YES! Article archive

Can We End America’s Massive Food Waste Problem?

Almost half of America's food is thrown out every year. Despite the popularity of things like local markets and farm-to-fork initiatives, the U.S. food system remains a heavily industrialized, wasteful business.

Karim Chrobog | Nov 24, 2015

Cooperatives

REI Will #OptOutside on Black Friday. Can It Change Retail (and the Economy)?

All 143 REI stores will be closed on Black Friday. But what more can the co-op do to live up to its values and transform the conversation in the United States?

Parag Rajendra Khandhar | Nov 24, 2015

Climate

Portland Blocked Fossil Fuels, What Now?

Turning the city's resolution into policies that protect health and safety is one fight that lies ahead. Another is forging a wall of resistance from San Diego to Vancouver, B.C.

Arun Gupta | Nov 23, 2015

Climate

These Kids Can’t Vote, But They Can Sue

In Washington state, eight kids took the government to court to safeguard their future through stronger regulations on carbon emissions. Here's what they gained.

Araz Hachadourian | Nov 20, 2015

The Crunch illustration by Jennifer Luxton.

The Butterflies Are Alright: Why Monarchs Are Thriving (and Other News to Chew On)

Portland's vote to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure, new legislation to protect butterflies, and why what we call ISIS matters.

Nov 18, 2015

Cooperatives | Wealth and inequality | Jobs

10 Reasons to Leave Your Company to Your Workers When You Retire

It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity: Selling to employees can yield a better price, preserve a legacy, keep jobs and profits local—and maybe even eradicate inequality.

Rob Brown | Nov 13, 2015

Sustainable food and farming

The USDA Is Putting $34.3 Million Into Local Food Projects. Will It Be Enough?

Those in the food justice movement question whether the agency’s recent efforts are a superficial attempt to appear supportive of local food and minority farmers.

Leah Penniman | Nov 13, 2015

The Economics of Compassion: Can This City Wipe Out Debt by 2019?

A "Jubilee" initiative in Cincinnati aims to wipe out the debts of the city's poorest people. Theologian Walter Brueggemann explains the idea's biblical foundations.

Sarah van Gelder | Nov 13, 2015

As Boomers Retire, Millions of Small Businesses Will Change Hands. Can We Keep Them Local?

A “silver tsunami” of retiring business owners is coming, and with it, one of the biggest changeovers of privately held companies in U.S. history. Here’s how we can help owners pass on their legacies—to their workers.

Alison Lingane | Nov 13, 2015

Citizens United | Climate

3 Ways the TPP Will Hurt the Climate—If We Let It Pass

The next big trade deal is poised for a congressional vote in 2016. Here's what that means for the planet.

Ben Lilliston | Nov 12, 2015

Cooperatives

After Decades in a Food Desert, These Neighbors Are Building a $2 Million Co-op—And They Own It

For nearly 20 years, the residents of this mostly African American Greensboro community had nowhere to shop for food. They tried to attract a big-box grocery store; when that didn’t work, they started their own.

Liz Pleasant | Nov 12, 2015

Renewable energy

Energy Democracy: Inside Californians’ Game-Changing Plan for Community-Owned Power

Large utility companies control about 75 percent of the electricity market in California. A hybrid between a public agency and private utility, the new Community Choice program is a model for communities that want greener, cheaper energy.

Al Weinrub | Nov 12, 2015

New Economy Week Starts Here

This week, we bring you five pressing challenges blocking our way to a better economy—and a dose of solutions.

Nov 12, 2015

Here’s What We’ll Do After the Paris Climate Summit Drops the Ball

No global agreement is coming to save the day. Our powers lie elsewhere, in our communities especially, and this is where we must take the battle.

Jim Shultz | Nov 12, 2015

Acts of Collective Imagination: Notes From the Chief Policy Wonk at America’s Department of Arts and Culture

What if we gave everyone a universal basic income, and studied the adverse impacts of development before razing neighborhoods? The policy agenda of a national network you didn’t know existed.

Arlene Goldbard | Nov 11, 2015