11, the Trump administration issued a cruel announcement: If you can’t find a job, don’t count on being able to get health care. Under an unprecedented new policy, the administration will let states kick people off Medicaid for the crime of being...
