Most Recent Articles - YES!

YES! has a positive solution-oriented focus. We reframe issues, reflect diverse human-scale stories, and offer tools for people to use and to pass along. Here are our most recent articles and blogs.

Building a Solar Economy: 4 Lessons from Hawaii

by Erin L. McCoy

posted Apr 11, 2013

Hawaii generates more of its power from the sun than any other state. Here’s what the rest of us can learn from the obstacles that came up along the way and and what’s being done to overcome them.

What If Your Kids Want to Get Political?

by Shannon Hayes

posted Apr 11, 2013

Using young children as political props is problematic, to say the least. But when they do form their own opinion, it’s important to let them express it.

A Portlandia Sendup of Tiny House Living

by YES! online staff

posted Apr 11, 2013

Portlandia’s Kumail Nanjiani visits a tiny house and asks some of the questions on everybody’s mind.

Labor Dept. Deputy: It’s Time to Raise the Minimum Wage

by Amy Dean

posted Apr 11, 2013

Before joining the Department of Labor, Mary Beth Maxwell was a top organizer for the workers’ rights organization Jobs With Justice. Here, she speaks with Amy Dean about the lives of workers who make minimum wage and why the time has come to raise it.

Look out Monsanto: The Global Food Movement Is Rising

by Daniel Moss

posted Apr 10, 2013

The book Harvesting Justice isn’t just a look at the world’s most exciting food justice groups—it’s also a knockout organizing tool.

Why Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu Leaders Have High Hopes for Pope Francis

by Chris Francis

posted Apr 09, 2013

Leaders from many faiths are expecting better relations with the Vatican under Pope Francis. Here YES! speaks to some of them about why that is.

Occupy Sandy Funds Growth of Worker-Owned Co-Ops

by Peter Rugh

posted Apr 05, 2013

Could the seaside neighborhoods struck by Hurricane Sandy be the next big incubator for worker-owned companies?

Why the Most Powerful Thing in the World Is a Seed

by Abby Quillen

posted Apr 04, 2013

“The Seed Underground” is a love letter to the quiet revolutionaries who are saving our food heritage.

To Build a Community Economy, Start With Solidarity

by Abby Scher

posted Apr 03, 2013

How residents who can’t afford to buy in still get the benefits of co-op work and housing.

Empowered by the Past: Red State Co-ops Go Green

by Brooke Jarvis

posted Apr 03, 2013

A century ago, cooperatives electrified the poorest counties in the nation. Today, can they lead the way to a smarter, cleaner grid?

Florida Farmworkers March 200 Miles for a Fairer Tomato

by YES! online staff

posted Apr 03, 2013

After marching halfway across the state of Florida, members of the Immokalee Coalition of Farmworkers got fired up at a rally in front of Publix headquarters in Lakeland, Fla. Here’s some of what they had to say.

Arab Spring Breakers: 50,000 Gather in Tunisia to Plan People-Powered Economy

by Signe Predmore

posted Apr 01, 2013

Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered in Tunisia last week to talk about creating a fairer world. Here are some of the hottest topics from the panels in Tunis.

Me Too: A Letter to Steubenville’s Jane Doe

by Kim Simon

posted Apr 01, 2013

After her essay on raising boys to respect women went viral, an incredible outpouring of support gave author Kim Simon the courage to tell the story she really wanted to share: how her own healing from rape came from knowing she wasn’t alone.

Live from Denver: The Fight for a Stronger Media

posted Apr 01, 2013

A contingent from YES! is in Denver this week for the National Conference for Media Reform, where we’ll be hosting a panel on solutions journalism. Check out the conference’s livestream here.

Donald Trump Picks the Wrong Scottish Farmers to Brawl With

by Chris Francis

posted Mar 29, 2013

When Donald Trump tried to develop a stretch of pristine Scottish seaside into a golf course, the feisty local community pushed back. A new documentary film tells the story.