Lobster Gangs and Debunking “The Tragedy of the Commons”
Research by Elinor Ostrom and her colleagues show how people cooperate to manage, and sustain, common resources.
YES! Article archive
Rethinking Money as a Force for Equity
Money has become concentrated in very few hands. Now some experts are considering that money itself may be part of the problem.
There Is Enough Food, Just Not Enough Food Access
Community fridge networks across the country are an important start—and symbol—in the work to make sure everyone has enough to eat.
Decolonizing Our Dreams
Dreams aren’t practical, they are a vision of what is possible.
A Former Olympic Fencer Brings Her Sport Back to Her Community
The Olympics puts the spotlight on many sports that ordinarily don’t get attention. For some youth athletes, those niche sports become a vehicle for upward mobility.
Shapeshifting: Discovering the “We” in Mixed-Race Experiences
For mixed-race people, especially those of us who have one White parent, the answers to questions of identity can be confusing to sort out.
The Fight to Protect Voting Rights Enters the Next Round
Congress members getting arrested is nothing new. It’s just the latest iteration of suppressing Black people’s voting rights.
The YES! Crossword: Black in Business
Get clued in on a cross-section of Black people’s accomplishments, in business and beyond.
How I Survived Prison With Native Spirituality and Mystery Science Theater 3000
A Native writer finds meaningful connections between his heritage and his love for a show about bad movies and goofy robots.
What Role Should Social Justice Play in Climate Science?
The Sámi people of Northern Sweden oppose geoengineering as a solution to climate change because they say it follows the same logic that produced the climate crisis in the first place.
3 Essential Reads About the Expiring Eviction Moratorium
During the pandemic shutdown, only government protection kept many people in their homes. That shield is gone now.
The Best Climate Solutions Start with Listening to Communities
Engaging residents opens the opportunity for them to thrive despite the ever-increasing climate emergency.
Depaving Cities for a Greener Future
Minimum Viable Planet is a weeklyish newsletter about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad. This week, Montreal’s depaving efforts make this Toronto-dweller green with envy (and inspiration).
How Replanted Seagrass Is Restoring the Ocean
Two decades in to the world’s largest seagrass restoration project, Virginia's coastal waters are once again vibrant and healthy ecosystems.
Call for Submissions: A New Social Justice Movement
Send us your leads and pitches by Aug. 9.
How Civil Rights Leader Bob Moses Used Math Literacy to Push for Racial Equality
The Algebra Project sprang directly from Bob Moses’ civil rights work in Mississippi, which transformed the state from a segregationist stronghold into a focal point of the civil rights revolution.
How Women of Color in Congress Are Pushing a Grassroots Agenda
Despite roadblocks, the “Squad” has pushed progressive legislation, scrutinized the powerful, and changed the conversation around who gets to hold political power.
What Does Joe Manchin Want? Ask a West Virginian
The senior U.S. senator from West Virginia harks back to a time when Democrats embraced working class values and looked to local leaders.
Sketches to Make You Smile
“Minimum Viable Planet” is a weeklyish commentary about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad. This week, comics to help you stay positive and take action.
How Immigrant Communities Are Addressing Colorism and Anti-Blackness
The #BlackLivesMatter protests in 2020 sparked hard conversations within immigrant communities on how internalized biases based on skin-color remain prevalent.
How Haunani-Kay Trask Shaped Her People’s Struggle for Independence
The Hawaiian movement for self-determination was forever changed by the fierce and unapologetic leadership of the late Haunani-Kay Trask. This loving obituary written by one of Trask’s mentees explores her powerful legacy.
How to Recapture Your Imagination
A celebrated storyteller draws on myth and metaphor to direct our gaze away from the screen and toward the wonder of the world.
How the Women of Standing Rock Inspired the World
“A nation isn’t defeated until the hearts of the women are on the ground.”
Hiking as Medicine
With a body weakened by chemotherapy, flat, low-elevation hikes have become my new obsession.
Suffering the Heat of Climate Change, Cities Seek Retribution
Baltimore is suing major oil and gas companies for spurring the climate crisis and the rising temperatures that have an outsized impact on low-income, urban areas.
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